Halloweenfans let out a collective sigh of relief whenthe first reviewsfor directorDavid Gordon Green’ssequel, coming out of the film’s world premiere at TIFF, were positive. This was a risky proposition to be sure—a talented but genre-untested filmmaker co-writing a brand new sequel withDanny McBridethat ignored all previous sequels. But most critics were thrilled with what Green brought to the screen, which is a trauma survivor’s story withJamie Lee Curtisreprising her role as Laurie Strode.
But given that Green and McBride wanted the newHalloweento be a direct sequel toJohn Carpenter’s 1978 classic, getting the audience into the mindset of ignoring the other sequels and picking up after the original film’s ending was of the utmost importance. To that end, Green and McBride envisioned opening the newHalloweenwith an exact re-creation of the ending to the first movie, shot from a different point of view.
Speaking withBloody Disgusting, Green revealed that he had devised a very complicated but cinematic way of re-creating that unforgettable ending:
“Even in the script going into production, we were going to refilm the end of the original film from a different perspective. We had this very complicated overhead view of Loomis shooting the gun, Michael going over and then the apprehension, assuming everybody was going to need a little bit to get back up to speed with where we are and we haven’t seen the movie in a long time or we’ve never seen the movie, had to invite everyone to the party and that kind of thing. We kept pushing it off.”
Green had body doubles for 19-year-old Laurie as well as Dr. Loomis, and even considered using facial replacement CGI to bringDonald Pleasanceback a laBlade Runner 2049andRogue One. But then the sequence began to get very expensive as the shooting date loomed closer:
“There was that [CGI] conversation. There was conversation of utilizing footage from the original film and digitally altering it so we got some other interesting elements. All this stuff starts to cost money and when you look at what we’re trying to do, do you need the gimmick? Do you need the exposition? Do you need the setup?”
Ultimately, it was John Carpenter himself who talked Green out of shooting the scene:
“This was Carpenter actually calming me down on set. I’m like, ‘Nobody’s going to know what’s happening and where we’re coming from.’ He’s like, ‘Just trust ‘em and leave ‘em alone and let ‘em figure it out.’”
But the set had already been constructed, and since the budget of the film was tight (this is still a Blumhouse movie after all), it was decided to reuse this painstaking recreation of the bedroom from the end of the originalHalloweenfor the bones of a set that’s used in the climax of the newHalloween. So keen eyed fans will notice the structure of the room at the end of the newHalloweenis a direct echo of the ending of the originalHalloween. Oh sweet serendipity.
Halloweenhits theaters on October 19th.
