Each newHalloweenmovie has been highly anticipated, with fans eager to watch Jamie Lee Curtis return as the beloved, tough, wonderful character Laurie Strode. In the 2018 film, fans meet Laurie’s family: her daughter Karen Nelson (Judy Greer) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). It’s especially interesting seeing Judy Greer in these films as the talented actress doesn’t tend to appear in horror movies and has played some more comedic roles over the years. Greer is known for being a Hollywood sidekick but she is so much more than that and it’s awesome watching her play a main role.
By the end ofHalloween Kills(2021), there has been a major character death that feels wrong and doesn’t make fans very happy. It’s possible to say that the horror franchise has made a major mistake killing off this character.
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There are a lot of things forHalloweenfans to feel nostalgic about inHalloween Kills, including getting the chance to see Kyle Richards play Lindsay Wallace again, this time with the added fun of having seen Richards onThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsand now watching her in a horror film. There are manydeath scenes inHalloween Kills, and at the end, Laurie is still in the hospital while Karen is in Michael Myers’s childhood home. Michael murders Karen while she is in his sister Judith’s old bedroom. While the temptation to kill of a major character is often there, since this will make a huge impact, this death feels particularly cruel. And it definitely feels like a mistake.
The main problem with Karen’s death? Karen is very important to Laurie’s story.Halloweenlooks at Laurie’s final girl narrativeand not a lot is known about Laurie’s life after being tormented by Michael Myers, just that she has a beloved daughter and granddaughter and cares a lot about her family. Since these are the only details that fans are being given, it seems like a big swing to kill off Karen. Laurie has already lost so much and been through so many awful things and now she is even more isolated and alone. There’s a fine line between the hopeless feeling of a slasher film where it seems like the killer will just go after anyone and the main character can’t do anything… and the belief that this final girl can survive and endure. With Karen dead, it’s hard to have much hope for the town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
When thefranchise returns withHalloween Endsin October 2022, Laurie will most likely be fighting Michael Myers one final time with her granddaughter Allyson. While Allyson seems sweet and caring, she’s not the most well-developed character in theHalloweenfranchise, and it would definitely be more interesting and exciting to watch Laurie, Karen, and Allyson continue to go after Michael together.
Karen represents a crucial aspect of Laurie Strode’s story: the love that Laurie has for her daughter and the reason why she is fighting so hard. By now, Laurie is exhausted, worn down, and burnt out. She has been going up against Michael Myers for so long that she doesn’t even know who she is without this constant threat. In themost recentHalloweentimeline, which includesHalloween(1978),Halloween II(1981), and the latest Blumhouse Productions trilogy (2018, 2021, 2022), Laurie has tried her best to give her daughter a good life while being aware that Michael wants her dead. Now that Karen is gone, it’s possible to guess that Laurie would feel defeated and depressed, wondering if there’s even any point to trying to move on.
There’s a moving exchange between Allyson and Laurie in the 2018Halloweenthat shows how tough it has been for Laurie and Karen. Laurie gives Allyson money and suggests going to Mexico and traveling instead of college, and Allyson tells her grandma, “The Boogeyman? All this hiding, all this preparation, it was for nothing. It took priority over your family. It cost you your family.” Laurie replies, “The way I raised your mother means that she hates me… but that’s she prepared for the horror’s of this world, then I can live with that.” It would be great to see more of Laurie and Karen’s mother/daughter relationship as it’s complex, but Karen’s death changes that possibility, and now fans will always be wondering if they could have had more of a connection.
Of course, Laurie Strode will fight Michael Myers inHalloween Endsbecause she’s anultimate final girland she’s going to pull it together to achieve the goal that she has been working towards for several decades. But it’s still hard not to wonder what a new movie would look like with Judy Greer’s character still alive.
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