UPDATE: Bloody Disgusting reports Marcus Dunstan will also direct HALLOWEEN RETURNS.
The news that FEAST and SAW IV – VII screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan had been hired to write the next entry in the HALLOWEEN franchise was accompanied by a rather baffling quote from an unnamed insider saying that their take on the property was "a recalibration". We've had four months to ponder what that could mean, but whatever it means, Melton and Dunstan might have cracked the HALLOWEEN code, because according to Moviehole the project is ready to roll, with casting already underway.
The site reports that the eleventh HALLOWEEN film will be titled HALLOWEEN RETURNS, and that it's a standalone story set years after horror icon Michael Myers' initial killing spree.
Some details:
“Halloween Returns” will pit a new group of Haddonfield youngsters against Myers. The now 18-year-old child of one of Myers’ victims plays a central role along with the child of a cop who has long been obsessed with Myers’ case, even putting it before his own daughter.
Myers is now on Death Row and the two kids with their own personal vendettas against the killer sneak in to watch his execution. But when things go awry and Myers escapes, the pair, along with their friends, find themselves in the firing line.
Sounds like an interesting approach, both fresh and familiar, because how different can escaping from Death Row be from escaping from a sanitarium? Hopefully it'll be a simple and scary case of stalking and slashing from there on out, ideally with a bit of the classic John Carpenter style and atmosphere.
No word yet on who may be directing HALLOWEEN RETURNS, but if it's heading toward production such announcements should be imminent. However, it should be noted that these reports are unconfirmed, so this could just be a false alarm.
Four time Myers opponent Danielle Harris