Halloween Novelization Getting Fully Illustrated Reprint

More than 40 years after the official novelization of John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s Halloween hit shelves, the adaptation from author Richard Curtis (under the pen name Curtis Richards) is getting an official reprint, which will be expanded with all-new illustrations. This reprint will be available in two different versions, one with a limited-edition cover that reimagines the cover to the original novelization, and a standard cover that has not yet been finalized. While the official illustrations have not been revealed yet, they come courtesy of artist Orlando “Mexifunk” Arocena. You can pre-order the Halloween novelization now from Printed in Blood.

Printed in Blood describes the release, “Printed In Blood is very proud to present the original movie tie-in novelization, reprinted in full here for the first time in over 40 years! In addition, it has been fully illustrated throughout with nearly a hundred brand-new Illustrations created just for this release by the vector genius, Orlando ‘Mexifunk’ Arocena. This 224-page volume is bursting with both classic and gorgeous new artistic visions of the John Carpenter horror classic. This Limited Edition cover features the classic paperback cover art re-created by Orlando. Produced under license with Compass International Pictures and with full cooperation of the original author, Richard Curtis (who penned the original novel under the name Curtis Richards).”

While the limited-edition reprint will cost you $250, the standard edition sells for $50, so while it might be a relatively higher price than a standard novelization, with original printings all going for hundreds of dollars from re-sellers, regardless of their poor condition, this new release is a bargain for any Halloween collector.

In the days before home video was commonplace, fans of a movie would often only be able to regularly revisit cinematic adventures thanks to novelizations of those films, with those novelizations often expanding upon the core story either by incorporating elements cut from the film or when an author pursued their own creative ideas. The Halloween novelization, for example, explores the ancient origins of the curse that targeted Michael Myers, showcasing a bit of his life before he first murdered his sister, his trial, and his life in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. 

You can pre-order the Halloween novelization now from Printed in Blood, which is expected to be released in early 2024.

Will you be adding the book to your collection? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!