The forthcoming Halloween reboot will be a sequel to the original movie only, according to series creator John Carpenter. Halloween fans are already aware of how twisted the series’ timeline has become over the years. The original film spawned seven sequels, but that’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Halloween II picked up where the original left off, revealing killer Michael Myers and his victim Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) are actually brother and sister; the movie ended with Myers seemingly dead for good.

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch told an original story and was intended to launch an anthology series; mediocre box-office and angry fans killed that idea. Michael returned to life for Halloween IV-VI, only for Halloween: H20 to wipe those films out of existence by pretending they didn’t happen. Michael finally killed his sister Laurie in Halloween: Resurrection, before the franchise was rebooted with Rob Zombie’s Halloween in 2007. That means at least four separate continuities across ten films, but the next movie is looking to untangle all those knots and go back to basics.

In an interview with Stereo Gum, Carpenter said that the new Halloween will only acknowledge the original film, with the others being ignored. When asked if he was responsible for Jamie Lee Curtis coming back to the series, Carpenter had this to say about how the film will work:

Carpenter has spoken many times in the past about how he never intended Halloween to become a franchise, and that he isn’t a fan of the various sequels. He was contractually bound to write 1981’s Halloween II, where he introduced the Michael/Laurie twist. This family connection has since become a huge part of the series lore, so if the new film is ignoring everything after the original, that could mean Michael Myers and Laurie won’t be siblings this time around.

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

Part of the reason fans are excited about this new movie is the reunion of John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis, in addition to Blumhouse producing it. While the decision to wipe other sequels out of existence may upset some longtime fans, it makes a certain amount of sense. The backstory of the Halloween franchise has become impossibly convoluted over the years - not to mention the fact that Curtis’ Laurie Strode has already died twice in the previous movies.

Given the line-up of talent involved with the 2018 installment, there’s every reason to hope the new Halloween will be able to stand alongside the classic original - and give fans the sequel they want.

Source: Stereo Gum

  • Halloween Release Date: 2018-10-19