It really isn’t spooky season until you hear Dr. Sam Loomis announcing that “the evil is gone from here!” in a voice full of dread—or feel Laurie Strode’s growing unease as she spots the same mysterious man a few too many times for it to be coincidental. Who can even think about gobbling up fun-sized candy bars without watching John Carpenter’s Halloween—with the nerve-jangling score he composed for his groundbreaking 1978 slasher turned up as loud as your eardrums can handle?
In a year when the Boogeyman of Widows’ Bay threatened to steal some of his thunder, Michael Myers is stalking back into theaters to assert his masked-maniac power. While theatrical rereleases have become something of a seasonal tradition for the Halloween franchise, this year will see an emphasis on bringing the original film to as many international audiences as possible.
“This fall, the film returns to hundreds of U.S. theaters nationwide with nearly 2,000 screenings while also expanding internationally to 12 countries,” reads a press release. “This international expansion features more than 180 screenings set for this October and additional dates being added regularly. Countries include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.”
The screening dates vary from theater to theater, but many will take place on October 31, which is very conveniently falling on a Saturday this year. Make sure you don’t sign up to babysit that night—but if you must, just remember that a well-aimed knitting needle will distract the unsinkable Michael Myers so you can get out of his way.
Halloween was written by Carpenter with Debra Hill; it stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie and Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis, plus P.J. Soles and Nancy Loomis as Laurie’s doomed besties.
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