On Jamie Lee Curtis’ sixty-first birthday, our absolute best wishes to a true talent and a woman dear to our hearts from HalloweenMovies, Trancas International Films and her Halloween directors John Carpenter, Rick Rosenthal and David Gordon Green!
John Carpenter
New Fright-Rags Officially Licensed Halloween Garb Comes Home Tomorrow!
Set your alarms for tomorrow, 10/29 at 10am EST, because Fright-Rags is set to release some new Officially Licensed Halloween garb, as well as a reprint of their sold-out Halloween jacket, and we’re pretty sure it’ll be gone faster than Tommy and Lindsay ran to the Mackenzies.
Here are the deets:
HALLOWEEN LOUNGE PANTS
Cool, casual, and comfy, these lounge pants will have you relaxing in serious style. Polyester/spandex blend.
– Moisture-wicking
– Stretch comfort fabric
– Elastic waistband with drawstring
– 2-pocket
HALLOWEEN NYLON JACKET
Celebrate John Carpenter’s Halloween with this old school, classic nylon jacket. This comfortable light weight athletic style jacket has a quilted nylon lining and outer nylon shell perfect for cool Spring or Autumn days. No matter the weather, you will be in good “shape” with this jacket. While these jackets fit true-to-size, the bottom hem is ribbed and hugs the waist. If you are unsure of what size to get, order a size up from what you would normally wear.
– True to size fit (see size chart)
– medium-weight Duraweav™ fabric
– smooth nylon surface
– quilted nylon lining
– full snap front
– striped rib-trim
– easy-entry front pockets
– extra interior pocket for hidden storage
HALLOWEEN 1978 DAD HAT
– Officially Licensed Halloween Destroyed Dad Hat
– Embroidered Logo
– Custom Distressed Look (Heavy Fray)
– One Size Fits Most – Adjustable
– Heavy Washed Cotton Twill
To purchase, visit Fright-Rags at their official site here, and for more, stay up to date with Fright-Rags on their official Instagram page here.
Halloween Celebrates its 41st Anniversary
During this week in 1978, John Carpenter’s classic Halloween released into theaters, and changed the shape of cinema forever. Our sincere thanks from everyone here at HalloweenMovies.com to the fans who’ve taken the journey into the once sleepy town of Haddonfield, and to those who’ve never had the chance to see Carpenter’s seminal classic on the big screen? We’re happy to say you’ll be able to do so now.
For tickets and showtimes, visit Cinelife here, and Happy Halloween! We’re beyond thrilled to celebrate forty-one years together.
To many cinematic nightmares to come.
Sheriff Leigh Brackett Returns in Halloween Kills
We’ve been sitting on this news for a while here at HalloweenMovies.com, but today we’re happy to confirm Twitter account @Halloween_Fans’ tweet that another original cast member from John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween has returned for David Gordon Green’s currently shooting feature Halloween Kills: actor Charles Cyphers.
Cyphers, who portrayed ‘Sheriff Leigh Brackett’ in the seminal film (as well as the 1981 follow-ups Halloween II) will reprise his role in Green’s sequel to last year’s hit film Halloween (in its new timeline), joining actresses Kyle Richards (as ‘Lindsey Wallace’) and Nancy Stephens (as ‘Nurse Marion’) and series final girl Jamie Lee Curtis as ‘Laurie Strode.’ Joining them are Anthony Michael Hall (in the role of ‘Tommy Doyle’, taking over for Brian Andrews) and Robert Longstreet as ‘Lonnie Elam.’
Set for release by Universal Pictures on October 16th, 2020, Halloween Kills is produced by Trancas International Films, Miramax and Blumhouse Productions, with director Green directing from a script he co-wrote with returning collaborator Danny McBride and series newcomer Scott Teems.
Based on characters created by series originator John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween Kills and its 2021 follow-up Halloween Ends will be produced by Akkad, Jason Blum and Bill Block. Green, McBride, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Ryan Freimann will serve as executive producers, with Ryan Turek overseeing both projects for Blumhouse.
Check out a teaser for the films below.
Halloween Spoilers: A Message from the Editor
Film spoilers: many hate them, while others actively seek them out. Being lifelong film fans ourselves here at Trancas International Films, we can relate. Some of us here can even recall the days before the internet, in which Halloween fans experienced the latest entry with little knowledge of the film’s narrative, other than what had possibly been gleaned from the flick’s trailer, television and radio ad spots, or set visit within the pages of Fangoria magazine.
So with Halloween Kills in production, and the start of Halloween Ends right around the corner, how do we balance both, in order to deliver an exciting and unspoiled cinematic experience for the fans who’d like it, but also satisfy the fans hungry for information? It’s a bit of a conundrum, and while Trancas won’t oversee in entirety either films’ marketing rollouts (amazing distributor Universal Pictures will be handling that, along with input from producing partners Blumhouse and Miramax, as they did with last year’s Halloween), we do also feel that we have some responsibility to you, the fans, many of who have been with us since the very beginning, when Michael first came home in 1978 (and thank you sincerely for continuing on this bloody journey with us).
So what’s our approach? Here at HalloweenMovies.com, we’ll stay as spoiler free as possible, and while we’ll certainly be providing you behind-the-scenes peeks and more from both films (and exclusive info as it comes in), those peeks will hopefully be enough just to whet your appetite, but not to sate it.
Because after all, in our estimation, there’s nothing like the feeling of sitting down in a theater, a bag of popcorn in one hand and a Coke in the other as the house lights go down and the screen begins to flicker a story unknown. Stories of shock, fear and fright, and stories we would never dream of spoiling.
The First Ever Officially Licensed Halloween Trading Card Sets Available Now
Just in time for the spooky season, Fright-Rags has made available for purchase the first ever Officially Licensed Halloween Trading Card Sets, and we’ve gotta’ say, they’re pretty darn cool!
Filled with factoids, trivia, rare photos and more revolving around John Carpenter’s classic 1978 film Halloween (we worked hand in hand with Fright-Rags in order to get it just right), the trading cards are now available in the following three formats:
#1. HALLOWEEN TRADING CARDS – SINGLE WAX PACK (Price: $5)
- 9 trading cards
- 1 sticker
- Autograph and sketch cards and other chase/parallel cards are randomly inserted
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#2. HALLOWEEN TRADING CARDS – SEALED BOX (Price: $120)
Each sealed box of 24 wax packs includes:
- 2 full base sets
- 2 full sticker sets
- 2 full character sets
- 2 full art parallel sets
- 2 checklists
- 1 sketch card, autograph, or printing plate
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#3. HALLOWEEN TRADING CARDS – FACTORY BOX (Price: $35)
Each box of 83 cards includes:
- 78 full base card set
- 2 random unique art parallel cards
- 2 stickers
- 1 checklist
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Get ‘em here before they sell out, and make sure to follow Fright-Rags on Instagram at @frightrags and on Twitter at @frightrags for news and updates on other current and future Officially Licensed Halloween merchandise.
‘REWIND’ to ’83: Michael Myers First Foray into Video Games
Five years after Michael Myers exploded onto the silver screen in John Carpenter’s seminal 1978 slasher Halloween, the character found himself exploring for the first time an entirely different medium: home video games. But how did he fair in 1983, a year in which the home video game space was dominated by such child friendly releases as Crystal Castles and Dig Dug?
Decades before the online multi-player Dead by Daylight allowed PS4 players to walk in the digital shoes of Haddonfield residents beset by The Boogeyman, Wizard Video Games employee Tim Martin took a stab at the intellectual property by programming the first Halloween game, a cartridge for the early home gaming console Atari 2600. Developed by Martin and Robert Barber, the game was released in October of 1983, and like Wizard’s other genre inspired cart release The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the title unfortunately received a rather tepid response from parents concerned over the title’s violent content.
While by today’s standards considered rather tame, the game’s central conceit (players attempt to rescue children while also attempting to avoid Myers’ slicing blade) didn’t sit quite well with retailers worried over potential parental backlash. This is perhaps rather unsurprising given that the 2600’s most popular games at the time were the fairly pedestrian shooters Combat and Space Invaders, neither of which featured a headless, blood-gushing babysitter as (the result of a Myers attack) or Halloween’s iconic central theme music and poster, all of which weren’t necessarily considered “acceptable” entertainment for children of the early 80’s, regardless of how primitive the gaming technology.
The result? Wizard Video’s Halloween game, which was manufactured in smaller quantities due to such, has become somewhat of a Holy Grail item for collectors, as carts now fetch prices in the in the hundreds of dollars depending on their condition.
Check out some Halloween gameplay from ’83 below, and let us know in the comments below, “What do you want out of a Halloween game release?”
Nancy “Nurse Marion” Stephens Returns in Halloween Kills!
We’ve been sitting on this news for a while here at HalloweenMovies.com, but today we’re happy to announce that another original cast member from John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween has returned for David Gordon Green’s currently shooting feature Halloween Kills: actress Nancy Stephens!
Stephens, who portrayed ‘Nurse Marion’ in the seminal film (as well as the 1981 follow-ups Halloween II and 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later) will reprise her role in Green’s sequel to last year’s hit film Halloween (in its new timeline), joining actress Kyle Richards (as ‘Lindsey Wallace’), and series final girl Jamie Lee Curtis as ‘Laurie Strode.’ Joining them are Anthony Michael Hall (in the role of ‘Tommy Doyle’, taking over for Brian Andrews) and Robert Longstreet as ‘Lonnie Elam.’
Set for release by Universal Pictures on October 16th, 2020, Halloween Kills is produced by Trancas International Films, Miramax and Blumhouse Productions, with director Green directing from a script he co-wrote with returning collaborator Danny McBride and series newcomer Scott Teems.
Based on characters created by series originator John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween Kills and its 2021 follow-up Halloween Ends will be produced by Akkad, Jason Blum and Bill Block. Green, McBride, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Ryan Freimann will serve as executive producers, with Ryan Turek overseeing both projects for Blumhouse.
Check out a teaser for the films below.
Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Best Actress for Halloween (2018) at the Saturn Awards
With the 45th annual Saturn Awards having taken place this past Friday night at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films honored many for their excellence within the genre, one of which was actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who won the award for ‘Best Actress in a Film’ for her portrayal of Laurie Strode in last year’s smash hit, the David Gordon Green-directed feature film Halloween.
“It’s Friday the 13th, it’s a full moon, and I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” Curtis said during her acceptance speech in which she accepted the award from presenter Jon Cryer, and sang the praises of many, including Green and filmmaker John Carpenter, who originated the horror series in which she’s become a staple via 1978’s Halloween.
“There are millions of people responsible for this (award),” she continued, “and those are the fans of this beautiful genre that has given me my creative life.”
You can watch her speech from the Saturns below.
Curtis returns to the Halloween universe next year in Halloween Kills (a direct sequel to last year’s Halloween), which is slated for release on October 16th of 2020. Produced by Trancas International Films, Miramax and Blumhouse Productions, filmmaker Green returns for Kills to direct from a script he co-wrote with returning collaborator Danny McBride and series newcomer Scott Teems.
Based on characters created by series originator Carpenter and Debra Hills, Halloween Kills and its impending 2021 follow-up Halloween Ends will be produced by Malek Akkad, Jason Blum and Bill Block. Green, McBride, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Ryan Freimann will serve as executive producers, with Ryan Turek overseeing both projects for Blumhouse.
Our congratulations to Jamie Lee!
Tickets Now On Sale as Halloween Returns to Theaters This September
John Carpenter’s horror classic, 1978’s Halloween, returns to select theaters beginning September 27th via CineLife Entertainment and Compass International Pictures, and tickets are now on sale!
To purchase tickets (and for theaters, dates and show times) visit CineLife Entertainment here.
From the press release:
John Carpenter’s Horror Classic Halloween Returns To Select Theaters Nationwide Beginning September 27th
LOS ANGELES, September 10, 2019 – CineLife Entertainment®, the event cinema division of Spotlight Cinema Networks, teams up with Compass International Pictures to bring the seminal 1978 original classic John Carpenter’s Halloween back to select theatres across North America beginning September 27th.
In the film, Michael Myers has spent the last 15 years locked away inside a sanitarium under the care of child psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis after brutally murdering his sister when he was 6-years old. On October 30, 1978, Myers escapes and makes his way back home to Haddonfield, Illinois, turning a night of tricks and treats into something much more sinister for the locals, including Laurie Strode, the star-making role for Jamie Lee Curtis. Watch the trailer here:
John Carpenter’s Halloween premiered in cinemas and on drive-in screens on October 25, 1978, changing the landscape of horror cinema. It stunned audiences worldwide and has since inspired countless films in the genre. In 2006, it was selected by the Library of Congress as one of a select few films to be preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry for its cultural significance.
“I’m thrilled to have the original make its way back into theatres,” says director John Carpenter.
Fans will be treated to view big screen presentations of the restored and remastered digital print, created under the supervision of the world-renowned cinematographer, Dean Cundey. Tickets go on sale September 10th.
“We are excited to bring the most prominent and enduring horror film back to cinema screens giving new and old fans a slasher film treat they’ll never forget,” said Bernadette McCabe, Executive Vice President, CineLife Entertainment.
Halloween – Trailer from CineLife Video Showcase on Vimeo.
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Spotlight Cinema Networks is the only cinema advertising company dedicated to serving the needs of art house and luxury exhibitors for cinema advertising, preshow entertainment, event cinema and digital display distribution. CineLife Entertainment® acquires and distributes event cinema and alternative content titles in the U.S. and international markets. Spotlight Cinema Networks is owned by Wagner-Cuban Companies and Arthouse Marketing Group, and represents the top exhibitors in these genres, including segment leaders Angelika Film Center, Laemmle Theatres, Landmark Theatres, Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, Flix Brewhouse and Silverspot Cinemas.
Trancas International Films, Inc., along with its subsidiary Compass International Pictures, Inc., is a film production and distribution company based in Los Angeles and operating worldwide with a library of classic and revered films, such as John Carpenter’s Halloween, The Message, and Lion of the Desert. Trancas has been involved in the production of every film in the Halloween franchise, including Universal Picture’s 2018 incredibly successful release Halloween directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. In addition to partnerships with Universal, Trancas has deals with Miramax, Blumhouse, Lionsgate, Anchor Bay, and Dimension Films among others.