Halloween Producer Reveals Moment They Hated in 2018 Movie

When the 2018 Halloween movie came out it did what’s almost franchise tradition at this point, erasing many of the sequels from continuity and working strictly as a sequel to the 1978 original. By erasing the sibling nature of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, a driving plot device throughout the other sequels, the new movie had to contrive a way to get the two together again for the big third act. Enter Dr. Sartain, a new character that in a surprise twist reveals himself to be kind of nuts, pitting hunter and prey against each other one last time. Apparently while making the movie though, not everyone was so keen on the twist.

Speaking with CBR, the film’s producer and Senior Vice President of Trancas International Films Ryan Freimann (the company that owns the rights to the Halloween franchise), opened up about working with Blumhouse on the new films and working on Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends back-to-back. In giving his answer, Freimann opened up about the Dr. Sartain twist from the 2018 film, revealing he never liked it as a storytelling point.

“At first, it was a thought of an economy of filmmaking where we could shoot both at the same time but, remember, that decision was made pre-COVID. We had monkey wrenches thrown at us left and right. Our goal is to still continue with the storyline but, as we’ve seen — I’m going to go on record and say I was never a fan of the Sartain twist from 2018, fought that one tooth and nail but sometimes you get outvoted — but fans react to certain things then it causes us to pivot certain storylines certain ways….I think it’s been good to have time to reflect on what has worked and what hasn’t worked and we’re definitely hot-and-heavy on production of Halloween Ends.”

Considering Dr. Sartain was quickly dispatched by Michael Myers in the 2018 movie perhaps his big twist won’t be a major crux of Halloween Kills, but then again the movie does pick up minutes after its predecessor concluded so a passing mention seems almost a given. Maybe fan response to this “twist” being handled in a clunky manner will perhaps suppress it too.

As for Halloween Ends, the “final” film in this trilogy of new Halloween movies is still on track to be released in October of 2022.

“I would say, given what I know about the next movie, I think it will be the last time that I will play her,” Curtis previously revealed to Total Film magazine. “And I’m not saying something like, ‘Oh, because I die!’ It’s nothing to do with that. I’m talking about emotionally what they have constructed. I think it will be a spectacular way to end this trilogy.” 

Halloween Kills hits theaters and Peacock on October 15th with Halloween Ends scheduled to be released on October 14, 2022.