Venice Film Festival

Ahead of its theatrical release on October 15^th, 2021, director David Gordon Green’s upcoming feature Halloween Kills will have its world premiere on September 8^th at the 78^th Venice Film Festival, according to Deadline. In addition, the festival is set to award a Gold Lion award for Lifetime Achievement to series star Jamie Lee Curtis.

Curtis said of the Lifetime Achievement, “I am incredibly humbled to be honored in this way by the Venice International Film Festival. It seems impossible to me that I’ve been in this industry long enough to be receiving ‘Lifetime Achievement’ recognition, and to have it happen now, with Halloween Kills, is particularly meaningful to me. Halloween, and my partnership with Laurie Strode, launched and sustained my career, and to have these films evolve into a new franchise that is beloved by audiences around the world was, and remains, a gift. Italian Cinema has always honored and heralded the genre that gave me my career, so I couldn’t be more proud and happy to accept this award from the Venice International Film Festival on behalf of Laurie and all the courageous heroines of the world who stand tall in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and refuse to yield.”

Venice fest director Alberto Barbera commented, “Jamie Lee Curtis belongs to that rarefied group of Hollywood actors who best reflect the qualities that are the very soul of the global film industry and its legacy. A direct descendant of America’s film aristocracy — she is the daughter of two unforgettable stars, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh — Jamie Lee Curtis is the natural embodiment of a star who knows how to play roles with versatility and amenability, all while infusing them with her peerless charisma and signature personality. All these qualities, combined with her work as an author of children’s books and her commitment to her charitable work have cemented her status as an indelible and enduring global artist. To date, her extraordinary four-decade career, which began with her dazzling debut in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic, Halloween, encompasses more than forty feature films and reminds us that true talent, combined with intelligence, wit, endurance and sheer grit, are the hallmarks of this true and unforgettable star.”

A direct sequel to director David Gordon Green’s global 2018 smash hit Halloween, Halloween Kills is directed by Green from a script he co-wrote with returning collaborator Danny McBride and series newcomer Scott Teems.

Returning to reprise her role of final girl “Laurie Strode” which she originated in John Carpenter’s immortal classic 1978 film Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis is joined by original cast members Nick Castle, Kyle Richards, Nancy Stephens and Charles Cyphers. Additional cast includes James Jude Courtney, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Robert Longstreet and Anthony Michael Hall.

The official Halloween Kills synopsis from Universal reads: “Minutes after Laurie Strode (Curtis), her daughter Karen (Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster.”

“The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all.”

Produced by Trancas International Films, Miramax and Blumhouse Productions and based on characters created by series originators John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween Kills and its follow-up Halloween Ends (the latter now set for release on October 14, 2022) 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 serve as executive producers.