While the man himself John Carpenter has been known for speaking his mind and no pulling punches when talking about the film industry he has seen his once baby rebooted several times now with the last being the biggest of them all at the box office. While this year we wait for “Halloween Kills” which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 15 the iconic filmmaker and perhaps seen by some as one of the best American filmmakers of all time has had some worries as we all have on the status of movies, and theaters in general. Talking about the upcoming sequel to his ‘Halloween’ franchise, “Halloween Kills,” he’s been no stranger to hyperbolic statements.
And when it comes to the future of the film industry, especially as it stands now during the KungFlu, Carpenter isn’t afraid to speak the truth, as sad and tragic as it may be.
He sat down with NME, Carpenter discussed the upcoming film, “Halloween Kills,” which was originally scheduled to arrive in theaters last October but has been pushed to this fall. And though he believes David Gordon Green’s film is “the ultimate slasher movie” that goes “balls-out,” he understands that its future might not necessarily be on the big screen, given the current state of the industry with theatres struggling to keep their doors open and the COVID vaccine not getting spread as much as people hoped.
When speaking about the recent trend of studios releasing films in theaters and on streaming platforms the same day, such as what WarnerMedia is doing with HBO Max and the Warner Bros. 2021 film slate, Carpenter isn’t shocked by the idea and understands why it’s happening.
“These guys are making decisions that they consider in their best interests,” Carpenter said. “This is what they see the future is going to be like and so to get these things out they think this is the best way to do it.”
And does he see this happening for the upcoming “Halloween Kills?” This is the question, and he said “Sure, ‘Halloween’ may be shared that way because theatres are dead. It’s just the reality right now. And it’s a tragedy, but it’s true. We just have to face it. The studio did contact David and I, and they had us put off the new one by a year in the hope that things got better. So we’re still hoping it will get better.”
Last year, when the film was announced as being delayed to 2021, producer Jason Blum was adamant about how ‘Kills’ would be arriving this October, no matter what. “If this is still going on next Halloween? No, we’re not holding it,” Blum said at the time. “‘Halloween Kills’ is coming out next October come hell or high water, vaccine or no vaccine. It is coming out.”
Though most horror fans would agree that the optimal way to watch a film like this is in a theatre full of people, it’s clear that “Halloween Kills” isn’t going to delay itself again so that it makes the most money at the box office. And Carpenter is well aware of it, though no one is happy about the situation.
