History Film / Halloween2018

* DropTheHammer: Michael kills a woman with a claw hammer during his one-take kill spree, then swaps it out for a knife on the counter.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Brought up InUniverse by Dave, who notes that Michael murdering five people now seems quaint given the real-life horrors of the 21st century. A mass murderer who killed only five people would barely even register in 2018.

* DaylightHorror: While the bulk of the movie happens during the night, the meeting with Michael Myers in the prison's yard and the attack on the gas station both occur during daytime hours.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Strode women outfight and outthink Michael, trapping him in the basement of Laurie's house, which they then set on fire. Separately, Dr. Sartain is stopped and killed by Michael. However, Karen's husband Ray is dead (and his body destroyed by the fire) and Allyson is thoroughly traumatized by the night's events. On top of that, the final shot of Laurie's basement (wherein Michael is nowhere to be seen) and a post-credits scene (wherein Michael's breathing is audible) imply that Michael survived once more, which is confirmed in the opening of ''Film/HalloweenKills''.]] Also, [[spoiler:Hawkins (until ''Kills'' reveals he didn't actually die)]] and many other residents are still dead.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: ''Maybe.'' Michael may be willing to kill pre-teen kids, but he simply walks past an infant baby when he's on a killing spree after pondering it for a second. This being Michael, it may have less to do with moral qualms and more to do with Michael's twisted whims; he didn't kill the baby because he just didn't feel like it, or because the infant would be boring prey -- no running, fighting back or even fear.
* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Dr. Sartain seems to have apparently orchestrated Michael’s escape for the purpose of having him face Laurie. Either that or he's simply taking advantage of Michael's escape to try and study his subject with a more...'' hands-on'' approach. WordOfGod confirms the former.]]

** Doctor Sartain is essentially this to Doctor Loomis, as both of them are clearly obsessed with Michael beyond what is expected or healthy for a doctor/patient relationship. However, while Loomis was obsessed with keeping Michael contained while adhering to the letter of the law, Sartain [[spoiler:is so obsessed with understanding Michael's warped psychology that he not only may have contributed to Michael's escape but later incapacitates a police officer who was about to kill Michael so that he can try to understand how Michael might feel when ''he'' kills, followed by Sartain attempting to take the unconscious Michael to Laurie's house so that he can see what happens when they face off again]].

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Doctor Sartain and the podcasters both speculate this is the case between Laurie Strode as well as Michael Myers. Laurie maintains they're NotSoSimilar.

* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler:Happens to a cop thanks to Michael. Then he turns the guy's head into a freakin' ''jack-o-lantern'']].
* OhCrap: Alyson has an understandably massive moment when she finds Oscar's corpse and sees Michael for the first time. As one [=YouTube=] comment put it, "Little Red Riding Hood's grandchild has suddenly realized that her grandmother's stories about the big bad wolf are true."

* RedBaron: While The Shape has been used as a name for Michael since the credits of the original, this film contains the first instance of Laurie using it in-universe when she's breaking down about seeing his bus. The novelisation uses it constantly when describing scenes from Michael's POV.

-->'''Julian:''' I hear you telling your friends to come over here and you're gonna smoke some weed.
-->'''Vicky:''' No, no.
-->'''Julian:''' That alakazam?
-->'''Vicky:''' Julian, I'm talking about like, a... you know, like a [[BlatantLies magic trick]]. Abracadabra!
-->'''Julian:''' I know you're talking about smoking weed. Don't lie to me. That's against the rules, I'm telling my mom.
-->'''Vicky:''' Well, I'm gonna tell your mom about your browser history.
-->'''Julian:''' You better not.

* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler:Oscar and Ray, the PluckyComicRelief characters in the film, are both killed by Michael. Also, Officers Richards and Francis following their conversation about the dinners they packed for themselves before getting gruesomely KilledOffScreen.]]

* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Doctor Sartain. He knows better than anyone sans Laurie how [[BlueAndOrangeMorality unpredictable]] and ruthless Michael is, yet he still incapacitates Hawkins before he can shoot Michael, puts the nigh-unstoppable murderer in the back seat of the police car unrestrained, takes off Michael's mask, the ''one'' item Michael seems attached to and went out of his way to acquire, and honestly believes Michael will spare him despite being a completely merciless serial killer.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Laurie spent the past forty years preparing for the night that the Shape would return to Haddonfield. By the time of this film, she has become the GenderFlip DistaffCounterpart of Dr. Sam Loomis right down to their elder ages.

** The police in the film are introduced playing a ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' [[Pinball/BackToTheFuture pinball game]], with one quoting Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews’ “The Power of Love” from the film.

* DecoyProtagonist: The beginning focuses mostly on Aaron and Dana. [[spoiler:They end up being brutally killed off.]]

* AssholeVictim: Very pointedly defied: the film avoids the sex-obsessed teenagers and inept lawmen of previous sequels that often had viewers rooting for Michael. Here, while many characters (particularly the Aaron/Dana pairing, Dave, and Oscar) may have some negative qualities, the film makes sure to show enough positive elements - Dana's NiceGirl status, Aaron and Dave rushing to defend their partners (especially when Aaron knows how dangerous Michael actually is), Oscar's genuine regret at misreading the situation with Allyson - to make sure that [[spoiler:their brutal deaths at Michael's hands are NOT viewed as deserved in any way. That said, Dr. Sartain definitely counts...]]

** When Michael attacks Dana in the gas station toilets, Aaron bursts in with a tire iron to save her. [[spoiler:Michael flat-out {{No Sell}}s getting hit in the face by it and proceeds to brutally smash Aaron's head into first the wall and then the door of Dana's stall, leaving his head a bloody, ruined mess before snapping Dana's neck in front of him in his last moments of life.]]
** Instead of fleeing with Julian, Dave goes to confront Michael to try to save Vicky. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have a chance against Michael. [[CurbStompBattle His death isn't even shown onscreen]].]]

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: At various stages, Aaron and Dana, Laurie and Dr. Sartain all speculate on Michael's motives and why he's doing what he's doing, but the film never lends credence to any of it, leaving the reasoning behind Michael's murderous habits a mystery to all but The Shape himself. Defied by Laurie Strode herself [[BlackAndWhiteMorality who just says Michael is evil and he's not particularly deserving of special treatment or sympathy because of it]]. Also defied with Sartain as he's a [[PsychoSupporter sycophant]] who [[spoiler:sets Michael free as a means of studying him]].

* DecoyProtagonist: The beginning focuses mostly on Aaron and Dana, [[spoiler:then they are brutally killed off.]]

* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:Aaron's bursting in with a crowbar on Michael's attempt to kill Dana. It initially at least offers the possibility that Dana might get away - but instead Michael [[NoSell shrugs off]] a crowbar shot and brutally uses Aaron's head as a living battering ram to smash through the door of the stall she's in. He's left to die from his wounds, while Michael breaks her neck]].
* HystericalWoman: Actually subverted in a weaponized form. When Michael [[spoiler: rips off the door to Laurie's panic room but stays away from the entrance to try and scare the women more, Karen lowers her gun and starts sobbing to Laurie that she can't do it. Michael steps into view, after which Karen immediately stops crying, levels her gun at Michael and almost headshots him, catching him in the cheek.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Strode women outfight and outthink Michael, trapping him in the basement of Laurie's house, which they then set on fire, and Dr. Sartain is stopped and killed by Michael. However, Karen's husband Ray is dead (and his body destroyed by the fire) and Allyson is thoroughly traumatized by the night's events. On top of that, the final shot of Laurie's basement (wherein Michael is nowhere to be seen) and a post-credits scene (wherein Michael's breathing is audible) imply that Michael may have survived once more, which is confirmed in the opening of ''Film/HalloweenKills''.]] Also, [[spoiler:Hawkins (until ''Kills'' reveals he didn't actually die)]] and many other residents are still dead.

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:Laurie sets her house ablaze in a bid to kill Michael once and for all]]. [[spoiler:Subverted though, in that the ending of the credits implies it doesn't take]].
* KilledOffscreen:

* RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler:Michael is shot multiple times, including having two of his fingers blown off by a shotgun. He's hit in the face with a crowbar, rammed with an SUV, stabbed, and finally set on fire. AND the tag at the end of the credits implies that he may have even survived that.]]

* {{Retcon}}: Retcons the entire ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' franchise all the way back to the ending of first one - Michael did not actually escape at the end of the first movie but was simply apprehended and sent back to the psychiatric hospital. A throwaway bit of expository dialogue towards the beginning of the film implies that at least some of the other movies were actually urban myths and legends about the Babysitter Murders, including the previously-established "fact" that Michael is actually Laurie's brother.

** This seems to be the reason Michael goes after Laurie so tenaciously following his escape, either for the wounds she inflicted on him 40 years ago or the simple fact that she got away. ([[RevengeMyopia Never mind the fact that she was simply defending herself and he tried to kill her first]].) Dr. Sartain hypothesizes that this defeat shook Michael's own perception of himself as an apex predator and that killing Laurie is the only way he can escape his own fear of becoming prey.
** However, it’s also hinted in the movie that this is merely a motivation everyone projects on Michael to make him more human and/or to understand his mind. For the most part Michael appears unconcerned about Laurie - when he gets his mask back he immediately goes on a killing spree unconnected to her. It takes time for him to seemingly recognize her when they meet again for the first time, and only goes after Laurie [[spoiler:when, for the most part, outside forces he has no control over bring him near her household]].
** Considering Michael's out-of-character behaviour after Laurie takes a potshot at him - he flees immediately, not even bothering with his usual stealth techniques, and notably doesn't kill Hawkins despite his being distracted by [[spoiler:uncovering Vicky's corpse]] - there's a chance Sartain's theory was correct, in that if Michael considers Laurie as much TheDreaded to him as he is to her he was actually fleeing the one person he knows can hurt him rather than confront her directly.

* ScarsAreForever: Laurie's arm still has the scar from where Michael cut her forty years earlier, while Michael's eye is still scarred from her defense with the coat hanger and his neck still bears the scar from the knitting needle she jammed into it.

* SeriesFauxnale: The film, [[TrailersAlwaysLie as well as some promotional materials]], gives the impression that this is Michael and Laurie's final battle. In the actual film though, their battle [[spoiler:is fought to a stalemate]]. [[spoiler:Michael stabs Laurie in the stomach and throws her off a balcony, but she manages to survive, sneak back into the house, and then, with the help of Karen and Allyson, traps The Shape in the basement, which she [[KillItWithFire sets alight after filling it with gas]], intending to burn Michael to Hell]]. So by the end, [[spoiler:Laurie is wounded but alive and so is Michael, who has moved from where the Strodes had left him in the burning house]]. The point is, the saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode isn't over... yet, as it will continue on in "Halloween Kills" and "Halloween Ends".

** Sondra the caretaker mentions comedian Creator/BernieMac and blues legend Music/MuddyWaters as two of the famous Illinois residents buried at a nearby cemetery.

** Laurie waiting for her granddaughter outside her school recalls Michael stalking Laurie outside her school in 1978. Also, both times the teacher is talking about fate.

** Michael throwing Laurie off her balcony and Laurie disappearing recalls the ending of the original film.

* CanonDiscontinuity: The film ignores every sequel and remake in the franchise to date, making it a direct sequel to the 1978 original.

** The movie puts forward theories as to why he does what he does and how that long-ago night has affected him, but cements none of them, [[spoiler:and Michael's final long stare up through the trap is open to interpretation.]]

* BeardOfEvil: It can be hard to notice sometimes, since the movie pointedly avoids showing his face in focus, but Michael has grown one since his incarceration.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: At various stages Aaron and Dana, Laurie and Dr. Sartain all speculate on Michael's motives and why he's doing what he's doing, but the film never lends credence to any of it, leaving the reasoning behind Michael's murderous habits a mystery to all but The Shape himself. Defied by Laurie Strode herself [[BlackAndWhiteMorality who just says Michael is evil and he's not particularly deserving of special treatment or sympathy because of it]]. Also defied with Sartain as he's a [[PsychoSupporter sycophant]] who [[spoiler:sets Michael free as a means of studying him]].

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Dr. Sartain seems to have apparently orchestrated Michael’s escape for the purpose of having him face Laurie. Either that or he's simply taking advantage of Michael's escape to try and study his subject with a more...''hands on'' approach. WordOfGod confirms the former.]]
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:Sartain]] is one for [[spoiler:Loomis]]. It's even spelled out as, while Hawkins [[spoiler:prevented Loomis from killing Michael, Sartain incapaciates Hawkins to prevent ''him'' from correcting that mistake]].

** Doctor Sartain is essentially this to Doctor Loomis, as both of them are clearly obsessed with Michael beyond what is expected or healthy for a doctor/patient relationship. However, while Loomis was obsessed with keeping Michael contained while adhering to the letter of the law, Sartain [[spoiler:is so obsessed with understanding Michael's warped psychology that he not only may have contributed to Michael's escape, but later incapaciates a police officer who was about to kill Michael so that he can try to understand how Michael might feel when ''he'' kills, followed by Sartain attempting to take the unconscious Michael to Laurie's house so that he can see what happens when they face off again]].

** Michael, as ever - his incredible strength, stealth abilities and ability to survive fatal wounds over and over are always just enough to leave the viewer uneasy about how he does it, but are never overplayed compared to, say, [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]]. Special mention has to go to [[spoiler:his somehow waking up and remasking himself in the police car with Dr. Sartain and Allyson without them noticing, when both are less than two feet away from him.]]

* {{Irony}}: When Oscar is alone in the backyard and spots Michael (who he believes to be the homeowner), he starts waxing on about his fight with Allyson, wondering if Michael has also had a girl he's always wanted, but never managed to get. Michael ''does'' -- in a way.

** Julian asks his Vicky to close his closet door before tucking him in. She does so, but the door won't close all the way, and she tries without success... three times. She opens it to see what's jamming it. And guess who steps out with a knife raised.

* MadeOfIron: True to form, over the course of the film Michael shrugs off multiple lethal attacks that an ordinary human, let alone a 61 year old man, would be unlikely to survive. [[spoiler:This includes surviving the initial bus crash, taking a crowbar swing to the face, being shot in the arm, being rammed by a full-speed SUV, having two fingers taken off with a shotgun, getting shot with a hunting rifle, and finally being stabbed. The film ends with him being set on fire, but even then doesn't show the body. There's some vague implication in the end credits that he may have gotten out from the burning building he was trapped in. God knows ''how...'']]

* MauveShirt: Unique among slasher films, this one devotes a good chunk of its run time to fleshing out otherwise disposable characters, making their inevitable demise all the more distressing.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: When the podcasters pull out Michael's mask to show to him, he doesn't move save for a slight head turn, but the inmates and guard dogs around him start going nuts, as if he (or perhaps simply the thick tension in the air) is having some strange effect on them. Michael's almost supernatural ability to survive damage is also shown multiple times throughout the film. [[invoked]]WordOfGod [[http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/halloween/feature/a868828/halloween-ending-post-credits-scene-michael-myers-2018-movie/ states it was a deliberate choice]] to portray Michael this way, leaving the nature of his ability to survive injuries that would kill anyone else ten times over ambiguous.
-->'''Director David Gordon Green:''' It's a tricky question, because I don't really know the answer to it. We were trying to find the line where he's still living as a creature on Earth, but he's got fantastic recovery. But I don't ever want to look at him as supernatural. But he doesn't really comfortably live in the natural world. So maybe he is.

* RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler:Michael is shot multiple times, including having two of his fingers blown off by a shotgun. He's hit in the face with a crowbar, rammed with an SUV, stabbed, and finally set on fire. AND the tag at the end of the credits imply that he may have even survived that.]]
* {{Reconstruction}}: Of the ''Halloween'' movie franchise, acting as a direct sequel to the original and stripping every non-essential aspect down to the original concept: knife wielding maniac with no personality viciously stalks and kills people during Halloween night. This is best symbolized in the soundtrack, which was composed primarily by Creator/JohnCarpenter himself.

** This seems to be the reason Michael goes after Laurie so tenaciously following his escape, either for the wounds she inflicted on him 40 years ago or the simple fact that she got away. ([[RevengeMyopia Never mind the fact that she was simply defending herself and he tried to kill her first]].) Dr. Sartain hypothesizes that this defeat shook Michael's own perception of himself as an apex predator, and that killing Laurie is the only way he can escape his own fear of becoming prey.

* SeriesFauxnale: The film, [[TrailersAlwaysLie as well as some promotional materials]], give the impression that this is Michael and Laurie's final battle. In the actual film though, their battle [[spoiler:is fought to a stalemate]]. [[spoiler:Michael stabs Laurie in the stomach and throws her off a balcony, but she manages to survive, sneak back into the house, and then, with the help of Karen and Allyson, traps The Shape in the basement, which she [[KillItWithFire sets alight after filling it with gas]], intending to burn Michael to Hell]]. So by the end, [[spoiler:Laurie is wounded but alive and so is Michael, who has moved from where the Strodes had left him in the burning house]]. The point is, the saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode isn't over... yet, as it will continue on in "Halloween Kills" and "Halloween Ends".

* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler:Oscar and Ray, the PluckyComicRelief characters in the film, are both killed by Michael. Also, Officers Richards and Francis following their conversation about their dinners they packed for themselves before getting gruesomely KilledOffScreen.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: With the film taking a more stripped back approach that jettisons the supernatural aspects of prior sequels, there's a lot of this throughout.

** Laurie's decision to give Karen TheSpartanWay of a childhood is an attempt to protect her in the event of Michael Myers breaking out. Do the authorities accept this? Absolutely not. Karen is taken away from Laurie, as understandably, teaching a young child how to fight and kill a person, even if that person is a psychopathic SerialKiller, immediately results in child welfare agents taking Karen away. Karen grows to have a severe love/hate relationship with her mother because of this.

** Michael Myers still possesses some of his supernatural aspects, such as his strength and endurance. However, the fact that he is now 61 years old means he can no longer afford to attack people head on and promptly waits for his moments. Probably best seen after [[spoiler:he kills Vicky, and Laurie shows up to take a shot at him while the armed Hawkins is in the other room - he straight up bolts rather than confront them directly, not even bothering to hide as he flees.]]

* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Doctor Sartain. He knows better than anyone sans Laurie how [[BlueAndOrangeMorality unpredictable]] and ruthless Michael is, yet he still incapaciates Hawkins before he can shoot Michael, puts the nigh-unstoppable murderer in the back seat of the police car unrestrained, takes off Michael's mask, the ''one'' item Michael seems attached to and went out of his way to acquire, and honestly believes Michael will spare him despite being a completely merciless serial killer.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The arrival of the podcaster crew and their needling him about the events of the original film, helps snap Michael out of 40 years of inactivity and provokes his new murder spree. [[spoiler:It's possible, however, that all they accomplished was bringing him his mask, as either Michael himself was already planning on breaking out for the 40 year anniversary (just like he broke out for the 15 year anniversary in the original film), or Dr. Sartain was planning on breaking Michael out.]]

** From the first film, Sheriff Brackett is nowhere to be seen or even mentioned - despite his daughter being one of the victims. ''Halloween II'' had shown him reacting to Annie's death and he had retired by the fourth film, but he's not name checked here.

Original star Creator/JamieLeeCurtis returns to the franchise as Laurie. Nick Castle, who played Michael in the original movie, also reprises his famous role (for small cameos, that is - Michael's breathing sound is him and the moment Laurie first sees Michael is him, while the rest of the film has Michael played by James Jude Courtney). As for new characters, Creator/JudyGreer plays Laurie's daughter Karen while Andi Matichak plays her granddaughter Allyson.

* DiscontinuityNod: Allyson confirming Michael is ''not'' Laurie's brother when asked by Dave, a plot twist that is still something of a cause for a [[invoked]]BrokenBase in the fandom, seems to be directed at the part of the fanbase that didn't like the idea.

** The movie puts forward theories as to why he does what he does and how that long ago night has affected him, but cements none of them, [[spoiler:and Michael's final long stare up through the trap is open to interpretation.]]

** The only time gun safety isn't followed is in the case of the kid who grabs a rifle and shoots at a person who scares him (Dr. Sartain) without seeing if he's dangerous or not; it's justified in this case since he's a kid and while it's implied he's gone on hunting trips with his dad before, right now he's clearly scared by the situation and his dad disappearing and is starting to panic.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Strode women outfight and outthink Michael, trapping him in Laurie's burning house and leaving him to burn as they escape. Also, Dr. Sartain is stopped and killed by Michael. But Karen's husband Ray is dead (and his body destroyed by the fire) and Allyson is thoroughly traumatized by the night's events. On top of that, the final shot of Laurie's basement where the Strode women trapped Michael (wherein Michael is nowhere to be seen) and a post-credits scene (wherein Michael's breathing is audible) imply Michael may have survived once more, which is confirmed in the opening of ''Film/HalloweenKills''.]] Also, [[spoiler:Hawkins (until ''Kills'' reveals he didn't actually die)]] and many other residents are still dead.

* HateSink: [[MadDoctor Dr. Ranbir Sartain]] is the PsychoPsychologist who for years was Dr. Sam Loomis's protégé and studied and [[PsychoSupporter became obsessed with Michael Myers]]. Wanting to get a sense of what's in Michael's head and get him to share his thoughts on all he's done, Sartain causes a bus crash so that Michael will escape from custody and just like Sartain had hoped, Michael commits another vicious killing spree in the process. Wanting to protect Michael for nothing but his own twisted fixation and obsession, Sartain viciously attacks and leaves Deputy Frank Hawkins for dead while then locking Laurie Strode's granddaughter Allyson Nelson in the back of a police car with Michael, intent on forcing a confrontation with Laurie just to see what happens. Even with his death here meaning Sartain doesn't appear in either ''[[Film/HalloweenKills Kills]]'' or ''[[Film/HalloweenEnds Ends]]'', the events of everything that happens in those movies were still indirectly made possible ''because'' of him.

* KarmaHoudini: Allyson's boyfriend Cameron cheats on her, refuses to apologize for it, and destroys her phone. Oddly enough, [[spoiler:he's the only member of Allyson's group of friends who isn't killed. Subverted in a deleted scene, where he does feel bad for destroying her phone and tries to apologize before he's arrested by the cops for foolishly mouthing off to them (a scene which did make it into the novelization)]]. This was a deliberate choice by the creators, since they want to use Cameron in the sequel.