Why Does Michael Myers Want To Kill Laurie In Halloween? (It's Weirdly Complicated)

Ever since 1978's "Halloween," Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (originally played by Nick Castle) have been mortal enemies. But why? Why is Michael so mad at Laurie in the first place? Unfortunately, thanks to retcons, a remake, a reboot, and an entirely unrelated sequel, the answer isn't simple.

In John Carpenter's original classic, Laurie is just an ordinary teenager in the middle of Michael's killing spree. While Myers can be seen stalking her early in the movie, no explanation is given as to why he would target her specifically. That changed in 1981 with the release of "Halloween II." The sequel retroactively reveals Laurie is Michael's sister. She was put up for adoption when Michael killed their other sister, Judith, as a young boy. It seems Michael's motive is to finish the job he started as a child. 

Then, things get complicated. "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" features neither Laurie nor Michael, instead focusing on Halloween masks that kill children. "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" brings Michael back, but not Laurie. In that movie, we're told Laurie, one of the most iconic final girls in horror history, unceremoniously died in an offscreen car accident. However, yet another retcon would see Curtis return in 1998's "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later." Laurie faked her death and has been hiding from her brother ever since. "H20" is a direct followup to "Halloween II" and largely ignores the four sequels in between.

So, now it's established that Michael and Laurie are siblings, and that makes her the object of his murderous obsession, right? 

Following "H20," Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in one more sequel in the initial continuity: 2002's "Halloween: Resurrection." Five years later, Rob Zombie would reimagine the franchise with his "Halloween" remake, which saw Laurie played by Scout Taylor-Compton. In this canon, the first movie establishes that Laurie and Michael are siblings, and their familial bond drives him. Zombie would follow that up with "Halloween II" in 2009.

Finally, we come to 2018's "Halloween," which further confuses things by being the third franchise entry with that title. Curtis, once again, is Laurie Strode, but this movie takes place in a different continuity. 2018's "Halloween" is a direct sequel to 1978's "Halloween" and ignores every subsequent film. So, since it wasn't revealed until the original 1981 "Halloween II" that Laurie and Michael are family, that's no longer canon. Now, Laurie is just an unrelated survivor of Michael's 1978 rampage determined to take down the silent killer once and for all. There's not much explanation given as to why these two characters are attracted to one another in these movies, except maybe to finish what was started 40 years ago.

So, why does Michael Myers want to kill Laurie Strode? The simple answer is it depends on which Michael we're talking about and where in the splintered continuity we find him. He's gone from a mindless killing machine to an obsessed brother and back over the years. The last we saw Laurie and Michael, they were still bitter enemies but not siblings. However, considering how confounding the timeline of the "Halloween" franchise has become, that can change with the next reboot.