Wilmington-shot ‘Halloween Kills’ pushed back to Oct. 2021

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Horror movie fans eager to watch the knife-wielding maniac, Michael Myers, continue to terrorize the fictional town of Haddonfield, Ill. will have to wait one more year.

John Carpenter, the iconic horror mastermind behind the “Halloween” film franchise, announced on Twitter Wednesday that the latest chapter of his new trilogy — “Halloween Kills” — has been delayed until October 15, 2021. The movie was originally scheduled to release on Oct. 16.

“We write this to you heartbroken over the fact that the delay of our film is even a discussion, but if there’s one thing that a career in the film industry has prepared us for, it is the unexpected,” Carpenter wrote. “If we release 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. After weighing our options, we have chosen to push the film’s theatrical release by one year.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who reprised her role of Laurie Strode for the trilogy, took to Twitter and said she was also disappointed in the delay but the film is a “masterpiece” and “prescient and powerful.” She added, “I promise you it will be worth the wait.”

Carpenter also revealed the first teaser trailer for “Halloween Kills” which picks up immediately after the events of 2018′s “Halloween.”

On top of “Halloween Kills” having a traditional release in Oct. 2021, Universal has agreed to an IMAX presentation of the film.

“We’re going to have time to complete the film with the quality that fans deserve,” Carpenter said.

He added that preparation is already underway for the final installment of the trilogy: “Halloween Ends.”

“Halloween Kills” was shot at multiple locations throughout the Wilmington area in 2019.

This newest trilogy is a soft reboot of the franchise and all three films are direct sequels to the original 1978 “Halloween.”

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