Halloween Director John Carpenter Explains Why He Made Michael Myers Laurie Strode’s Brother

One of the biggest twists in Halloween II came from the reveal that killer Michael Myers was the brother of hero Laurie Strode, with one of the motivating factors behind this decision being the requirement that the original film have scenes added to it for a TV version of that film. 1978’s Halloween depicted Myers stalking the town of Haddonfield, Illinois 15 years after he killed his sister on Halloween night, with no prevailing rhyme or reason for his murderous rampage. It wasn’t until the sequel that John Carpenter and Debra Hill, who co-wrote the original film which Carpenter directed, included an explanation for his actions, while retroactively incorporating clues of this reveal into the original.

“Well, the brother reveal was caused by NBC,” Carpenter detailed to ComicBook.com. “NBC purchased the rights to show Halloween on network television. But our movie was too short for them. So we needed to add some time. I think we had to add, what was it, eight minutes or something like that, I don’t remember. And there was nothing to add. The first movie was just what I wanted to make. I don’t have anything to add. So I came up with this brother thing. It was awful, just awful. But, I did it.”

The original film became a major financial success, resulting in the studio wanting to continue the story of the characters in hopes of replicating that success. Carpenter and Hill never wanted the narrative to continue, with the pair agreeing to write the sequel so they could maintain some semblance of control over the endeavor, which was directed by Rick Rosenthal.

It was while filming the sequel that Carpenter oversaw additional scenes being filmed for the TV version of Halloween, with one scene exploring Myers’ cell at a mental institution, which had the word “Sister” carved into its door. The reveal in Halloween II about the sibling connection comes late into the narrative, with very little attention given to these details.

Carpenter might not have detailed exactly how the timeline of the production of the sequel unfolded and when the decision was made to include the reveal of Myers being Laurie Strode’s brother, but his admission that filming new scenes for the TV version of the original film allowing for the inclusion of the “Sister” scene offers more insight into the development of the franchise and the long-held family lineage motivation throughout the series.

Last year’s Halloween ignored the events of all sequels in the series, essentially erasing the sibling connection from the current mythology. Carpenter is set to serve as a producer and the composer of the upcoming Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, which land in theaters on October 16, 2020 and October 15, 2021, respectively.

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