The Greatest Slasher Movie Of All Time Is Coming Back To Theaters
According to The Hollywood Reporter, CineLife Entertainment, Compass International Pictures, and Trancas International Films are joining forces to bring director John Carpenter’s 1978 classic slasher flick Halloween, the 1988 sequel Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and its 1989 follow-up Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers back to theaters for the second year in a row. This will lead up to the franchise drawing to a close.
The trio of films will show in approximately 417 theaters, with more than 670 screenings taking place. The rereleases of the trio of horror films will begin this September, leading up to the theatrical release of Halloween Ends, which will also premiere simultaneously on the streaming platform Peacock and feature an epic fight between Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.
Halloween is considered one of the greatest horror movies of all-time. Releasing in theaters on October 25th, 1978, the slasher flick grossed an astonishing $47 million at the domestic box office from a budget of just $325,000. The feature made a star out of Jamie Lee Curtis, and she will return once again in this year’s Halloween Ends, which is scheduled for an October 14th release.
In 1978’s Halloween, Michael Myers is institutionalized for more than a decade after murdering his 15-year-old sister Judith Myers in 1963. On October 31st, 1978, Michael escapes to wreak havoc on the small town of Haddonfield. An innocent babysitter, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), becomes caught in the middle of Michael’s murder spree, and only the killer’s former psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), can put an end to the bloodshed.
In addition to Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, Halloween starred Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews, Nancy Stephens, and Arthur Malet. John Carpenter directed the film from a script he penned with Debra Hill. Both Carpenter and Hill served as producers on the movie along with Moustapha Akkad, Kool Marder, and Irwin Yablans.
Halloween is one of the most lucrative horror franchises in the history of cinema, spanning a total of 13 movies, with a combined box office total of nearly $800 million. Following the release of Halloween: Resurrection in 2002, the franchise lay dormant for several years until musician turned filmmaker, Rob Zombie, attempted to reboot the franchise with the 2007 remake, Halloween. Although it was profitable at the box office, its 2009 sequel wasn’t nearly as successful, and the slasher franchise went through another lengthy hiatus.
In 2016, Blumhouse Productions head, Jason Blum, announced that his company was partnering with Miramax Films for a brand-new Halloween trilogy, which would see the return of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode, 40 years after appearing in Carpenter’s 1978 film. Directed by David Gordon Green, Halloween arrived in theaters in 2018 and was absolutely praised by both critics and fans of the horror series. The sequel, Halloween Kills was released October 21st, 2021, and next month’s Halloween Ends will serve as a conclusion to Green’s trilogy.
2020’s rerelease of John Carpenter’s slasher classic earned around $160,000. It will be interesting to see how this year’s Halloween rerelease performs with Halloween Ends debuting in theaters and on Peacock shortly after. Whatever the case, it’s likely this isn’t the last time we’ll see the 1978 horror movie release on the big screen.
