Exclusive: The Legend of Halloween by David Gordon Green review & image

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Writer-director David Gordon Green is more immersed in the world of Halloween than you may have realized. While Green works on two upcoming Halloween sequels – Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends – he was also working on a bit of an extra treat for fans of the franchise. The Legend of Halloween (BUY IT HERE)) is a children's book version of the original 1978 John Carpenter movie written by Green and Onur Tukel. Sound impossible? We got an early look at the adorable book and can assure you it's a cute and colorful take on the killer classic.

Here's the synopsis:

The Legend of Halloween follows Michael Myers, a little boy who, after doing terrible things grows up in an institution. Now grown, Michael escapes for a night of mischief and terror back in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. From artists and authors David Gordon Green and Onur Tukel comes an imaginative illustrated retelling of the 1978 horror-film classic, originally written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

The Legend of Halloween is, for all intents and purposes, exactly what the description makes it sound like: it's the familiar tale of Michael Myers' return to Haddonfield but in children's book form. Written in the rhyming style of plenty of children's books, Green and Tukel find amusing ways to narrate Myers rampage. An example:

A quick swipe of his brutal blade
severs flesh and bone
Michael plans some arts and crafts
with that big headstone

You get the picture. It's a quick and easy read, likely to put a silly grin on your face. It's 60 pages long but won't take you but a bag of M&Ms-worth of time to finish it. 

Whether or not it's suitable for all ages… well, that depends on the parent. There's no graphic imagery on display, naturally, but you're still getting the infamous murders from the film, they're just a bit more endearing in this version. If you're looking to get your little one into the horror game early on but don't want to expose them to the creepiness of the film, this could be the way to open that particular door. That said, this book was pretty clearly made for fans of the movie looking for a novel new way of celebrating it.

Below you can find our exclusive image from the book; below that, the cover. You can order The Legend of Halloween right here. The book's official site can be found here. 

Meanwhile, Halloween Kills currently has a October 15 release date, but we'll have to wait and see if that holds.