John Carpenter Reveals Why He Returned to the ‘Halloween’ Franchise

Filmmaker John Carpenter helped set the mold for the slasher genre with Halloween, which he directed and co-wrote with Debra Hill. Despite the film’s success, he’s been absent from the franchise for over 30 years, which all changes with the upcoming sequel. When speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, the filmmaker revealed a variety of elements contributed to his interest in serving as executive producer for the new chapter in the series he co-created.

“Well, they asked me,” Carpenter admitted of how he got involved, matter-of-factly. “You know, the rights went back to Miramax and Malek Akkad talked to me and he wanted me to do something. And then Jason Blum, who’s the biggest horror producer in Hollywood, talked to me. He was going to produce it. They were willing to pay me, which is always a good thing, so I said yes.”

Following the success of the original 1978 film, Carpenter begrudgingly agreed to write a follow-up film, despite his disdain for the series continuing the Michael Myers mythology. The filmmaker collaborated with Tommy Lee Wallace to develop Halloween III: Season of the Witch, with Wallace taking the sole writing and directing credit. Carpenter did, however, provide the film with its score, along with Alan Howarth.

“I talked about the Halloweens for a long time, the sequels — I haven’t even seen all of them,” Carpenter confessed. “I don’t even know what really was there — but finally it occurred to me: Well if I’m just flapping my gums here, talking about it, why don’t I try to make it as good as I can? I could offer advice. I could talk to the director. I like the director very much. I like the script. So, you know, stop throwing rocks from the sidelines and get in there and try to do something positive.”

Carpenter might not have been directly involved in developing the project, but he has reportedly offered his insight into various elements of the film, in addition to approving the script from Danny McBride and David Gordon Green.

“They came over to my office, we talked about what they wanted to do with Halloween, and I liked what they had to say. So, off we go,” Carpenter shared of his collaborators. “They said they wanted me to do the music, so I said, ‘Well, okay,’ but I’m going to take my son and godson along with me on that one.”

In addition to Carpenter’s return, the upcoming sequel brings back original stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and Nick Castle as “The Shape.”

The new film will land in theaters on October 19.

[H/T Rotten Tomatoes]