Michael Myers Returns!

[Mitch Henessey]

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New York, NY (June 15, 2015) – Dimension Films and Trancas International Films announced today that production will start in July on the highly anticipated thriller HALLOWEEN RETURNS, which follows notorious killer Michael Myers . Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton the writers behind a number of the SAW films have written the script, which is a terrifying new installment of the classic franchise originated by John Carpenter. Marcus Dunstan will also direct the film. The last big screen performances for Michael Myers were in HALLOWEEN (2007) and HALLOWEEN II (2009). Malek Akkad is set to produce with Matthew Stein as executive producer. The log line is currently being kept under wraps.

“Michael Myers has taken a long break from the big screen and we know fans are eager to see him return. We are excited to be back in business with Trancas and look forward to bringing one of the scariest installments of this classic franchise to audiences worldwide,” said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman The Weinstein Company & Dimension Films.

“The legacy of Halloween is something that Trancas is very proud of, and I look forward to working together again with Bob and Dimension to continue that tradition,” said Akkad.

Dunstan and Melton are repped by Paradigm, Underground’s Trevor Engelson and attorney Dave Feldman.
Overseeing production for Dimension Films are EVP of Production and Creative Affairs, Matthew Signer, SVP of Production and Development and Keith Levine.

http://halloweenmovies.com/2015/06/15/halloween-returns/

Also, nothing is official right now, but here's the rumored synopsis for Halloween Returns:

“Halloween Returns” will pit a new group of Haddonfield youngsters against Myers. The now 18-year-old child of one of Myers’ victims plays a central role along with the child of a cop who has long been obsessed with Myers’ case, even putting it before his own daughter.

Myers is now on Death Row and the two kids with their own personal vendettas against the killer sneak in to watch his execution. But when things go awry and Myers escapes, the pair, along with their friends, find themselves in the firing line.

Again, nothing is official, but the storyline for Halloween Returns is supposed to pick up after the events of Halloween II (1981). That's an interesting choice for a timeline, because Halloween 2 1981 is the last Halloween film to feature Laurie Strode before the character returned to the series in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

If the rumored storyline is true, I can't say I have any real problems with it. And I know I'm reaching here, but the rumored synopsis is eerily similar to the ending in Halloween 5, with Myers escaping Haddonfield's police station after The Man In Black's (or Dr. Wynn) attack.

Dunstan and Melton as the writers? I'm on the fence right now. I don't have any problems with the gory stuff in the Saw films, but one of my major complaints for the declining quality of the Saw films are the erratic (and unnecessary) plot twists. There's a fine line for being clever, and trying too hard to shock the audience for the sake of shocking the audience, and the Saw sequels (especially Saw 4) crossed that line more times than I can count.

With all that said, I'm just happy to see a new Halloween film. After all the rumors, the delays, and the clusterfuck mess surrounding Halloween 3D, it's nice to finally see an official statement.

I firmly believe Halloween 4 was the last good Halloween film, and I'm not a fan of H2 (2009), but Rob Zombie's Halloween 2007 receives a lot of undeserved hate. H20 is an underrated personal favorite in the series for me, but the downside is, when you compare it to the other films in the series, "it's just better than the other awful sequels (i.e. Resurrection)" is the only genuine compliment I can think of.

Any thoughts on this or the Halloween film series in general?

 

[TootsieBear]

I only ever fully watched the original and remake of Halloween. There was one where I watched Busta Rhymes fight Michael Myers, and another film where Myers was trying to capture a young girl. Forgive me for not remembering the respected titles.

What makes Halloween fun to watch is that it can be both simple and play on your greatest fears. Take the original film for instance: A suburb rocked by a murder that most residents seem to have forgotten; the older generation could simply ignore it. And on Halloween night a killer is out and killing teens and young adults who are doing things they shouldn't be doing. Similar to Friday the 13th films.

 

[Scotty]

I'm really excited for this movie. I'm not going to have extremely high hopes for it because of recent Halloween movies that came out but I really hope this gets done right.

My main problem with the Rob Zombie movies is the back story. The original Halloween we had no reason as to why he was killing people, it was all just because he was pure evil whereas the Rob Zombie version it felt like he almost wanted us to feel bad for him. Poor white trash upbringing and a father figure that hated him and constantly mentally abused him (and possibly physically).

Also, I hope they don't make him a huge figure. I found the original much scarier because Michael wasn't this big hulking giant of a man. He was of average height but had supernatural strength.

That being said I honestly loved the first 10-15 minutes of the Rob Zombie Halloween 2. It was really well done and Michael felt almost like the original Michael Myers. And I loved the choice of Knights In White Satin.

 

[Wally Dangerously]

FUCK YES!!

I love Halloween movies, period. That means ALL OF THEM. A Halloween movie could receive a 0% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and I would still watch it. Hell, I can sit through Resurrection without wanting to kill myself.

I'm obviously excited about this. I actually liked the Zombie remakes, mostly because they feature my favorite scream queen Danielle Harris, but I'm glad the new film is going back to the original timeline.

Just give me a Danielle Harris cameo, and don't let me see Michael looking like a fucking lumberjack.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

My main problem with the Rob Zombie movies is the back story. The original Halloween we had no reason as to why he was killing people, it was all just because he was pure evil whereas the Rob Zombie version it felt like he almost wanted us to feel bad for him. Poor white trash upbringing and a father figure that hated him and constantly mentally abused him (and possibly physically).

I can understand why a lot of people had some problems with Zombie's attempt to humanize and give Myers a back story, because he's supposed to be evil incarnate. Although, and I know Zombie only directed and wrote two Halloween films, but after a while, certain questions are going to pop up. Why is he seemingly invincible? Why does Myers have superhuman strength? What triggered Michael's murderous rage?

As the series progressed, Freddy Krueger's back story was revealed in separate films towards the end of the Nightmare On Elm Street series, and we all know about Voorhees, Camp Crystal Lake, and his mother.

Hell, if you go back to Halloween 5, you can see the foreshadowing for the Curse Of Thorn in Halloween 6 with Myers and Wynn wearing the Mark Of Thorn on their wrists.

I'll admit, the first half of Halloween 2007 feels like a drama before Zombie makes the transition to a full-fledged horror film with the adult version of Michael Myers. But overall, I thought Zombie did good job of showing Michael's descent into madness during his childhood years, and the numerous problems and incidents that caused him to snap, without completely destroying the mystique of the character.

Also, I hope they don't make him a huge figure. I found the original much scarier because Michael wasn't this big hulking giant of a man. He was of average height but had supernatural strength.

Size is not a big problem for me either way. Tyler Mane portrays the most recent version of Michael Myers, and he's 6' 8" and weighs a reported 295 lbs, and you can really see the enormity of his size with the "Are you a giant?" scene in Halloween II '09. With that said, yeah, we all know why Michael Myers is this intimidating, evil, and unstoppable force, so you don't need a hulking behemoth.

That being said I honestly loved the first 10-15 minutes of the Rob Zombie Halloween 2. It was really well done and Michael felt almost like the original Michael Myers. And I loved the choice of Knights In White Satin.

Same here. Zombie condensed the vast majority of Halloween II '81 into the early stages of the movie, and it's a smoother approach (well, that and it's all a dream) for the fiasco at the hospital. One of the few complaints I have for Halloween II '81 is, the movie feels tedious at times, because you're just sitting around and waiting for Michael to arrive, and attack Laurie at the hospital.

Although, after the beginning/intro, it's all downhill for me with Laurie as a whiny brat, the narcissistic and pompous celebrity version of Dr. Loomis, and the big stand-off at the end to name a few of my complaints.

Just give me a Danielle Harris cameo.

Would love to see Harris reappear in a Halloween film, but they'll run into some continuity problems if they stick with the timeline in the original series. Although, there's a slight chance for pulling it off, if you ignore Harris' status as Jaimie, and reintroduce her with a different character as a subliminal wink for fans of the series.

and don't let me see Michael looking like a fucking lumberjack.

Agreed. Hopefully, they'll stick with his original attire, because I can't stand the thought of anything resembling grunge Michael Myers from Halloween II '09.

 

[Scotty]

I'll admit, the first half of Halloween 2007 feels like a drama before Zombie makes the transition to a full-fledged horror film with the adult version of Michael Myers. But overall, I thought Zombie did good job of showing Michael's descent into madness during his childhood years, and the numerous problems and incidents that caused him to snap, without completely destroying the mystique of the character.

I agree with the first half of the movie feeling almost like an origin story. Other than that I was pretty ok with the last half.

The last half showed the part of the movie that I wanted. Michael walking around and killing stuff. Plus how amazing was Scout Taylor-Compton in that movie? So good.

The Halloween II '09 beyond the first dream sequence was terrible. The characters just felt forced. Loomis was a douche playing on the victims for instant fame and Laurie is slowly slipping into insanity (which would happen). I just couldn't feel anything for Laurie.

Let's also talk about how bad those scenes with Deborah Myers and the white horse were. I can see a little bit of how it would be for a Michael but it is silly to have Laurie have almost the same exact vision.

 

[Dave]

This is awesome. Like, truly awesome. That is, of they do it the way it should be done. Myers is one of the most frightening and iconic characters in the history of cinema and, having watched the films as a pre-teen, I now look back fondly to what I can safely say is some of the best horror movies I have ever seen. Obviously I have watched them again since then and can only remark on how good they were.

Personally, I really like the projected plot of the next movie. I can imagine how awesome its going to be watching Myers pulled out of his cell as he menacingly walks down the cold and dreary halls towards his impending death. The lights go out and when they come back on, Myers is gone and the executioner is dead. Seriously, it gives me chills just thinking about it.

Over the moon. I really hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to slasher films, the Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises are pretty much the kings; however, the problem is that there've been so many bad movies in each of those franchises that they've been bogged down by them. Of course, it didn't help that there was a massive oversaturation of slasher flicks during the 80s, most of which were so ridiculously bad that they really helped to kneecap the entire horror genre for quite a while.

As far as another Halloween movie goes, I'm not all that interested. I know some love the movies but I just never really saw what the big deal was and still don't really. I've never really found Myers all that scary as he's just a tall, skinny guy with a knife wearing a William Shatner mask with superhuman strength. The problem with the big, silent, intimidating slashers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees is that they're extremely stale and one dimensional. There's no personality to them and the story has to be told primarily through the group of kids who wind up getting hacked after they're all done boozing, hitting the bong and screwing. For the most part, once you saw the first couple of films in their franchises, you essentially saw them all as the sequels primarily had the same plot.

 

[Dave]

When it comes to slasher films, the Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises are pretty much the kings; however, the problem is that there've been so many bad movies in each of those franchises that they've been bogged down by them. Of course, it didn't help that there was a massive oversaturation of slasher flicks during the 80s, most of which were so ridiculously bad that they really helped to kneecap the entire horror genre for quite a while.

As far as another Halloween movie goes, I'm not all that interested. I know some love the movies but I just never really saw what the big deal was and still don't really. I've never really found Myers all that scary as he's just a tall, skinny guy with a knife wearing a William Shatner mask with superhuman strength. The problem with the big, silent, intimidating slashers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees is that they're extremely stale and one dimensional. There's no personality to them and the story has to be told primarily through the group of kids who wind up getting hacked after they're all done boozing, hitting the bong and screwing. For the most part, once you saw the first couple of films in their franchises, you essentially saw them all as the sequels primarily had the same plot.

I see where you are coming from with the last point in your post. However, I tend to disagree when it Myers' character. For me, the scariest part of Myers was that he had no personality. Some killers in slasher flicks, like Billy Loomis and Stu Macher (Scream) can be reasoned with on a personal level. Myers, on the other hand, is completely inhuman. He cannot 've bargained with or talked out of anything; when you're on his list, you're on it for good... Or until your dead.

The discussion has already been had in this thread about Rob Zombie and his interpretation of Myers. But the reason that I disliked them is because they tried to humanize one of the most cold and callous slashers in the game. Myers is always best when he is walking through walls and tearing through teenagers.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Plus how amazing was Scout Taylor-Compton in that movie? So good.

Jaimie Lee Curtis set the bar for Laurie Strode, easily. Still, Taylor-Compton delivered the best performance in the remake, and it's an impressive feat for a relatively unknown (at the time, and well, if we're talking about popularity now a days, Halloween gave her a slight bump, but that's about it) actress.

The Halloween II '09 beyond the first dream sequence was terrible. The characters just felt forced. Loomis was a douche playing on the victims for instant fame and Laurie is slowly slipping into insanity (which would happen). I just couldn't feel anything for Laurie.

And it's a real shame, because she's Michael Myers' sister. Laurie Strode as a sympathetic character should be an easy sell with no questions asked for obvious reasons, but Zombie found a way to ruin everything (for the most part).

Let's also talk about how bad those scenes with Deborah Myers and the white horse were. I can see a little bit of how it would be for a Michael but it is silly to have Laurie have almost the same exact vision.

The reoccurring visions with Michael's mother and the white horse....yeah. Truly awful. My main problem with the visions is overkill. Zombie really beat a dead horse with the visions, because after a while, it's not hard to figure out where he's going with all the foreshadowing, and what they're leading up to during the finale.

As far as Laurie sharing the same visions goes, it's similar to the telepathic link between blood relatives or Jaimie and Michael during the ending in Halloween 4 and throughout the movie in Halloween 5, with a little teasing for Laurie and Jaimie as the next bloodthirsty lunatic in the family. After all, "Family Is Forever" is one of the main taglines for H2 2009.

You can see a big difference with the theatrical ending and Zombie's alternate ending on DVD/Blu-Ray, but Laurie's final vision in the all white asylum is supposed to signify her death, and Laurie crossing over into the afterlife to join her family. I didn't know the truth about the final vision at first (someone else told me), because I always believed the movie ended on a cliffhanger. In the end, you have to believe the powers that be wanted a more ambiguous ending (the events leading up to the final vision in the theatrical ending) with Laurie's sinister grin to set up a potential sequel (or sequels) in the future.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Update!

Today, Daily Dead had the opportunity to catch up with producer Malek Akkad to discuss all things Halloween. During our interview time, Akkad gave us a bit of an update on the highly anticipated upcoming sequel, and it looks like us Michael Myers fans will need to be a bit more patient for more mayhem.

Akkad provided us with this update on the new Halloween while discussing the involvement of both Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, saying, “We had been working with a bunch of writers where we got close, but then we brought in Marcus and Patrick and worked closely with them. We found that we all were very much on the same level of what we wanted to do, in spite of the fact that the studio wasn’t necessarily in agreement. I just felt like I really had partners who would also fight the good fight and fight for the ideas, and fight for the things that we wanted to make sure we got right. And I just think they’re fantastic and super-talented.”

“Although, I have to say, and this is somewhat new news—but unfortunately things happen in Hollywood where you have issues with studios and different variables—we’ve had to take a step back and now we’re trying to refigure this beast that is the new Halloween. So there is a bit of a delay with this sequel now.”

“But I do think it is a good thing for the franchise. It’s only going to be resulting in a better film, which I hope the fans appreciate. But this new Halloween isn’t going to be quite what has been announced and what people are expecting, so we’re making some changes there as well,” Akkad added.

Interesting news, especially in the wake of the Friday the 13th delay announcement earlier this week. But frankly, as a fan, if Akkad, Dunstan and Melton need a little more time to make sure they do Myers justice, then I’m perfectly fine waiting just a bit longer for another installment of Halloween.

Look for more from our exclusive chat with Akkad soon!

An extra tidbit-

However, with HALLOWEEN RETURNS, although there were big announcement made this summer, and fans are excited to hear more about that, we’re actually still fine tuning that, believe it or not. It’s not going to be quite what was announced with the synopsis and potentially even the people involved. We’re sort of starting from scratch, which is not unusual when you’re dealing with studios and contracts and that stuff. While we were kind of gearing up and were ready to go, we’re now taking a step back and bringing in potential new people and partners in development.

Well, you had to know this was coming soon. Things were too quiet with no real news for progress after the first announcement, so the news of an indefinite delay with no real timetable is not a surprise, and it looks like Halloween Returns is currently stuck in developmental hell.

With the way things are going now, Halloween Returns could join Halloween 3D and the rumored Halloween: The Next Chapter from a few years ago as abandoned Halloween projects that'll never see the light of day. If we're talking about Halloween 3D, from what I remember the script was atrocious (not 100% sure, but I think the screenplay leaked online), so they decided to scrap the whole thing altogether.

There's no official confirmation for this, and I'm just going by some rumors I've seen on other websites, but allegedly out of character moments (think about Michael taking off his mask and crying in front of Jamie in 5) are at the top of the list for big problems in the screenplay for Returns. Remember, one of the bigger complaints from fans in Rob Zombie's Halloween films, is Zombie's attempts to humanize Myers, because feeling sympathy for the bogeyman is supposed to be a big no-no.

 

[SSJPhenom]

This is great!!! Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are far and away my 2 favorite horror characters of all time(with either Chucky or Leprechaun coming in second). I grew up on the original Halloween series like I'm sure a lot of us did and I would watch and actually enjoy any movie in the series. I hate it when critics try to technically review these movies and give them horrible reviews because I don't think any of us watch these movies for their deep plots or anything like that. We watch them to see Michael or Jason do their thing and ultimately end up taken out by the pure virgin straight edge teenager. It's awesome.

Also, will someone help me with something that I've been pondering for years? OK, in Friday the 13th, Jason drowns as a kid right? Then how the hell does he witness his mother's head being chopped off? Does he drown and come back to life? Does he almost drown but lives? That couldn't be it because if that were the case, why would his mom start killing? So someone explain that to me. I've never been able to make it make sense in my mind.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Also, will someone help me with something that I've been pondering for years? OK, in Friday the 13th, Jason drowns as a kid right? Then how the hell does he witness his mother's head being chopped off? Does he drown and come back to life? Does he almost drown but lives? That couldn't be it because if that were the case, why would his mom start killing?

I figure he never died when it was first assumed he did. He somehow lived underwater for 20 years.....because his body grew, which it presumably would not have done if he were dead. Of course, this leads to the question of what in hell he waited 20 years for to make his reappearance. Did he figure he had to be fully grown to go on a killing rampage? How he knew what was going on with his Mother being a killer is another matter. Guess if you're hanging around underwater doing nothing, your mind gains special insight. I mean, of course it does.

One other thing about both Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. Everyone knew they kept coming back after being killed, right? So, once you've got 'em down, why not dismember the fuckers limb by limb....and then drown them in a pool of acid, as they did the Terminator?

I remember a line from a horror novel: 'It's true you can't kill a ghost.....but you can scatter his ectoplasm so far and wide that he can never reassemble.'

Really! Bury Jason & Michael's heads in New Jersey (the armpit of the US), their legs in California and their torsos in Paris.

Then let 'em try to come back. YA!

 

[Mitch Henessey]

One other thing about both Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. Everyone knew they kept coming back after being killed, right? So, once you've got 'em down, why not dismember the fuckers limb by limb....and then drown them in a pool of acid, as they did the Terminator?

In The Curse (or Halloween 6) Tommy Doyle jammed a handful of syringes filled with a corrosive liquid (and one more for good measure) into Michael's neck.A fter that, Doyle bludgeons his skull with a pipe.....and during the final moments of the movie, it's heavily implied Michael survived the attack.

In H20, Laurie used an axe to cut Michael's head off, but in Resurrection, it's revealed Michael conveniently switched clothes with and put his mask on a paramedic after he crushed his larynx.

If we're talking about Jason, in Jason Goes To Hell, they open the movie with the authorities luring Jason into a trap. The trap includes a barrage of gunfire and Jason's explodes into pieces. But a coroner (Richard Grant) eats Jason's beating heart at the morgue, and we get Jason's evil soul jumping from one body to the next throughout the movie until he's reborn in his own body again.

It'll be a convoluted, preposterous, or ludicrous "solution," but somehow, they'll always find a way to resurrect the likes of Jason and Myers.

 

[X]

Man I remember reading rumors about Halloween 3D right after Halloween II came out but I'm not going to hold my breath until something real and concrete comes out and they actually start production, because there are literally a million movies that start pre-production like this ever year and maybe 1% of them wind up actually getting made.

I don't mind the team of Dunstan/Melton writing/directing, I enjoyed the Feast films, and thought The Collector was a fun slasher. But at the same time, I'd love to see someone with a more cerebral take on the franchise, something closer to the original. I don't think we'll ever see that again, but it would be nice. The Rob Zombie films in the franchise are highly divisive among fans, but I loved the second film he did and was bummed he wasn't going to come back for another film.

As a diehard fan on the franchise (I think I've established this by now), I'll always welcome another Myers film. But I'm cautiously optimistic as opposed to straight out excited.