After the amazing 2018 Halloween, I’m itching for more Michael Myers mayhem. What makes the wait all the more difficult is knowing that the sequel Halloween Kills is 100% finished, though was postponed a year from October 2020 due to COVID-19. And rubbing salt into the wound are the constant reports from those who’ve seen it singing its praises.
One of the most common is horror legend John Carpenter, who directed the 1978 original and continues to provide the iconic synthesizer-based scores. In previous interviews, he’s talked up the carnage coming our way, saying that Halloween Kills is “insane” and that it contains ten times the amount of kills as Halloween (2018). In a recent interview with NME, he was asked where Kills ranks among the series and said that producer Malek Akkad thinks it’s the second-best pic in the franchise.
“Well, the producer and owner of the Halloween franchise, Malek Akkad, says it’s the second-best one right after the first. So that’s from him. I think it’s a balls-out slasher movie. We haven’t had one of those in a long time.”
Carpenter went on to describe the film as “the ultimate slasher movie” and as “Halloween on steroids.” He was also asked if it’ll be gory and said:
“Does the sun rise? Yeah, it’s gory alright.”
Perhaps the only note of caution is in relation to Halloween Ends. The plan was for Kills and Ends to release consecutively in 2020 and 2021. As such, I had assumed that David Gordon Green had shot both movies back to back (or at least begun work on Ends). But, when quizzed on the status of the next film, Carpenter said:
“We’ve all read the script and we love it. So now we’ve just gotta wait until things are a little safer to make it.”
This may indicate that Ends is at risk of missing its 2022 release date and will end up being pushed to 2023. One slightly awkward facet of this franchise is that they can really only release movies in October. So, if Ends is still at the script stage, they need to get it in front of the camera soon in order to land next year. And, of course, all that’s dependent on COVID-19 restrictions.
At least we’re definitely getting Halloween Kills this year. Carpenter has previously said that they recognize the realities of the situation and if it has to premiere on VOD so be it. But fingers crossed we get to see this in a theater where it belongs.
Halloween Kills releases on October 15th, 2021.
