The Halloween franchise is one of the most iconic and enduring horror movie institutions. The franchise has had its highs (the first two films, the underrated Rob Zombie remake) and its lows (films Five and Six), but Michael Myers has always been a terrifying villain. Halloween has been dormant for years, but that changes this fall. Today, the first trailer for the newest entry, and while some things have changed, Michael is still his horrifying self.
The trailer quickly establishes that Halloween only considers the very first film in its timeline. After the events of the original Halloween, Michael was locked up for decades. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has spent years training and preparing for his inevitable return. Another interesting development is that in this new Halloween timeline, the two are not related. After some more general plot setup, Michael gets out, and Laurie has to attempt to stop the monster against. What follows is a tense and fraught trailer that gives us hope this Halloween will be just as frightening as the best in the franchise. Michael’s mask looks perfect, and there’s a palpable sense of dread when he’s around. The shot where he drops what’s left of a victim’s teeth over a stall door with his next victim trapped inside is chilling.
You can watch the trailer for Halloween above. The film was written by Danny McBride and David Gordon Green (who also directed), and horror maestro and Halloween creator John Carpenter served as executive producer. Michael Myers stalks back into theaters on October 19.
