HALLOWEEN 1978-2022: The On-Screen Biographies of "Mr. Michael Myers"

 A MONSTER can be human! A MONSTER can hide its features behind a mask! A MONSTER can take over a person's every living moment! A MONSTER can become an obsessive goal, or desire! A Monster has a name, Michael Myers!

It can be said that the history of "Michael Myers" began with four people.

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, on January 16, 1948.

As a cinema student at the University of Southern California in 1969, John Carpenter made and released an 8-minute short entitled "Captain Voyeur", about a bored computer worker who becomes fixated on a co-worker and follows her home. Today, many reviewers considered the short the basis for the expanded 1978 "Halloween".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1970, John Carpenter and John Longnecker, produced, wrote, composed, directed, and film-edited the 23-minute short, "The Resurrection of Broncho Billy", starring Johnny Crawford and Longnecker's mother, actress Ruth Hussey. The film won the 1970 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject.

 

Debra Hill was born in Haddenfield, New Jersey, on November 10, 1950. 

In 1972, Debra Hill was a script supervisor on the television program, "The Streets of San Francisco", in September 1974, she was the script supervisor for the forgotten motion picture about Marilyn Monroe, "Goodbye, Norman Jean". A made for television motion picture that wouldn't be released until February 1976.

While in November 1965, Hill was the script supervisor for John Carpenter's, "Assault on Precinct 13", released October 8, 1976. Three other positions as a script supervisor took place in 1976, including the John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo's "Satan's Cheerleaders", released on March 18, 1977.

 

Donald Pleasence, Order of the British Empire, was born on October 5, 1919, in Workshop, Nottinghamshire, England.

 

British character actor Donald Pleasence had started his on-screen work in 1952. In 1956, the actor portrayed "R. Parsons", in the Edmond O'Brien, Sir Michael Redgrave, and Jan Sterling version of British author George Orwell's, "1984". On Richard Greene's, 1955-1960, television series, "The Adventures of Robin Hood", Pleasence was "Prince John", and in 1960, he was in both the movies, "Circus of Horrors", and "The Hands of Orlac", starring Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee. While in 1963, the multi-talented Donald Pleasence was part of "The Great Escape". In 1967, fans of the "James Bond" series, knew Donald Pleasence as super-villain, "Ernst Stavro Blofeld", in "You Only Live Twice", and in 1978, the actor was in the cast of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

 

Jamie Lee Curtis, currently the Baroness Haden-Guest, wife of American-British screenplay writer, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian, Christopher Guest, 5th Baron of Haden-Guest, was born in Santa Monica, California, on November 22, 1958. Her parents were actor Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh. My article, "Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh: Their 5-Motion Pictures Together with 2-Interludes", may be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/03/tony-curtis-and-janet-leigh-their-5.html

Jamie Lee's on-screen acting career began as "The Girl in the Dressing Room", in the episode, "Visitors in Paradise", February 18, 1977, on the television series, "Quincy M.E."

 My article, "JAMIE LEE CURTIS: From Michael Myers to Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Back Again", can be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2019/12/jamie-lee-curtis-from-michael-myers-to.html

 

 

 

On April 10, 1978, John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Donald Pleasence, and Jamie Lee Curtis, came together. For the next 64-days, they made a movie, that not one of them had any real inkling of the impact it would have on the world film industry and as a motion picture genre. All four were only interested in making a solid motion picture.

 HALLOWEEN was first released in Canada on October 25, 1978

This was the first motion picture produced by Debra Hill and the only name that shows on the feature in that capacity. The uncredited producer was John Carpenter, his previous produced motion picture was 1974's, "Dark Star". The associate producer was Kool Marder using the name Kool Lusby. This was his third of six productions, and he had just produced 1978's, "Goodbye, Franklin High". Irwin Yablans was the executive producer and he hadn't produced anything since 1974's, "The Education of Sonny Carson". The uncredited executive producer was Syrian born Moustapha Akkad and he had produced and directed the controversial religious motion picture, 1976's, "The Message".

The screenplay was co-written by John Carpenter, whose last work was the television movie, 1978's, "Zuma Beach". His co-writer was Debra Hill, her first of thirty-six screenplays.

The motion picture was directed by John Carpenter. The last feature film he directed was 1976's, "Assault on Precinct 13".

The Cast:

Donald Pleasence portrayed "Dr. Sam Loomis". He had just been in the French thriller, translated into English as 1978's, "Last In, First Out".

 

Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed "Laurie Strode". Her television series, loosely based upon one of her father's motion pictures, "Operation Petticoat", had ended and Curtis had just been seen in "Winning is for Losers", the October 18, 1978, episode of televisions "Charlie's Angels". She was 19-years-old and would still be portraying "Laurie Strode", 44-years later.

 

 

Nancy Kyes using her professional name of Nancy Loomis, portrayed "Annie Brackett". She had appeared in John Carpenter's 1976, "Assault of Precinct 13", and would appear in his 1980, "The Fog".

 

 

 

P.J. Soles portrayed "Lynda Van Der Klok". She had just been in John Carpenter's 1978, "Zuma Beach". After this feature, Soles appeared in five popular motion pictures. In 1979 were three of them, "Old Boyfriends", "Rock and Roll High School", and "Breaking Away", in 1980, it was "Private Benjamin", and in 1981, "Stripes".

 

Charles Cyphers portrayed "Sheriff Leigh Brackett". The actor has just been in the cast of 1978's, "Gray Lady Down", starring Charlton Heston, Stacy Keach, and David Carradine, and he followed this picture with guest appearances on television series.

There are actually three actors portraying Michael Myers. 

Will Sandin, in his only motion picture, portrayed "Michael Myers" at age 6.

 

Tony Moran portrayed "Michael Myers" at age 23, when the killer is momentarily unmasked by "Laurie". Moran was a television actor and producer. 

 

 

Nick Castle, a college friend of John Carpenter, portrayed "The Shape", the masked "Michael Myers" throughout the motion picture. Among Castle's work as a director is the first full-length CGI motion picture, 1984's, "The Last Starfighter".

  

A little bit about names in the screenplay:

 It's obvious that the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, sounds like Debra Hill's, Haddenfield, New Jersey. 

Supposedly, according to Michelle Le Blanc, and Colin Odell, in their 2001, "John Carpenter", from "Pocket Essentials". "Laurie Strode" was the name of one of John Carpenter's old girlfriends. I couldn't find any verification of this. 

Carpenter and Hill pay homage to two characters from director Alfred Hitchcock movies. The first is "Tommy Doyle", played by Brian Andrews, is named for "Lieutenant Detective Thomas J. Doyle", played by Wendell Corey in 1954's, "Rear Window".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second Hitchcock name is "Dr. Sam Loomis", played by Donald Pleasence. The name came from "Sam Loomis" in 1960's, "Psycho", portrayed by John Gavin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staying with "Psycho", the small role in this film of the assistant to "Dr. Loomis", "Marion Chambers", played by Nancy Stephens, is of course "Marion Crane", same initials, portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis' mother, Janet Leigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While "Sheriff Leigh Brackett", played by Charles Cyphers, is named for the 1950's science fiction writer called "The Queen of the Space Opera's", the first woman to be nominated for the "Hugo Award", and frequent screenplay writer for director Howard Hawks, Leigh Brackett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My article, "LEIGH BRACKETT: Howard Hawks and John Wayne Meet "The Queen of the Space Opera", may be found at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2018/06/leigh-brackett-john-wayne-meets-queen.html

 Two major screenplay plot points:

In an interview with Debra Hill, Mark Salisbury, for "The Guardian", October 17, 2002, in his article "Done to Death", Salisbury quotes the screenplay writer:

... the idea was that you couldn't kill evil, and that was how we came about the story. We went back to the old idea of Samhain, that Halloween was the night where all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the living, and then came up with the story about the most evil kid who ever lived. And when John came up with this fable of a town with a dark secret of someone who once lived there, and now that evil has come back, that's what made Halloween work

For my reader unfamiliar with Samhain, the simplest definition goes back to Irish mythology. It describes Samhain, observed on October 31st, as the time that the doorway to the "Otherworld" is opened and supernatural beings, and the souls of the dead, come into our world.

In his 2003 documentary, "Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest", Steve Smith relates John Carpenter's experience meeting a mentally ill patient that he changed into these lines from "Dr. Loomis" about six-years-old "Michael Myers":

I met this six-years-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes; the devil's eyes....I realized what was living behind the boy's eyes was purely and simply....evil!

In another interview for "Chic Magazine", August 1979, John Carpenter described the motion picture as:

True crass exploitation. I decided to make a film I would love to have seen as a kid, full of cheap tricks like a haunted house at a fair where you walk down the corridor and things jump out at you.

 So, let's walk down that corridor:

On Halloween night (Samhain), October 31, 1963, in peaceful suburban Haddonfield, Illinois, six-years hold "Michael Myers" stabs his teenage sister, "Judith Myers", to death with a kitchen knife.

"Michael" is incarcerated at the "Smith's Grove Sanitarium", and for 15-years life is peaceful in Haddonfield. However, no resident in that community went near the house anymore and as John Carpenter told Steve Smith for his documentary:

Most small towns have a kind of haunted house story of one kind or another, at least that's what teenagers believe. There's always a house down the lane that somebody was killed in, or that somebody went crazy in.

 

 

On October 30, 1978, "Michael's" psychiatrist "Dr. Loomis", arrived at "Smith's Grove Sanitarium" to escort him to a court hearing, hoping that "Michael Myers" would be locked-up for the rest of his life. However, "Michael" escapes the sanitarium, and "Loomis" calls "Sheriff Brackett" in Haddonfield to warn him that "Michael Myers" might be returning home.

While on his way back to Haddonfield, "Michael" kills a mechanic for his coveralls, and arrives in his hometown for his reunion. At a hardware store he steals knives, rope, and a white expressionless mask being sold for Halloween.

The following day, Halloween, October 31, 1978, high school student "Laurie Strode" is dropping off a key to the long-abandoned home of "Michael Myers", that her real-estate agent father has been trying to sell for years. 

 

 

 

"Laurie" is being observed by a man wearing a Halloween mask.

 

On her way to school, "Laurie's" high school friends, "Annie Brackett", and "Lynda Van Der Klok", dismiss "Laurie's" concerns about the man with the coveralls and mask. It's Halloween and one of their friends may be playing a trick on her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, throughout the day the man in the mask and coveralls seems to be stalking "Laurie Strode".

Looking out of her classroom window, "Laurie" sees "Michael". Meanwhile, "Dr. Loomis" arrives in Haddonfield and discovers that "Judith Myers" tombstone is missing from the local graveyard. He goes to meet with "Sheriff Brackett" and the two go to search "Michael's" old home.

 

Inside the house, "Dr. Loomis" informs "Sheriff Brackett" that he considers "Michael Myers" pure evil. The Sheriff is doubtful about "Michael's" return, or what "Loomis" told him, but will patrol the streets that night around the house. "Dr. Loomis" decides to stay in the house and await the return of his patient. While, "Michael Myers" returns to his old school, observes, and deliberately frightens one of the bullies of "Tommy Doyle".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night, "Laurie" babysits "Tommy Doyle", while across the street, "Annie" is babysitting "Lindsey Wallace", played by Kyle Richards. What the four don't know is that "Michael" has been spying on them and has killed the "Wallace's" dog. "Tommy" is looking out of the window and sees "Michael", thinking he's the "Boogeyman", but "Laurie" doesn't believe him.

Later, "Annie" brings "Lindsey" over to stay with "Laurie", because she wants to spend the night with her boyfriend "Paul", played by David Kyle.

"Annie" goes out to her car to go get "Paul", but from the backseat "Michael" appears, strangles her and slits "Annie's" throat. Shortly afterwards, "Lynda" and her boyfriend "Bob Simms", played by John Michael Graham, arrive at the "Wallace" house to meet with "Annie" and "Paul", but find the house empty. 

 

 

After "Lynda" and "Bob" have sex in the upstairs bedroom, he goes down to the kitchen. There, "Michael" kills him by pinning "Bob" to a wall with a kitchen knife.

Next, "Michael" puts a sheet over himself and with "Bob's" glasses on, and looking like a ghost, he enters the bedroom with "Lynda" still in bed. She gets out of the bed totally naked and starts to tease the ghost, but gets no reaction from "Bob" and decides to call "Laurie".

 

 

 

"Michael Myers" now strangles and kills "Lynda Van Der Klok" with the phone cord, as "Laurie Strode" thinks she's hearing a joke between "Lynda" and "Bob". 

"Dr. Sam Loomis" is searching the streets for a sign of "Michael Myers", but across the street from the "Wallace House", "Laurie" decides to go over and check things out. She tells "Tommy" and "Lindsey" to keep the doors closed and not let anyone in until she returns.

Inside the "Wallace House", "Laurie" finds the bodies of "Lynda" and "Bob" in the upstairs bedroom, along with "Judith Myers" missing head stone.  "Laurie" in panic flees into the hallway, but "Michael" is there and slashes her arm causing her to fall over the banister. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Laurie" escapes, runs across the street to the "Doyle House", and discovers she's lost her keys when she fell over the banister.

 

 

"Tommy" lets her in, "Laurie" tells him and "Lindsey" to find places to hide, goes to the phone, but the line is dead.

 

 

 

"Michael Myers" sneaks into the house through an open window, but "Laurie" is able to incapacitate him by stabbing "Michael" in the neck with a large knitting needle.

 

 

"Michael" is lying on the floor not moving and thinking he's dead, "Laurie" goes upstairs to the bedroom "Tommy" and "Lindsey" are hiding in.

 

 

Surprised by "Michael" attacking again, "Laurie" tells "Tommy" and "Lindsey" to hide in the bathroom and she goes to the bedroom closet.

 

"Michael" now finds "Laurie" hiding in the closest and she stabs him in the eye with a coat hanger. He drops his knife, she stabs "Michael" in the chest with it and he once more seems to fall to the floor dead.

"Laurie" tells "Tommy" and "Lindsey" to run to a neighbor’s house and call the police. Unseen by "Laurie", the pure evil "Michael Myers" has gotten up once more and is approaching her. However, "Loomis" has seen the two children running from the house and goes to investigate. Entering he finds "Michael Myers" and "Laurie Strode" fighting in the second-floor bedroom's balcony.

Watching, "Loomis" sees "Laurie" ripping "Michael's" mask off and this distracts "The Shape", as he puts the mask back on. "Dr. Sam Loomis" shoots "Michael Myers" six times and he falls off the balcony to the ground below.

 

 

 

 

In shock, "Laurie" asks "Sam Loomis", if that was "The Boogeyman"? "Loomis" replies "Yes!" Walking out onto the balcony, looking down at the ground, "Loomis" is not surprised to see that "Michael Myers" has vanished and in the bedroom, "Laurie Strode" sobs.

I mentioned no one connected with the 1978 "Halloween" expected any major impact from their movie. They just wanted to make a solid motion picture. Their surprise came at the box office. The estimated budget is 325-thousand-dollars, but the surprising worldwide box office of 70-million-dollars.

John Carpenter and Debra Hill's 1978, "Halloween" carries a Four-Star rating with most motion picture film historians. In his review of the motion picture, one-year later, October 31, 1979, "Chicago Sun-Times" reviewer Robert Ebert wrote that the motion picture is:

a visceral experience—we aren't seeing the movie, we're having it happen to us. It's frightening. Maybe you don't like movies that are really scary: Then don't see this one.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/halloween-1979

 

 Three-years after the first feature, "Michael Myers" and "Laurie Strode" were back:

HALLOWEEN II released on October 30, 1981

The film was once more produced by Debra Hill, but with John Carpenter getting full-credit as the second producer. Irwin Yablans was back as executive producer. and Moustapha Akkad was back as an uncredited executive producer. Added were an uncredited Dino De Laurentiis as a third executive producer, Joseph Wolf as an associate producer, he had just produced actress Linda Blair's, 1981, "Hell Night". Along with Barry Bernardi as a second associate producer, he had that function on both John Carpenter's, 1980, "The Fog", and 1981, "Escape from New York".

There had been a lawsuit over the rights to this production. Initially, Irwin Yablans approached John Carpenter about a possible sequel to 1978's, "Halloween", but he was working on "The Fog" and Yablans planned to produce that motion picture also. However, producer Robert Rehme acquired the rights for his "Embassy Picture Corporation", and Irwin Yablans filed a lawsuit over the verbal agreement he had with Carpenter against Rehme. The lawsuit was settled by having "Embassy" distributed "The Fog", and Yablans "Compass International Pictures", founded with both Joseph Wolf and Moustapha Akkad, "Halloween II". It should be noted that the official production credit for this motion picture went to the "Dino De Laurentiis Corporation".

The motion picture was directed by Rick Rosenthal. At the time Rosenthal's work was only on television and he was directing episodes of the horror, thriller, fantasy series, "Darkroom".

The screenplay was once more by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Although the motion picture was made and released three-years after the original picture. The screenplay starts at the point that the first feature ends. As a result of the actual time elapsed between the two stories, the characters of "Tommy" and "Lindsey" are seen using footage from the original motion picture to keep their ages intact. 


Jamie Lee Curtis was back as "Laurie Strode". Between the two films, she had appeared in, among other work, an episode of televisions "Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century", entitled "Unchained Woman", November 1, 1979, John Carpenter's 1980, "The Fog", with her mother Janet Leigh, the original slasher, 1980's, "Prom Night", and provided the voice of both the "Narrator" and "Computer", without credit, in John Carpenter's, 1981, "Escape from New York".

For this role, Jamie Lee Curtis wore a wig, because she had cut her hair shorter.

Donald Pleasence returns as "Dr. Sam Loomis". Pleasence has been very busy between the two feature films. His work began withportraying "Sam Purchas" in all 12-episodes of the epic television mini-series version of author James A. Michener's "Centennial". He was "Dr. Jack Seward" in the 1979, "Dracula", the same year he appeared in a made-for-television movie version of author Erich Maria Remarque's classic First World War novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front", and in 1981, portrayed the "President of the United States", in John Carpenter's "Escape from New York", starring Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Van Cleef.

 

Charles Cyphers returned as "Sheriff Leigh Brackett". Among Cyphers work between the two pictures were appearances as "Dan O'Bannon" in John Carpenter's 1980, "The Fog", and the "United States Secretary of State" in 1981's, "Escape from New York". Otherwise, he appeared in episodes of five television series.

Lance Guest portrayed "Jimmy". Television actor Guest is probably best known to fans of science fiction for portraying of both "Alex Rogan" and "Beta Alex", in 1984's, "The Last Starfighter". 

 

 

Hunter von Leer portrayed "Police Officer Gary Hunt". Von Leer started his television career on "General Hospital" in 1963, in 1973 he was in "Executive Action", a fictional story of a plot to assassinate President Kennedy starring Burt Lancaster, otherwise his career until this picture was on different television series and in made-for-television movies.

Dick Warlock portrayed both "The Shape" and "Patrolman #3". Warlock had been a stuntman since 1960, but he also have been acting since 1964, combining both fields in many television programs and feature films.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Stephens returns in the extended role of "Marion Chambers". Look for Stephens as a "Stewardess" in John Carpenter's 1981, "Escape from New York". She had started out on the forgotten Soap-Opera, 1969's, "Bright Promise", and 1978's, "Halloween" was her first motion picture.

 

Tawny Moyer portrayed "Nurse Jill". Another television actress, this was only Moyer's fourth on-screen appearance.

The Basic Screenplay:

On October 31, 1978, "Michael Myers" is shot by "Dr. Sam Loomis" and falls off a bedroom balcony at the "Doyle's" house and disappears. Wandering the alleys of Haddonfield, "Michael" steals a knife from "Mrs. Elrod", played by Lucille Benson, by sneaking into her kitchen.

 

 

Next, he follows a teenage girl, "Alice", played by Anne Bruner, into her house and stabs her to death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As this is happening, "Laurie Strode" is taken to "Haddonfield Memorial Hospital", because of the injuries she suffered in her fight with "Michael Myers".

"Dr. Loomis" has started searching for "Michael Myers" and is accompanied by "Sheriff Leigh Brackett". 

"Dr. Loomis" mistakes "Bennett 'Ben' Tramer", played by Jack Verbois, for "Michael Myers", because of his choice of Hallween costume. 

 

As a result of his mistake, "Lommis" causes "Ben" to run from the sheriff deputies and being hit by a police car. That police patrol car explodes after a van collides with it, burning "Tramer" alive.

 

 

At the coroner, "Sheriff Brackett" learns his daughter, "Annie" was killed by "Michael". He blames "Dr. Sam Loomis" and abandons the search for "Michael Myers".

Nancy Kyes using her professional name of Nancy Loomis has a cameo as the corpse of "Annie Brackett".

At the hospital, paramedic "Jimmy" develops a attraction to "Laurie Strode". However, the head nurse, "Virginia Alves", played by Gloria Gifford, , keeps him away, because of "Laurie's" weakened condition and the weirdness of "Jimmy's" attraction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Michael" overhears a news broadcast about "Laurie" being in the hospital and heads there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Michael" disables all the cars in the hospital parking lot, enters the building, kills a security guard, the doctor who treated "Laurie", and several nurses. He also murders "Bud Scarlotti", the second EMT, played by Leo Rossi.

 

 

In a dream, "Laurie" remembers that at one-time she visited the sanitarium to visit a young "Michael Myers" in his room, but why, she does not remember.  

Above, Nichole Drucker as the young "Laurie", below Adam Gunn as the young "Michael Myers".

Her dream ends and "Laurie" finds herself wandering the halls of the hospital, as "Jimmy" and nurse "Jill Franco" start to search for her.

During his search, "Jimmy" discovers the body of nurse "Virginia Alves", slips in a pool of her blood knocking him unconscious, and giving "Jimmy" a concussion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the police are alerted to a break-in by "Michael" at the local elementary school and "Sam Loomis" rides with them to the scene. Arriving in Haddonfield is "Marion Chambers", assistant to "Dr. Loomis".

"Marion" informs "Loomis" that she is under orders of the governor to bring him back to "Smith's Grove Sanitarium" to continue his work there. She's escorted by a "Marshall", played by John Zenda, to strengthen the order to return. The three get into the Marshall's car, where "Marion" reveals that "Laurie" was adopted, and is the sister of "Michael Myers". Adding the adoption took place after her brother murdered their older sister, "Judith", and the facts were sealed to protect the family.

 

 

 

 

 

According to author Murray Leeder, in his 2014 work, "Halloween", for the "Columbia University Press", John Carpenter explained the discovery of "Laurie" and "Michael" being brother and sister as nothing more than:

purely as a function of having decided to become involved in the sequel to the movie where I didn't think there was really much of a story left.

After the above reveal, "Loomis" realizes "Laurie's" life is in danger and he to forces the "Marshall" to return to Haddonfield at the point of a gun.

"Jill" locates "Laurie", but is killed by "Michael" and "Laurie" runs out of the hospital into the parking lot being pursued by "Her Brother"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In the parking lot, "Laurie" hides in a car before "Michael" exits the hospital building.

 

 

 

"Jimmy" arrives before "Michael" has found "Laurie" and gets in the driver’s seat of the car, but collapses from his concussion onto the horn. "Michael" now turns toward the blaring horn and heads for the car. Just then, "Dr. Loomis", "Marion", and the Marshall arrive and "Loomis" shoots "Michael", who falls to the ground seemingly dead.

"Marion" calls the police the on the Marshall's car's phone.

 

 

"Loomis" warns the Marshall to stay away from "Michael", but he ignores the doctor and checks "Michael's" pulse. "The Shape" reawakens and slits the Marshall's throat with a scalpel. As this is happening, "Dr. Loomis" and "Laurie" run into the hospital and into an operating room.

There, "Sam" gives "Laurie" the Marshall's gun, before he is stabbed by "Michael".

The above Spanish film title for "Halloween II", translates as "Blood Thirsty".

As "Michael" comes for "Laurie":

"Loomis" and "Laurie" fill the operating room with gas and she is ordered out. Once "Laurie" is clear, "Dr. Sam Loomis" uses his lighter, the gas explodes, turning both "Loomis" and "Michael Myers" into human torches as they burn to death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An alive, but very traumatized "Laurie Strode" is now transferred to another hospital, and the Carpenter and Hill story arc is completed.

There was a television cut that runs only one-minute shorter than the original version, but has many changes and small additions. Three examples, the murder of "Laurie's" doctor happens off camera, the scene where "Michael" stalks "Alice" is changed. It is now implied he killed "Mrs. Elrod", not "Alice", who apparently is still alive. There's an added scene of "Michael" cutting the power to the hospital and a generator kicking in to explain the darken scenes.

On December 7, 1982, Richard Delmer Boyer, of El Monte, California, stabbed to death, elderly couple Francis and Eileen Harbitz, of Fullerton, California. The Harbitz's were stabbed forty-three-times. 

 In court, Boyer's defense was that under the influence of PCP, marijuana, and alcohol, he suffered hallucinations in the Harbitz's home from watching "Halloween II". The incident became known as "The Halloween II Murders" with Boyer being sentenced to death.

 

 

 

Then the "Michael Myers Franchise" got a little quirky.

Both John Carpenter and Debra Hill considered "Halloween II" the end of "Michael Myers" and didn't want to make a third film with the character. 

However, they were talked into producing a third film in a proposed anthology series in the style of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone", or closer to his "Night Gallery". Their only condition was that the screenplay could not have anything to do with "Michael Myers".

 HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH released October 22, 1982

 

This was to have been the first entry of Carpenter and Hill's new anthology series. It would turn out to be both the first and the last.

The original screenplay was written by acclaimed British Science Fiction writer Nigel Kneale. Kneale had created and written every episode of the BBC and ITV, very intelligent, "Bernard Quatermass, Rocket Group" series. That started in July 1953, with "The Quatermass Experiment", and ended in November 1979, with the final episode of the fourth mini-series, "Quatermass", aka: "The Quatermass Conclussion".

 Among his other screenplays are Ray Harryhausen's, 1964, version of H.G. Wells', "First Men in the Moon", and three classic British filmed dramas, Richard Burton's, 1959, "Look Back in Anger", Sir Laurence Olivier's, 1960, "The Entertainer", and Sir Alec Guinness', "Damn the Defiant!". 

However, the uncredited executive producer, Dino De Laurentiis, turned Nigel Kneale's screenplay down, because there was no gore and graphic violence. According to Kneale's interview in the British science fiction magazine, "Starburst", for July 1983, he had his name removed from the finished feature film. 

De Laurentiis instructed director Tommy Lee Wallace to rewrite the entire screenplay with lots of gore and violence. Wallace did go with Kneale's basic premise, but the intelligent science fiction and horror Nigel Kneale was internationally famous for was out. 

The movie is considered a science fiction horror film, but there was no "Laurie Strode" and especially no "Michael Myers" in it.

The screenplay is about "Conal Cochran", played by Dan O'Herlihy, an Irish warlock, who uses his company to create special Halloween masks containing microchips made from a part of Stonehenge. His plan is to resurrect Celtic pagan rituals by sacrificing children during Samhain. When the "Silver Shamrock" Halloween masks come alive around "Cochran's" sacrificial victims, you may never buy a Halloween mask again, or say trick or treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The motion picture did have an uncredited Jamie Lee Curtis, as the voices of the "Curfew Announcer" and the "Telephone Operator".

The film made 14.4-million-dollars on an estimated budget of 2.5-million-dollars, and to be fair. It does not deserve the reputation it has gotten over the years, but see it for yourself if you haven't.

Six-years later, the question was answered:

 HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS released on October 21, 1988

 

Executive producer Moustapha Akkad was disappointed by the returns from "Season of the Witch", and approached John Carpenter and Debra Hill to bring back "Michael Myers". The original concept was to have Hill write a new screenplay and Carpenter direct and co-write. 

What the two did was team-up with Dennis William Etichison, using the name Jack Martin, to write the screenplay. Etichison was a science fiction and horror writer, and an editor of other works in the field. He had written the novelizations of "The Fog", "Halloween II" and "Season of the Witch".

Etihison's screenplay was presented to Akkad and there was a repeat of Nigel Kneale and De Laurentiis, it was flatly rejected as being too intellectual. At which point, Carpenter and Hill dropped out of the project and removed their names for any association with it. They, of course, still received billing for "Characters created by".

The motion picture was directed by Dwight H. Little. He had directed the forgotten adventure comedy, 1988's, "Bloodstone", before this feature. Little would next direct Robert Englund as the title character in 1989's, "The Phantom of the Opera".

It took four writers to create the new story for the screenplay, Dhani Lipsius, his only screenplay, Larry Rattner, his first of only three screenplays, Benjamin Ruffner, his only screenplay, and Alan B. McElroy, his first of thirty-seven movies and television titles that included six-episodes of "Spawn", eight-episodes of "The Vampire Diaries", and seven-episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery".

Alan McElroy next wrote the actual screenplay.

The screenplay had to make several changes to the original two-motion pictures. For one, Jamie Lee Curtis did not want to return as "Laurie Strode". Her non-horror film career had taken off with 1983's, "Trading Places", 1984's, "Grandview U.S.A.", and of course, 1988's, "A Fish Called Wanda". 

Donald Pleasence returned to portray "Dr. Sam Loomis". Pleasence had just appeared in the Italian motion picture, "Nosferatu a Venezia (Vampire in Venice)".

Ellie Cornell portrayed "Rachel Carruthers", this was only her third on-screen appearance.

Leslie L. Rohland, in her only on-screen appearance, was an older "Lindsey Wallace" in mostly a cameo appearance to tie in the first two pictures.

Danny Ray portrayed "Tommy Doyle", for the same reason as having the character of "Lindsey". Ray's previous work consisted of playing a "Guard" on the television series, "Hill Street Blues", back in 1985.

Danielle Harris portrayed the main character of "Jamie Lloyd". 

George P. Wilbur portrayed "Michael Myers". Wilbur started his stunt work in 1966, on director Howard Hawks', "El Dorado".

Tom Morga portrayed the bandaged "Michael Myers".

The Very Basic Screenplay:

What the screenplay did was drop the majority of the storylines from the first two motion pictures to create a a new main character, "Jamie Lloyd", the daughter of "Laurie Strode". Who "Jamie's" father was is never mentioned. According to the screenplay "Laurie" apparently died sometime over the last ten-years and "Jamie" is living with a foster family, the "Carruthers", "Richard", played by Jeff Olsen, "Darlene", played by Karen Alston, and their teenage daughter, "Rachel".

On October 30, 1988, after being comatose for the last ten years as a result of the explosion at the end of "Halloween II". "Michael Myers" awakes suddenly, upon hearing he has a niece. He proceeds to kill the ambulance personnel that are transferring him to a new facility. While, in Haddonfield, "Jamie" is having nightmares about "Michael Myers", whom she does not know is her uncle.

"Jamie's" foster parents force "Rachel" to cancel a date and babysit "Jamie", so they can attend a Halloween party.  At a store that "Jamie" is buying a Halloween costume with "Rachel", "Michael" steals a mask, ignores the girls, because he does not yet know who "Jamie" is. 

That night, "as "Jamie" is out of trick or tweeting, Michael" breaks into "Jamie's" room and sees a photograph of her. At the same time, "Dr. Sam Loomis", with some facial and body damage from the explosion in "Halloween II", arrives in Haddonfield and goes to warn "Sheriff Meeker", played by Beau Star, that "Michael" is back.

"Dr. Loomis" and "Sheriff Meeker" form a lynch mob and are looking for "Michael". While a terrified "Rachel" and "Jamie" are being stalked by him. "Loomis" and "Meeker" rescue the girls and take them to the Sheriff's house for safety. There "Rachel", in a subplot, finds her boyfriend "Brady", played by Sasha Jenson, with the Sheriff's daughter "Kelly", played by Kathleen Kinmont. "Loomis" and the Sheriff leave and "Michael" breaks into the house and kills "Kelly", "Brady" tells "Rachel" and "Jamie" to hide in the attic, turns to fend off "Michael", and is killed.

The girls go out a window onto the roof and "Rachel" is able lower "Jamie" to safety. "Michael" appears, knocks "Rachel" off the roof, and hitting the ground she becomes unconscious.

 

"Jamie" is now being pursued by "Michael", but finds "Loomis" and they go into a school building. "Michael" appears and chases the two, he catches up and throws "Loomis" through a glass door on the second floor. "Michael" now starts to go after "Jamie", but "Rachel" suddenly appears with a fire extinguisher, aims it at "Michael", and temporally stops him. The two girls run lout of the building and meet the lynch mob. Four men with a truck agree to take the girls to the next town and safety.

"Michael" is under the truck and kills the four men. "Rachel" takes the trucks wheel, speeding, throws "Michael" off the truck. She next drives the truck into him, causing "Michael" to fall into a ditch near an abandoned mine. The mob arrives and starts chasing "Michael", and at the mine, he falls to his death in a mine shaft. "Dr. Loomis" and "Sheriff Meeker" takes "Rachel" and "Jamie" back to the "Carruthers" house and leave.

"Halloween Four: The Return of Michael Myers" ends on Halloween 1988, with an emotionless "Jamie" standing with a pair of bloody scissors reminiscent of "Michael" when he killed his sister in the 1978 movie. In this screenplay, "Jamie" has just attacked her foster-mother, but does not kill her.

 

One year later it seemed a variation of 1981's, "Halloween II" was released.

 HALLOWEEN FIVE: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS released on October 13, 1989

 

 

 

Executive producer Moustapha Akkad wanted director Dwight H. Little and writer Alan B. McElroy to return for "Michael Myers" return, but both declined.

Instead of Little, the new director was Dominique Othenin-Girard, a Swiss independent film director. This was only Othenin-Girard third outing and his last was an episode of the international television series "Serie noire (Black Sequence)", on March 1, 1986.

As for the screenplay, once again, John Carpenter and Debra Hill received credit for creating the characters. 

There were three screenplay writers, the first being Othenin-Girard. Who had written the 1985 horror thriller, "After Darkness", starring John Hurt and Julian Sands. The second writer was Michael Jacobs, this was his third screenplay out of only four. The third writer was Shem Bitterman, and this was his first screenplay.

 

Donald Pleasence portrayed "Dr. Loomis". Pleasence had just been seen in the 1989 version of authoress Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Danielle Harris portrayed "Jamie Lloyd". 

 

Ellie Cornell portrayed "Rachel Carruthers". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don Shanks portrays the dual roles of "Michael Myers" and "The Man in Black". Shanks and been a stuntman and actor since 1974.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outline of Screenplay:

As with "Halloween II", this

picture starts where "Halloween 4" left off. 

On October 31, 1988, at the end of "Halloween 4", "Michael Myers" falls down a mine shaft being pursued by a lynching party. "Sheriff Meeker", played by Beau Star, tosses dynamite down the shaft and it explodes. However, "Michael" had escaped into a nearby creek that was partly in the shaft. 

"Michael" comes across an elderly "Mountain Man", played by Harper Roisman, but he falls into a coma once more. The "Mountain Man" nurses "Michael Myers" back to health and attempts to befriend him, "Bride of Frankenstein" anyone? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On October 30, 1989, "Michael" just awakens from his coma, kills the hermit, and heads for Haddonfield to find his niece "Jamie Lloyd".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After attacking her foster mother, "Jamie" had been admitted to the "Haddonfield Child Clinic". She is now mute due to psychological trauma, has nightmares and seizures, and a telepathic link to her "Uncle Michael Myers".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

"Dr. Sam Loomis" has become aware that "Jamie" has that psychic link to "Michael" and is attempting to convince "Sheriff Ben Meeker" that "Michael Myers" is alive and heading for Haddonfield.

"Michael" goes to the hospital, but doesn't find "Jamie". He goes on another killing spree of those close to "Jamie" and stabs "Rachel Carruthers" multiple times. "Jamie" and another psychiatric patient "Billy Hill", played by Jeffrey Landman, are on the run from her "Uncle", and meet some of "Rachel's" friends who will also be killed to permit the two to escape "Michael". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Dr. Loomis" and "Sheriff Meeker" set a trap at the old "Myers" house by using "Jamie" as bait. However, a distraction pulls the police away and "Uncle Michael" attacks "Jamie" and "Loomis".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Michael" is finally captured, after being shot with a tranquilizer gun by "Loomis", who suffers a stroke and falls upon "Michael".

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Michael Myers" is taken to the sheriff's station and placed in a cell under multiple armed guards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sheriff Meeker" tells "Jamie" she has nothing to fear anymore...... 

.....but she responds that:

Michael will never die

 A mysterious "Man in Black", has been following "Michael" for some unknown purpose.

 

At the climax, the "Man in Black" arrives at the police station and blows it up. Hearing about the explosion, "Jamie" goes back to the station, finds the Sheriff and his men all dead and "Michael's" cell empty. 

The screenplay ends with "Jamie Lloyd" realizing "Uncle Michael Myers" is free to continue terrorizing Haddonfield and go after her.

According to Dustin McNeil and Travis Mullins, 2020, work, "Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels", executive producer Moustapha Akkad was disappointed with "Halloween Five: The Revenge of Michael Myers" box office and reviews. In Akkad view,"Five" strayed too far from "Four". So, he put the "Halloween Series" on hold for six-years to re-evaluate its potential.

HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS released September 29, 1995

 

This film was a direct sequel to "Numbers 4 and 5" to make a trilogy that spans six-years and therefore created problems of its own.

Moustapha Akkad was the executive producer, this was the first non-television production for producer Paul Freeman, and Malek Akkad was the associate producer.

The picture was directed by Joe Chappelle, this was his second feature film, and he followed it with 1998's, "Phantoms", and moved to television.

Once again John Carpenter and Debra Hill received credit for creating the characters, but the screenplay was by documentary writer Daniel Farrands. This was his second screenplay and then he took a five-year break from writing and would re-emerge as both a documentary director and screenplay writer.

Donald Pleasence starred as "Dr. Loomis". He had passed away seven-months before this motion picture was released.

J.C. Brandy portrayed "Jamie Lloyd", and this is only her second motion picture since she started television acting in 1989.

Mitchell Ryan portrays "Dr. Wynn". Ryan started acting in Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, and Keeley Smith's, 1958, "Thunder Road", became a familiar face on television.

If Moustapha Akkad was concerned about his problems with 1989's "Halloween 5". Ask yourself why this motion picture was not previewed for either critics, or preview-audiences? 

Outline of the Screenplay:

On October 31, 1989, "The Shape" aka: "Michael Myers", played by George P. Wilbur, and his niece, "Jamie Lloyd" are kidnapped by the mysterious "Man in Black"

Cut to six-years later, on October 30, 1995, 15-years-old "Jamie" gives birth to a child. The "Man in Black" is revealed to be the leader of a Druid-like cult and he takes the baby away from her. Later, "Nurse Mary", portrayed by Susan Swift, helps "Jamie" and her baby escape the cult, but "Michael" appears and kills "Mary". "Jamie" flees from "Michael" with her baby in a stolen pick-up truck.

Meanwhile, retired "Dr. Sam Loomis" has become a hermit living in a cabin on the outskirts of Haddonfield. "Loomis" is visited by his friend "Dr. Terence Wynn", the administrator of "Smith's Grove Sanitarium", and he asks "Loomis" to return. 

Over the radio, the two hear a plea for help for "Dr. Loomis" from "Jamie". Afterwards, "Jamie" is seen being pursued by "Michael" and she crushes her truck into an old barn. "Michael" kills his niece and finds her baby is missing. 

Switch to a boarding house in Haddonfield and meet "Tommy Doyle", portrayed by Paul Rudd, a recluse who is determined to find out "Michael Myer's" real motivation. "Tommy" finds "Jamie's" baby and takes it to the hospital and meets "Dr Loomis". "Tommy" tells "Loomis" about the "Strode" family living in the "Myers" house, takes the baby to his home and names him, "Steven".

Living in the old "Myers" house are what's left of the "Strode Family", "Kara Strode", played by Marianne Hagan, her six-years old son "Danny", played by Devin Gardner, "Kara's" teenage brother "Tim", played by Keith Bogart, "Kara's" caring mother, "Debra", played by Kim Darby, and "Kara's" abusive father, "John", played by Bradford English. "Danny" is being tormented by the "Man in Black" to become the new "Michael Myers".

Everything comes to a head when the "Man in Black" is revealed to be "Dr. Wynn" and the entire staff of the "Smith Grove Sanitarium" is revealed to be part of "Wynn's" druid cult. "Michael Myers" as a little boy was infected by an ancient druid curse called "Thorn" and the reason for all his killing.

Later, "Michael" starts killing the "Strode" family, "Wynn" reveals that "Steven" is the result of vitro fertilization of "Michael's" pure evil. Both "Danny" and "Steven" are about to be experimented upon, when "Michael" turns on "Wynn" and his cult and kills them all. "Tommy" injects "Michael" with some corrosives to eat him up from inside out. The two boys are rescued by "Tommy" and "Kara" and as the four leave, "Dr. Loomis" says he has some business to finish.

Three-years would pass until the "Michael Myers Franchise" returned to its beginnings, as if "Halloween 3, 4, 5, and 6" never had existed. and they resurrected "Laurie Strode".

HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER released August 5, 1998

The motion picture had seven producers, that read as follows:

Moustapha Akkad was the executive producer, Cary Granat was an uncredited executive producer, Harvey Weinstein was co-executive producer, Bob Weinstein was co-executive producer, Kevin Williamson was co-executive producer, Paul Freeman was producer, Malek Akka was associate producer.

 The motion picture was directed by Steve Miner. He started out by directing 1981's, "Friday the 13th: Part 2" and 1983's, "Friday the 13th: Part III". In 1985 Miner directed the horror film "House" and strangely followed that in 1988 by directing 9 episodes of television's "The Wonder Years". Steve Miner would direct the 1989 horror film "Warlock" and 9 of the 13 episodes of the television mini-series "Elvis". In short, outside of John Carpenter, Steve Miner was the perfect director for a "Halloween" entry.

The film is from a story by Robert Zappia and a non-screen credited Kevin Williamson. Both are television writers, but whereas Zappia had written mostly for animated children shows like "Tom and Jerry". Williamson wrote horror and slasher movies such as 1997's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and would write for "The Vampire Diaries" television series.

 However, the screenplay was by Zappia and Matt Greenberg. Greenberg had already written the screenplays for 1995's, "Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest" and 1998's, "The Prophecy II".

Jamie Lee Curtis with a different color hair and hairstyle, was once more "Laurie Strode", but this time aka: "Keri Tate". Before this picture Curtis appeared in the overlooked, 1998, "Nicholas' Gift", co-starring Alan Bates. After this production, Jamie Lee Curtis co-starred in the science fiction feature, 1999's, "Virus".

 

Adam Arkin was "Will Brennan". Arkin was familiar to television audiences. Prior to this picture he appeared as a regular on the following television series 1977's, "Busting Loose", 1986's, "A Year in the Life", 1989's, "Knot's Landing", 1990's "Northern Exposure", 1991's, "China Beach", and 1994's "Picket Fences".

 

 

Michelle Williams was "Molly Cartwell". Williams was the young "Sil" in 1995's, "Species" and another teen in the same years "Timemaster". Also in 1998, she became "Jen Lindley" for the 128 episode run of "Dawson's Creek".

Adam Hann-Byrd was "Charlie Deveraux". Hann-Byrd started movie acting with 1991's, "Little Man Tate". He had the title role in that Jody Foster directed and starring motion picture. Adam Hann-Byrd portrayed the young version of  Robin Williams in 1995's, "Jumanji" and appeared in the 1996, American remake of the classic 1955, French film, "Diabolique" that starred Sharon Stone.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe was "Sarah Wainthrope". O'Keefe had been "Maggie Cory" in the continuing daytime soap opera "Another World". In 1996 she started to appear in the first of 122 episodes of the Don Johnson and Cheech Marin television series "Nash Bridges" as "Cassidy Bridges", and during that run made this feature and 2000's, "The Crow: Salvation".

Janet Leigh was "Norma". This was a small role in the film, but of course the gimmick was to have "Psycho" mother with "Halloween" daughter in the same motion picture, as seen below. There's more too it, so read on. However, for those of my readers interested in Janet Leigh's more terror-filled roles. My article, "Janet Leigh Going 'PSYCHO' Within 'THE FOG", is at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2019/11/janet-leigh-going-psycho-within-fog.html

 

Josh Hartnett was "John Tate". This was Hartnett's first on screen appearance and he followed it in 1998, with the Science Fiction "The Faculty".

LL Cool J was Security Guard "Ronny". Technically LL Cool J had been acting since 1984, but mainly in music videos. His first actual feature film was 1991's, "The Hard Way" starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods, with 7th billing as "Billy". In 1998, LL Cool J started to appear in motion pictures and had perfected his acting style with the movie "Caught Up". In 2009, he guests starred as "Sam Hanna" in a two part episode of television's "NCIS", and the same year became a regular on the spin off, "NCIS: Los Angeles".

 

One last actor to mention and that's stunt man Chris Durand. You won't see his face, because he plays "Michael Myers". So here he is below. One interesting piece of trivia, Durand had never seen any of the previous "Halloween" franchise films, before he took the role of "Michael" in this picture.

Before I go into the actual plot for "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later". I said there was more to the mother and daughter appearances in this feature. The small role of "Norma", as the secretary of "Keri Tate", the Head Mistress of the "Hillcrest Academy", is filled with a little inside joking by Kevin Williams and director Steve Miner.

In Janet Leigh's final scene in the movie. "Norma" is leaving the school in the following car.

A classic for an older woman to be driving, but does it look familiar? It's the same model car "Marion Crane" drove to the "Bate's Motel" and it has a copy of the exact license plate on the car the was dumped into the swamp by "NORMAN Bates", or is that "NORMA? As the female version of "Norman" is used for Leigh's character.

Additionally, as Janet Leigh walks to "Norma's" car. The audience hears the theme from 1960's "Psycho".

 

Now to the screenplay:


The original working title of the screenplay, based upon a story by Kevin Williamson, was "Halloween 7: The Revenge of Laurie Strode", and a direct sequel to the previous six films. Somehow including "Season of the Witch", but it was decided to skip the last five features and make this film a direct sequel of only the two written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. At which point Robert Zappia stepped in and created thenew story line.

The date is October 29, 1998, the masked "Michael Myers" is seen burglarizing the Langdon, Illinois, retirement home of the late "Dr. Sam Loomis". Arriving at the home is "Nurse Marion Chambers", played by Nancy Stephens, she had taken care of the doctor until his death.

 

Looking over things "Marion" discovers the file on "Laurie Strode" is missing. "Laurie" was presumed killed in an automobile accident. "Michael" suddenly appears and kills "Marion", her teenage neighbor "Jimmy" and his friend "Tony", two witnesses, before leaving with "Laurie's" file.

 

Switch to Summer Glen, California, where "Laurie" living under the assumed name of "Keri Tate" had faked the death of "Laurie Strode". She is now the Head Mistress of the Hillcrest Academy. "Keri/Laurie" is haunted by a fear that her brother, "Michael", might still return.

 

On the upside "Keri" is in a relationship with Guidance Counselor "Will Brennan". After murdering "Marion" and the two boys, "Michael" appears at a highway rest stop. Where he proceeds to steal a women's car and now heads for Summer Glenn.

There is a major school trip to Yosemite National Park, and all the students and faculty leave for the trip EXCEPT, CONVENIENTLY, "Keri", "Will", school guard "Ronny" and of course "Laurie/Keri's" son "John, his girlfriend "Molly" and their two friends "Charlie" and "Sarah". 

The four students are planning a "Halloween Party" in the school basement. Look for a "Hockey Mask" thrown in by director Miner as an inside joke to his "Friday the 13th" movies and "Jason Voorhees".

Later that night "Keri" reveals her true identity to "Will". While "Michael" shows up and murders "Charlie" and "Sarah".

 

 

"John" and "Molly" are now chased by "Michael" across the school grounds.

"Will" and "Laurie" arrive in time to help her son and "Molly".

 

"Laurie" now comes face to face with "Michael" for the first time in 20 years.

 

In the confusion that follows, "Will" accidentally shoots "Ronny". Who was patrolling the halls, but "Michael" also kills "Will".

 

"Laurie" manages to get "John" and "Molly" to safety and now comes the climactic battle between her and "Michael", or at least in this picture.

 

"Laurie" stabs "Michael" multiple times and pushes him off a balcony, kind of sounds familiar. On the ground "Laurie" prepares to stab "Michael" again, but "Ronny", who survived "Will's" shooting, convinces her not too. The police and coroner arrive and "Michael's" dead (?) body is loaded into the van.

"Laurie" next steals the van with her brother's body in it and is being pursued by the police. "Michael", who of course in not dead, attacks her. "Laurie" slams on the brakes sending "Michael" through the front windshield. As the van goes down a steep hill, "Laurie" tumbles out of it, as the van comes to rest pinning "Michael" between it and a fence post.

"Laurie Strode" now takes an ax and decapitates her brother, "Michael Myers".

"Halloween H20" had an estimated budget of 17-million-dollars and a worldwide box office of 75-million-dollars.

Presenting the question, how do you bring back a decapitated brother?


HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION released on July 12, 2002

Executive producer Moustapha Akkad finally had a money-maker with "H20", but "Michael Myers" was dead! 

From the previous film's financial group, the following five people returned. Moustapha Akkad was the executive producer, Harvey Weinstein was co-executive producer, Bob Weinstein was co-executive producer, , Paul Freeman was producer, Malek Akka was co-producer. but Akkad needed more money for the project.

Added where the uncredited Ralph Rickermann as an executive producer, H. Daniel Gross, as a co-executive producer, Louis Spiegler as a co-executive producer, and Michael Leahy as an uncredited producer. In the end after the film's release, these four men would wish they never listened to Moustapha Akkad.

The director was Rick Rosenthal, who had directed 1981's, "Halloween II".

The screenplay gave John Carpenter and Debra Hill credit for creating the characters and they too, wished even that little amount of credit wasn't given them.

The actual screenplay was written by two writers, co-writer, Larry Brand. Who also was credited with creating the original story line. Brand wrote the screenplay for the 1989 version of author Edgar Allan Poe's, "Masque of the Red Death", and a 1997 thriller called "Paranoia", he also directed both of those features. 

Brand's co-writer was Sean Hood, who had written the forgotten made-for-television horror film, 1999's, "The Darklings", starring Suzanne Somers.

The First problem facing Moustapha Akkad, Larry Brand, and Sean Hood, was how to bring "Michael Myers" back from the dead? The second problem was Jamie Lee Curtis. After reading the screenplay, she didn't want to be in it, and wanted to end the entire series with "H20". 

As to the first problem, Kevin Williamson, who was not on this project, would come up with a solution.

The second problem was agreed to by Jamie Lee Curtis, IF there was no footage in the film to hint at a sequel.

 

Jamie Lee Curtis was "Laurie Strode". She had provided the voice for "Queen Camilla", in the 2001, animated feature, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys". Curtis followed this film with Walt Disney's, 2003, remake of his "Freaky Friday", co-starring with Lindsay Lohan.

 

Brad Loree portrayed "Michael Myers". Loree is both a stuntman and actor, and was the co-stunt director on this feature film,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busta Rhymes (Trevor George Smith, Jr.) portrayed "Freddie Harris". This was the video music producers second actual motion picture since he started in 1992.

Tyra Banks portrayed "Nora Winston". The producer, writer, and actress, started with an uncredited role in the 1991, Michael Jackson video, "Black, or White?"

The Very Basic Screenplay:

Nowhere in this screenplay does "Laurie Strode-Keri Tate's" son, "John Tate", appear, or is mentioned. 

The film opens with a traumatized and guilt-ridden, over what actually happened at the end of "H20", "Laurie Strode", confined at the "Grace Anderson Sanitarium". 

Kevin Williamson's problem-solving idea now comes in the form of a flashback being discussed by two of the facilities nurses.

The audience learns that a paramedic found an unconscious "Michael Myers" in "Hillcrest Academy", but before the paramedic could assist him. "Michael" suddenly regained consciousness, attacks the paramedic, crushes his larynx so he can't speak, and changes clothes with him. "Michael" next puts the paramedic in the back of the ambulance and goes into the woods to disappear. It is the paramedic that was beheaded at the end of "H20" by "Laurie".

On October 31, 2001, after three-years of hiding, "Michael Myers" re-emerges to find and murder his sister. Expecting his return, "Laurie" sets a trap for her brother on the rooftop of the sanitarium. 

"Michael" arrives, murders two security guards, and goes in search of his sister.

 

 

"Michael" follows "Laurie" to the roof, but her fears of having killed the wrong man before. Now takes over her thinking, and she freezes before acting to kill her brother.

 

 

"Laurie's" pause, permits "Michael" to stab her. Followed by "Michael" throwing his sister off the roof killing her, and ending the movie's star Jamie Lee Curtis' role.

 

 

Move forward to 2002, a small group of college students, "Sara Moyer", played by Bianca Kajlich, "Bill Woodlake", played by Thomas Ian Nicholas, "Donna Chang", played by Daisy McCrackin, "Jen Danzig", played by Katee Sackhoff, "Jim Morgan", played by Luke Kirby, and "Rudy Grimes", played by Sean Patrick Thomas, have won a competition to appear on an "Internet Reality Show" called "Dangertainment".

The students have to spend a night in "Michael Myer's" abandoned home, in Haddonfield, with cameras placed throughout the house, to watch their every move. The show is produced by "Freddie Harris", and "Nora Winston".

 What follows is "Freddie" entering the house in a "Michael Myers" costume to scare the students, but unknown, the real "Michael" has returned home. As the film deteriorates into a teenage bloodbath slasher movie without any real storyline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The climax has a barely alive "Freddie" fighting "Michael" in the garage as an electrical fire starts.

 

 

As "Michael" burns to death in the garage, "Freddie" carrier "Sarah" to safety. The two are interviewed by the local news anchors. At the coroner's office, on a table is the body of "Michael Myers" and as the coroner prepares to examine the body, "Michael" awakens, violating Akkad's agreement with Curtis about setting-up a possible sequel.

The motion picture had an estimated budget of 15-million-dollars and a worldwide box office of only 37.6-million-dollars. 

Reviewer Lou Lummerick, July 12, 2002, in the "New York Times", wrote of "Halloween: Resurrection" that:

It's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even Jason X look positively Shakespearian by comparison.

 So, what did John Carpenter think of "Halloween Resurrection"?

The following  is his quote from the website, "TooFab": 

https://toofab.com/2018/10/18/the-halloween-movie-that-made-john-carpenter-cringe-and-why-newest-was-strange-experience/

I watched the one in that house, with all the cameras. Oh my god. Oh lord, god. And then the guy gives the speech at the end about violence. What the hell? Oh my lord. I couldn't believe.

On March 7, 2005, Debra Hill passed away from colon cancer. She had completed her work with John Carpenter on the 2005 remakes of their "The Fog", and was working, at the time, with director Oliver Stone on his 2006, "World Trade Center".

 

 

 

For five-years,  "Michael Myers" and "Laurie Strode" rested in peace. 

Robert Bartlech Cummings was born on January 12, 1965, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He is better known by his stage name of Rob Zombie. Rob is a founding member of the heavy-metal group "White Zombie". Besides being a singer, composer, band member and voice actor, he is a motion picture director.

 

 

 

Rob Zombie re-envisioned John Carpenter and Debra Hill's original two "Halloween" features, or at least the first film. Unlike the previous works, Zombie does not make a continuation of the story of "Michael Myers".

 

HALLOWEEN released on August 31, 2007

 

 

 

Rob Zombie was listed in the credits as the motion picture's producer. From the previous series of films, Harvey Weinstein was listed as executive producer, his son, Bob Weinstein was also an executive producer, and Malek Akkad was showing as a producer.

Besides Rob, Matthew Stein was listed as executive producer, Andy Gould was listed as a producer, Patrick Esposito was the associate producer, and Andrew G. La Marca, had the new title of line producer.

The motion picture was directed and written by Rob Zombie. His previous film as both a director and writer was the fake 2-minute trailer for a fake 2007 movie entitled, "Werewolf Women of the S.S.". He followed this picture with the next one I will speak too in the same capacities.

 As usual, John Carpenter and Debra Hill received credit for creating the original characters.

Malcolm McDowell portrayed "Dr. Samuel Loomis". McDowell had just co-starred with Ann Heche in an episode of the Canadian American science fiction series, "Masters of Science Fiction", on August 18, 2007, entitled "Jerry Was A Man", by Robert A. Heinlein. The actor would follow this motion picture portraying "Prince Bolkonsky", in the French and Italian produced television mini-series of Russian author Leo Tolstoy's, "War and Peace".

 

 

 

Brad Dourif portrayed "Sheriff Lee Brackett".  Dourif was part of the cast of the 2007 horror motion picture, "The Wizard of Gore". Note the change in spelling from Leigh to Lee.

 

 

Tyler Mane portrayed "Michael Myers". Mane was "Sabretooth" in 2000's, "X-Men", during the 1990's, he wrestled in the "ECW" under the name of "Big Sky". In 2004, he portrayed "Ajax" in actor Brad Pitt's, "Troy".

 

Sheri Moon Zombie portrayed "Deborah Myers". Rob Zombie's wife had been acting in her husband's music videos prior to this movie, she appeared in the fake movie trailer, "Werewolf Women of the S.S.", which actually was part of the 3-hour-and-11-minute, 2007 feature, "Grindhouse".

Scout Taylor-Compton portrayed "Laurie Strode". Taylor-Compton had been acting on television since 1998 and appeared in a couple of teen movies prior to this motion picture.

Danielle Harris portrayed "Annie Brackett". As I previously mention she portrayed "Jamie Lloyd", the daughter of "Laurie Strode" in 1988's, "Halloween 4", and 1989's, "Halloween 5". She had just appeared in a forgotten 14-episode television series, entitled "Father of the Pride".

Kristina Klebe portrayed "Lynda Van Der Klok". Klebe was a television actress since 2003, but had also appeared in three forgotten motion pictures prior to this film,

 

 

Above left to right, Kristina Klebe, Danielle Harris, and Scout Taylor-Compton

Overview of the Screenplay:

Rob Zombie goes into more detail about "Michael Myers" before he becomes the adult murderer. 

On October 31, 1990, in Haddonfield, Illinois, the audience meets 10-years-old "Michael", played by Daeg Faerch, who is showing psychopathic tendencies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "Michael" first murders a school bully......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.....and a short time later, proceeds to murder his older sister "Judith", played by Hanna Hall, and her boyfriend "Steve Haley", played by Adam Weisman. 

Next, "Michael" murders his mother's abusive boyfriend, "Ronnie White", played by William Forsythe, but spares his little sister, "Angel". He hides the Halloween mask and knife he used in their murders under a floor board.

One of the longest murder trials in Illinois history take place and "Michael Myers" is found guilty of first-degree murder, and committed to "Smith Grove Sanitarium". He is placed under the care of child psychologist, "Dr. Samuel Loomis". His mother makes continuing visits and the boy seems co-operative with "Loomis".

However, over the following year, "Michael" starts to withdraw into himself and begins to make papier-mâché masks. 

One day "Michael" murders a nurse as his mother is leaving the sanitarium from her visit with him. Not being able to deal with "Michael" anymore, "Deborah Myers" commits suicide.

 

 

 

For the next 15-years, "Michael Myers" keeps making his masks and not speaking to people including "Dr. Loomis". 

Over those years, "Loomis" decides to close his case file on "Michael" and move on with his own life. "Michael" now escapes from "Smith Grove Sanitarium" after killing some guards, one played by Danny Trejo, and hospital staff in the process.

During his escape, "Michael" kills a truck driver, takes his clothes, and now heads for Haddonfield and his boyhood home, on Halloween, October 31, 2007. 

 

 

 

 

Entering the house, "Michael Myers" recovers his mask and the kitchen knife and prepares to find his sister.

 

 

As Halloween day is progressing, "Laurie Strode" is starting to become afraid as a man in a Halloween mask who seems to be appearing everywhere she goes.

 

 

 

 

 

On Halloween night, "Lynda" and her boyfriend "Bob Simms", played by Nick Mennell, sneak into the abandoned "Myers" house. Problem is "Michael's" there and he murders both.

 

 

While her friend is being murdered, "Laurie" is babysitting "Tommy Doyle", played by Skyler Gisono, who has his face made-up as a skull.

After killing "Lynda" and 'Bob", "Michael" now goes to the "Strode" house and kills "Laurie's" foster parents, "Mason Strode", played by Pat Skipper, and "Cynthia Strode", played by Dee Wallace.

Having been alerted of "Michael's" escape from "Smith Grove", "Dr. Loomis" finally arrives in Haddonfield, obtains a handgun, and goes to see "Sheriff Brackett".

 

 

On the way to the "Strode" house, "Sheriff Brackett" reveals to "Dr. Loomis" that "Laurie Strode" is really "Angel Myers". She had been adopted by the "Strodes" after her mother's suicide and does not know the truth, but "Michael" knows. 

"Annie" has convinced "Laurie" to babysit "Lindsey Wallace", played by Jenny Greg Stewart, while she meets with her boyfriend "Paul", played by Max Van Ville, at the Wallace house. 

"Michael" enters the Wallace house and kills both "Paul" and "Annie". "Laurie" now starts to take "Lindsey" home, because "Annie" is back. Entering, "Laurie" finds "Annie" on the floor, but still alive, and phones for help. "Michael" attacks her, and chases "Laurie" and "Lindsey" back to the Doyle house. Hearing about the call for help over their car's radio, "Sheriff Brackett" and "Dr. Loomis" head to the Wallace house.

Meanwhile, "Michael" is able to kidnap "Laurie" and take her to their old home. "Michael" attempts to get "Laurie" to understand that they're brother and sister by using an old photo of the two with their mother. Unable to understand "Michael", "Laurie" stabs him and escapes the house. "Michael" gives chase, but "Dr. Loomis" arrives and shoots him three-times.

 

Recovering, "Michael" grabs "Laurie" and heads back into the house, "Loomis" intervenes, but is subdued by "Michael". However, "Laurie" takes the doctor's handgun and runs upstairs. "Michael" appears upstairs and corners "Laurie" on a bedroom balcony and charges her head-on, knocking both of them over the railing.

A bleeding "Laurie" regains consciousness on top of a bleeding "Michael", as sirens are blaring in the background. She takes the handgun, aims it directly at "Michael's face, but repeatedly the gun does not fire, finally it fires as "Michael's" hand grips her wrist. "Laurie" starts to scream as the realization that she killed her brother sets in and the movie fades-out.

There was a lot of back and forth between John Carpenter and Rob Zombie over the motion picture. Carpenter is quoted by reviewer/reporter Corey Chichizola, September 25, 2016, on the website: "CINEMABLEND", https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1559850/john-carpenters-blunt-opinion-on-rob-zombies-version-of-halloween, as saying the following about Rob Zombie's version of "Michael Myers:":

I thought that he took away the mystique of the story by explaining too much about [Michael Myers]. I don't care about that. He's supposed to be a force of nature. He's supposed to be almost supernatural. And he was too big. It wasn't normal.

"Normal", or not. The estimated budget for "Halloween 2007" was 15-million dollars and it made, worldwide, 80.4-million dollars, moving "H20" out of the top money-making franchise spot.

HALLOWEEN II released on August 28, 2009

Once again, this motion picture was written and directed by Rob Zombie.

The people financing this picture are an interesting group, starting with the Weinstein's, father and son, Harvey and Bob, Matthew Stein and Andrew G. LaMarca as executive producers

While, Rob Zombie, Andrew Gould and Malek Akkad returned as the film's producers. 

However, added to those names were Mike Elliott, the producer of additional photography, Connecticut, and producer of additional photography, Los Angles. Jennifer Booth, line producer and additional photography in Los Angeles, and Joseph Zolfo, line producer and additional photography Connecticut.

 

Sheri Moon Zombie led the cast as "Deborah Myers". The previous year she had been in one-episode of the television series, "Californication", entitled, "Slip of the Tongue", September 28, 2008. She followed this motion picture by voicing a character in her husband's animated video, 2009's, "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto".

 Chase Wright Vanek portrayed the "Young Michael". This was his second of only three-on-screen appearances. 

Scout Taylor-Compton portrayed "Laurie Strode". She had recently appeared in the 2009 drama, "Smile Pretty", and followed this feature with the comedy romance, 2009's, "Love at First Hiccup".

Brad Dourif portrayed "Sheriff Lee Brackett". He had just been seen in the 2009 comedy motion picture, "Lock and Roll Forever", and followed this feature film with the overlooked Nicholas Cage, 2009 movie, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans".

Malcolm McDowell portrayed "Dr. Samuel Loomis". Prior to this feature, McDowell was providing voices on video games and after "Halloween II". Malcolm McDowell was buried with 13th-billing in Rob Stefaniuk's comedy horror musical vampire film, 2009's, "Suck", behind the likes of Alice Cooper, and Iggy Pop.

 

 

 

 

Tyler Mane portrayed "Michael Myers". Mane appeared in an "ECW", 2009, wrestling video prior to this film and followed it with the comedy drama Canadian western, 2010's, "Gunless".

 

 

Before I look at Rob Zombie's screenplay, my reader must understand that Zombie felt he didn't think he had to follow the John Carpenter and Debra Hill formula anymore. This is backed-up by executive producer Malek Akkad's, May 4, 2009, on set interview, with Ryan Turek, about what he told Zombie:

Don't feel hindered by any of the rules we've had in the past. I want this to be your vision and I want you to express that vision.

https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/pb_article_type/713437-set-interview-halloween-2s-malek-akkad

 Add in Keith Carman's, April 13, 2009, interview with Rob Zombie for the magazine "Fangoria" with this quote from the director, writer:

As Laurie is Michael's sister, I'm playing it like he's clearly insane and so is she, but her insanity doesn't manifest itself in the same way... She's slipping into insanity throughout the whole movie.

https://archive.ph/20120710025455/http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=0&csid2=844&fid1=37785

 

The Basic Screenplay:

 The movie starts with a flashback of "Michael" as a young boy when he was in "Smith's Grove Sanitarium". He is visited by his mother, "Deborah Myers", who gives her son a statue of a white horse as a gift.

Cut to 15-years-later, after "Laurie Strode" has just shot "Michael Myers", and she is wandering about the yard in a state of shock.

 

 

 

 

"Sheriff Brackett" finds "Laurie" and takes her to the hospital. Paramedics find "Annie Brackett", played by Dainelle Harris, who is still alive and "Dr. Loomis", who survived his attack by "Michael" and take them to the same hospital. While, "Michael's" body is being transported in another ambulance that gets involved in a traffic accident. This awakens "Michael Myers", who kills the paramedic, and escapes in the confusion.

Cut to 1-year-later, "Laurie" is now living with "Sheriff Brackett" and his daughter, her girlfriend, "Annie".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Michael" has been missing and is presumed dead. "Laurie" is attempting to deal with her trauma and "Dr. Loomis" is writing a new book about the events of "Halloween", 2007.

However, all is not as serene as it seems, because "Michael Myers" is alive, living as a drifter, killing, and having visions of his mother and younger shelf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His mother and younger self want him to join with his sister. "Michael" now heads for Haddonfield, arrives at a farm and kills the owners, then it's off to home as his visions continue.

At the same time, in Haddonfield, "Laurie" now starts to have her own set of hallucinations mirroring "Michael's" visions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Laurie's" hallucinations start to include recreations of "Michael's" murders, but instead of "Michael" it is "Laurie" murdering the victims.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the same time, "Dr. Loomis" has gone on tour promoting his new book, but the public is blaming him for the murders being committed by "Michael Myers" and exploiting his victims. 

Even "Weird Al" Yankovic gets in on attacking "Dr. Loomis" over his book, and he actually appears the only non-weird character in Rob Zombie's screenplay.

 

"Laurie Strode" gets a copy of the book, and learns the shocking truth, she is really "Angel Myers", "Michael's" sister as he had attempted to tell her.

 

 

 

 

"Laurie" decides to go a party with her co-workers, "Mya Rockwell", played by Brea Grant, and "Harley David", played by Angela Tribur, to try and calm herself.

Left to right, Brea Grant, Scout Taylor-Compton, and Angela Tribur.


"Michael" appears at the party and kills "Harley", but "Angel/Laurie" and "Mya" get away and head for the "Brackett" house. Before the two get to the house, "Michael" enters the Sheriff's home and fatally wounds "Annie". "Laurie" and "Mya" arrive at the "Brackett's", find "Annie", who dies in "Laurie's" arms.

 

 

 

"Michael" appears and kills "Mya", but "Angel" is able to escape from her brother and the house. "Sheriff Brackett" arrives home to find his dead daughter. "Laurie/Angel" flags down a car, but "Michael" shows up, kills the driver, and flips the car over with her still inside.

 

 

"Michael" next takes his sister to an abandoned shed. 

"Angel/Laurie" wakes-up in a hallucination with "Michael" in it, but also "Deborah Myers". Who wants "Angel" to call her "Mommy".

 

 

 

The police have found "Michael's" location and surround the shed. "Dr. Loomis" shows-up and enters to reason with "Michael" and free "Laurie" of her hallucinations, but instead is killed by his ex-patient. As "Sheriff Brackett" shoots through a window and impales "Michael" on a rake. 

Apparently freed from her hallucinations, "Laurie Strode" walks over to "Michael" and stabs him to death with his own knife. The shed door opens and "Angel" walks out wearing "Michael's" mask.

Later, "Laurie/Angel" sits on a bed in an isolation ward of "Smith's Grove Sanitarium" with a smile on her face, as "Deborah" enters with the white horse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There had been plans to make this the second motion picture in a trilogy with the third being filmed in the Third-Dimension, but the idea fell through for two reasons. One, Rob Zombie lost interested in the project and, two, the Weinstein's, after seeing the second week box office pulled out of the project.

 The first week the film opened, the audiences were expecting a picture equal to Rob Zombie's, 2007, "Halloween", and the end of the week box office was $16,349,565. It was expected that the second week should have had an even larger box office, instead there was a 64.9% drop in attendance due mainly to word-of-mouth.

 "Halloween II" had an estimated budget of 15-million-dollars, but only made 39.4-million-dollars. 

 

It would be another nine-years, before "Michael Myers" and "Laurie Strode", were heard of again.

HALLOWEEN premiered on September 8, 2018, at the Toronto, Canada, Film Festival

 

 

I don't normally do this, but as there is a two-month discrepancy between the picture's premier in Toronto and opening for "General Audiences" in the United States on October 19, 2018. I felt my reader might be interested as to where the film went between those dates.

 On September 20th, the film was shown at the "Fantastic Fest" in Austin Texas, and disappeared from the United States for a full-month. 

 Next, on October 1st. the picture was shown in Paris, France, followed, on October 2nd, at the Hamburg, Germany, film festival. Then it was shown in two countries on October 7th, the "Busan International Film Festival" in South Korea, and the "Monsters of Film" festival in Sweden. Moving forward to October 12th, the picture was shown at the "Sitges Film Festival" in Spain, five days later on October 17th, the motion picture was shown in Indonesia.  

The motion picture was next released, on October 18th, in Bolivia, Chile, Denmark, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Panama, Russia, Slovakia, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan. 

Finally, be released to "General Audiences" in the United States, and Canada, on October 19, 2018.


In the list of the Nine-Executive Producers, my reader now finds the name of John Carpenter. On, May 24, 2016, in "The Guardian", was an interview between Carpenter and Ben Child about the propose making of another film in the "Halloween Franchise". Child's quotes Carpenter as saying:

Thirty-eight years after the original Halloween, I'm going to help to try to make the 10th sequel the scariest of them all.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/24/john-carpenter-new-halloween-film-executive-producer 

Still talking about this picture on January 29, 2017, in "Rotten Tomatoes", Carpenter explained that:

I talked about the Halloweens for a long time, the sequels — I haven't even seen all of them [...] But finally it occurred to me: Well if I'm just flapping my gums here, why don't I try to make it as good as I can? So, you know, stop throwing rocks from the sidelines and get in there and try to do something positive.

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/we-killed-john-carpenter-on-twitter-and-he-was-pissed-but-were-cool-now/


Filming started on January 13, 2018 and ended on February 19, 2018.

Two-names not in the other Seventeen people funding this production were the Weinstein's. The other executive producers did include Jamie Lee Curtis, David Gordon Green, and Malek Akkad. The tag line at the top of the first poster refers to co-producer, Jason Blum and asks the question, why was that necessary to promote the picture? I'm not going to list everyone else and my reader can look them up, if you want.

 The motion picture was directed by David Gordon Green. At the time, Green was directing the 2018, pod-cast, "Crazy Enough to Work with Elizabeth Banks". He had prior to that, directed two-episodes of the 2017 television series "There's Johnny". Gordon would follow this feature by directing two-episodes of the 2019 television series "Dickinson".

The screenplay had the credit line that it was based upon characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

However, there were three writers on this screenplay. The first was Jeff Fradley, previously he wrote six-episodes of the 2016-2017, television series, "Vice Principals", and followed this motion picture with six-episodes of the 2019-2022, television series "The Righteous Gemstones". The second writer was Danny McBride, between 2016-2017, he wrote eighteen-episodes of the television series "Vice Principals". The third writer was David Gordon Green, prior to this motion picture Green co-wrote the screenplay for the 2016 motion picture, "Goat".


Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed "Laurie Strode". Curtis had appeared as "Joan Day" in six-episodes of televisions "New Girl", between 2012-2018, partly overlapping that series was her appearances as "Dean Cathy Munsch", on the television series, "Scream Queens", 2015-2016

Judy Greer portrayed "Karen Nelson (nee Strode)". Greer had just been in the cast of Disney/Marvel's, 2018, "Ant-Man and the Wasp". She followed this feature with the biography comedy drama, 2018's, "Driven".

Andi Matichak portrayed "Allison Nelson". She had been in the 2017 television series, "The Boonies", and followed this picture with a 6-minute comedy short, 2018's, "Bathroom Talk", and the made-for-television, 2019, horror film, "Assimilate".

 

 

Once again, we had two actors portraying "The Shape" aka: "Michael Myers".

Nick Castle is only seen in the following window scene, but he's the sound of "Michael" breathing throughout the motion picture.

James Jude Courtney portrays the character in the rest of the motion picture. Courtney had last been seen on-screen in 2002's, "The Gray in Between".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Will Patton portrayed "Sheriff Deputy Frank Hawkins". Patton had last starred in the made-for-television-movie, 2018's, "An Actor Prepares", and followed this feature with another made-for-television-movie, 2018's, "Salvage".

Haluk Biliginer portrayed "Dr. Sartain". Biliginer had just been seen in the 2018, Turkish mini-series crime drama, "Sahsiyet". He followed this feature with the Turkish, 2019, motion picture "Noah Land".

 

 

 

Two interesting unseen actors:

 P. J. Soles, "Lynda Van Der Klok" in 1978, provides the off-screen voice for "Allyson's" English teacher, "Mrs. Van De Klok", below, Soles is seen in a 40-years interview for the 1978 picture. 

 

 

Comedian Colin Mahan is heard providing the voice of "Dr. Loomis". He was hired because Mahan was known for his imitation of Donald Pleasence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Basic Screenplay:

This is a direct sequel to the original 1978 "Halloween", with two slight changes. 

1981's "Halloween II" and any other films designed as a sequel to the original feature never took place. That would be "Halloween 4, and 5", "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers", "Halloween H20", and "Halloween Resurrection". 

This motion picture opens on October 29, 2018, "Michael Myers" has been held within "Smith's Grove Sanitarium" for the last 40-years, a slight change to the ending to the 1978, "Halloween". He is being prepared to be transferred to a maximum-security prison to spend the rest of his life. At this time, "True Crime Podcasters", "Aaron Korey", played by Jefferson Hall, and "Dana Haines", played by Rhian Rees, visit "Smith's Grove" to interview "Michael", and meet with "Dr. Sartain", a former student of "Dr. Sam Loomis", and now "Michael Myers" psychiatrist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Aaron" shows "Michael" the mask he wore in 1978, but receives no signs of recognition from the institutionalized serial murderer.

 

While, in Haddonfield, Illinois, the second slight change, "Laurie Strode", has no relationship to "Michael Myers", and is the only living survivor to "Michael's" 1978 killing spree. She lives in constant fear of his return in a home turned into a fortress. Her mental state has turned the one-time teenage victim into a heavy drinker suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. "Laurie" has a strained relationship with her daughter, "Karen Nelson", whom the state took away from "Laurie" when "Karen" was 12-years-old. 

 As with 1988's "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers", there is no mention if "Laurie" was ever married, as her last name is still apparently "Strode", or who "Karen's" father is and what happened to him?

 As I mentioned above, "Karen's" maiden name at the time of her marriage was "Strode". However, the audience does meet "Karen's" husband, "Ray Nelson", played by Toby Huss.

 

 

On the night of October 30, 2018, "Michael" is being transferred to the maximum-security prison in a bus with other patients of "Smith's Grove Sanitarium", but it crashes and the patients begin to wander around the road. A father and son stop to render aide, but are killed by "Michael" and he takes their truck and heads for home.

On the morning of October 31st, "Michael" sees both "Aaron" and "Dana" visiting his sister "Judith's" grave and follows them to a gas station, kills both of them, a mechanic for his coveralls, and gets his mask from "Aaron's" car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning of "Michael's" escape, "Sheriff Deputy Frank Hawkins", who arrested "Michael Myers" in 1978, tries to convince "Sheriff Barker", played by Omar Dorsey, of how dangerous "Michael" is, but the Sheriff is not convinced after such a long period of time. "Laurie" also learns of "Michael's" escape and attempts to warn "Karen", who dismisses her and actually tells her mother to move on with her life.

 

Below left to right, Miles Robbins playing "Dave", Virginia Gardner playing "Vicky", and Andi Matichak playing "Laurie Strode's granddaughter "Allyson Nelson", who unlike her mother is close to her grandmother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later, while attending a Halloween party, "Allyson" sees her boyfriend, "Cameron", played by Dylan Arnold, cheating on her and the two get into an altercation, and he grabs her phone and tosses it away. At the same time, "Laurie" is attempting to call and warn her granddaughter about "Michael's" return. "Allyson" now leaves the party with "Oscar", played by Drew Shield. 

Meanwhile, "Vicky" is babysitting a boy named "Julian", played by Jibrail Nantambu", and is awaiting the arrival of her boyfriend, "Dave". "Julian" is talking about a "Boogeyman" in the house and the two go to investigate. 

 

 

 

 

"Dave arrives, and "Vicky" is able to calm "Julian" down and tucks him in bed. "Dave" goes outside to smoke a cigarette, as "Michael" comes out of the bedroom closet, kills "Vicky", and "Julian" flees past "Dave", who is also killed by "Michael". 

While this is happening, "Laurie" is patrolling the area in her truck and hears over her police radio about a disturbance at "Julian's" house. She goes there, and finds "Deputy Hawkins", who just discovered the bodies. "Laurie" and "Hawkins" now start patrolling the neighborhood for "Michael Myers". 

After 40-years, "Laurie Strode" now confronts and shoots "Michael Myers" in the shoulder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "Michael" is able to flee, before "Laurie" can get off a second shot. The police now take "Laurie", her daughter "Karen", now apologizes to her mother for never believing her story, and "Karen's" husband "Ray", to "Laurie's" fortress that includes a heavily fortified panic room.

"Deputy Hawkins" promises to find "Allyson" and bring her to "Laurie's" house and a squad car is placed outside as a guard.

 

"Dr. Sartain" arrives at the Sheriff station and convinces "Sheriff Barker" to let him help in the hunt for "Michael", but does he have an ulterior motive?

As "Allyson" and "Oscar" are walking home from the party, "Michael" attacks them and kills "Oscar". "Deputy Hawkins" and "Dr. Sartain" arrive in time to save "Allyson" and "Hawkins" tries to kill "Michael" by running him over with the police patrol car. He gets out of the car with his gun in his hand to shoot "Michael Myers" at point blank range, but "Sartain" objects. It is now revealed that "Dr. Sartain" had become obsessed with the dark motivations of "Michael Myers" and arranged for the bus accident to see him in the wild. "Dr. Sartain" stabs "Hawkins" in the throat with a blade hidden inside what looks like a pen, killing him. "Sartain" now puts on "Michael's" mask and loads him into the backseat of the police car and locks "Allyson" in with the psychopath.

 

 

 

The masked "Dr. Santain" now drives the car towards "Laurie's" house to create a confrontation between her and the serial killer. However, "Michael" wakes-up and is able to kill "Dr. Sartain" as "Allyson" flees the scene. 

Going to the house, "Michael" next kills two police officers that are guarding "Laurie's" home. "Ray Nelson" goes outside to meet whom he believes are the two police officers and is strangled to death by "Michael Myers" instead.

"Laurie" gets "Karen" into the panic room and then engages in a showdown battle with "Michael".

Unlike, 2002's, "Halloween: Resurrection", this screenplay truly reinvents the 1978 fight between "Michael" and "Laurie". As the action moves to the second story of her house.

"Allyson" arrives at her grandmother's home, and witnesses "Michael" and her grandmother fighting on the second story balcony. "Laurie" has been able to badly stab and injure "Michael", but he stabs her in the abdomen and tosses her over the balcony. When "Michael Myers" looks over the balcony at the ground below, "Laurie Strode" has disappeared!

"Allyson" makes her way to the panic room, but her action alerts "Michael". "Karen" seems to break down in tears calling for her mother, putting "Michael" off guard, which is exactly what "Karen" wants and she shoots him in the jaw. "Laurie" appears and attacks "Michael", with her daughter and granddaughter's help they trap him in the panic room and set the house on fire.

"Laurie" faints from the loss of her blood, but "Karen" and "Allyson" are able to stop a truck passing by to get her to the hospital.

The film ends with a panning of the panic room without any sight of "Michael", but his breathing is heard, "Michael Myers" lives.

The estimated budget for the motion picture was 15-million-dollars and worldwide box office was supposed to have been 255.6-million-dollars.  According to Anthony D'Alessandro for the website "Deadline", "Halloween", 2018's, opening United States weekend-box-office was 77.5 million-dollars. 

 https://deadline.com/2018/10/halloween-record-opening-weekend-box-office-1202485871/

 On June 13, 2018, in an article in "Entertainment Weekly", executive producer Danny McBride, stated the he and executive producer and director David Gordon Green, had originally discussed making this film and its sequel, BEFORE even writing the first screenplay.

We were going to shoot two of them back-to-back. Then we were like, 'Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This could come out, and everyone could hate us, and we'd never work again. So, let's not have to sit around for a year while we wait for another movie to come out that we know people aren't going to like.' So, we were like, 'Let's learn from this, and see what works, and what doesn't.' But we definitely have an idea of where we would go [with] this branch of the story and hopefully we get a chance to do it.

 

On July 8, 2019, the website "Bloody Disgusting", in an article by Brad Miska, reported:

 File this one under “unconfirmed rumor that’s too damn juicy to ignore”.

 An extremely reliable insider hit me up with bonkers news late Sunday evening that I haven’t been able to verify (I’m being 100% transparent here). What I’m told is that David Gordon Green has decided to return and direct back-to-back sequels to Halloween (2018), his direct followup to John Carpenter‘s 1978 slasher that ignores all of the franchise’s sequels and continues Laurie Strode’s story 40 years later.

 This is where I get nervous continuing on…

 From what I’m told, not only will they be filming two sequels back-to-back, but they are discussing releasing both in the same month. Yes, it’s within the realm of possibility that we’ll see two Halloween films released in October 2020.

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3571159/halloween-rumor-david-gordon-green-returning-direct-back-back-sequels/

However, filming of back-to-back sequels did not take place and the Universal Pictures money men, wanted to see how one sequel to "Halloween", 2018 did, before talk of a second one would take place.

HALLOWEEN KILLS originally previewed at the Venice, Italy, Film Festival, September 8, 2021

 

 

 

After the success of "Halloween", 2018, McBride and Green put together the same group of financial backers and made "Halloween Kills".

David Gordon Green would once more direct the new screenplay based upon the two characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

For the screenplay, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green were joined by Scott Teems to bring their previously discussed first sequel, if "hopefully we get a chance to do it" to the screen.

Scott Teems had just released 2020's, "The Quarry", a crime mystery thriller, that was written and directed by himself. He would follow this screenplay with the Stephen King based, 2022 film version of "Firestarter".


Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed "Laurie Strode". Curtis with 15th-billing as "Jamie", had just been seen in the Helen Reddy as "Helen", and Ed Asner as "Ed", 2021, comedy, "Senior Entourage". She would follow this feature film with an episode of the television series, "Reno 911!", entitled, "Bad Lieutenant Woman", on February 25, 2022.

 

Judy Geer portrayed "Karen Nelson". Geer had just voiced, "Martha Washington", in the 2021, animated feature film, "America: The Motion Picture". Judy Geer continued to voice the character of "Luna", on the animated, 2018-2021, children's television program, "Let's Go Luna".

 

Andi Matichak portrayed "Allyson Nelson". Matichak had just been seen in the horror thriller, 2021's, "Son", and followed this picture with the war movie, 2021's, "Foxhole".

There are FIVE actors portraying either "The Shape", or "Young Michael Myers":

Nick Castle as "The Shape":

James Jude Courtney as "The Shape":

Airon Armstrong portrayed, 1978 "Michael Myers", in a flashback, below as himself, and on set as "Michael".

 

 

Christian Michael Pates portrays “Young Michael" in "Karen's" imagination.

Using archive footage from 1978, Tony Moran is also seen as "The Shape".

THE SCREENPLAY BRINGS BACK FOUR CHARACTERS FROM JOHN CARPENTER AND DEBRA HILL'S, 1978, HALLOWEEN. 

 

Nancy Stephens reprised her own role of "Marion Chambers". 

 

Kyle Richards reprised her role of "Lindsey Wallace". 

 

 

 

Anthony Michael Hall now portrayed the grown, "Tommy Doyle". Hall was a long way from director and writer John Hughes', 1984, "Sixteen Candles", 1985's, "The Breakfast Club", and 1985's, "Weird Science".

 

 

Robert Longstreet now portrayed the grown, "Lonnie Elam".

The Basic Screenplay:

The motion picture starts on October 31, 1978, but the sequence shown was not part of the John Carpenter and Debra Hill motion picture, or in their original screenplay.

The audience meets a young "Deputy Sheriff Frank Hawkins", played by Thomas Mann.

 

"Hawkins" is attempting to save his partner from "Michael Myers", but accidently kills him instead. At the same time, "Dr. Samuel Loomis", played by Tom Jones, Jr, seen below, with a voice supplied by Colin Mahan, is attempting to execute "Michael", and "Frank Hawkins" stops him.

 

Cut to 40-years-later, October 31, 2018, after being stabbed and left to die by "Dr. Ranbir Sartain, footage from "Halloween 2018' is used, "Sheriff Deputy Frank Hawkins" is found by "Lonnie Elam's" son "Cameron", played by Dylan Arnold, who calls for an ambulance and "Hawkins" is transferred to a hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the hospital, "Frank Hawkins" vows to kill "Michael Myers", because of his regrets over not stopping "Dr. Loomis" from executing him.

Meanwhile, "Tommy Doyle" is celebrating the "40th Anniversary" of escaping death from "Michael" back in 1978 at a local bar. Also attending the anniversary party are "Marion Chambers", "Lindsey Wallace", and "Lonnie Elam", not knowing of the events at "Laurie's" house from the previous movie, they believe "Michael" is still in prison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above seated at a table are "Vanessa", portrayed by Carmela McNeal, and "Marcus", her husband, played by Michael Smallwood.

 Cut to Firefighters having arrived at "Laurie's" house and are met by "Michael", who slaughter's them with their own firefighting equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Laurie", "Karen", and "Allyson" are now seen in the back of truck that was passing her house in "Halloween 2018", they are being taken to "Haddonfield Memorial Hospital".

 

In an article by "USA Today" reporter, Brian Truitt, in the "Akron Beacon Journal", October 15, 2021, Jamie Lee Curtis is quoted as saying about "Laurie" in the above picture:

I think Laurie is really willing to die in that moment,” Curtis, 62, says of where the last movie ends and “Kills” begins. “She has done the things she needed to do. She finished him and protected her daughter and granddaughter, but they also came together as a family that had been split apart by him. In a way, I feel like she had come full circle. So she now needs to be protected simply because she's wounded.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/10/14/halloween-kills-jamie-lee-curtis/8424140002/

 Arriving at the hospital, "Laurie" goes immediately into emergency surgery. 

 

Switch back to the fire at "Laurie's" house as "Michael" murders her two neighbors, the husband is stabbed to death, but the wife is impaled by pushing a fluorescent light tube through her throat. Afterwards, "Michael" calmly starts walking into the main town of Haddonfield.

Next, at the "Anniversary Party", "Tommy", "Lonnie", "Marion" and "Lindsey", like others in Haddonfield, learn, through the wireless emergency alert system on their "smart-phones", that "Michael Myers" has escaped prison and has murdered and attacked residents of the community. 

Three familiar looking trick-or-treaters won't come home.

Bar patron, "Vanessa" encounters "Michael" at her car, she escapes, and "Michael" starts to drive away, but crashes the car.

In the bar, "Tommy" forms a mob of Haddonfield residents and they go hunting for "Michael Myers". At the hospital, "Karen" is informed that "Michael" still lives, but doesn't tell "Laurie". Also, at the hospital, "Allyson's" and her boyfriend "Cameron" get back together and join "Tommy's" mob.  "Allyson" wants revenge for the murder of her father.

 

At the "Haddonfield Memorial Hospital", "Laurie" and "Frank Hawkins" awake in the same recovery room and reminiscence about their past relationship with each other. 

While, going house to house warning people to stay in their homes and lock them down are "Marion", "Vanessa" and "Marcus", all three will be killed by Michael, but the injured "Lindsey" is able to escape. 

 

"Lindsey" is found by "Tommy", "Lonnie", "Allyson", and "Cameron". The five map out the direction "Michael" is moving and it becomes obvious that he is heading home.

"Tommy" takes "Lindsey" go to the hospital for treatment and meets "ex-Sheriff Leigh Brackett", played by Charles Cyphers. They reunite after all these years, but "Tommy" also wants to see "Laurie". He informs her that "Michael Myers" survived and is on a killing spree. 

 At the old "Myers" home, the current owners are killed by "Michael".

 

"Lance Tivoli" played by Ross Bacon, was another patient at "Smith's Grove Sanitarium" who was on the bus that "Dr. Sartain" arranged to crash and like "Michael", escaped. "Tivoli", driving "Vanessa's" car, arrives at the hospital and is mistaken by the mob for "Myers". They start chasing him through the hospital until "Karen" realizes he's not "Michael Myers", attempts to calm the mob down, but it's too late and "Lance" jumps through a window to his death.

 

 

"Laurie" now urges "Karen" to work with "Tommy" and "Brackett" to hunt "Michael Myers" down. While at the old "Myers" house, "Lonnie" enters it alone, and is killed by "Michael". From outside, "Allyson" and "Cameron" rush inside, discover "Lonnie's" body, as "Michael" appears and kills "Cameron".

 

 

 

 

Just as "Michael" is about to kill "Allyson", "Karen" appears and stabs him in the back with a pitchfork, steals his mask, and taunts him to follow her. Almost as a whisper, "Michael" tells "Karen" to:

Give it back!

 

 

"Karen" leads "Michael" into "Tommy's" mob that seem to engulf him and kill the psychopathic killer. The mob now disperses, but "Michael Myers", as so many times before, recovers, kills the remaining members of the mob that include "Tommy" and "Brackett".

 

 

The story returns to the old home of "Michael Myers", as paramedics treat "Allyson", her mother decides to go upstairs to investigate something. As "Karen" enters "Judith Myers" room, "Michael" appears and stabs her to death, then, apparently, disappears once again.

The movie fades-out with "Laurie Strode" staring out of her hospital room.

On an estimated budget of 20-million-dollars, the worldwide box office was 131.6-million-dollars.

On October 31, 2020, on the website, "PagluTV": 

https://paglutv.blogspot.com/2020/10/halloween-kills-is-timely-masterpiece.html

In an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis by "Sirius XM's, Jess Cage. The actress describes "Halloween Kills" as a "MASTERPIECE":

 What we were seeing around the country of the power. of the rage of voices, big groups of people coming together enraged at the set of circumstances, that's what the movie is. The movie is about a mon. And so it's very interesting because it takes on what happens when trauma infects an entire community. And we're seeing it everywhere with the Black Lives Matter movement. We're seeing it in action and 'Halloween Kills' weirdly enough, dovetailed onto that, proceeded it, it was written before that occurred, but then of course, so when you see it, it's a seething group of people moving through the story as a big angry group, it's real, really, really intense. It's a masterpiece.

There are some people that disagree with Curtis describing 2021's, "Halloween Kills" as not even worth giving it a second look. However, her comments brings-up the obvious question, IF a motion picture is a "Masterpiece". Why film a sequel? 

Of course, both David Gordon Green and Danny McBride were thinking trilogy even before 2018's "Halloween" had a written screenplay.

HALLOWEEN ENDS premiered in Spain at the Sitges Film Festival on October 6, 2022

 

On October 11, 2022, the feature was shown at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles, California, and would be released in the United States, on October 14th, to both motion theaters and internet streaming.

The problem facing the two producers is that a second sequel should, at least, be equal to the first sequel. The fact that preview audiences didn't like the second sequel's ending and multiple new endings were shot and tested, is not encouraging to success. My reader can find that story on "Yahoo! Film" at:

https://www.yahoo.com/now/halloween-ends-ending-changed-test-112318085.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAeR0KYJybX1ys-An_8lGBrMwCGZw0k_BHsym_PC4UWlazkwcCq0GYnwCxWwWqt6hhdyO3-00NoDpidwQIYBkLQKUx7ILJR-TMEAehysgkd4zgOaXiVU9bXfLcA3SIDv2rw6K3MRuxTK63Na2oHD9TSdn00x6x4DTaxiJ3knZiY-

Involved in the second sequel, besides Green and McBride, were still John Carpenter, Malek Akkad and even the critical Jamie Lee Curtis. Other names changed as financial backers, some left, some stayed, some were added to bring the total to seventeen. 

 The motion picture was the third directed by David Gordon Green to complete his and Danny McBride's trilogy.

The screenplay still referenced John Carpenter and Debra Hill for creating the original characters, and both Green and McBride are listed as screenplay writers. However, there are two new screenplay writers:

For Paul Brad Logan, "Halloween Ends", was his third and final screenplay. Released prior to this picture was 2014's, "Manglehorn", starring Al Pacino and Holly Hunter, written by Logan for director David Gordon Green. 

The second writer was Chris Bernier, this was only his second of his two screenplays. Bernier's first was for the television series "The House: A Hulu Halloween Anthology Series", with the October 23, 2017, episode entitled, "Unexplained Phenomena".

There are five returning actors, while, Nancy Kyes as "Annie Brackett", Carmela McNeal as "Vanessa", and P.J. Soles as "Lynda Van Der Klok", are seen by using previously shot footage.

Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed "Laurie Strode". Curtis had just been seen in the comedy drama, 2022's, "Everything Everywhere All at Once".

 

 

 Andi Matichak portrayed "Allyson Nelson". She was previously seen in the war drama, 2021's, "Foxhole".

 

 

James Jude Courtney portrayed "The Shape" aka: "Michael Myers". 

 

 

 

Will Patton portrayed "Frank Hawkins". Patton is appearing on the television streaming science fiction western, "Outer Range".

 

 

 

 

Kyle Richards portrayed "Lindsey Wallace". 

 

 

 

Is It Too Early To Critique This Movie?

 As I already mentioned, the ending of "Halloween Ends" went through several changes and one has to wonder what that original ending actually was? 

Kieran Judge on the website, "The Film Magazine", October 17, 2022, has an interesting take on what is seen upon either the huge motion picture screen, or depending on the size of your home television set, streaming in your living room. 

https://www.thefilmagazine.com/halloween-ends-2022-review/ 

Judge writes:

This is not actually a Halloween film, despite the title. It is the concept for a television series, the story of a disturbed individual taking up the mantle of a former serial killer and slowly assuming their identity as a representation of how a population suffering from collective grief and hysteria can create a cultural boogeyman, whereupon that boogeyman will eventually assume the mantle.

The disturbed individual mentioned by Kieran Judge, is looked at in an article by Alan Dorich, dated October 19, 2022, for the website, "CBR":

 https://www.cbr.com/halloween-ends-john-carpenter-christine-stealth-remake/ 

Dorich states that the character of "Corey Cunningham", portrayed by Rohan Campbell, is actually a revised character out of a 1983, Stephen King novel, that was turned into a motion picture, that same year, and directed by John Carpenter.

According to Alan Dorich:

Before the release, Green dropped hints that his new film was inspired by Carpenter's Christine. And now that the final product is out, the connections seem more overt than one might have initially anticipated. One of the new lead characters of Halloween Ends is very much like the lead of Christine, and there are many visual touches and story points that seem borrowed from the Carpenter classic.

 

 

 

 

The story of Christine followed Arnie Cunningham, a bullied teen who bought a used 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine and was corrupted by the evil force that lived within it. And Corey Cunningham in Halloween Ends shared more than just a last name with Arnie. He also was bullied by local youths -- over his role in the accidental death of a child -- and had a similarly domineering mother. Like Arnie, Corey was corrupted during an encounter with Michael when the masked killer's evil spread into Corey and sent him on a murderous rampage against the people who had wronged him. 

The Screenplay:

Instead of picking-up from the cliff-hanger ending of, 2021's, "Halloween Kills". The screenplay backs-up the opening scenes by two-years from the previous film's events and introduces an entirely new dominate character to the audience.

On October 31, 2019, in Haddonfield, Illinois, 21-years-old, "Corey Cunningham" is babysitting a boy named "Jeremy", played by Jaxon Goldenberg, who pranks "Corey" by locking himself in his house's attic. "Corey" has finally located where "Jeremy" is, and as the boy's parents return home, "Corey" kicks open the locked door sending "Jeremy" over a staircase railing to his death. "Corey" is accused of intentionally killing "Jeremy", but is cleared at his trial for manslaughter.

Maxance Vincent in an, October 16, 2022, article on the website, "Screenrant", references an interview in "Collider" in which David Gordon Green explains the "Backwards Time Jump":

https://screenrant.com/halloween-ends-time-jump-explained-director/

I don't know that it changed in any radical form. There were things that we evolved. When we were writing Kills and Laurie was bedridden because she would be because she's been stabbed in the belly a few times, I knew we needed to make a time jump. Or we decided after thinking about it. There was a period of time where it was gonna be all one linear continuous type of movie. But then how are you gonna get this climactic battle out of her? So then we made decisions to evolve it and say, 'Okay, there's a time jump between Kills and Ends,’ and it became a great opportunity and discovery of the fact that we can meet an optimistic Laurie Strode that has gone to therapy perhaps and she's decorating for Halloween, she's inviting this holiday, she's making pumpkin pies, so we can see a Laurie that's in many ways the opposite of the Laure that we met in 2018. And to me, that just becomes a discovery you get from workshopping the script with my beloved co-writers and talking to the actors, turning a camera on things that work and work less and then trying to sculpt something you feel like is the most satisfying. Obviously Kills is just kind of a chaotic art film middle chapter for me. It's just a Michael Myers opera. And then Ends I just wanted to build to make sure I felt emotional, I felt atmosphere, I felt romance. I wanted it to be a love song to the fans, and I don't think anyone's gonna see it coming. They certainly wouldn't expect us to make some of the choices we've made

The screenplay now moves forward three-years to October 30, 2022.

"Laurie" has bought a new home, and her granddaughter, "Allyson", lives with her and has become a nurse. “Laurie" is writing her memoirs and her thoughts are narrated to the audience. As she explains that although “Michael” was gone, in Haddonfield, he was still an infection the town’s citizens were fighting.

“Corey Cunninghm”, is working at his stepfather’s salvage yard. On his way home, “Corey” is taunted by high school bullies and injures himself. “Laurie” observes this and brings “Corey” to the doctor’s office where “Allyson works”. This will lead to a relationship between the two young people.

The screenplay now has “Corey” and “Allyson” attending a Halloween Party where two events take place. First, “Corey” is confronted by “Jeremy’s” mother, “Mrs. Allen”, played by Candice Rose. Second, “Corey” and “Allyson” argue and he leaves the party, runs into the high school bullies, is thrown off a bridge and enters the sewers and meets “Michael Myers”.

Again, I turn to Kiernan Judge’s article for “The Film Magazine”, to describe the entrance of the secondary character, “Michael Myers”. Referring to the screenplay for "Halloween Ends", Judge states:

What it does have, is a good 30-40 minutes of pointless, lifeless, dull build up to a concept already explored in passing in Halloween 2018 that of evil passing from one individual to another. To do this, we have to bring back Myers, who was rotting in a kind of IT sewer underground dungeon guarded by a homeless man who protected him. Possibly. It doesn’t give any reason why he would need guarding, or why he decided to vanish for no reason at all after the final moments of the previous film (when he was a serial killer god), the fear of the town resurrecting him.

"Michael" lets "Corey" go, but he is confronted by the homeless man and they struggle. While struggling, "Corey" stabs the man to death and flees the sewers. This will become his first kill as "Corey" becomes possessed, according to the story line, of the evil within "Michael Myers".

“Corey” and “Allyson” go on a diner date and her ex-boyfriend, police officer “Doug Mulaney” shows up and harasses the two.

What seems to follow are murders by both “Corey” and “Michael” that the viewer needs a program to keep track of whose killing whom? In the case of “Mulaney”, “Corey” lures him into the sewers and “Michael” kills the police office ex-boyfriend and “Corey” is fascinated by the murder.

"Allyson" is passed over for promotion for a nurse that has been having an affair with the doctor. "Corey" now kills the doctor and "Michael" kills the nurse. “Corey” starts insisting that “Allyson” needs to leave Haddonfield with him. 

“Laurie” has become suspicious of “Corey”, after finding him sleeping on the spot “Jeremy” died. She offers to help “Corey”, IF he stays away from “Allyson”. He shows his true nature and blames “Laurie” for all the events that have happened in Haddonfield. Telling her that if he cannot have “Allyson”, no one will!

On the morning of October 31, 2022, two events start to collide! First, “Corey” fights “Michael” for his mask and wins. Second, “Laurie” and “Allyson” argue over her plans of leaving and “Allyson” uses “Corey’s” words, blaming her grandmother for the actions of “Michael Myers”.

That night “Corey” kills the high school bullies, by accident his stepfather, but deliberately his mother and caps his murder spree off by killing the local D.J. who ridiculed him.

Now the audience and “Laurie Strode” reach “HALLOWEN ENDS”!

At the new “Strode House”, “Laurie” fakes her suicide to lure “Corey” to her. He shoots him, but as “Allyson” is entering, he stabs himself in the neck in an attempt to frame her grandmother for his death. “Michael” arrives and kills “Corey” and takes back his mask

Next, the final fight between “Michael” and “Laurie” takes place. (Spoiler coming):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

“Laurie” is able to pin “Michael” to the table, “Allyson” comes and the two finally kill “Michael Myers”, but they want to be sure he stays dead! They take his body to “Corey’s” stepfather’s salvage yard and dump it into an industrial shedder and turn it on.

 Later, grandmother and granddaughter settle their differences and “Allyson” leaves Haddonfield. “Laurie” continues to write her memoirs, but also rekindles her love affair with “Deputy Frank Hawkins”.

At the time of this writing there has been a strong decline in worldwide box office from opening weekend to the second weekend of approximately 77.6 percent. An argument has been made that part of this decline was caused by streaming the motion picture. We'll have to wait for final figures after the films initial run is over to determine, if "Halloween" really ended!