The horror genre is a in a bit of a renaissance right now. With Blumhouse continually producing innovative and exciting movies, there has been a wealth of fantastic new franchises and one shot films, such as The Conjuring, Get Out, and Don't Breath. Next year one of the first and most iconic horror properties will arrive in theaters once more: Halloween. The upcoming sequel will feature original scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis once again playing Laurie Strode, and will reportedly ignore all of the myriad sequels that have hit theaters over the past 40 years. Comedian Danny McBride is writing the new project, and recently explained how it will take inspiration from the original 1978 film, saying:
The original is all about tension. Laurie Strode doesn't even know that Michael Myers exists until the last minutes of the movie. So much of it you're in anticipation of what's going to happen and the dread that Carpenter spins so effortlessly in that film... I think we were really trying to get it back to that. We're trying to mine that dread. Mine that tension and not just go for gore and ultra-violence that you see some horror movies lean on.
It certainly looks like Danny McBride knows his Halloween mythos, and therefore understands how the first film became such a classic. Because rather than featuring tons of stabbings and gory death sequences, the film slowly built tension until it finally reached a fever pitch during Laurie's confrontation with Michael Meyers.
Danny McBride's comments to the Charleston City Paper are to be a relief for hardcore Halloween fans. It's been quite a long time since Michael Meyers was on the silver screen, and the last few installments weren't exactly true to the franchise. Rob Zombie directed two films retelling Laurie Strode's encounters with Michael, but it didn't build tension like McBride is describing. Instead, the film was translated into a modern setting, and Zombie directed a gory and harrowing set of films that were nothing like the rest of the franchise.
But the new Halloween movie will go back to basics, ignoring every single sequel, including John Carpenter's Halloween II. The legendary horror director will be involved in the process for the first time since Halloween II was released back in 1981. While the plot is currently a mystery, the film will follow Laurie 40 years after she survived the attack in Haddonfield. The only other cast member currently revealed besides Jamie Lee Curtis is Judy Greer, who will be playing Laurie's daughter Karen. Laurie had has two other children in previous timelines, but all of those are being ignored for Danny McBride's upcoming sequel.
The new Halloween movie will arrive in theaters October 19, 2018, just in time for the holiday. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your tirps to the movies in the New Year.
