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Halloween 2018 may be disregarding every sequel and remake that followed John Carpenter’s original Halloween, but it’s not abandoning them completely. The upcoming sequel will reference the non-canon sequels in subtle ways out of respect for the fans - and some of these references even show up in the movie’s first trailer.

John Carpenter’s indie horror classic Halloween was a game-changer in the genre when it was released back in 1978. It follows an escaped patient from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium named Michael Myers who returns to his hometown on Halloween night to continue a killing spree he started seventeen years prior, all the while being tracked down by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (played by Donald Pleasance). Forty years later, director David Gordon Green will revisit Michael Myers as he escapes from containment yet again, retracing his steps back to Haddonfield, Illinois in an attempt to finish off the sole survivor of his famed killing spree, Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis). And though the upcoming sequel will officially retcon every sequel and remake between 1978 and 2018, the filmmakers aren’t writing off other entries in the franchise completely. Green and co-screenwriters Danny McBride confirmed that Halloween 2018 will make references to the other entries over the course of their movie.

Fans will have to wait for Halloween 2018’s October release to see every subtle nod and throwback, but for the time being, there is already plenty to sift through in the movie’s trailer alone. Between blatant references to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it easter eggs, Green and McBride clearly didn’t hold back on giving the non-canon sequels their due. In fact, moments from the trailer even directly allude to Carpenter’s original Halloween.

  • This Page: Easter Eggs From The Classic Halloween Movies Page 2: References To The Crazier Halloween Sequels

The John Carpenter Era

References to the original Halloween in the Halloween 2018 trailer are laid on thick. In fact, some of the similarities are so apparent that it’s led some to believe that the movie will be a kind of direct sequel/soft reboot hybrid (with Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum even referring to it as a “reinvention”). This is especially evident with moments that are nearly shot-for-shot recreations from the original movie - including someone (either Michael or one of his victims) draped in a ghost-like bedsheet, escaped Smith’s Grove Sanitarium patients aimlessly wandering in the middle of a road, and Michael walking into a group of kids, followed by a synth sting in the score.

There are also other obvious nods to the past, with a courtroom sketch of Dr. Loomis, documents referring back to Michael’s killing spree, Michael hiding in a bedroom closet (a possible callback to his altercation with Laurie in the original movie), and Laurie’s daughter Allyson (played by Andi Matichak) walking home with her friends in a shot that mimics the framing of a scene from the original in which Laurie walks home with her friends. In fact, that scene from the trailer also nods to Halloween II - which Carpenter didn’t direct, but produced, co-wrote, and co-scored.

This nod refers to a major retcon that Halloween 2018 will introduce, wherein the familial tie between Michael and Laurie is no longer canon. In Halloween II, Laurie discovers that Michael is her brother (a plot device that is further explored in the sequels), but the scene in the trailer outright confirms that their relations are based out of rumor, not fact.

Read More: Halloween 2018 Trailer Confirms Major Michael Myers Retcon

There is then one more subtle callback to Halloween II when Michael bumps into the kids who were mentioned earlier. One of them is dressed up as a cowboy and holding a boombox over his shoulder, a clear nod to an identical moment in the sequel.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Even though Halloween III: Season of the Witch attempted to divert from Michael Myers’ storyline and take the Halloween franchise in a new direction, it’s still technically canon in the series chronology (though arguably in an alternate universe). This sequel attempted to utilize the Halloween title as a platform for spinoff movies that adhered to the Halloween season, but it failed. Audiences preferred Michael Myers over Celtic rituals and killer masks.

Still, even though most audiences have more or less written it off in the franchise (apologists do exist for Season of the Witch), it still has a place in Halloween 2018. In the trailer, a group of trick ‘r treaters are seen wearing two of the three Silver Shamrock masks from the movie (though they don’t appear to be in any mask-related danger).

Page 2 of 2: References To The Crazier Halloween Sequels

The Jamie Lloyd Era

Whereas the first two Halloween movies centered around Michael Myers attacking Laurie Strode, parts 4, 5, and 6 place Laurie’s daughter Jamie (played by Danielle Harris, and later by J.C. Brandy) center stage. In Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, it’s revealed that Laurie died in a car accident, putting her daughter in the custody of a foster family. This era of the franchise brought Michael and Dr. Sam Loomis back into the mix, while also introducing Thorn - a Druid cult that drove Michael to kill members of his family every Halloween as the result of an ancient curse.

In the trailer, the first callback to this era includes the disrobed corpse of a mechanic. In Halloween 4, Michael visits an auto repair shop, kills the mechanic, and steals his uniform - which he appears to do again in Halloween 2018.

There is then a reference to both Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers with the inclusion of the Mark of Thorn. The mark appears in both movies, notably as a tattoo on Michael’s wrist. It’s hard to tell if that’s the case in the new canon, but it’s nevertheless in the trailer: in the scene in which documentarian Dana Haines (played by Rhian Rees) is sitting on the toilet, there is some graffiti on the stall that includes the Mark of Thorn. However, it requires as a keen eye, as the mark is weaved into some additional abstract graffiti drawn around it.

And while these appear to be the last of the this era’s references, there is a brief shot of a young woman running away from Michael whose Halloween costume looks to be a mix between the costumes worn by Tina (played by Wendy Foxworth) and Samantha (played by Tamara Glynn) in Halloween 5. 

H20 and Halloween: Resurrection

After the Jamie Lloyd era, the Halloween franchise returned to its roots. Though Dr. Sam Loomis had been killed off in Halloween 6 on account of Donald Pleasance’s actual death, Jamie Lee Curtis returned as Laurie Strode in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, revealing that she had faked her death in order to evade Michael Myers. And while the Halloween 2018 trailer does reveal the scar that Laurie has in H20, which was the result of being stabbed in the arm by Michael in the original Halloween, the more direct H20 reference involves a completely different character altogether.

In the trailer, documentarian Dana Haines is sitting on a toilet in a public restroom. She is then greeted by none other than Michael Myers, who proceeds to taunt her from outside the stall before full-on attacking her. This moment is reminiscent of a scene from H20 in which a woman and her young daughter are involved in a similar situation. In H20, Michael enters the bathroom while the woman and her daughter are in separate stalls, takes her purse, and proceeds to steal her keys - resulting in a non-violent robbery. In Halloween 2018, the scene is decidedly more violent, with Michael dropping a handful of human teeth by her feet before attempting to break into the stall.

What’s more is that Dana’s name is also a possible nod to Halloween: Resurrection, the follow-up movie to H20. In an earlier shot from the trailer when Dana is inside Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, her visitor name tag reveals her last name: Haines. And though this may well be a coincidence, Haines is the last name of a Smith’s Grove security guard (and eventual Michael Myers victim) in Halloween: Resurrection. 

Is There Room For Any More Halloween References?

Now that a significant number of references to the retconned sequels have already been revealed in the trailer (though none, apparently, were from Rob Zombie’s remake and subsequent sequel), it begs the question as to whether there’s any room for more. As deliberate fan service, the references remind audiences that their beloved series is in respectful hands, but there is such a thing as “too much”. Over-saturation can run the risk of overkill, and given that the whole point of Halloween 2018 is to pretend those sequels never existed in the first place, some well-placed restraint can potentially do wonders.

That said, Halloween 2018 wouldn’t be any different from movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, T2: Trainspotting, or Jurassic World - sequels released well after the original that lean as heavily on throwbacks as they do original material. The takeaway from those movies have been hit or miss in this department, so whether or not this approach feels like a trigger for cheap nostalgia or a fan-servicing treat depends on the individual fan. And given that this franchise is inspired by a holiday predicated on overindulgence, maybe these references are actually more on-brand than their surface-level appeal suggests.

More: Halloween Reboot: Every Update You Need To Know

  • Halloween Release Date: 2018-10-19