The evil is back. For the first time since 2009, a new Halloween movie is headed to theaters, and the new one going to completely ignore every single film in the franchise except for the original Halloween, and 1981’s Halloween II.
For those of you paying attention, yes, that is EXACTLY the same approach director Steve Miner took to Halloween H20 in 1998. But this time it’s completely different, because reasons.
Moviehole reports that the upcoming film, Halloween Returns, will follow the children of the victims of the original Halloween killing spree, which spilled over into the events of Halloween II. The central characters are reportedly the 18-year-old child of one of Michael Myer’s victims, and the child of a sheriff who is obsessed with the case. Shock Till You Drop adds that the sheriff is none other than Gary Hunt, a character who appeared in Halloween II, originally played by Hunter von Leer (Dallas). The plot involves the two teen heroes sneaking in to watch Michael Myer’s execution, but then – of course – something goes horribly wrong.
Related: Dean Cundey Looks Back at ‘Halloween’ (Exclusive Interview)
Dimension Films and Trancas International will produce Halloween Returns, which has been written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who also write the screenplays for Saw IV-VII as well as the two very similar, trap-based horror movies The Collector and The Collection. No director has yet been attached.
If the above plot description is indeed accurate, that would place the timeline for Halloween Returns somewhere in the 1990s, unless they’re going to pull some Texas Chainsaw 3D crap and pretend that the events of the original movies happened decades later than originally intended, just so this new film can take place in the present day.
CraveOnline’s feelings about this news are… mixed. On one hand, the original Halloween is a masterpiece, and we believe that there is definitely enough material to mine for an impressive sequel. On the other hand, almost all of the Halloween sequels have been a disappointment so far, and we have no reason to suspect that Halloween Returns will be a different story.
Then again, any attempt to rewrite the troubled and unnecessary Rob Zombie reboot of the Halloween franchise is probably well-intentioned, and ultimately for the best. So… we shall see. Hopefully when Halloween Returns, it will finally bring back some of the original magic with it.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
