‘Halloween’ 1978 Novelization by Richard Curtis Getting a Reprint

Just a year after John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s Halloween turned the horror genre on its head, fans of the film had the chance to experience the movie in a whole new way with the release of author Richard Curtis’s Halloween novelization under the pen name Curtis Richards. Published by Bantam Books in 1979, the book has been out of print since the ’80s, making it something of a holy grail among Halloween memorabilia collectors. But now, more than 40 years later, Printed in Blood is reprinting the Halloween novelization.

“Printed In Blood is very proud to present the original movie tie-in novelization, reprinted in full here for the first time in over 40 years,” Printed in Blood announced in September, per ComicBook.com. “In addition, it has been fully illustrated throughout with nearly a hundred brand-new Illustrations created just for this release by the vector genius, Orlando ‘Mexifunk’ Arocena.”

View on X

There are two versions of the book available – a regular edition cover and a limited edition H45 cover, both of which are pictured below. The limited-edition cover pays “homage to the original paperback release from 1979,” Printed in Blood said. The regular edition cover costs $50, while the limited edition cover will set you back $300. Both books with the regular and limited edition cover feature more than 100 brand-new pieces of art, the company sharing that “the 224-page volume is bursting with both classic and gorgeous new artistic visions of the John Carpenter horror classic.”

The original novelization aimed to expand the lore of Halloween and Michael Myers. It explored the ancient origins of the curse that targeted Michael Myers, aka The Shape or the Boogeyman, and featured parts of his life before he murdered his sister Judith Myers on Halloween night in 1963. It also showcased his trial and his life in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, where he remained for 15 years under the care of child psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis before he escaped the night before Halloween 1978, returning to Haddonfield, Illinois to carry out a string of murders that would become known as “The Babysitter Murders.”

The Halloween novelization reprint is produced under license with Compass International Pictures and with the full cooperation of the original author, Richard Curtis (who penned the original novel under the name Curtis Richards). You can pre-order the regular edition cover from Printed in Blood here and the limited-edition cover here. Both are expected to be released in early 2024.