The Official Halloween Kills Trailer Is Finally Here

Bet you didn't see this one coming, did you?

In a surprise to beat all surprises, Universal Pictures just released the official trailer for "Halloween Kills," a move motivated by the footage leaking online. 

On Thursday, June 24, a fan put out a poll on Twitter asking their followers when they thought Universal might release the "Halloween Kills" trailer to the public now that an "a**hole working at a theater" recorded it and it began spreading like wildfire across the internet. Unexpectedly, producer Jason Blum quote-tweeted the post and gave a shocking answer: "If I were a betting man, I'd say around 6:30pm PT."

Some fans thought Blum might have been joking, while others began counting down the minutes until the "Halloween Kills" trailer would surface on Universal's YouTube account and Twitter page. Sure enough, it was no ruse: Blum was serious, and Universal did indeed roll the footage out to the public right at 6:30 PM PT.

To put it lightly, the official "Halloween Kills" trailer is intense. Two previously released teasers, each under a minute long, gave fans of the horror franchise that began with John Carpenter's 1978 classic small tastes of what was in store in the upcoming movie, but this kicks things up several notches in terms of emotional weight and pure bloodshed.

The footage opens on Laurie Strode's (Jamie Lee Curtis) house burning down, as seen at the very end of the 2018 "Halloween" reboot movie. Laurie, her daughter Karen Nelson (Judy Greer), and her granddaughter Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak) successfully throw the masked serial killer Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle) — who is not Laurie's brother in this branch of the "Halloween" franchise – into Laurie's basement and then set the house on fire. Though they're bloodied, bruised, and clinging to life, the three women survive what they believe to be the final encounter with the murderer terrorizing Haddonfield, Illinois. In a post-credits scene, however, Michael is heard breathing, signaling that he didn't actually die in the fire. 

As the official trailer reveals, "Halloween Kills" will kick off with Laurie, Karen, and Allyson watching fire trucks race toward Laurie's house. They scream from the back of the truck they're in on the way to the hospital to "let it burn" so that Michael can die — though, of course, the firefighter can't hear this. When they reach the house, the firefighters end up saving Michael from certain death. To return the favor, Michael does what he does best: murders all the firefighters and begins a new killing spree, moving in a straight line from Laurie's house to his childhood home.

When Laurie, Karen, and Allyson learn that Michael is alive, a new kind of fire ignites within Laurie, who insists that "evil dies tonight." She's going to kill Michael Myers for real this time, realizing that he is "the essence of evil" and only "transcends" more and more as his victim count increases. The trailer then closes on another declaration from Laurie: "I'm coming for you, Michael."

"Halloween Kills" will hit theaters on October 15.