While fans weren’t all pleased with the new Halloween’s measure to ignore every prior entry in the series since the 1978 original, you’ll find few who’d argue that each installment thus far has been utterly indispensable.
In fact, director David Gordon Green’s upcoming release is by far the most critically acclaimed sequel in the entire franchise, and according to star Jamie Lee Curtis, the involvement of filmmaker and composer John Carpenter had a lot to do with it. Speaking to BBC News, the actress said that Carpenter’s presence was a better mark of quality than her own, admitting that her previous Halloween outings haven’t all been horror classics.
“The real stamp of approval is John Carpenter’s, not mine. Because I made a couple of [rubbish] ones. Did you see Resurrection?! Halloween II wasn’t great. H20 was okay. Resurrection is a piece of [crap]. But the seal of approval was John Carpenter.”
Though 1981’s Halloween II didn’t fare well with critics, the sequel still has a considerable following amongst the franchise’s fanbase, thanks in part to the major sibling twist that Green’s flick has since removed from the timeline. Meanwhile, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later remains arguably the most acclaimed sequel of the series save for this next entry, though you’ll find few viewers these days who are willing to defend Halloween: Resurrection.
Interesting, Carpenter himself recently mentioned that he originally didn’t want the first Halloween to have any sequels, though he seems pretty happy with this latest movie, calling it the best film in the series since his own directorial work. What’s more, this new feature sees Carpenter return on composing duties, and the filmmaker has reportedly relished the opportunity to give his old theme music a modern update.
You can find out if the Carpenter name really is a mark of quality when Halloween hits theaters on October 19th.
