Original ‘Halloween’ Returning to Theaters This Fall

In 1978, Halloween helped birth the slasher movement in the world of horror, telling the tale of a killer stalking a group of teens who goes unnoticed, as the holiday allows the killer to blend in. To celebrate all horror fans’ favorite time of year, the film will head back to theaters. Find out where and when the film will be screening near you on the Specticast website.

Popular horror movie franchise villains like A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger, Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees and Child’s Play‘s Chucky are often lumped together into stereotypical cheesy killers, but it’s important to note Halloween‘s Michael Myers stands out as an originator. Rather than a bland and faceless killer, Myers’ effectiveness in the original film comes from his ambiguity, a terrifying character trait that disappeared in later installments.

Audiences were alerted to the identity of the killer before the victims in Halloween learned it was Michael Myers, creating a sense of unease for the viewer. Future installments elaborated that Myers aimed to kill members of his family, but initially, the character merely represented the figure you might see around town and get an unsettling vibe from, only for that fear to be confirmed when he acts out his horrible crimes.

Fans of the Halloween franchise have much to celebrate this year, as it was recently announced that many familiar elements from the original films will be returning to the upcoming installment, including star Jamie Lee Curtis.

John Carpenter created the original film but left the franchise and its focus on Michael Myers’ mythology, something the filmmaker wasn’t interested in exploring. Last year, Blumhouse announced a new sequel was being developed, with Carpenter returning to executive produce. The filmmaker has also gone on to tease his interest in contributing music to the new film, an element of his artistry he’s been focusing on in recent years.

Danny McBride and David Gordon Green will be writing/directing the new installment, who have revealed they aim to ignore many of the film’s sequels and will focus on the first two films in the series to set up their sequel.

The upcoming Halloween sequel is slated for release on October 19, 2018.