Since the polarizing release of Halloween Kills last year, horror fans have been wondering how David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were planning to wrap up their sequel trilogy to John Carpenter’s original classic. Their latest film, Halloween Ends, is being billed as the final installment in the Laurie Strode, Michael Myers saga. These last few days have seen the release of the first teaser trailer for the upcoming horror film, and while it may not be spoiler-heavy, there are some interesting details that provide clues for what type of film we’ll be experiencing.

Picking up four years after Kills, Halloween Ends finds Laurie and Allyson trying to get on with their lives, but things take a quick turn south when Allyson’s new boyfriend Corey is accused of murdering a child he was babysitting. Violence and paranoia once again seize Haddonfield, forcing Laurie to confront The Shape for perhaps the last time for both of them. The original Halloween is one of my all-time favorite movies, and while I’ve certainly had issues with these latest movies, overall I’ve enjoyed them quite a bit and am curious to see how this iteration of the story will conclude. John Carpenter, who both directed the original film and scored these latest films, has called with entry a departure from the previous two movies. What does that mean, and will that news bode well for fans? It’s hard to say at this point, but there are some interesting snippets to pick out of this first teaser, and we’re going to go over those now.

Returning Faces

This trailer is significantly vaguer than the trailer for Kills, which is perhaps a good thing as it avoids spoiler territory. However, we see some welcome returning characters from the last two movies. For one, we see the return of Allyson, played by Andi Matichak, Laurie’s granddaughter and a major player in these latest movies. It will be interesting to see how the experiences of both 2018’s Halloween and Halloween Kills have changed Allyson, now out of high school and on her way to college, and perhaps inheriting much of the pain Laurie has carried with her since the original film.

Another returning character is Hawkins, the police officer played by Will Patton who was seemingly killed in the 2018 film before being shown to have survived in Halloween Kills. Hawkins is shown to be back on his feet and ready to defend the town in this latest installment, which is good since his original ‘death’ in the 2018 film was one of that movie’s lower points. How will Hawkins’ latest confrontation with The Shape go? We shall see.

Though not seen in the trailer, some other familiar faces will be returning for this latest film. Kyle Richards returns as Lindsay Wallace, reprising her role from the 1978 film and last year’s sequel, a role that has been hinted at being far more expansive than it was in the last movie. However, since we haven’t seen a lot of Richards, its also possible she may suffer an early death in the film. Also, Omar Dorsey will return as Sherriff Baker, who was introduced in the 2018 film.

Copycat Michael?

The trailer begins apparently showing Michael going into Laurie’s house to confront her, kicking off a quick montage that ends with a fight in the kitchen between Laurie and The Shape. However, these appear o be two separate scenes, and there is a little detail that is easy to miss if you’re not looking closely. When Michael opens the door, he appears to use his left hand; a left hand that still has all its fingers. If you recall, Laurie relieved Michael of both the pinky and ring fingers of his left hand via a shotgun blast in the 2018 Halloween.

So it seems that in this scene at least, this is not Michael Myers. There are a few possibilities as to why this might be. One is Laurie may be going through a training drill, something we saw her doing in the 2018 movie, and she has someone standing in for her nemesis. Two, Laurie may be getting stalked and targeted by a fanatic for whatever reason, and will likely be putting an end to them during this scene. This will likely not be a major plot point in Halloween Ends, and fans can likely expect this scene to make up the opening teaser of the film before moving on to the main story. I suppose it’s possible that Michael is using his right hand to open the door and it’s too dark to tell, but having watched the scene a few times, it looks likely that in this case, we’re dealing with a false Shape. Fans fear not, however. The real Shape is still in the film, and we will be getting plenty of them.

Laurie and Hawkins Get Hitched?

Another small detail in this scene is when Laurie confronts the apparently false Shape. When Laurie is about to pull the trigger of her gun, a wedding ring is visible on her finger, something not seen in the last two movies. This is a major step for Laurie as a character as a major problem for her was years of isolation that lead to her missing out on the lives of both her daughter and granddaughter. She also appears significantly less disheveled. So who is the lucky person?

The last film showed some clear romantic tension between Laurie and Hawkins while the two of them recovered in the hospital. The scenes between Laurie and Hawkins were among the highlights of Halloween Kills, so the possibility of them getting hitched is an exciting one, and hopefully be the source of some good character moments between the pair. It also seems this represents an overall positive change for Laurie because she seems much less like a hermit in this latest film, likely wanting to be closer to Allyson and the others in her life following the death of Karen. It will be interesting to see how the events of the 2018 film and its sequel have changed Laurie, and where that puts her heading into her final confrontation with The Shape.

Corey Cunningham

One plot that is interesting in the synopsis that has been released is that of Corey Cunningham, Allyson’s new boyfriend who is accused of murdering a child during a babysitting job. Corey is seen briefly in the trailer walking down a dark tunnel before he’s confronted by The Shape. Whether this is only one of several encounters with The Shape or if this is Corey’s last stand remains to be seen. Apparently however this character is a major player in the film, with some saying he is the real protagonist of the movie.

The babysitter plot here is an interesting one, given the topic of babysitting was a major plot point in the original. So what happens with Corey? Does he kill the child he’s looking after on accident, or is The Shape guilty of the crime and he’s setting out to clear his name? Is Allyson helping Corey stay in hiding while the town is on the hunt for him? If it’s the former, is Corey being set up to be a replacement for Michael should The Shape call before Laurie? Is he just another victim among the latest cast? I am somewhat apprehensive about this plot point, but am still curious to see how they’ll pull it off.

The Final Chapter?

The 2018 film was one of the most anticipated films that year, and proved to be a massive critical and commercial hit for the series. Halloween Kills, while divisive critically, was still a big hit in theaters, showing that interest in the murderous Shape is still strong. The big question is how will this movie end? David Gordon Green and Jason Blum have said they wanted to put a definitive cap on Laurie and Michael’s story in this continuity, so what will that mean? Will it mean the end of Michael and the end of this series of Halloween films, or just the end of Laurie? The end of them both? Honestly, I do hope that Michael dies, because despite the hesitation of the producers, that is what a lot of fans want to see. When Halloween: H20 ended back in 1998, audiences cheered when Michael’s head came off. What a feeling it would be to cheer that way again.

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