Halloween - Sequel
or Remake? (Aug.05) by Robg.
| Being
an avid horror fan much like the rest of you faithful readers out
there, we know that there are a few certainties that we will have
to face in our lives. Death, taxes, and the inevitable return of
Michael Myers. The question on the lips of all Halloween
fans across the country though is "When?" We've all been
eagerly awaiting any breaking news on the next Halloween
film, which we've been promised by the Akkad's since the release
of 2002's Halloween: Resurrection. So, what's the hold up?
And what exactly is in store for Michael Myers on his next
deadly outing? No one knows for sure. But let's take a look at all
the rumors that have been making the rounds & see what we can
come up with. |
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Among
the many rumors floating around is weather Michael Myers
should return for a 'Halloween 9' or if he should be reborn
in a 'Halloween' remake. Now, before you purists start screaming
blasphemy, let's get all the facts together and really analyze what
it is we, as fans want from the future of the Halloween franchise.
Why remake "a classic"? Why bother retelling a story
that's already been told? The biggest factor from a fan's point
of view would be that there's no more story left to tell. The Halloween
sequels have since worn out every possible direction. And without
the Loomis character played by Donald Pleasence or the Laurie
Stode character; killed off in the last sequel, what situation could
Michael Myers possibly be put in next? |
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The rumor from one
source is that in Halloween 9, a group of teens break into the
now abandoned Smiths Groove Sanitarium on Halloween night and disturb
a certain white-masked maniac, who's been hiding out in the building since
his house burned to the ground during the climactic final scene of the
last Halloween film. The only saving grace to this rehashed storyline
is that Michael would have to square off against a returning character,
former Sheriff Brackett - with Charles Cyphers reprising the role.
(and who surprisingly now resembles Donald Pleasence!) This could
work considering the sequels have been missing out on the "Loomis"
character since Donald's death in 1995, and it's highly unlikely that
Paul Rudd would ever return to the series as fan favorite Tommy
Doyle. There's less chance of Josh Hartnett reprising his role
as John Tate from Halloween H20. But when you seriously stop to
think about it, is the above scenario really the Halloween film
we want to see with our beloved horror icon Michael Myers?
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Which
brings us to the question of remakes. The studios take on remakes?
Remakes in this day and age are big business. Both Texas Chainsaw
Massacre & The Amityville Horror proved that. And
some of John Carpenter's classic films are already being
remade. ('Assault on Precinct 13', 'The Fog'). Mind
you, those of you who hate the idea of remakes forget that there
have been some really great remakes, now considered classics. After
all, John Carpenter's 'The Thing' was a remake. So,
was David Cronenberg's 'The Fly'. So, why not do a
remake of one of the most successful independent films of all time?
HALLOWEEN. One of the interesting possibilities to remaking
Halloween would be wiping the slate clean on both sloppy
sequel continuity & character motivation. |
We've been told thru-out the sequels that Michael's sole motivation is
to kill his sister. And now with Laurie Strode out of the picture, does
he really have a valid motivation that's driving the rage within him?
Well, what if we go back & look at the first movie and completely
remove the sister element to really examine Michael for what he truly
is. Dan
Farrands, writer of Halloween 6 broke it
down for us in his recent Icons Of Fright interview. "I always
felt Michael was, for lack of a better term, a sexual deviant. A child
trapped in a particular moment in time. He's become so fixated on this
event when he was a kid. Which I think had a lot of sexual context to
it and a lot of underpinnings of repressed sexuality to it. The original
Halloween was very voyeuristic in nature, which was part of what
made it so scary. It's something the audience can't quite put their finger
on. But really what Michael does for the better part of the movie is just
follow the girls around and watch them. He's a watcher. And I think, at
least in my view of who the character was, is that he became utterly fixated
on this particular moment in time [the murder of his sister] and for whatever
twisted reason he had to continually replay that for himself. Even as
an adult. That's why he escaped and had to go back and search out a girl
who reminded him of a sister that once was. It wasn't until the sequel
[Halloween II] of course, where she [Laurie Strode] literally became the
sister. But that was never the original intent. And I always thought it
was much more interesting psychologically that Michael Myers fixates on
a particular girl that excites him sexually. I think that's something
that all of the sequels have missed out on. They always pushed it into
a different realm. But the basic simplicity of that character makes it
so much more frightening."
| The
potential for future Halloween films spawned from a remake
are limitless, and might be just what the character would need to
be fresh, contemporary and once again remind movie-goers who the
reigning king of slasher films is! |
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Filmmaker Adam
Barnick added, "We knew very little in the
original Halloween about Michael Myers other than what we
saw, and the frightening notion that his own analyst saw things in him
that scarred him for life and knew he had to contain Michael forever,
since he couldn't be stopped. As a culture, audiences projected their
own fears onto Michael and that featureless mask. We simply didn't know
what he, or it, was thinking, only that it could come and find us anywhere
and kill us. It was a pure and unimaginable evil somehow poured into a
boy. Donald Pleasence and the writing sold us on the threat, along
with Carpenter's skill and his army of craftsmen. There's a depth
and intelligence in the writing in the first Halloween along with
the impeccable cinematography and original suspense. The thing that really
drove part one was the fact that Michael was simply - the Boogeyman. An
element. Fear and murder on two legs."
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But
what if the producers moved forward from 'Halloween: Resurrection'
and continued the franchise with Halloween 9. We asked Dan
Farrands how he would approach a sequel if he ever got the chance
to write another Michael Myers story. "What I would
do? Well, my first answer is I would just stop! (laughs)
Call it a day. And let Michael go to the old people's home for retired
slashers! But if they really wanted to make one and do it right,
the only story left to tell, in my opinion, is the prequel story
and intersperse that with a modern story." |
Well, that could work. But you'd need a filmmaker with a fresh vision
to make it plausable. Why not bring in some new blood and get their thoughts
on what could work in a Halloween sequel. We talked to two up &
coming New York filmmakers whom we'd personally like to see tackle a Halloween
movie. Stevan
Mena and Dante
Tomaselli.
Stevan Mena already proved he could handle the classic feel and
suspense of an old-school horror movie with his impressive debut 'Malevolence',
which is essence is an homage to the original Halloween. We asked
Stevan if he'd be up to the challenge and what he'd do. "Yes, but
I would like to continue the story in the ONLY logical place, which is
to re-imagine the ending of Halloween 2, and continue from there.
And I do have an idea for that."
And how about Dante's thoughts on another Halloween sequel? "I'm
not against another Halloween. My favorites were the first two,
especially the first. But you know, Satan's Playground was influenced
by Halloween, The Evil Dead and The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre. Mood? Atmosphere? Old school? I think I'm your guy
for that. I'd really like to work within the suspense "slasher"
format at some point. And a Halloween sequel would be a perfect
vehicle... After THE OCEAN is out of my system, of course."
| Adam
Barnick agree's with us on bringing in new blood. "I'm
not against more Halloweens. I'm against DUMB Halloweens. I don't
think the reason people groan when a new Halloween film comes
out is because we're up to parts 7, 8, 9 etc. If they were all as
well-constructed and deep as part one, who would mind? If they could
craft a remake that got back into the psychological complexity of
Michael, along with the mythology of evil embodied in him, they
might do an OK job. If it happened, it needs to be done like the
original - Independently. Let one of our modern up and comers like
Stevan or Dante at it, or the High Tension guys, with 2 million
or less, no huge names, and no rap stars. Down and dirty with a
real premise. Then it'll be worth it." |
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We weighed in with
a few more people on their thoughts as to a Halloween remake or
sequel. Lance
Warlock knows a bit about the Halloween franchise.
His father played Michael Myers in Halloween 2, and he appeared
in the film as the infamous boom box boy. "I think a remake could
be OK. But I feel it's hard to jump on that bandwagon. The original is
a very well done film. Why remake it? Just to make a profit? There is
probably some hot director out there that could really have a blast with
doing this project. But I again think, Why? Continuing the story into
a ninth sequel I'm also not sure about either. Is there a story line that
could be interesting enough for today's audience? Michael is a very cool
character that should live on, but I'm not sure about living on in another
Halloween film. Either way, the fans will keep him living!"
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We also
spoke to huge horror buff and the writer/director of the upcoming
film 2001 Maniacs Tim Sullivan and here's his thoughts.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the original HALLOWEEN
is one of the top ten horror films of all time. It is a classic
of mood and atmosphere, and there was nothing like discovering Michael
Myers for the first time. Another sequel? No, thank you. Remake?
No way. But then I said that about TEXAS CHAINSAW, and I was proven
wrong. Perhaps the best thing to do with Michael Myers is
have him meet up with Freddy and Jason on Elm Street." |
There were rumors
at one point that Michael Myers would meet up and battle Hellraiser's
iconic Pinhead. And despite what people were saying, both Clive
Barker and John Carpenter were very into the idea of writing
and directing it; respectively. But it seems that the general public consensus
is that Michael Myers belongs in his own universe and his own film,
rather then battling another popular cult icon of fright.
The
future of Michael Myers and the Halloween franchise
is still as of this article, up in the air. But like every other
fan out there, we'll be waiting for the latest news on the next
film with baited breath. And with the hope that there is still potential
to make a fantastic & worthy Halloween film. Let's just
hope Busta Rhymes doesn't return!!!
Either way, you can always go to your DVD or video shelf and put
on the original John Carpenter classic! - robg. |
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