It’s the Booze Talkin’: Halloween reboot is the last chance for the series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

October is finally here! And we all know what that means; horror movies, candy, spooky decorations and so much more. I’ll bet that most of you have already started decorating; that starts in August for me. One of the biggest treats this year is the continued news of Blumhouse, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis and the prospect of a brand new HALLOWEEN. Even more exciting is the fact that we are hearing so much about it recently. The casting of Judy Greer as Laurie Strode’s daughter sounds amazing. However, there is one thing I’m not hearing a ton about, and that is that the latest entry into the franchise is being released only a few days before the official 40th anniversary of Carpenter’s classic. Dammit I want this to be great!!

The main problem this franchise has faced is the inconsistency of the sequels that we’ve been plagued with. While the first film is one of my all time favorites, we were also cursed with more bad than good when it came to the continued horrors of Michael Myers. With each film we had a few unwanted questions and answers. We had to deal with some weird curse that tried too hard to explain the legend of Myers. Or they gave us the “reality show” where freaking Busta Rhymes kicked the boogeyman's ass. And of course, Rob Zombie gave us the white trash version of the killer complete with a stripper mother and an abusive step-dad (hell, I think it was his step-dad). When the first film was simply about a psychopath stalking babysitters, all of this over explaining was a bit tiring.

Let’s face it, you are hard pressed to find a great franchise that is almost entirely successful. This is especially true when you have more than 3 or 4 films and one killer. However, as amazing as HALLOWEEN (1978) was, the series itself is a mess. Personally, as bad as the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET or FRIDAY THE 13th become, I still feel both franchises are better as a whole. I have always loved the simplicity of the original, hell, I didn’t even mind the bloodier and inferior HALLOWEEN 2 (1981). At least the focus was on Michael, Loomis and Laurie Strode. Frankly, after HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS, my excitement for all things HALLOWEEN began to fade with each new and disappointing chapter – however, I did have fun with H2O.

Damn that nostalgia. Here we are, getting excited for yet another sequel that will hopefully feed our desire for a return to form. Sadly, most of us have been burned a lot. Every single time another continuation arrives, I find myself desperate to like it. And aside from the previously mentioned H20, and perhaps HALLOWEEN 4, many fans have been frustrated by this series. Whether it is the Rob Zombie weirdness or the one with Paul Rudd (although I did kind of enjoy the Producer’s Cut of HALLOWEEN 6: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS) people have lost faith. Either way, the time is coming where fans are going to finally tire of wretched sequels, and the series may end up like many others, new and crappy straight-to-video entries.

With all that said, there is something unusually special about the upcoming 40th anniversary. Let’s start with the surprising hiring of David Gordon Green and Danny McBride as writers, with Green directing. The two have made a few fantastic films, and I kind of love the idea of seeing a HALLOWEEN-verse with characters as real and fresh as we saw with their feature film ALL THE REAL GIRLS. This out of the box thinking gives me hope that Jason Blum and the fine folks at Blumhouse can revive this stale series. Add to that the return of Laurie Strode and John Carpenter’s direct involvement, and perhaps we really will have something amazing that HALLOWEEN fans can truly embrace.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but this may be the last chance to make HALLOWEEN awesome again! This may sound negative, but after so many crappy sequels it is easy to feel that way. Yet for this fan, I can’t help but be thrilled at the prospect of a proper continuation. By bringing on David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, and a hopefully prosperous partnership between Blumhouse and Carpenter, it all sounds wonderfully inspired. Add to that the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and the addition of Judy Greer and it all sounds like good news. Here is hoping that they can put this franchise back on track, or at the very least give us a proper farewell. Let’s think positive, and perhaps 40 will be a lucky number for fans of HALLOWEEN.