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Halloween director John Carpenter isn't concerned with how the new trilogy affects the franchise's legacy. Following the divisive reaction to the series' latest installment, Halloween Ends, the horror filmmaker was asked his thoughts on the reboots by Vulture, to which he candidly replied: "I don't care, I really don't care."
In fact, Carpenter, who wrote the first film with his frequent collaborator Debra Hill, says he's still getting over his surprise at there having been so many sequels at all, given that he "didn't think there was story left" after he helmed the original 44 years ago and, presumably Halloween II, which the duo also penned and produced.
"The Halloween movie I love the most is the one I made back in 1978, the one I directed," he told the publication. "Others are other people's visions. That's the way it goes. That's what happens when you give up. I didn't want to direct sequels. I didn't think there was story left. Boy, was I wrong, huh?"
"There are two kinds of remakes for me," Carpenter continued, before joking about the royalties he gets from the more recent flicks. "One is where I'm the originator of the material. I wrote the screenplay. Two: It was an assignment from the studio. 'We want you to do this.' If it's an assignment from the studio, they don't pay me when they do a remake. They own the material. If I've generated the screenplay, they have to pay me. That's the kind of sequel I like. My movie exists. Make your own. You want to pay me a bunch of bucks, fine. Have a great time."
Directed by David Gordon Green, Halloween (2018) picks up years after the events of the very first film. It follows Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode as she tries to reconnect with her family, after decades of isolating herself due to the trauma left over from Michael Myers' attack all those decades ago. But her efforts are put to the ultimate test when Michael returns to Haddonfield. Its sequel, Halloween Kills, explores how the masked murderer's evil has poisoned the small town, while the most recent follow-up sees 20-something Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) go down a dark path after he's blamed for the death of a young boy he was babysitting.
Halloween Ends has rubbed some horror fans up the wrong way, with many voicing their irritation over the fact that it supposedly sidesteps Laurie and Michael to concentrate on a new character, while others criticized it for seemingly disregarding the entries that came before it.
If you're keen to see what you make of it yourself, it's in cinemas now, and streaming on Peacock in the US. If you've already seen it, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.
