Meet Tristian Eggerling, rising actor in David Gordon Green’s ‘Halloween Kills’

Surrounded by smoke machines, severed limbs and other nightmare-inducing special effects, you would think that Tristian Eggerling’s fears would fall into the category of something raw or sanguinary. The truth is that the actor’s greatest fear is the ocean. 

“Living in Southern California, and being right next to the beach, it seems a bit crazy,” Eggerling said. “It’s not boogie boarding or being on the beach in the shallows, but more like the depth and void of the ocean. I think it’s called thalassophobia, which is about looking down into an endless abyss of water.” 

Eggerling, who plays young Lonnie Elam in the highly-anticipated sequel to David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” titled “Halloween Kills,” felt “incredible” to be part of such a recognizable franchise. Picking up pieces from the movie series’ seasoned veterans, he felt that he’s learned a little bit of something from everyone. 

“With films, we get to audition and shoot scenes out of order sometimes. It’s just great to see how we fit all together and once the scenes are in chronological order, look at how the character that I played influenced the story,” Eggerling said.

Despite usually feeling “too scared” to watch full-length horror films, Eggerling viewed clips from the original Halloween films to understand the energy he needed to prepare for his role. This included scenes that featured portrayals of Lonnie Elam throughout the years. With the constant action making this role somewhat physically demanding, Eggerling had to practice his own stunts as well. 

“It was a very physical role with lots of running and falling and bumping around. I got to work with this stunt coordinator, Aaron, to do all of my own stunts, which was pretty cool,” he said. “It’s crazy how there’s a way to fall safely.”

Eggerling understood that there was a certain expectation to live up to, especially considering the expansiveness of the Halloween franchise. 

“There was a lot of hype around the nostalgic essence of young Lonnie, but everyone was super welcoming and inviting on set, so I didn’t really feel much pressure,” he said. “But I did have a responsibility to give my best work to support a film of this magnitude in any way I could.”

At the news of booking the role, which his team delivered to him via call, Eggerling was naturally excited, but wouldn’t take full credit for it had it not been for his brother during audition taping. 

“The funny part of the process was that on the first audition, I was taping with my brother Gabe, who was also an actor and was the reader for me,” Eggerling said. “I got a take that I was happy with, but he pushed me to dig deeper and get an even better take. I have a feeling that that might have been ultimately what landed me the role.”

With the help of his brother at a younger age, Eggerling found his love for acting, especially in regards to its storytelling and character development aspects. Since then, this passion has propelled him to pursue more projects in the film industry. 

“Ever since I was a kid, I loved creating stories and acting them out, and I even animate to continue conveying some stories that I’ve written and come up with. That drives me to act and help other stories,” Eggerling said.

Eggerling looks back on “Halloween Kills” and said its great attention to detail and energy fueled by the support from its immense fan base are what will make the film stand out to audiences.

“I’m excited for fans to see all the throwbacks to the original film and how they blend to the original Halloween style and vibe with new, interesting formulas for ‘Halloween Kills,’” Eggerling said. “The wait was unnerving, but being able to see the movie in its full glory now is a pay off worth waiting for.”