Quentin Tarantino Slams This Famous Horror Franchise as “Awful”
Quentin Tarantino once considered joining the Halloween franchise, but he later shared that he was not impressed with the series’ sequels.
In a 2019 interview with Consequence, the director talked about his idea for a follow-up to 1989’s Halloween 5: The Curse of Michael Myers.
“Yeah, I was like, ‘Leave that scene where [the Man in Black] shows up, alright, and freeze Michael Myers,’” Tarantino explained. “The first 20 minutes would have been the Lee Van Cleef dude and Michael Myers on the highway, on the road, and they stop at coffee shops and s***. Wherever Michael Myers stops, he kills everybody. So, they’re leaving a trail of bodies on Route 66.”
Tarantino said he was approached to write a Halloween script after directing Reservoir Dogs and selling the script for True Romance. However, he eventually chose to focus on directing Pulp Fiction and abandoned the idea. He also revealed his opinion of the earlier sequels.
“The sequels were horrible. They’re like fruit from a poison tree because Laurie is not the brother of the Shape,” he said, criticizing Halloween II’s twist that reveals Michael Myers and Laurie Strode are siblings.
“There’s something far more scary that he’s going through Haddonfield, and it’s just her… I think they just yanked some idea out of their a**, alright, and they just talked themselves into ‘Hey, well, this is why…’ and now part two has a reason.”
The Halloween franchise, which began in 1978, follows Michael Myers, a serial killer who escaped from a sanitarium to terrorize the town of Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night.
The series mainly features recurring characters Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dr. Samuel Loomis, portrayed by Donald Pleasence. The original film, directed by John Carpenter and produced by Debra Hill, was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Bob Clark’s Black Christmas and helped define the slasher genre.
Since then, the franchise has released twelve more films. While Michael Myers remains the central antagonist, Halloween III: Season of the Witch is an exception with no connection to the rest of the series. Sequels and reboots appeared throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.
Rob Zombie directed a remake in 2007, followed by its own sequel in 2009. The franchise returned in 2018 with a direct sequel to the original, followed by Halloween Kills in 2021 and Halloween Ends in 2022. A television series is currently in development.
Critical reception for the Halloween films has varied widely. The original 1978 film received widespread acclaim and is often considered a classic in horror cinema. Subsequent sequels, however, drew mixed or negative reviews, with critics often citing inconsistent plots, overcomplicated timelines, and uneven character development.
The 2018 sequel received mostly positive reviews for returning to the franchise’s roots, while later entries were criticized for lack of cohesion. Forbes writer Scott Mendelson called the franchise the “Choose Your Own Adventure” of horror movies due to its confusing timelines and multiple continuities.
Financially, the franchise has been a success. Collectively, the films have grossed over $884 million worldwide. In adjusted 2018 dollars, the series ranks first among American horror franchises at the U.S. box office, showing that despite critical ups and downs, audiences continue to return to Haddonfield.
Tarantino’s comments highlight his frustration with the direction the Halloween sequels took, particularly with narrative choices that undermined the tension of Michael Myers’ character. His ideas for the franchise may have been unconventional, but they reflect a focus on suspense and fear rather than backstory.
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