Halloween Kills Producer Explains Trailer Delay

Karen and Laurie in Halloween

The horror genre was built on franchises, and there are few quite as iconic as Halloween. John Carpenter's 1978 changed slashers forever, and the property has never been far from theaters. 2018's Halloween was a direct sequel to the original, and resulted in box office and critical success. Blumhouse quickly ordered two more movies, starting with Halloween Kills. Moviegoers have been eager to see the highly anticipated movie's first trailer, and now producer Jason Blum has explained its delay.

Following the record-breaking success of the last Halloween movie, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride crafted two more stories to form a new horror trilogy. Halloween Kills completed filming months ago, and is currently expected to arrive in theaters this October. But despite how soon the release date is, we haven't been treated to a trailer. Jason Blum recently explained this delay, saying:

The reason [a trailer] hasn’t come out yet is because we don’t know what the world is going to look like in October.

Well, that was honest. It looks like Blumhouse Productions doesn't want to start doing press for Halloween Kills yet, as it's unclear what the state of movie theaters will be in October. Plenty of projects are being pushed back to try make sure the theatrical release is as profitable as possible. Considering just how much money the last Halloween movie made, it stands to reasons that the studio is trying to have similar success with the sequel.

Jason Blum's comments to Fandom make a great deal of sense given the current unprecedented state of the entertainment industry. Theaters around the world were shut down amid global health concerns, with blockbusters like Black Widow, No Time to Die, and F9 all being delayed in the process. Halloween Kills is basically the horror version of a blockbuster, so its release is going to be methodical.

Theaters around the country have been slowly opening up, but there haven't been any major releases as of yet. There are a few movies coming down the pipeline like Tenet, but there's no telling what the state of the industry will be like in October. And as such, horror fans have to sit and wait in order to get a glimpse into the contents of Halloween Kills.

While Jamie Lee Curtis shared a video from the set of Halloween Kills months back, no more official footage has been offered since. But anticipation for the movie continues to steadily build, especially as the cast and crew teases what's coming with the sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis has maintained that Halloween Kills will "unpack" the events of John Carpenter's original movie, featuring the survivors from Michael's original attack on Haddonfield.

Seeing OG Halloween actors reprise their roles is one of the many reasons why anticipation for Halloween Kills is at a fever pitch. Kyle Richards, Charles Cyphers, and Nancy Stephens will all be back decades after the 1978 original, while Anthony Michael Hall will play an adult version of Tommy Doyle. The trailer will no doubt feature these familiar faces, which should expand the franchise greatly.

Halloween Kills is currently set to arrive in theaters on October 16th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.