John Carpenter's masterclass of horror, Halloween, is a prime example of the law of diminishing returns.
It can be stated categorically that none of the many sequels lived up to the original and the remake from Rob Zombie was, quite frankly, complete and utter dreck. The sequel to said remake was equally awful. Many believed that that was pretty much it for Halloween's fortunes, however the man himself - John Carpenter - took to Facebook last night to make an announcement that's set the horror fan community alight.
Namely, a new remake of Halloween is under way. David Gordon Green is attached to direct and write the screenplay with Danny McBride - yes, Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride - also on script duties as well. What's more, John Carpenter may even score the film. As JC himself said, "David and Danny both came to my office recently with Jason Blum and shared their vision for the new movie and… WOW. They get it. I think you’re gonna dig it. They blew me away."
If you read our feature interview with John Carpenter from last year, you'll know that the man is pretty ambivalent when it comes to remakes of his films - so it's exciting that he seems actually enthused about the project. Carpenter will also be listed as an Executive Producer to consult and offer advice on the project as needed.
David Gordon Green was previously attached to a long-gestating remake of Dario Argento's arthouse horror classic Suspiria with Natalie Portman, however that failed to get off the ground. While Gordon Green may not have a specific background in horror, that really shouldn't matter.
He's a strong director that clearly has a love and reverence for the material and Danny McBride, though he may not have penned a horror screenplay before, obviously is eager to do this and expand out.
In other words, there's a lot to be excited about here. The as-yet untitled Halloween remake is slated for October 19th, 2018 - so expect more news on this in the coming months.