Why Halloween Kills Unmasked Michael Myers (& What It Means)

Halloween Kills unmasked Michael Myers, but still keeps his face hidden from view. So what does this mean for the sequel and Michael himself?

Warning: Spoilers for Halloween Kills

A significant element of Halloween Kills was the movie removing Michael Myers’ mask, and this served a distinct purpose. Originally set to debut in 2020, the sequel to 2018’s Halloween was pushed back a full year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To reward the public for their patience, the first teaser was released in October 2020, while the extended trailer finally gave a glimpse at what was in store for the survivors in Haddonfield.

Despite being the eleventh entry in the Halloween film series, director David Gordon Green modified the continuity so that 2018’s Halloween served as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s original film from 1978. Still surrounding the terror caused by Michael Myers, the plot brought back Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in the present day as she planned to end her nemesis once and for all. However, this time, she had her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) to worry about. After the town fell victim to a new massacre, Laurie and fellow Strode women trapped Michael into the basement of Laurie’s burning house, but that wasn’t the end of the villain.

Related: Halloween Kills References Michael Myers’ 1978 Movie Escape

Aside from the fact that two more Halloween sequels were in development, heavy breathing heard during the credits hinted at Michael’s survival. That was confirmed in the first teaser, and was expanded in the first Halloween Kills trailer. In the film, a team of firefighters unknowingly rescue the masked killer before he kills them all. Meanwhile, Karen and Allyson accompany Laurie to the hospital before the trio learn that Michael is alive. As Michael’s rampage continues, various figures in Haddonfield coming together to defeat Michael for good. The fight takes vital members like Laurie, Allyson, and Karen to Michael’s childhood home, where another showdown occurs. Eventually, Karen is gets hold of Michael’s iconic white mask, and baits him with: “You want your mask? Come and get it!” Karen then lures Michael, his face still going unrevealed, into a waiting mob of townspeople.

The mob then proceeds to savagely beat and seemingly kill Michael. Their victory is short-lived, however, when Michael rises once more, masked again, to slaughter the whole mob, and later kills Karen back in the Myers’ house. In removing and then restoring Michael’s mask to him, to film is simultaneously humanizing and immortalizing the infamous killer. Though this isn’t Michael’s first unmasking, it’s different from past examples.

In Carpenter’s film, Laurie pulled off Michael’s mask during a scuffle in the third act. Viewers get a quick look at the figure, played by Tony Moran in this sequence before Michael urgently pulled back on the mask. Fast forward forty years, and Michael purposely targeted two podcasters investigating his case because they had his mask. Upon reacquiring it, Michael used it as a ticket to return to Haddonfield to finish what he started decades prior.

In removing Michael’s burnt mask in Halloween Kills, his hidden humanity and capacity to be at least temporarily stopped is shown. At the same time, the movie seemingly endorses his apparent immortality when he arises to kill again with his mask back on. The mask acts as a shield, allowing Michael to lurk around, preying on the public as a terrifying monster. He was wearing a clown mask when he made his first kill as a child, so it’s fitting that he feels the need to hide behind one in the present. Though Halloween Kills doesn’t show Michael’s face, it shows there is indeed a man beneath his mask, but still one that has some undefined, terrifying degree of durability that other people lack.

More: Halloween Kills Corrects Halloween 2’s Laurie Strode Mistake

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