It goes without saying that David Gordon Green’s Halloween sequel trilogy is full of nods to the original 1978 film. Especially because these new films attempt to act as more proper sequels than those they’ve retconned. What some fans might have missed in the newly released Halloween Kills, however, is that there’s an extremely subtle reference to the original movie.
For those that are fans of the original Halloween, you likely remember the scene where Sheriff Leigh Brackett discusses the Nichols Hardware Store being broken into. He tells his daughter Annie and Laurie Strode that the robber only took a mask, some knives, and a rope. Obviously this robber was none other than Michael Myers, and it’s pretty obvious why he took the mask and knives. But we never actually see the rope used in the final film. Well, Halloween Kills fixes that right away.
Halloween Kills opens with a flashback sequence that takes viewers back to 1978. The film intricately recreates locations and characters as they were shown in the original movie. At one point, Michael Myers nearly kills a police officer before the officer is accidentally shot by a younger Deputy Hawkins. Here’s the subtle reference in Halloween Kills – Michael Myers attempted to kill said police officer with some rope. Indeed, this was supposed to be the same rope that he stole from the hardware store.
The attention to detail doesn’t end there, either. Director David Gordon Green discussed with ComicBook just how much detail went into recreating the original locations and visual styles:
“Our production designer Richard Wright and our art department just did an incredible amount of research on the original sets in terms of measurements. And I mean, they went and visited the practical locations and put the architecture together based on exact size and scale of the original home,” he explained.
“And then our director of photography, Michael Simmons, talked to [Halloween cinematographer] Dean Cundey and got tips on how to light and what the technical conversation of the camera and the characters would be. Even editing is a little different.”
Halloween Kills was directed by David Gordon Green who also helmed the 2018 film. He wrote the script alongside Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The film features a cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Charles Cyphers, Anthony Michael Hall, Kyle Richards, Nancy Stephens, Jibrail Nantambu, and Robert Longstreet. James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle both return as Michael Myers.
Fans are currently able to see Halloween Kills both in theaters and on the Peacock streaming service.