John Carpenter Working On Scoring ‘Halloween’

Filmmaker John Carpenter’s last direct involvement with a Halloween film was 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch, but that all changes with this year’s sequel. Over on Twitter, the filmmaker confirmed that he’s currently working on the score for the new film.

Carpenter’s wife and frequent collaborator Sandy King Carpenter shared a photo of a cat near sound recording equipment which Carpenter himself shared while adding, “Helping us score HALLOWEEN.”

The filmmaker directed and co-wrote the original Halloween with Debra Hill, in addition to providing the film with its now-iconic score. His goal was never to create sequels, though, after realizing the studio would make a follow-up film regardless of his involvement, hoped to have some control by writing it. By the third film, Carpenter was only interested in scoring it with collaborator Alan Howarth.

This new chapter in the saga brought back Carpenter as an executive producer, as well as stars of the original film Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle. As shooting on the film began, hints emerged that Carpenter had expressed his interest in creating the film’s score.

Ultimately, Jason Blum ended up confirming the rumor that Carpenter was, in fact, attached to develop the score.

As for why Carpenter returned to the saga after being absent for more than 30 years, his answer was pretty straightforward.

“Well, they asked me,” Carpenter admitted to Rotten Tomatoes of how he got involved. “You know, the rights went back to Miramax and Malek Akkad talked to me and he wanted me to do something. And then Jason Blum, who’s the biggest horror producer in Hollywood, talked to me. He was going to produce it. They were willing to pay me, which is always a good thing, so I said yes.”

The filmmaker has never shied away from explaining his disinterest in the franchise, though he ultimately decided to put his money where his mouth was to help deliver audiences the sequel they deserved.

“I talked about the Halloweens for a long time, the sequels — I haven’t even seen all of them,” Carpenter confessed. “I don’t even know what really was there — but finally it occurred to me: Well if I’m just flapping my gums here, talking about it, why don’t I try to make it as good as I can? I could offer advice. I could talk to the director. I like the director very much. I like the script. So, you know, stop throwing rocks from the sidelines and get in there and try to do something positive.”

The sequel will land in theaters on October 19th.

Do you think Carpenter’s new score could be as effective as the original? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Twitter, TheHorrorMaster]