See Christopher Lloyd Haunt The Spirit Halloween Movie

Christopher Lloyd is getting set to haunt a couple of kids in a famous store centered around the spooky holiday

By Charlene Badasie | Published

Christopher Lloyd

The spooky season is just around the corner, and with it comes the trailer for Spirit Halloween: The Movie. The film stars Christopher Lloyd as a deceased man named Alec Windsor who possesses everything in the abandoned outlet to terrorize a group of kids. Rachael Leigh Cook also appears as Sue, one of the kid’s moms who remarried after her husband recently died. Based on the ubiquitous pop-up costume store, several Spirit Halloween characters are featured, including Buzzsaw, Nightcrawler, and Mr. Dark. Check out the trailer:

The clip gives viewers a glimpse at the boys, played by Donovan Colan, Dylan Martin Frankel, and Jaiden J. Smith, who decide to spend the best holiday of the year in a Spirit Halloween store located in a creepy lot. Fascinated by the legend of Alec Windsor (Christopher Lloyd), they uncover the reason for his restless spirit. But as night falls, the group realizes they are not alone as animatronics from the retail chain spring to life.

The boys soon discover that the props are being controlled by spirits, who for an hour on the anniversary of their demise can possess things or people. Along with their friend Kate, played by Marissa Reyes, the boys must defeat the spirit trapped inside the store before midnight. If they don’t, it will possess one of them for all eternity. The story feels like a mix of Goosebumps and The Monster Squad with some major nostalgia vibes, with Christopher Lloyd adding a much-needed dose of star power to the movie.

The trailer for the Christopher Lloyd movie premiered at the opening of Spirit Halloween’s Flagship Store in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey on July 30. Colan, Frankel, and Smith made a surprise appearance at the event. The clip was screened a day later at Long Beach, California’s Halloween- and horror-themed convention called Midsummer Scream. It debuted online a couple days later. David Poag serves as director on the unique project written by Billie Bates. Hideout Pictures, Strike Back Studios, Particular Crowd, and Film Mode Entertainment produced the film, Variety reports.

The Christopher Lloyd starrer was predominantly filmed in the lot of an abandoned Toys R Us in Georgia. Production took place from the end of 2019 to November 2021. Speaking about Spirit Halloween: The Movie, President of Strike Back Studios Noor Ahmed told Variety the biggest reason he immediately connected with the script is that it’s inspired by some of his favorite kid adventure films like The Goonies, Gremlins, and Monster Squad. Ahmed will also produce the project with Shannon Houchins. Tomás’ Yanelevich, Peter Bevan, Mariana Sanjurjo and Clay Epstein are executive producing.

The first iteration of the Spirit Halloween store appeared in California in 1983. Founded by Joe Marver, who later sold the business to Spencer Gifts, the stores don’t stay open all year. Instead, the costume pop-ups take over abandoned retail spaces once used by shuttered retail stores. It sometimes happens so fast that the process has become a meme, according to US Magazine. So it’s not surprising that it became the perfect setting for a family-friendly spooky movie. The Christopher Lloyd starrer is set to be released theatrically on October 7, 2022.