The horror genre is a unique pocket of the film world, which has enthralled audiences since cinema's earliest days. As far as modern horror franchises go, there are few quite as iconic as John Carpenter's Halloween. The original 1978 movie changed slashers forever, and Michael Myers has never been far from theaters. As we wait for the release of Blumhouse's Halloween Kills, Carpenter recently explained why he's glad to be known as the "Halloween Guy."
John Carpenter has had a long, successful career as both a filmmaker and songwriter. Aside from creating Michael Myers and Halloween, he also brought iconic projects to life like The Thing, Christine, and Assault on Precinct 13. His name has always been synonymous with the long-running slasher series, and Carpenter responded to that unbreakable link, saying:
No, I love it, and I’m still loving it. Are you kidding me? Being the ‘Halloween guy’ gave me a career in movies. And even now I’m working on the new Halloween movies that are being released by David Gordon Green. I’m as happy as a pig in shit. Halloween gave me everything. It’s great. I get to be John Carpenter.
Well, there you have it. It looks like being a living legend doesn't bother John Carpenter very much. He's happy to be labeled as such, and he's still intimately involved in the Halloween movies, being credited an executive producer while also writing the music. And there's two more of those coming down the line, starting with Halloween Kills.
John Carpenter's comments to NME show what a cheerleader for the Halloween franchise the filmmaker continues to be. While 2018's Halloween movie and the two sequels will all be helmed by David Gordon Green and written by Danny McBride, Carpenter is still able to contribute to Michael Myers' continued life on the big screen. And as such, he'll be the "Halloween Guy" for the foreseeable future.
The world John Carpenter created was originally supposed to return to theaters this past October. Unfortunately Halloween Kills was delayed a full year in hopes of once again making a killing (wink wink) at the box office. While we're still waiting on a full trailer, you can check out the limited footage of that slasher below.
David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween movie was a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original, ignoring the myriad other installments that have hit theaters over the past 40 years. And while that movie focused on Laurie Strode's trauma and its affect on her family, Halloween Kills will see the town of Haddonfield become a character.
Jamie Lee Curtis has teased that Halloween Kills will be about mob violence, as denizens of Haddonfield including survivors from Michael's first attack arm up to take on The Shape themselves. A number of characters from John Carpenter's original Halloween will be returning in the process, with actors Nancy Stephens, Kyle Richards, and Charles Cyphers reprising their roles from the 1978 classic.
Halloween Kills is currently expected to arrive in theaters on October 15th. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
