Sorry, film fans, Halloween has been canceled for 2020. Well, not literally, but if you’re a horror fan, it appears that this year’s frightening holiday (which is likely to be scary anyway given the daily lives of American citizens) is going to be a little less terrifying, with Blumhouse delaying the release of “Halloween Kills” and a couple of the studio’s other upcoming films.
According to Deadline, Blumhouse has decided that “Halloween Kills” will be pushed from October 16 of this year all the way until October 15, 2021. That, of course, means the trilogy-ending “Halloween Ends” is being pushed from 2021 to October 14, 2022. Even though production on ‘Kills’ has been finished for a while, it’s clear from an open letter that filmmakers David Gordon Green and John Carpenter released that the delay is more about preserving the best theatrical experience for fans as possible.
“If we released it in October of this year, as planned, we have to face the reality that the film would be consumed in a compromised theatrical experience,” said the letter. “After weighing our options, we have chosen to push the film’s theatrical release by one year.”
To help announce the new date, Blumhouse also released a new teaser which picks up right after the events of 2018’s ‘Halloween,’ showing how the Strode women are not happy with the idea of fire trucks rushing to the burning home.
In addition to “Halloween Kills,” Blumhouse has also announced that “The Forever Purge,” which was supposed to hit theaters on July 10, but was pulled from the schedule, will now arrive next year on July 9, 2021. This is the supposed final chapter in “The Purge” franchise that has been hugely successful for the studio, so it’s clear why Blumhouse would want to showcase it during the summer months, where it has done well in the past.
Finally, Blumhouse is moving the upcoming “Candyman” reboot film from its original September release to “Halloween Kills’” original date of October 16. Obviously, a horror film would likely do better closer to the holiday, and there’s still no word on what September is going to look like due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that studios keep pushing films later and later.
You can watch the new “Halloween Kills” teaser below: