Book Review: Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels
Dustin McNeill has found a unique niche as a non-fiction author with in-depth explorations of the making of genre films. After covering Phantasm (Phantasm Exhumed), Freddy vs. Jason (Slash of the Titans), and Jaws (Adventures in Amity), McNeill teamed with co-author Travis Mullins to tackle the entire Halloween franchise in last year's Taking Shape: Developing Halloween from Script to Scream. Because every great horror movie gets a sequel, so too does their book.
As the title suggests, Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels examines the Halloween installments that never made it to the screen, from sequels and prequels to reboots and crossovers. 24 unmade projects are profiled chronologically over the course of the massive, 600-page paperback coffee table book. Equally as valuable as the breakdowns of each concept are the interviews with the creatives involved that conclude each chapter. The candid discussions bring clarity to many of the unanswered questions you may have while reading about the projects (like, "What were they thinking?!").
The tome begins with a foreword by Halloween: 25 Years of Terror producer Anthony Masi, who traces his history with the series from a fansite in the dial-up internet days, to creating the first Halloween reunion convention, to making the documentary, to webmastering the official Halloween website. It's followed by a brief message from McNeill and Mullins, who explain that the book began as an appendix to the first Taking Shape before they realized they had enough material for a separate book. The authors then set the stage with a prologue before diving in.
Upon the exit from the franchise by John Carpenter and Debra Hill - the guiding voices of the first two sequels - the direction of the series was unclear. All that was certain was that Michael Myers would return following his absence in Halloween III, and an open call for Halloween 4 story pitches was held. The first stab came from Dennis Etchison, who wrote the novelizations of Halloween II and III, among others. Despite his familiarity with the material, his effort has several glaring curiosities. Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace are prominently featured, but so is a 12-foot Michael Myers for no apparent reason.
Another take, this one heavily indebted to MTV's inspiration, would have resurrected Laurie Strode - now a happily married mother of 6-year-old daughter in Chicago - despite Jamie Lee Curtis having long since moved on from horror. Shem Bitterman, who would go on to co-write Halloween 5, pitched a version of Halloween 4 in which The Shape dons clerical clothing rather than his traditional coveralls. His original concept for Halloween 5 is also discussed; he wanted to dig into young Jamie Lloyd's psyche following the events of the previous film.
Halloween 6 was a famously troubled production, so it's no surprise that it spawned a number of wildly different drafts - including one that was nearly produced by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Scott Spiegel (Intruder) and another that relied on virtual reality technology. Halloween 6's ultimate scribe, Daniel Farrands, also penned a treatment for a direct sequel (tentatively titled Michael Myers: Lord of the Dead) before the powers that be decided not to continue the storyline. The first attempt at a blank slate was Halloween 7: Two Faces of Evil, written by Robert Zappia, who went on to co-write Halloween H20.
Various attempts to continue the Halloween: Resurrection storyline were made prior to Rob Zombie's remake, Many involved returning characters from previous sequels, since it would be the first without Laurie or Loomis, and one would have seen an early blizzard blanketing Haddonfield in snow on Halloween. Later, Jake Wade Wall (When a Stranger Calls remake) wrote a prequel-sequel hybrid that would have accounted for Michael's childhood as well as his whereabouts during Halloween III.
While the Halloween/Hellraiser crossover was bandied around following the smashing success of Freddy vs. Jason, it was first conceived in 1998 by Dave Parker (House of the Dead). A later pitch, co-written by Josh Stolberg (Jigsaw), would have seen John Carpenter and Clive Barker on board to participate plus Doug Bradley reprising his role as Pinhead.
Following the remake and its followup, several more ideas were considered before 2018's Halloween was produced. Todd Farmer & Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) had two significant pitches: one a 3D sequel to Rob Zombie's films and the other an intriguing "what if" concept based on the 1978 film. Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes was courting the studio for a reboot with a treatment by Scott Milam (Mother's Day). Finally, Marcus Dunstan & Patrick Melton (Saw IV-VII) nearly "recalibrated" the franchise with their own direct sequel to the original.
Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels makes the extended wait for Halloween Kills a little easier to bear. McNeill and Mullins' meticulous research uncovers information that will be new to even the most diehard of Halloween fans. While it's easy to understand why many of the films didn't come to fruition, there are ample intriguing concepts, clever ideas, and inventive set pieces that never saw the light of day. The exhaustively detailed summary of each project, supplemented by input from the original writer when possible, is fascinating. Both Taking Shape books deserve to be used as the framework for an in-depth documentary counterpart a la Crystal Lake Memories.
Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels by Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins is available now in paperback and e-book via Harker Press.
Taking Shape – Halloween book trailer released Silver Shamrock. Thorn. White Horses. It’s all in here. Join authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins for a deep dive into the evolution of Halloween’s vast mythology.
