Are you ready for a one-two punch, folks? I certainly hope so. Universal Pictures today announced that they're pushing back the openings of CANDYMAN as well as both Halloween sequels. Director Nia DaCosta's CANDYMAN is being moved back three weeks from September 25th to October 16th. Meanwhile, HALLOWEEN KILLS has been delayed for a whole year from October 16, 2020, to October 15, 2021. Due to the release date shift, HALLOWEEN ENDS will now move from October 15, 2021, to October 14, 2022.
In addition to dropping news about the release date shuffles, Universal has unleashed the first footage from HALLOWEEN KILLS, which you can watch by pressing Play on the video above.
In the first footage for HALLOWEEN KILLS, we see Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) making their escape from Laurie's burning home. As the Halloween warrior women attempt to catch their breath, all three bear witness to the flashing lights of emergency vehicles that are en route to the scene where Michael Myers is meant to be trapped and smoldering among raging flames. As lights reflect in the whites of their bloodshot eyes, Laurie screams into the cold night air, "No! No, no no! Let it burn! Let is burn!"
Woof. I can't be the only one who has literal chills after watching that tease.
Frustratingly, it's now going to be a whole year and change before fans uncover Michael's fate, and find out just how much the fire had left him crippled and enraged. It's enough to make the arrival of this footage feel cruel and unusual given that we won't find out what happens for quite some time. Such is the wrath of COVID-19, I suppose.
In other Universal Studios-related news, THE FOREVER PURGE, the latest installment in Universal Pictures’ dystopian horror franchise, now has a release date of July 9, 2021. Previously the film had been delayed indefinitely by the studio.
Good grief. Have we got all that? Does any other film want to delay itself until 2021? Actually, I should not be tempting the fates right now, as this definitely will not be the last time that I report on movies being pushed into the new year. It's been a cruel summer so far for the movie business, theaters especially. I take no pleasure in reporting these delays, hence my deflecting with feeble attempts at humor. Here's hoping that the good ship Hollywood rights itself sooner rather than later as I'm not certain how long it can travel amidst such choppy waters.