The horror renaissance has been going for a number of years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Blumhouse is behind some of the biggest scary movie years from the past decade, including David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween sequel. Two more movies have been green lit to form a trilogy, the first of which being Halloween Kills. And a new report indicates the movie might have taken an exciting step forward.
Halloween Kills is currently in post-production, as the movie previously wrapped principal photography. The upcoming sequel will unpack the events of John Carpenter's original movie, and directly follow Blumhouse's 2018 version. Horror fans should be happy to hear the latest report about the movie, which indicates that Halloween Kills is starting up test screenings of its current cut.
This latest update comes to us from Halloween Daily News, and is thus far unconfirmed by anyone involved with Halloween Kills. The report indicates that test screenings are set to begin in L.A., allowing the movie's team to tinker with the editing before it arrives in time for the titular holiday this October. The movie is a long way out, so director David Gordon Green and company should have plenty of time to craft the story before releasing it to the masses.
Moviemaking is a long journey, with plenty of moving pieces involved before major projects finally arrive in theaters. During the editing process, many studios conduct test screenings, to see how audiences might respond to the cut. This will inform how/which scenes are included, and if any ADR is needed to help provide exposition.
If Halloween Kills is already conducting test screenings, then it might spell out big things for the highly anticipated sequel. David Gordon Green and writer Danny McBride clearly have a love and respect for the Halloween franchise-- in particular John Carpenter's 1978 original. It looks like they're approaching the upcoming sequel methodically, and want to ensure their upcoming story translates to audience. Enter the test audience.
Of course, we've got a long time before Halloween Kills actually arrives in theaters, so it's possible that this latest rumor is just that. After all, there's another eight months and change before the sequel is released. It does seem a little early to already be testing the movie. We'll just have to wait for any official word from Blumhouse.
Narratively, Halloween Kills has a ton of threads to pull from. Obviously we'll catch up with Laurie and her family after Michael Myers' return to Haddonfield. The movie will also feature the return of Michael's victims from John Carpenter's original movie, likely in an attempt to protect those who managed to survive their own encounter with The Shape.
Halloween Kills will arrive in theaters on October 16th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
