Tales for a Halloween Night Producer Offers Status Update on John Carpenter Show (Exclusive)

John Carpenter put himself on the map with Halloween in 1978, and while he would return to co-write Halloween II, he has largely been absent from the franchise, apart from producing David Gordon Green’s trilogy of films. The filmmaker has still been closely attached to the holiday, having developed the comic series Tales for a Halloween Night, which has been in development to be adapted into a TV series for years. Carpenter’s producing partner Sandy King has confirmed that one stumbling block for the TV series was the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, while the writers’ strike was yet another setback, so it’s unclear when, or if, the project will come back from the dead in the future. In the meantime, fans can see Carpenter and King’s new TV series John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams when it premieres on Peacock on October 13th.

“Well, that all fell apart when Discovery bought TNT, and they stopped unscripted and all that. I believe it’s moving on for a second life at another network. We’ll see what happens with that because it’s a very different project [from Suburban Screams],” King shared with ComicBook.com. “We’ve got, oh God, about four different projects at different places right now. And now that the writers’ strike is settled, we’ll see whether they all rise from the dead. Some of them … Who has a stake through its heart and who walks like a zombie, I have no idea.”

Despite its title, the comic book series has no connection to the Halloween franchise, instead with the stories all being evocative of All Hallow’s Eve and channeling that spooky spirit.

One of the last updates on the project came back in 2022, where Carpenter expressed the delays with the project due to the pandemic.

“There’s progress that’s always being held up by COVID. We’re trying to get it finalized,” Carpenter confirmed with ComicBook.com last year. “It has a home. I won’t tell you about it right now. I’ll tell you about it when it finally comes to fruition.”

Luckily, fans can still check out some frightening content from Carpenter and King on Peacock.

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 Tales for a Halloween Night.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!