Halloween: John Carpenter Offers His Input on Franchise’s Future (Exclusive)

Over the more than 40 years since Halloween was unleashed in 1978, the franchise has seen highs and lows and been rebooted and had sequels negate the events of previous installments, but with David Gordon Green’s trilogy of Halloween films, fans were seemingly given the final entry in the decades-long bout between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. The Halloween brand, however, will always be a hit with horror fans, so as reports emerge about the rights being shopped around, original director John Carpenter claims that Michael Myers and star Jamie Lee Curtis might still have unfinished business and that we can’t really count on them being gone for good. Carpenter’s latest project, John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, premieres on Peacock on October 13th.

When discussing with ComicBook.com how last year’s Halloween Ends closed the chapter on Michael Myers and Laurie Strode definitively, Carpenter teased, “Don’t you believe it yet. There’s all sorts of ways of bringing Michael Myers back. There’s all sorts of ways of telling that particular story. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

What was notable about Green’s trilogy is that Carpenter served as a producer, marking the first direct involvement he’s had in the franchise since the first sequels in the early ’80s. As far as what advice he might have for the next filmmaker to tackle the mythology, Carpenter joked, “I can’t help the new filmmakers. Plus, they have so many advantages over what I had when I was the same age. That makes me hate them! It’s all great.”

The series previously earned the spinoff Halloween III: Season of the Witch, an experience that left the Michael Myers mythology behind, as well as two reboots from director Rob Zombie, with all of these films earning mixed reactions from critics and audiences. It’s currently entirely unknown how, or when, the Halloween franchise will continue.

In the meantime, audiences can watch true-life tales of terror in John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams.

The new series is described, “John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams is a genre-busting unscripted horror anthology series from the mind of legendary director, writer, and producer, John Carpenter. The series explores the dark secrets and unspeakable evil that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of the sun-drenched streets, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors of suburbia. Each episode focuses on one true tale of terror, told by the real people who lived through it. Their firsthand accounts are brought to life through premium cinematic scene-work, news clips, home photos, and archival footage, combining the visual language of horror films with the tools and techniques of documentaries, creating a uniquely frightening experience for viewers.”

John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams premieres on Peacock on October 13th. Stay tuned for updates on the Halloween franchise.  

What do you think of the filmmaker’s remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!