Variety brings word that John Carpenter’s original Halloween, Halloween 4, and Halloween 5 will be returning to theaters and drive-ins in more than two dozen U.S. markets next month. Through a partnership between CineLife Entertainment, Compass International Pictures, and Trancas International Films, the October screenings have reportedly booked a total of 225 screens, including 104 drive-ins.
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The Halloween film franchise kicked off in 1978 and has led to 11 films that have grossed over $600 million worldwide, with the first installment directed by Carpenter who co-wrote the screenplay along with Debra Hill. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, the movie introduced the infamous killer Michael Myers, who escapes from a mental hospital 15 years after murdering his sister on Halloween night and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
“We are so excited to be bringing these films back, especially to drive-ins across the country where this iconic franchise launched,” said Ryan Freimann, senior vice president of Trancas and Compass. “Now, with the fall season growing closer, the drive-in format is helping keep both Halloween spirit and the cinema experience alive in these unprecedented times.”
The version of Halloween being screened at drive-in theaters next month will be a restored and remastered print, apparently created under cinematographer Dean Cundey’s supervision.
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Most drive-ins participating in the screenings will present the three Halloween films back-to-back while indoor theaters are reportedly only showing the original. The markets included in the screenings are Birmingham and Montgomery-Selma, Ala.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Moncton, Canada; Denver, Colo. ; Tampa-St. Petersburg and Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Lexington, Ky.; Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; New York, N.Y.; Dayton, Ohio; Wilkes Barre-Scranton-Hazelton and Buffalo, Pa.; Sioux Falls, S.D/; Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Tyler-Longview, and Dallas, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Spokane, Wash.
