The horror genre has been in a serious renaissance for thee past few years. Rather than stale sequels or torture porn, filmmakers have been crafting unique and critically acclaimed films. In addition to scaring the hell out of moviegoers, these projects have also made a ton of money at the box office. Blumhouse’s Halloween movie is a prime example of this trend, and a pair of new sequels will arrive over the next two years to create a bonafide trilogy. Original stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle returned for the 2018 movie, and a new rumor indicates that another OG denizen of Haddonfield may be returning for the next installment.
Actor Tom Atkins starred in Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the oddball threequel that didn’t contain Michael Myers at all. He recently did an interview, where he indicated that original Halloween and Halloween II star Charles Cyphers was reprising his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett for the upcoming blockbuster Halloween Kills. As he put it:
Well, this is exciting. It looks like Halloween Kills might have another cast member from John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 horror flick. Charles Cypher also appeared in the first sequel, which is no longer considered canon in Blumhouse’s timeline of events.
Tom Atkins’ comments to Comic Book haven’t been confirmed by anyone associated with Halloween Kills, but it’s new that will excite the hardcore fans of the franchise. Halloween helped change the horror world when it debuted, and Charles Cypher’s character is one that makes logical sense to bring back for another sequel. After all, he had a deep connection to the events of the original movie.
Leigh Brackett was Sheriff of Haddonfield during Michael Myers’ original rampage through the sleepy Illinois town. He was shown trying to galvanize the police force and seek out Michael, as he began ripping through babysitters. But perhaps his more emotional connection was that one of those victims was his daughter Annie.
Annie Brackett is one of Laurie’s best friends in the original Halloween movie. She’s feisty and quick-witted, and is babysitting Lindsey Wallace before handing her over to Jamie Lee Curtis’ signature character. She’s killed by Michael in her car, before her body is used to scare Laurie during her epic final sequence with Michael.
Bringing Sheriff Brackett back to the narrative seems like a great way to connect Halloween Kills to John Carpenter’s original film. Laurie’s teenage encounter with Michael Myers was shown to traumatize the franchise favorite, and Annie’s death likely also deeply affected her father. Especially because Brackett was unable to protect his own daughter from her grisly fate.
Alas, we’ll just have to wait and see if this report comes to fruition, as details about the upcoming sequel slowly drip out.
Halloween Kills is set to arrive in theaters on October 16, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.