It seems that every couple of months we have fresh and exciting news about the next HALLOWEEN. Unfortunately it is always a trick instead of a treat. Recently however, word spread that the latest installment has a couple of writers ready to head on back to Haddonfield. SAW IV to VII and PIRANHA 3DD scribes Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are reported to be in the process of working on a script for the new film. And of course the question is, what exactly will it be? According to a The Hollywood Reporter, a “source” is calling this latest flick a “recalibration.” What the hell is that you ask? F*ck if I know. Yet, with these two fellas involved, I’m hoping to see something that will restore some of the spooks and scares that the franchise once offered.
Now to be fair, I wasn’t really on board with PIRANHA 3DD, the lackluster sequel to Alexandre Aja’s superior, giddily gory remake of PIRANHA. However, I was a fan of the duo’s impressive fright flicks THE COLLECTOR and THE COLLECTION which featured a pretty bad ass hero, and a wickedly sadistic villain. Could these two bring justice to Michael Myers in a satisfying way? I have faith that they can make it work with the right story and concept. It’s a fine line as many fans are hoping for a return to the original in a compelling yet less white trashy redneck way, while others may prefer a bit of change from what we’ve already witnessed before.
One thing about the HALLOWEEN franchise is the different paths it has traveled thoughout the years. You have a masked psycho stalking babysitters in the simpliest form. You have the whole “Curse of Thorn” angle explored heavily in HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS. And then you have the return of original victim Laurie Strode who has become a bit of a self abusive alcholic with a teenage son. Hell, we even had a very disappointing “reality show” version featuring Busta Rhymes. Of course we musn’t forget Rob Zombie’s reboot – many of you would love to forget it I’m sure – which took our silent and mysterious killer and turned him into a white trash momma’s boy that had super violent tendancies. To say it has been a strange and varied ride for HALLOWEEN fans is a massive understatement. So where could they possibly go from here?
The easiest thing to do would be to start from the beginning, however that would be a huge misstep in my humble opinion. Personally I appreciated the first half of Zombie’s HALLOWEEN, but the final half felt more like a greatest hits of the original film. That said, the idea of rediscovering a new Michael Myers would be a tedious affair. We already are very aware of who he is, and who he has become. There is no need to see this again in any way, shape or form. Depending on the cinematic origin story – not includiing the comics and novelizations – we’d all be far better off to avoid any sort of repeat of past material in my book.
What do HALLOWEEN fans want? Well, maybe all we really want is a good sequel. It would be nice to see a return to the basics, atmosphere wise. Give us the amazing score by Carpenter and make Myers mysterious, and at least try to offer up a sympathetic lead. With this you’d probably make a ton of fans happy. Hell, I’d be up for a movie that tries to maybe even tie together the Strode family with that bizarre curse that makes the dude unstoppable. Maybe it’s been years since we’ve heard from Michael Myers and one night some weird cult shite happens that brings him back home. Again, you can’t simply do a remake with him stalking babysitters, but all these years later maybe Haddonfield is ripe for his return.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but let’s hope that Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton can do justice to HALLOWEEN. Fans would be more than willing to embrace Michael Myers once again, but we don’t need another reboot or remake. What we need is a sequel that can at least bring the franchise back to genuine suspense and a few groovy kills. What I love about this flick is the sense of dread, that original William Shatner mask, a killer score and a heroine that is easy to root for. Get creative, but don’t forget about an atmospheric holiday horror show, one that is hopefully good. Do I believe that they can pull it off? Sure, as I believed Todd Farmer and Patrick Lussier could have. Hopefully Myers comes home in a movie that will once again be on regular rotation every year at the end of October, one that fans can truly get excited about.