Behind The Scenes: Malek Akkad, John Carpenter & Jamie Lee Curtis On The Set Of 2018’s HALLOWEEN
The 2018 horror movie Halloween begins with an institutionalised Michael Myers pulling the strong and silent treatment on a pair of podcasters who are delving deep into the events which occurred in Haddonfield, Illinois in 1978. However, an evil awakens in Myers and he escapes to seek out Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the lone saviour of the his 40 year-old killing spree. Strode is still suffering from the trauma of that fateful night, but she’s been waiting and preparing for Myer’s return. Myers might be doing the stalking, but Strode is doing the hunting and her prey is The Shape behind Haddonfield’s infamous babysitter murders.
John Carpenter’s Halloween is as near to perfect as any slasher film can be and the 1978 horror is a masterful exercise in suspense, augmented by come exceptional camera work (the opening is still stunning) and a wonderful score. A multitude of sequels and remakes followed (all of varying quality) but none matched the powerful simplicity of Carpenter’s original. Now, 40 years on, director David Gordon Green (and co-writers Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride) have taken the franchise back to its roots, eliminating the convoluted continuity of the series to deliver a ‘true’ sequel to Carpenter’s classic.
To add authenticity to this new endeavour, Green and producer Jason Blum lured Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis back to the franchise. Both executive produce the new film, and Carpenter once again scores the action alongside current musical collaborators Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. This all makes this new incarnation of Halloween a must-see package and thankfully it manages to live-up to these lofty expectations. Okay, it doesn’t quite match the stripped-down simplicity of Carpenter’s film, but it’s an exceptionally well put together piece of commercial horror cinema.
Produced for $10 million, Halloween made $159.3 million at the US box office and $255 million worldwide following its release in October 2018.
