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The first trailer for Halloween features a monologue by Doctor Samuel Loomis, a key character not only in the original film, but also in several sequels. Doctor Loomis was played in the series by actor Donald Pleasance, right up until his death in 1995, during the production of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. While Pleasance has been gone for 30 years now, his impact on the franchise has clearly not been forgotten. In an interview with ComicBook, design director Jordan Mathewson revealed exactly how Loomis will make his return in the game.
“We used the voice actor that was in the 2018 film and the pinball machine. So, he is a canon [Loomis], post-Donald Pleasance’s passing. We are working with [Donald Pleasance’s] family, which is really great, and we’ve been lucky enough to use his likeness with it. So we are trying to make him as true to the crazy person that he conveyed in the film. And we’re really trying to capture that,” said Mathewson.
The Halloween 2018 Connection
In Halloween (2018), Doctor Loomis was voiced by comedian Colin Mahan. Mahan had previously done impressions of Pleasance, which brought him to the attention of the movie’s producers. The character himself obviously could not appear in the film, but Mahan’s Loomis voice is heard on an old recording, advising the execution of Michael Myers, his former patient. Loomis is essentially the Captain Ahab of the Halloween movies, doggedly pursuing Michael Myers and trying to convince anyone he can of the danger he represents. As the game’s design director notes, “Doctor Loomis is as important as Michael.”
At this time, we don’t know exactly what role Doctor Loomis will play in the game. During our interview, Mathewson and IllFonic chief creative officer Jared Gerritzen stopped short of addressing whether the character will actually be playable, or if he’ll serve as a pivotal NPC. Unfortunately, the developers also avoided any questions about whether we might see Laurie Strode in the film as well. Like Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis was with Halloween at the very beginning. However, if the game is telling an alternate take on the events of the 1978 film (which isn’t totally clear just yet), it’s possible Halloween will avoid specifically bringing back Laurie and her doomed group of friends. It’s possible the game could simply focus on original playable characters instead.
