Coming Home: Why John Carpenter’s Return to HALLOWEEN Matters

The news dropped last night. I read (and reread) Heather’s article in these very pages with a mixture of shock, some trepidation, and an ultimate realization: John Carpenter is coming home. To HALLOWEEN. In the horror world, in this community, news doesn’t come any bigger or impactful. And while it is very early in the game, I think all parties involved (Blumhouse, Miramax, Malek Akkad) are determined to give us the best damn HALLOWEEN we’ve seen in a very long time. Especially Carpenter.

Hyperbole much? Sure. But here’s the thing - horror fans have always been like that. We invest ourselves completely in these worlds; discuss the pros and cons, ups and downs of every single film we come across. Are we sometimes cynical about what we’re offered? Of course. There’s a lot of disappointment, we all know that. We’ve all been burned, many times. But when we love something, we love hard. Being a part of this community of the fantastic is occasionally daunting – how often do we have to defend our tastes to family or friends who don’t get horror? More often than we’d like, I’m sure. Speaking for myself, horror has always been my secret friend, not a passing fancy or trend, but a lifelong companion seeing me through my own peaks and valleys. And now, through social media, I’ve discovered thousands of people who share that secret friend. And through my wireless travels, there has always been that connective tissue, a secret handshake, which is this: HALLOWEEN rules.

It’s a constant, and most conversations in our world are peppered with references to Carpenter’s original, or the numerous sequels and remakes, and sequels to remakes. As inescapable as Michael Myer’s relentless gait, the HALLOWEEN universe is ingrained in the DNA of the profane. I was fortunate to see the original in the theatre at the age of eight with my oldest brother (thanks, small town Canadian theatre with relaxed standards!), and since that windy October night in 1978, HALLOWEEN has haunted my very bones, right down to the marrow. And always will.

So it’s a constant, but it really isn’t everyone’s favorite. And that’s fine, but there is a reverence attached to the original (and Carpenter himself), a respect for its place in the pantheon. And true horror fans are mostly respectful whether we’re on board with a project or not.

This is where the shock comes in. I never thought in a million years that Mr. Carpenter would go anywhere near HALLOWEEN again. He’s never held back in his opinions regarding his own work; his displeasure with 1981’s sequel, and the failed anthology/reboot approach of 1982’s SEASON OF THE WITCH seemed to give him good reason to wash his hands clean of the whole enterprise.

As he went his own way and carried on with his career, the sequels kept coming while the laws of diminishing returns showed the sad shape of Michael’s estate, culminating in Kung Fu battles with rappers in no one’s favorite episode, 2002’s RESURRECTION. (I promise, this one promotes a united discourse amongst horror fans.)

By this time, Carpenter had made his (to date) last wide theatrical release, 2001’s GHOSTS OF MARS, and decided to downshift away from the movie grind to a life of playing video games and cheering on his beloved Lakers. He directed two strong episodes of Masters of Horror, CIGARETTE BURNS and PRO-LIFE in the mid oughts that had fans clamoring for more. Alas, other than 2010’s THE WARD playing in festivals before hitting VOD, he’s seemingly had no interest in that aspect of cinema.

My sense of trepidation crept in due to his involvement in the horrific remake of another classic of his, THE FOG (1980/2005). He was brought aboard as a producer, and made no bones about happily cashing the check, while letting the creative team do the heavy lifting. And if you’ve ever sat through this thing, you can tell that he didn’t lift a finger. As a collective group, horror fans have always held out hope that Mr. Carpenter would once again feel the need, the desire, to be creative in this world that holds dear so much of his structure and influence; at the same time, he’s given so much to the genre that anything he chooses to do with his life is well deserved. He’s already proven everything to us, not to mention influencing the next generation of terror makers: Neil Marshall, Mike Flanagan, Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard and David Robert Mitchell, among others, blazing their own trails while nodding in the direction of The Horror Master. His legacy was secured.

But as it turned, not complete. In early 2015, he released LOST THEMES, an album of new instrumentals. How could I have forgotten the importance of his music? As composer on almost all of his films, his music has always been the air that gives them life; intertwined, pulsating as strong as the images themselves in a perfect dance of sound and vision. The idea behind the album was to present music for films that never were – but could be. And as you listened, you were taken away to a blank landscape that quickly filled up with evocative images for films he hasn’t made – but should. Of course, horror fans were beside themselves; he was creating in a way so crucial to his work. My marrow was aching again.

He wasn’t done though. Last month he released LOST THEMES II, just as strong, and full of the spirit and joy of creation that have made his best works endure through the decades.

Which brings us up to last night’s announcement. Remember, Mr. Carpenter suffers no fools, and is never less than honest. He actually says he’s going to try and help make the scariest HALLOWEEN yet. The franchise he created and then abandoned over thirty years ago. Through his music, he appears to have a renewed sense of purpose, and love, of film. Even if he isn’t directing it, as executive producer his DNA will be pulsating all over this one. As for a director, who knows? Have fun with your dream list – I’ve already made mine.

Whoever else is brought aboard, the one thing I truly believe is this: Mr. Carpenter is dancing again as sure as he haunts my marrow. If I may offer one piece of advice, as a longtime fan? Check with the executive producer – I’m sure he knows the perfect composer for the job.