Jason Blum wanted to ensure that his 2018 sequel to the original Halloween was different than the many sequels that had come before it. In order to do that, he knew that he needed to bring back the mastermind behind the spooky source material. Convincing John Carpenter to do so, however, seemed like it was going to be tough. The iconic filmmaker hadn’t taken part in most of the series’ other installments, including Rob Zombie’s 2007 reboot. Still, Blum was determined to get the legend onboard and did so by hitting him with some tough love.
In Carpenter’s own words:
“Jason Blum came to me and said ‘This movie is going to be made. So we’d like you, John, to come aboard as an Executive Producer, and just short of shepherd it through. And maybe do the music.’ He challenged me, and he said ‘Why don’t you get off your lazy butt and make it good? Instead of sitting around complaining.’ So I said okay. It was about like that.”
Not everyone would have the guts to speak to such a big name like that, but thankfully Blum did. The words were enough to convince Carpenter to both write some of the music and act as an executive producer. And the results were fantastic.
Star Jamie Lee Curtis has also stated in the past that Carpenter’s involvement is a large part of what led her to return to the slasher franchise after so long away. The entire plot revolved around her involvement and if her old friend hadn’t been a part of the feature, then Halloween would’ve had to be completely different.
With a follow-up to the flick scheduled to begin shooting in a few months, fans are hopeful that Blum can once again convince the writer/director to lend his talents to the next movie. Carpenter has already said on the record that he’d like to score another Michael Myers film, which definitely bodes well for those banking on his return. And with the combination of him, Blum and Curtis, Halloween 2 is bound to be another fright fest for the ages.
