The first footage from “Halloween Kills,” the upcoming sequel to 2018’s revival of the horror franchise, has arrived in the form of a very short but memorable teaser. The clip shows off a scene from the opening minute which picks up right after the events of the previous film.
John Carpenter recently spoke with Indiewire about the movie saying the film’s cut completed and just a last bunch of sound mixing to be done in the next week or so and it’s in the can.
He also talked up the film’s scale: “It’s fun, intense and brutal, a slasher movie times one hundred, big time. It’s huge. I’ve never seen anything like this: the kill count.”
That’s the good news. The bad news is that earlier this morning Universal delayed the film a full yesr, pushing it back from October this year to October 2021. Both Carpenter and the film’s director David Gordon Green have penned a letter talking about the delay:
“We write this to you heartbroken over the fact that the delay of our film is even a discussion, but if there’s one thing that a career in the film industry has prepared us for, it is the unexpected.
Over the past few weeks, our film family has looked at the forecast of theatrical exhibition with obvious concern. We have discussed and struggled with how best to present “Halloween Kills” to the loyal fans around the world, as well as the new audience we hope to invite to this experience.
It was a wild and vibrant production. We lined up a cast of legacy characters like Laurie and Tommy, Lindsey, Lonnie, Marion, Brackett and The Shape, then alongside some new faces, we aggressively made the second chapter of our “Halloween” trilogy. It unfolded into an experience that was a creative playground and we feel confident that our misfit pleasures will be seen as an unexpected entry into this franchise.
If we release it in October of this year as planned, we have to face the reality that the film would be consumed in a compromised theatrical experience. After weighing our options, we have chosen to push the film’s theatrical release by one year.
On top of a traditional release, Universal has agreed to an IMAX presentation of the film in October 2021. We are sound mixing with one of the greatest design teams that can slash, scream and creep their way under your skin.
We’re going to have time to complete the film with the quality that fans deserve. And preparation on “Halloween Ends” has begun as well. It is an honor to be working with these characters and spending time in Haddonfield. We look forward to sharing our next chapters with you.
“Halloween Ends,” the third film of the new batch, hasn’t shot yet and was meant to open October 15th 2021. “Halloween Kills” has now taken over its old date while ‘Ends’ has moved to October 14th 2022.
