So I am going to go against what I typically do on this site and bring you some somewhat breaking news. It was reported today that Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the masterminds behind Feast, have teamed up to bring us Halloween Returns. Casting got underway today with shooting set to start next month. This will NOT be directed by Rob Zombie, and reportedly will not have anything to do with the Zombie films, and will not be a direct sequel of the original film. Instead, it is said to catch up with Michael years after his initial killings as he sits on death row, with the offspring of his original victims either coming after him for revenge or simply being next in line as he continues his carnage.
A few things come to mind as I ponder yet another retooling of a classic horror film. First, it's Michael Myers, so of course it has potential to be really good. The fact they are calling it Halloween Returns may be a jab at the two films Zombie made, as in saying "Zombie came way out of left field with his take, so we are bringing back the Michael you know", in which case, fine, I can be on board for that--not that I hate the Zombie movies at all--I actually quite enjoy them, but I know they alienated a lot of fans of the original. Lets face it though: the original Halloween and part two are masterpieces of horror, the third one does not exists in my mind, and the fourth and fifth films were decent enough, but the wheels completely fell off after that, so to me what Zombie did was a redemption of sorts for the character and series. All that to say this: when Melton and Dunstan (who is taking over as director) say Halloween is returning, I ask "from where?". If you follow the story of the first (even if you ignore every sequel after it), which was based in the late 1970s, and the new film is set in 2015 or 2016, Michael would be well into his sixties--this hardly screams scary to me. Short of going this route, you are simply rebooting the franchise (again), something that could have very hit or miss consequences (as Zombie's films did).
The next thought that comes to mind--Myers is in prison (not an insane asylum as in the Zombie film), awaiting execution--does this mean we see Michael's face for at least the beginning of the film? Certainly they would not have him wearing a mask in prison. How exactly does he escape a maximum security prison? Are they going to go all super-natural with him, ala Shocker? (God I hope not) The suggested premise of the film seems pretty absurd, and I am holding out hope it is a joke.
Finally, I really hope they do not bring Dr. Loomis back for this one. Mention him to show respects to him, possibly even explain his fate, but do not make him a character in the film. I am a big fan of Malcolm McDowell and believe he did all one could do with the character in the Zombie films, but seeing anybody other than the late Donald Pleasence play Loomis is tragic.
I am cautiously excited about Halloween Returns. The guys behind it have done some really good stuff in the past, so the potential is there, but we all know how some of these films tend to turn out. If you have any thoughts on this I would love to read them in the comments section below.
UPDATE: I can't believe it was so long ago that I wrote this. This movie did come out, and was quite a bit different than what the initial reports of it said would be (thank God). Catch my review of the movie, titled simply Halloween, not Halloween Returns, here: Halloween 2018
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