It would have been much better if he was IMO, as this just felt like a reboot in some places. What is the point of establishing a timeline (albeit a really horrendous one) over the entire franchise if it's completely ignored in the next movie?

ITA! It doesn't even make sense he'd be after her 40 years later. He doesn't use the internet, he doesn't read -- he probably didn't even know her name.

Exactly! It’s just a silly plot hole that could have been easily avoided by NOT ignoring at the very least the second Halloween (1981). But this franchise makes less sense than Jason going to space.