Credit: Universal Studios / Miramax / Blumhouse Productions
Haddonfield bogeyman Michael Myers is “coming home” again as we finally have our first official trailer for the upcoming Halloween reboot.
A brand-new Halloween cinematic universe is officially in development. But while it was previously revealed that it would begin with a Halloween television series followed by a new film, it turns out that things will get going this October, just in time for Halloween.
Last year, following the end of the Halloween trilogy from Blumhouse Productions (David Gordon Green’s Halloween 2018, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends), it was confirmed that another Halloween reboot, this time in the form of a cinematic universe, is in the works.
Earlier this year, Head of Worldwide Television at Miramax Marc Helwig told Deadline that the Halloween television series — which will launch said-cinematic universe — will be “going back to” the original 1978 film by John Carpenter, adding that the beloved horror classic is “the foundation” of the new show.
He also said that it will likely focus on “a group of characters that we haven’t really focused on that much in recent film versions or even in a number of them.”
So, Laurie Strode might finally be out of the picture. But who else is there? Ben Tramer, perhaps? The Haddonfield teen name-dropped numerous times throughout the Halloween franchise but never given any actual screentime (save for his incredibly mean-spirited death in 1981’s Halloween II, courtesy of a raving, gun-toting Dr. Samuel Loomis, who’s convinced that the harmless masked teen is Michael Myers — even though he’s carrying a bag of candy).
We’ll have to wait and see, but the franchise has certainly had its fair share of Laurie Strode.
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Following 13 Halloween movies, the Halloween television series will certainly come with a lot of baggage. With that said, the franchise is well known for wiping the slate clean again and again, as there are already nine different timelines that span the movies.
But while there’s no release date for the upcoming series, it looks like the new Halloween cinematic universe is about to start putting out the jack-o-lanterns early, as just last week it was revealed that there are also two Halloween video games in development.
And now, one of those games has been revealed to be “RetroRealms: Halloween” (which also includes the game “Ash vs Evil Dead” based on the Evil Dead movies), and it has unveiled its first trailer, offering us Michael Myers like we’ve never seen him before — in pixelated form!
Watch it below, per IGN:
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“RetroRealms: Halloween” is an arcade-style reboot of the 1983 Atari 2600 title “Halloween” (based on the 1978 film of the same name) in which you play a teenage babysitter (presumably Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode); however, in the “RetroRealms” title, you play as Michael Myers himself as he slashes his way through Haddonfield.
Not much is known about the second Halloween video game other than the fact it’s being developed in Unreal Engine 5 by Boss Team Games and that Halloween (1978) director John Carpenter, who also wrote Halloween II (1981) and composed the score for the latestHalloweentrilogy (having created the original theme), will be “intimately involved.”
“As a huge gamer myself, I’m thrilled to help bring Michael Myers to life again in this game, and my hope is to scare you silly,” Carpenter said in the exclusive with IGN.
Related:‘Halloween’ Reboot May Trigger Anti-Woke Mob With Female Michael Myers
The official press release for that project states that players will be able to “relive moments from the film and play as classic characters from one of the most iconic and important horror films of all time.”
“Everyone at Boss Team Games are huge fans of horror and Halloween obviously holds a special place in the hearts of all horror fans,” said Boss Team Games CEO Steve Harris. “Getting to work with iconic characters like Michael Myers and build on John Carpenter’s original vision is literally a dream come true.”
He added, “Everyone at Boss Team is thrilled and honored to be working with Malek Akkad and John Carpenter to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience that fans of the movie and video games will love.”
Taking all of this information into account, it’s fair to say that this mystery Halloween game is a far more ambitious project than the upcoming arcade-style game.
But we’ll just have to wait to see how that project takes, ahem, “shape”. For now, at least we have the beat-’em-up (or slash-’em-up) game to look forward to.
Here’s the official description for “RetroRealms: Halloween”, per the official website.
Step into the RetroRealms, a 16-bit Pixel Art world, and take control of classic horror icon Michael Myers! Fight your way across multiple levels of platformer action filled with sights and sounds inspired by the originalHalloweenfilm. Slice your way through Haddonfield, face-off in epic Boss battles against familiar faces from the movie, and overcome blood-soaked challenges in this intense retro throwback to classic arcade action!
“RetroRealms: Halloween” will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Steam on October 18. A limited “Halloween Collector’s Edition” version of the game will also be available. Visit the official website for more information.
There are no release dates for any of the other upcomingHalloween projects, including the second game, the television series, and the new film.
Are you excited for the new Halloween video game? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
