Biggest Unanswered Questions In Halloween Kills
Michael Myers, the most notorious resident of Haddonfield, Illinois, is back in "Halloween Kills," the second installment in director and co-writer David Gordon Green's "Halloween" trilogy. The 2018 "Halloween" movie and this year's "Halloween Kills" pick up 40 years after John Carpenter's 1978 "Halloween" movie and continues to explore the legacy of Michael's reign of perpetual terror.
"Halloween Kills" picks up moments after the events of the previous Green-directed feature. Audiences return to the night of Halloween 2018 as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) drive away from Laurie's compound, which she blew up after trapping Michael in her basement. As seen in the trailers for "Halloween Kills," Michael escapes and spends the rest of the night roaming Haddonfield, killing any resident who crosses his path despite the entire town uniting to try and kill him.
The latest film in Green's trilogy raises many questions in its final, nail-biting act. Sadly, those questions will be answered in the next installment, "Halloween Ends," slated for release on October 15, 2022. Green says that the final movie will jump four years into the future (via Collider), which means we can only hope the decades-long tension between Laurie and Michael will finally end while granting peace to the town once and for all. Until then, here are some of the biggest unanswered questions from "Halloween Kills" that demand answers.
How is Michael Myers still alive?
Michael Myers appears to break free from the bond of mortality in "Halloween Kills," something teased by Laurie Strode when she ominously remarks, "The more he kills, the more he transcends," while stuck at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Her theory appears to be correct; this guy simply will not die. Throughout the 105-minute runtime of "Halloween Kills," Michael walks out of Laurie's burning house seemingly unharmed, only to be repeatedly beaten, stabbed, and shot by the residents of Haddonfield. During the movie's climax, an angry mob led by Tommy (Anthony Michael Hall) swarms him in an attempt to kill him in a brutal act of vigilante violence. And yet, as the credits roll, Michael is still standing and is apparently unphased by the murderous efforts of those who have targeted him. Can Michael actually be killed?
Also referred to as "The Shape," throughout the 12 films in the "Halloween" franchise Michael has endured many life-threatening injuries and has never been successfully taken out. Surely he isn't human (at least, not anymore), so there must be some explanation as to how he can continue to survive being injured repeatedly without any repercussions. Michael's ability to endure anything in Green's contained "Halloween" trilogy appears to echo a separate "Halloween" franchise movie, 1995's "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (via IMDb). In that movie, as a child, Michael is possessed by an evil demon named Thorn, which explains why he murders people. Green's films have yet to establish anything quite this supernatural, but with one movie left, will an otherworldly deus ex machina be revealed as the reason for Michael's inability to die?
What does Michael Myers really want?
It has been suggested that Michael's purpose throughout the "Halloween" franchise is to hunt and murder Laurie Strode, but it becomes clear in "Halloween Kills" this may not entirely be true. Laurie and her daughter, Karen, think Michael is coming to the hospital to finish Laurie off, but he never appears. Later on, the critically injured Officer Hawkins (Will Patton) reveals from his hospital bed that Michael's killing spree could likely be related to his deep-seated need to return to his childhood home, the place where it all began. Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet), another survivor of Michael's 1978 rampage, separately deduces this as he maps out the path the killer is taking back to the old Myers home on Lampkin Lane.
At the end of "Halloween Kills," Michael goes back up to his sister's bedroom, where, as a child, he used to look out the window. His return to that window signals his never-ending shadow cast over Haddonfield and catches a glimpse of the reflection of his burnt and grungy mask. As he stands in the spot where he made his first kill, it's unclear if his return is what he truly wants. Is Michael still just a purely evil entity who is compelled to kill? Or does coming home mean he will relent for the first time in his life?
Does Karen Strode survive Michael's attack?
In 2018's "Halloween" and "Halloween Kills," Karen Strode becomes the symbol of a strong female who survives Michael's reign. She protects her mother and daughter, Allyson, from Michael's murderous streak. But, unfortunately, Karen's future in the next film has a huge question mark looming over it. The final act of "Halloween Kills" includes an intense scene between Michael and Allyson in the Lampkin Lane house after he brutally murders her boyfriend, Cameron Elam (Dylan Arnold), and then stabs her and throws her down the stairs.
As Allyson eggs on Michael to kill her, Karen comes up behind him and stabs him in the back. She takes his mask off and, as he gets back up, she lures him to follow her. Set up as a trap, Michael sees his mask lying in the empty street, and as he picks it up, a large group of townspeople circle him, beat him mercilessly, and even shoot him. Michael survives this group attack and returns to his childhood home. He goes up to the room once occupied by his sister and creeps up behind Karen, who believes she is alone and tries to regain some calm. Michael begins stabbing her, and viewers only see her terrified reaction. Will Karen continue to fight back? Or has Michael Myers claimed another victim?
Will Michael Myers target Allyson?
The fate of Allyson, Laurie's granddaughter, is still unknown at the end of "Halloween Kills." In the movie's final act, Allyson, Cameron Elam, and Cameron's dad Lonnie drive to Michael Myers' childhood home. Michael quickly dispatches Lonnie and Cameron, and Allyson watches her boyfriend die following a failed attempt to save him. After she is thrown down a flight of stairs, her leg is badly injured, and, as a result, she's a sitting duck for Michael. As he approaches her, she dares him to kill her. He doesn't have the chance to fulfill her demand because Karen interrupts and attacks him. As the two fight, Allyson can only watch, unable to fight back.
In the last moments of "Halloween Kills," Michael appears in his sister's bedroom, where Karen is standing while Allyson remains downstairs. Her fate is unclear, but given the fact that this seemingly unkillable masked murderer is just one floor above, she's not exactly out of harm's way. Michael's fixation on the Strode bloodline is so strong that it's quite possible Allyson will end up in his crosshairs once he finishes dealing with Karen. However, taking Allyson off the board would be disappointing, considering her development into a tougher-than-tough final girl has been compelling to watch.
Is Laurie Strode the only one who can kill Michael?
In 1978, the "Halloween" movie franchise began with Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. With one movie left in David Gordon Green's branch of this film series, it feels like we could see the story end with Laurie and Michael, too. Throughout "Halloween Kills," Laurie repeatedly tries to leave Haddonfield Memorial Hospital despite her severely weakened physical state. She has spent decades convincing herself that only she can kill Michael as if their fates are inextricably linked, and thus, only she can make the final blow. Her mindset is understandable, especially considering how laser-focused she was on killing Michael in 2018's "Halloween," which reveals she spent 40 years training herself to defend against another attack from Michael after surviving his first attempt on her life. With Michael and Laurie still alive and mobile as the credits roll on "Halloween Kills," it seems "Halloween Ends" will turn its gaze toward this pairing.
Thematically, it would make sense that Laurie and Michael's fates are tied together. As a director and co-writer, Green appears to be intent on telling a "Halloween" story that focuses on the impact cycles of violence and trauma can have on multiple generations. Laurie and her family are caught in a new cycle — one that echoes the events of 1978 — but what's different this time around is that they are intent on breaking it. With Karen and Allyson failing to do away with Michael, it seems the only person left to face The Shape is Laurie, bringing everything full circle as the original final girl and her enemy prepare for one final showdown.