It’s been 40 years since Laurie Strode faced off against Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween, and Jame Lee Curtis has officially confirmed that Laurie “has been waiting for him” ever since. Though very few plot details have been released for director David Gordon Green’s direct sequel to the 1978 original, Curtis’ comment has given audiences a taste of what her Halloween character has been up to over the past four decades.
Set 40 years after Carpenter’s original Halloween, the upcoming sequel will revisit an older Laurie Strode. At this point in time, she’s not only a mother, but a grandmother, and after Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield, Illinois to finish what he started in the fall of 1978, Strode is forced to reclaim her Scream Queen status and do whatever it takes to protect her family. The film will officially retcon the series by ignoring every sequel in the franchise, including Halloween 2, which Carpenter himself co-wrote.
In response to the first Halloween 2018 poster being released online, Curtis tweeted her excitement, while also cluing in fans on how her character has handled the past 40 years, saying “In exactly six months, after exactly 40 years, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield but Laurie Strode has been waiting for him.” So, while this might not be the detailed synopsis that fans have been anticipating, it still speaks volumes to Laurie’s evolution, while even nodding to how her character was handled in the disregarded sequel Halloween: H20.
In exactly six months, after exactly 40 years, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield but Laurie Strode has been waiting for him. @halloweenmovie #HalloweenMovie pic.twitter.com/7VsTkzae1b— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) April 19, 2018
Co-screenwriter Danny McBride has confirmed that even though Halloween 2018 directly follows Carpenter’s original film, it will “pay homage and respect to every Halloween that has been out there.” So, while the specifics of these references haven’t been revealed yet, it’s interesting to see that this older version of Laurie has been painted in a very similar light to her role in H20, where Laurie (also portrayed as a mother there) is revealed to have been suffering from severe PTSD, afraid that Michael Myers might return year after year. In the film, she expects her son to ignore the seasonal traditions of Halloween, is heavily medicated, suffers visual hallucinations, and even keeps a loaded weapon at the ready just in case. The upcoming sequel appears to be borrowing from this particular character development - the only difference being that Laurie appears noticeably more confident this time around.
In H20, Laurie spends the entire final act in a cat-and-mouse chase with Michael, before ultimately decapitating him with an ax. After 20 years of living in fear, her fight against Michael doubled as a sort of self-induced therapy. In the upcoming sequel, however, Laurie may well be replacing anxiety with anticipation; taking on the role of a battered warrior, as opposed to a struggling victim.
More: Halloween 2018: Jason Blum Praises First Cut of Film
Source: Jamie Lee Curtis
- Halloween Release Date: 2018-10-19
