Out of the 10 films in the Halloween franchise, one’s a master piece, two are good, one (Season of the Witch) is an underrated outlier, and 6 are pretty much crap. There’s a lot of convoluted and pretty terrible mythology, turning Michael Myers, one of horror’s most terrifying human monsters into a muddled mess of Shatner masks and kitchen knives. Full disclosure, I haven’t seen every Halloween film. But hey, neither has John Carpenter! But with the newest entry, Carpenter hopes to bring the 40 year old franchise back to its roots.
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Carpenter admitted he had skipped a few entries of the franchise he founded stating “You know, you know I talked about the Halloweens for a long time, the sequels — I haven’t even seen all of them. I don’t even know what really was there.”
Carpenter has only had sporadic involvement in the film world the past few years, last releasing poorly received The Ward in 2010, deciding instead to focus on his music career. His return to the franchise, as executive producer to 2018’s Halloween sequel/reimagining sparks a triumphant return to horror cinema.
While not directing or writing this entry, Carpenter is happy to be on board, stating it “finally it occurred to me: Well if I’m just flapping my gums here, talking about it, why don’t I try to make it as good as I can? I could offer advice. I could talk to the director. I like the director very much. I like the script. So, you know, stop throwing rocks from the sidelines and get in there and try to do something positive.”
He still plans on scoring the film as well, although stating that contracts have yet to be signed and he’d need to see the film before a final decision. The film has already starting shooting, with recently revealed set photos showing Jamie Lee Curtis return to her iconic role.
Halloween will release October 18th, 2018, just a few weeks shy of the originals 40th anniversary.