One would assume that an intense horror movie would make for an intense on-set experience. After all, buckets of guts and blood-curdling screams typically aren't anyone's version of a fun time. However, it turns out that working on a great horror film can be an incredibly fun experience, and the sense of joy that Danny McBride discovered on the set of Alien: Covenant is something that he wants to incorporate into his work on the upcoming Halloween film. I recently had the chance to talk to the comedian about how his work on Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic has prepared him for Michael Myers' next adventure, and he explained the sheer amount of fun he had while delving into the horror world, saying:
When you get a chance to work with one of the masters like Ridley Scott, you just try to take in everything you possibly can. I've never been on a film like this before. I wasn't even sure how the set would be run. If it was something where everyone is just whispering, and there's a very dark tone on the set. Ridley surprisingly keeps things very light and fun. And there was joy in the most disgusting of scenes filmed. [laughs] And I think I saw that. This is fun. Horror can be very fun.
Working with a legendary director like Ridley Scott presents a unique challenge in its own right, but delving into an entirely new genre when you're known primarily for comedy was likely a relatively daunting prospect for Danny McBride. Much to his surprise, the Eastbound and Down actor quickly learned that horror movie sets are incredibly fun places to work -- especially when the blood and guts start flying. While few key narrative traits can carry over from the Alien franchise to the Halloween franchise, merely remembering to enjoy oneself is clearly an invaluable lesson that will likely make McBride's next horror endeavor considerably easier.
Everything that we currently know about Danny McBride's take on the Halloween universe (which is admittedly not much) has us incredibly excited about where the story will go from here. The Shape's new killing spree will primarily use Halloween and Halloween II (the two best installments in the franchise) as its jumping off point, and it will apparently exist within the original continuity of John Carpenter's original vision for the franchise. It looks like we can say goodbye to Rob Zombie's hulking and dour incarnation of the endlessly iconic Michael Myers after all. With the promise of a fun on-set experience, it seems that we can look forward to screams and laughter in equal measure.
Danny McBride easily stands out as one of the best elements of Alien: Covenant, so I think it's safe to say that we're excited to see what he brings to the table for Halloween. Ridley Scott's latest Alien film opens everywhere on May 19, and Halloween is currently in development.
