How Will 'Halloween' Handle The Absence Of Donald Pleasance As Dr. Loomis?

The new Halloween coming this fall is taking a bold approach to reviving the slasher franchise by ignoring every single sequel that followed the original 1978 film from director John Carpenter. Instead, we pick up 40 years later as Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has become a strong, smart survivor waiting for Michael Myers to return. But some fans have been wondering how one of the constants from the sequels that followed the original film would be incorporated into this new film.

Donald Pleasance played the stoic Dr. Loomis, who knew everything there was to know about Michael Myers. He saw the pure evil in his eyes, even as a child. He appeared in every single sequel that followed the original until his death in 1995, the same year that Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers hit theaters. Since he survived the attacks of the original Halloween, how is director David Gordon Green handling his character in this sequel, especially without Donald Pleasance to bring him to life? Yahoo spoke with Green at San Diego Comic-Con, and it turns out Dr. Loomis will have some kind of presence in this new Halloween thanks to an actor who was able to imitate Donald Pleasance's voice. Green explained:

"We have a Donald Pleasence soundalike. Because obviously he's no longer with us, but having someone that could mimic his voice was a fun challenge. And we nailed it, I think. If I do say so myself."

However, Green didn't say how Dr. Loomis would be brought into this sequel. If it's only a voice that was needed, maybe there's some kind of recording we hear of Dr. Loomis recounting to the police what happened on the night of the Halloween murders. After all, we do see a courtroom sketch of Loomis in the first Halloween trailer. Perhaps it's part of the sequence that sets the stage for what's to come so unsuspecting audiences know that this movie ignores all of the other sequels in the franchise. After all, I'm sure some viewers will be rather confused by the lack of continuity.

But for Halloween fans, there will be a couple other nods to notice. Green wasn't specific as to what these nods would be, but he says, "There's a couple other [nods to the past films]. There's a vocal cameo you may or may not notice till the end credits." We already noticed some familiar masks spotted among trick-or-treaters in the first Halloween trailer, but otherwise fans should keep their eyes and ears peeled when they see the movie on October 19, 2018.