John Carpenter says new Halloween film will be a direct sequel to the first

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

There's a long tradition of horror sequels ignoring the events of previous movies, and it looks like David Gordon Green and Danny McBride's upcoming HALLOWEEN sequel will be no different. We knew that the film would be wiping much of the slate clean, with McBride saying that they were "focusing mainly on the first two movies" earlier this year, but John Carpenter recently revealed that the sequel may also be taking HALLOWEEN II out of the equation as well.

John Carpenter spoke with StereoGum about his musical career, but naturally the conversation steered towards HALLOWEEN and whether or not he was involved with getting Jamie Lee Curtis on board with the upcoming sequel.

No. She talked to the director. Her part was written into the script and they had this idea — it’s kind of a… I don’t know how to describe it. It’s almost an alternative reality. It picks up after the first one and it pretends that none of the other [sequels] were made. It’s gonna be fun. There’s a really talented director and it was well-written. I’m impressed.

With the events of HALLOWEEN II seemingly tossed out, it's possible that the family connection between Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode and Michael Myers will also be left behind, or perhaps will be revealed all over again in the new film. Whatever happens, HALLOWEEN will find Laurie Strode in her final confrontation with Michael Myers, "the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago." Also along for the ride will be Laurie's daughter, Karen, with Judy Greer (JURASSIC WORLD) in talks to play the part.

In addition to serving as executive producer on the new HALLOWEEN, John Carpenter has also worked a little bit on the script and "may" do the music for the film, but for the most part, Carpenter says that he's "just around to be a cheerleader for everybody."

HALLOWEEN will hit theaters on October 19, 2018.