"HALLOWEEN: SPIRITS OF THE DEAD," an H9 by Remicis and EvilOnTwoLegs [Archive]

Remicis

09-16-2004, 12:39 PM

After looking around for a bit, I figure what better post to serve as my new "first" one?;) And I've now found my old intro and synopsis for this lil' story, so a reposting of that (with a few minor adjustments, considering our new setting) should do the trick...

As many of you know, there are few who are more irked at the direction the Halloween series has taken lately than me. The tragic mishandling of the Thorn story in H6, the gaps and plot holes created by the ignoring begun in H20, the lack of seriousness and paper-thin plot and characters in H:R…I know that not everyone agrees, but those are my problems with the series. So some time ago, I decided to stop bitching, get off my ass, and do something about it. And the result was a script for H9 that fixes all of those things. I know many are under the impression that it’s a lost cause, that the series can’t be tied together, but trust me, it can be done. All the discrepancies created by H4-6 being “forgotten” are solved logically and plausibly. Some of you may have read the “reconnecting details” I’ve posted before, but in the script, they’ve all been tweaked and altered from my older versions to allow for the simplest, most realistic explanations possible. Yes, that does make for a lot of expositional material in this story, but a lot of the plot is constructed as a mystery, where exposition is a legitimate focus. And every bit of it has actual bearing on the story, every detail leads into key plot points, so it’s not a tacked-on flood of exposition just for the sake of filling in continuity gaps.

And yes, the Thorn element is present in this story, HOWEVER (hoping too many of you didn’t turn around and leave at the word “Thorn”), I’d plead that you give it a chance even if you didn’t care for Thorn the first time around. Number one, there’s plenty in the script for Thorn and non-Thorn fans to enjoy. Secondly, I’ve been around awhile, I’ve done a great deal of observing, and I know people’s biggest problems with the concept. That in mind, if you just stick with it to the very end, I’m fairly confident I’ve concocted something that even Thorn antagonists can like. But if I haven’t, feel free to come back here and rip me a new one.;) I’ve been a writer for many years now, I can take it. Submitting my work to others for criticism is nothing new to me, so please be honest.

Now, before I give a quick synopsis, I must give credit where credit is due. This certainly wasn’t all me, I owe a great deal to my esteemed partner in crime, EvilOnTwoLegs. He provided valuable insight on all the ideas I pitched to him and lent his skills in smoothing over the wording and dialogue. EOTL had a definite hand in making this script what it is. It was a blast having him work with me on it, and I hope we’ve created something you guys will have a blast experiencing.:) Now, on to that synopsis…

On the night before Halloween of 2004, an investigative reporter by the name of David Lytener arrives in Haddonfield to begin an in-depth exposé of the infamous Halloween killer, Michael Myers. Convinced that there’s more to the story than what’s generally known to the public, he starts digging into all the available background information on the masked murderer. But what he finds leads him onto dangerous ground as he begins to penetrate the barriers surrounding a certain group of underground pagans. As he races to uncover the mystery, the Thorn cult is one step behind him. And on Halloween, Michael Myers resurfaces again to stalk Sara Moyer, still a psychological wreck from her ordeal with him two years ago. While he hacks his way back into her life as she babysits a young boy with her friends, Lytener gets closer and closer to the truth. But what he discovers is something far more sinister than what his research has led him to believe…and it will cost everyone dearly.

Okay, that said, and without further ado, I give you “Halloween: Spirits of the Dead.”

http://downwarden.com/fan%20fiction%20featured%20screeplay2.htm

Jenn

09-16-2004, 12:40 PM

Very appropriate first post Remicis, great to see you :D

Remicis

09-16-2004, 12:45 PM

You too, dear lady.:D I would've shown up here even sooner, but...y'know, someone should really get word up on halloweenmovies.com about the board moving. LOL

NeewollaH

09-16-2004, 02:57 PM

Just about the coolest fan script I have ever read. I loved every minute of it. Good work guys, and Welcome back Remicis! :)

Remicis

09-16-2004, 05:47 PM

Thank ya very much on both counts.:)

atomic dog

09-16-2004, 05:59 PM

i got a chance to read this and again i'll say it: this is a must read for all. it kept me interested and i HATED to read.

EvilOnTwoLegs

09-18-2004, 09:06 PM

Thanks, NeewollaH and atomic dog...always nice to hear praise from hardcore Halloween fans.

The Carver

10-11-2004, 10:18 PM

I read this script a long while back, and found it thoroughly enjoyable. If the real Halloween 9 script treats the series with as much respect as this one, we can look forward to a great film.

Oh, and yeah: Thorn forever!

Neo

10-12-2004, 01:50 PM

Posted this on UHMB................absolutely love it!!!!
Iv'e Read it numerous times, each time trying to spot things wrong in it, its damn near beautifully perfect.
once again boys well done.

Remicis

10-13-2004, 09:02 PM

Ah! Two new comments that slipped past me. Thank ya very much, fellas. Nothing's better than a satisfied audience.:)

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-18-2004, 01:10 AM

Yes...as always, it's greatly rewarding to read the comments of fans who've read the script.

Dr. Wynn

11-04-2004, 12:41 PM

WOW i normally hate fan-scripts
but thats the BEST story i have ever read i enjoyed every second
it kept my intrest and i think you pretty much filled all the gap holes
and I LOVED how u included Wynn HEs AWSOME
but WHY DID YOU KILL HIM! lol
anyway i very much enjoyed it and i tip my hat to you

if only Moustaph Akkad got a hold of this

Remicis

11-04-2004, 08:44 PM

Thank you muchly. We aim to please.:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-04-2004, 09:13 PM

Always great to hear from someone new who's read the script. Thanks for reading, man...glad you liked it. :)

SpawnOfEvil

11-05-2004, 05:39 AM

Hey man. I just HAVE to compliment this script again. I liked it so much I even read it a second time.

If Moustapha Akkad got ahold of this, it'd make one hell of a movie. You two should try and contact the company somehow and work out a deal to submit the script to them. It'd make an awesome film.

FTL

11-05-2004, 12:00 PM

Well...

1) It would never happen
2) It's already been posted on the net for all to see
3) The paragraphs and shit are epic

Remicis

11-05-2004, 12:21 PM

Yeah, if it'd been intended for actual submission to somebody, we would've adhered more to current formatting rules and not posted it on the Internet.

But there's nothing wrong with pipe dreams.:D And thanks a million for reading, Spawn. Glad you liked it.:)

NCamp

11-05-2004, 01:17 PM

Ah yes, I read this one awhile back. Very well writtin. If only it would go down something like that.

Dr. Wynn

11-05-2004, 04:07 PM

wow really loved it
but i must ask
how did you come up with the idea behind this story its brilliant BRILLIANT!!!!!

SpawnOfEvil

11-05-2004, 04:32 PM

I agree. Very brilliant. So brilliant infact, I don't know how to make the plot of my story one concerning characters from H6 without making it remotely close to this one, Lol. I need to sit down and think up a conflicting problem some more, lol. That's a compliment by the way. Again, excellent Grade A job on the script.

Dr. Wynn

11-05-2004, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by SpawnOfEvil
Again, excellent Grade A job on the script.

A+

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-05-2004, 10:52 PM

Thanks again, everyone. Rem and I have been consistently surprised and thoroughly delighted at the enthusiastic reception fans have given this script. In other words, we're really fuckin' psyched that everyone likes it. ;)

The script was Rem's baby, and the story was pretty much 100% him. We brainstormed together, but that mainly consisted of Rem telling me his various ideas, and me either saying "sounds fucking great," or suggesting some variation if I felt it would work better. But the entire narrative arc was Rem's, and he did a fantastic job with it.

My main contribution was in streamlining...the direction was very well written, and I hated to tamper with it...so, despite the rather lengthy paragraphs (which did end up turning off a few readers early on), I decided, since this wasn't an official script and was written simply to be posted online, to leave the descriptions as they were. I didn't have the heart to gut those paragraphs into which Rem had obviously put so much fine work.

So, in the end, I mainly worked with the dialogue...streamlining the exposition (of which, because of the nature of the endeavor, there was a lot) and making the dialogue more conversational. Beyond that, I omitted a few brief exchanges for the sake of story flow, and nixed the voiceover in the dream sequence. Aside from this rather marginal involvement (which I hope made the script more palatable, nevertheless), the bulk of the credit goes to Rem.

While I can't truly speak for him...fuck it, I will anyway. ;) The story came from Rem's frustration with the omission of the so-called "middle trilogy" from the series, and his attempt to reconcile the latter sequels with the "forgotten" films which he loves so dearly...as do I. Just as I had at various times, Rem sought to contrive a storyline that would effectively link H4-H6 with H20 and H:R...only he managed to succeed brilliantly where I had failed. I'd thought of several ideas over the years (some of which I eventually worked into Spirits of the Dead), but had never found a way to cover all my bases. When Rem posted his idea, I was initially a bit skeptical. So I asked questions...and found that Rem actually had answers to all of them. And not just answers...damn good answers. So I took it upon myself to PM him and say that I wanted in, if he was willing to take on a writing partner. He agreed, which led to months of emails and late-night MSN Messenger sessions in which he outlined the basic story and sent me individual scenes for editing. I was also thrilled that he was willing to send his various ideas to me and open them up to discussion. This was probably where most of my participation took place. In fact, most of what made it into the script was discussed at length before we decided on the best way to handle it...as was everything that didn't make it in.

Working on this script with Rem was one of my best experiences as a writer, so hopefully, you'll forgive my rambling. I'd never worked in collaboration with another writer, and found the experience to be very exciting and unbelievably productive. I'll always be thankful to Rem for allowing me to come along for the ride, and to everyone who reads the script, for making our efforts worthwhile.

FTL

11-07-2004, 04:22 PM

The current toss up is focusing on which script protagonist is better, Lytener or Scarfo (from my Locked and Loaded script).

http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23&perpage=15&pagenumber=4

Take part in it.

Remicis

11-08-2004, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by Dr Wynn
wow really loved it
but i must ask
how did you come up with the idea behind this story its brilliant BRILLIANT!!!!!

EOTL did a pretty damn good job speaking for me on how it all came about.:D To reiterate, the major motivation behind this story was to reconcile the entire series...the newer movies with the middle chapters that have been sadly discarded in favor of stories that are sub-par at best. I agree with most that the T-Cut of H6 was a let-down and didn't deliver on what I deemed to be the enormous potential of the story developed in H4 and H5. But trying to sweep it under the rug and pretend none of it ever happened was NOT the answer. I wanted it fixed. As EOTL described in greater detail, this short-changed feeling was what eventually led to the birth of Spirits of the Dead.

The reconnecting ideas themselves? For the most part, they just came from lots of sitting around and thinking about possible solutions until I drove myself insane. I conjured up a lot of ideas, some that haunted my brain for months or years before I came up with a good, feasible way to work them all into a single, unified, coherent story. I came up with a few ways to bring certain elements to light separately and sequentially over the course of two or three movies, but even I thought that sucked. It was pretty early in thinking about all this that I managed to cover most of the bases...I had three or four workable answers to the Jamie/John paradox, for example...but the wall I always kept slamming into was the prevailing lack of knowledge of the events of H4-6 in H20 and Resurrection. Sure, I came up with the idea of a cover-up pretty early on...that's pretty much the only explanation for such a thing, at least that I can imagine. But the way I always worked it out initially, even I usually thought the result was lame or far-fetched. Not the idea of cover-up itself, mind you...it does happen, the Watergate scandal showed us that. But what I was always missing was motive. What reason would the cops and public officials have for keeping all this quiet? To not scare the public or spread fear? Nah, these things happen in real life all the time, and no one bothers to cover them up. I came up blank for a long time on that.

Then one day...I don't remember how...it dawned on me that Thorn was the answer to everything. Those freaks would have every reason in the world to want to keep everyone's attention away from Michael...just stick one of them in a high government position and BANG! You've got believable motive for a large-scale cover-up. And in the same step, you've intertwined the details of that cover-up with details of the cult and the curse they placed on Michael. Not long after that, the frame for Spirits of the Dead materialized in my mind. I finally had a logical sequence of revelations to drive the plot of a single movie...we find out Laurie had a daughter, we explain how that was possible, we find out she behaved oddly, we find out about Thorn as an explanation for that behavior, we find out about the cult as Thorn's driving force, and we find out they instigated the cover-up...all leading up to the cult's current threat.

Once all that fell into place, I finally started writing what had literally been years in the making. And EOTL's involvement made it all the better. I can't thank him enough for the guidance he provided and the extra skill he lent to the whole thing. Working with him was an amazing experience, and I'd do it again in a second. Like he said, the best and most gratifying part of it all has been the overwhelmingly glowing response the story's received from all of you, both here and back on the UHMB. A big thanks again for everyone's comments.:)

Originally posted by FTL
The current toss up is focusing on which script protagonist is better, Lytener or Scarfo (from my Locked and Loaded script).

http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23&perpage=15&pagenumber=4

Take part in it.

Done and done.;)

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-09-2004, 02:01 AM

I think that the best brainstorm Rem had was turning the main narrative into a noir-style mystery...an investigative reporter delving into the Myers case and coming up with all these revelations. Not only did this serve as an excuse for tons of exposition, it also injected an element and an atmosphere into the script that had never been touched on in any Halloween film. It was a major step in a different direction, while staying true to the spirit of the series. In short, I thought it was fucking brilliant. Really, I was intrigued from the start, knowing that this script was going to feasibly connect the series...but when I found out about the investigative reporter angle, that's when I knew I wanted in.

And Rem...anytime you want to work together again, you just let me know, man...I'm down. I'd be thrilled to work on something with you in the future...anytime, just say the fuckin' word. ;)

FTL

11-09-2004, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
And Rem...anytime you want to work together again, you just let me know, man...I'm down. I'd be thrilled to work on something with you in the future...anytime, just say the fuckin' word. ;)

Halloween in the fucking 1800s is where it's at.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-10-2004, 12:45 AM

Originally posted by FTL
Halloween in the fucking 1800s is where it's at.
I'd be down for that...but I want to hear some concrete ideas from Rem...real specifics...before I commit myself to working on it. Rem knows how it goes.

Remicis

11-10-2004, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by FTL
Halloween in the fucking 1800s is where it's at.

Holy crap. I completely forgot about that. Yeah, some more ideas might be in order there.:D

FTL

11-10-2004, 11:43 AM

Cool. I kept that PM saved with all the details you and I came up with incase we ever get to it.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-10-2004, 08:41 PM

Originally posted by Remicis
Holy crap. I completely forgot about that. Yeah, some more ideas might be in order there.:D
Hit me up with details, bro. PM me and shit. Let me get a feel for the concept. That is, if you're not too good to work with me again. ;)

TheShape66

11-22-2004, 10:25 AM

No matter how many times I read it, this is one of the best f*cking screenplays I have ever seen. Much Kudos to you Rem and EOTL!!!!

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-22-2004, 11:10 AM

And much thanks to you for read and enjoying it so many times. The popularity of the script never ceases to amaze and delight us. :D

Remicis

11-22-2004, 07:48 PM

What he said! A million more thanks to ya, Shape66.:D

Dr. Wynn

11-30-2004, 05:49 PM

are you guys planning to write anymore scripts?

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-30-2004, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by Dr Wynn
are you guys planning to write anymore scripts?
Well, I wouldn't rule it out...let's just say that.

The Dark Shape

11-30-2004, 09:04 PM

Hey! They may not know it, but I'm actually privy on this piece of info :D

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-30-2004, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by The Dark Shape
Hey! They may not know it, but I'm actually privy on this piece of info :D
Which piece of info might that be?

Remicis

11-30-2004, 09:43 PM

Originally posted by The Dark Shape
Hey! They may not know it, but I'm actually privy on this piece of info :D

Someone broke the code of silence. Heads will roll for this.;)

Actually, I'd like to say it's fairly definite you'll see something else from our gruesome twosome. It's just the matter of when that's up in the air. There's a basic idea or premise for another Halloween-related story that I'd be thrilled to work with him on (and on an even more collaborative level this time), but the only reason I haven't PM'd or anything like we were talking about a little bit ago is that I really haven't thought of much as of yet. LOL But I've got a couple other non-Halloween projects I'm raking together, and I know EOTL's got his own stuff as well at the moment. But once we're both less preoccupied with our other business, I'll see if we can really get cracking on it.

Either way, just make sure you stick around awhile, and you'll find that you haven't seen the last of us.:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-30-2004, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by Remicis
Someone broke the code of silence. Heads will roll for this.;)

Actually, I'd like to say it's fairly definite you'll see something else from our gruesome twosome. It's just the matter of when that's up in the air. There's a basic idea or premise for another Halloween-related story that I'd be thrilled to work with him on (and on an even more collaborative level this time), but the only reason I haven't PM'd or anything like we were talking about a little bit ago is that I really haven't thought of much as of yet. LOL But I've got a couple other non-Halloween projects I'm raking together, and I know EOTL's got his own stuff as well at the moment. But once we're both less preoccupied with our other business, I'll see if we can really get cracking on it.

Either way, just make sure you stick around awhile, and you'll find that you haven't seen the last of us.:D
Yeah...hell, I've got a script I should be working on right now...but I'm being bad and slacking off. :eek:

Dr. Wynn

12-05-2004, 04:37 PM

hey guys I have a question

lets say this script was made into a movie

what would the cast be?

Remicis

12-05-2004, 06:56 PM

I don't know about EOTL, but I've thought a little bit about that myself. Naturally, I envisioned the former stars coming back for the returning characters...Bianca Kajlich for Sara (although her part this time around would require much greater acting chops than it did in H:R), Paul Rudd for Tommy, and Mitch Ryan for Wynn. And since Steven was a newborn the last time we saw him, it really wouldn't matter who played him this time. Just any old kid who could pull off "sad and silent" and looked like Jamie Lloyd could be his mother would do fine.

For the original characters, I've really only thought of a few. James Spader strikes me as a good candidate for Lytener. He's shown very good range in all his TV and movie roles, and I think he could pull off the part well. And when I was writing, I was actually thinking about Michael Rosenbaum for Lex. Not so much for his movie roles (only consisting of Urban Legend and Sorority Boys to my knowledge), but for his work on Smallville...which kinda served as my inspiration or reasoning in naming the character Lex. Heh.

I hadn't much thought of anyone else for the other lesser or supporting characters. Except for Devlin, come to think of it...I toyed in my head with the vision of Christopher Walken coming in to do that bit part.:D Although the budget on a Halloween movie probably couldn't afford him, even if he were willing to do it...hey, we're dreaming here, realism isn't an issue.;) I just thought that would be cool. For everyone else, my only criteria would be some unknowns who knew how to act.

And I know this isn't cast, but for a director, both of us agree that David Fincher would be the man.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-06-2004, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
I don't know about EOTL, but I've thought a little bit about that myself. Naturally, I envisioned the former stars coming back for the returning characters...Bianca Kajlich for Sara (although her part this time around would require much greater acting chops than it did in H:R), Paul Rudd for Tommy, and Mitch Ryan for Wynn. And since Steven was a newborn the last time we saw him, it really wouldn't matter who played him this time. Just any old kid who could pull off "sad and silent" and looked like Jamie Lloyd could be his mother would do fine.

For the original characters, I've really only thought of a few. James Spader strikes me as a good candidate for Lytener. He's shown very good range in all his TV and movie roles, and I think he could pull off the part well. And when I was writing, I was actually thinking about Michael Rosenbaum for Lex. Not so much for his movie roles (only consisting of Urban Legend and Sorority Boys to my knowledge), but for his work on Smallville...which kinda served as my inspiration or reasoning in naming the character Lex. Heh.

I hadn't much thought of anyone else for the other lesser or supporting characters. Except for Devlin, come to think of it...I toyed in my head with the vision of Christopher Walken coming in to do that bit part.:D Although the budget on a Halloween movie probably couldn't afford him, even if he were willing to do it...hey, we're dreaming here, realism isn't an issue.;) I just thought that would be cool. For everyone else, my only criteria would be some unknowns who knew how to act.

And I know this isn't cast, but for a director, both of us agree that David Fincher would be the man.
Yeah, Fincher to direct, no question. It's always been my dream to see him direct a Halloween movie or a Batman movie (which sadly, he turned down).

As for Lytener, I'd never thought about Spader...but he's a great actor and acts his ass off, even when he's in piece of shit movies. But I have to say that when I read the script, Lytener made me think Gary Oldman. I just know how fucking great he would be...the man is the god of acting.

As for Walken...you'd be surprised. He actually admits to hardly ever turning down a chance to work. He has a problem with saying no to work...acting is pretty much his whole life...it's all he wants to do. They could pay him Busta's salary and he'd be down, no question. ;)

And for Lex, I was thinking someone like Jake Gyllenhaal. I think he could pull it off, and he's good at that whole "brooding presence" that I imagined the character having at times.

With Stephen...he could easily be played by an unknown, which would probably be the best way to go, actually. But as for actual actors, I think this kid might be good: http://imdb.com/name/nm1662229/ .

Remicis

12-06-2004, 08:42 AM

Dude! Oldman had never even crossed my mind, but you're right, he would absolutely kick ass. And him being one of my top favorite actors is a plus as well.:D The man has proven that he can play any role to perfection. Gyllenhaal would also be a fine choice for Lex.

And that Elijah Runcorn kid does look good for Steven. I have to say, his filmography only has some movie called Committed listed there, but I thought he looked incredibly like the little boy from Identity. I looked it up, though, and near as I can tell, that kid's name was Bret Loehr (I don't remember the character name and IMDB doesn't have a picture in the cast list).

FTL

12-06-2004, 11:42 AM

Eh, I kinda pictured Bill Pullman as Lytener.

And I hear that shit, EOTL. Some times Walken takes work so seriously if you write real good shit that he remembers it all at the sound of "action." I heard he did his long 'small story' in Pulp in one take....anyway...go Walken. He has one of the coolest laughs in cinema history. Good choice for Devlin.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-07-2004, 12:44 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
Dude! Oldman had never even crossed my mind, but you're right, he would absolutely kick ass. And him being one of my top favorite actors is a plus as well.:D The man has proven that he can play any role to perfection. Gyllenhaal would also be a fine choice for Lex.

And that Elijah Runcorn kid does look good for Steven. I have to say, his filmography only has some movie called Committed listed there, but I thought he looked incredibly like the little boy from Identity. I looked it up, though, and near as I can tell, that kid's name was Bret Loehr (I don't remember the character name and IMDB doesn't have a picture in the cast list).
Yeah, the kid from Identity would probably be a good choice, as well, now that you mention it. But hey, anyone who looks right would be good...hell, Stephen's pretty catatonic. LOL

And yeah...any actor who can play Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Beethoven...and convince you that he is all three is just the fuckin' man. Not to mention great roles like Drexl Spivey, Jackie Flannery, Stansfield, Dracula...the list goes on forever. Hell, he even killed Jesus as Pontius Pilate in a TV movie. And when I heard he was playing Mason Verger in the Hannibal movie, I was psyched as hell. I'd always considered Oldman to be a "faceless" actor...and finally, he was playing a character with no face. Brilliant casting there. I'd like to make a movie where all the male characters are played by Gary Oldman...just to see if anyone would notice, really. LOL

Speaking of Oldman...Matt, check out Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, if you haven't seen it already. Very offbeat semi-Shakespearean comedy starring Oldman and his old stage pal, Tim Roth. If you like Oldman, you'll love it...guaranteed. Plus, how can you not love a movie that follows two minor characters from Hamlet as they pass in and out of the play's action and have weird misadventures in between?

Okay...I'm done jacking our thread for now. LOL

Remicis

12-07-2004, 08:37 PM

Actually never heard of that one, but it definitely sounds cool. Know what I'm getting next trip to the video store.:D

And this led me to wonder...is it still considered thread-jacking if you're doing it with your own thread? LOL

FTL

12-07-2004, 09:00 PM

Some think you pimp it out more than a 13-year-old girl on the mean streets of New York.

Remicis

12-07-2004, 09:13 PM

Yes, I am a dirty whore in that respect. Your point? LOL

FTL

12-07-2004, 09:16 PM

Look who you are talkin' to. I have no point.

Remicis

12-07-2004, 09:19 PM

Hmm...good point.

FTL

12-07-2004, 09:20 PM

Then technically speakin' I just had a point?

Remicis

12-07-2004, 09:27 PM

Yes. I've already got a tiara and a bouquet of roses in the mail for you.

Raechull

02-25-2005, 05:10 PM

WOW....I couldnt read it all but i skimed through it and read the whole ending. Its great!

EvilOnTwoLegs

02-25-2005, 09:47 PM

Originally posted by Raechull
WOW....I couldnt read it all but i skimed through it and read the whole ending. Its great!
Glad ya liked it...if you read it all the way through, be sure to give us your thoughts on it. :D

Raechull

02-26-2005, 09:48 AM

For sure...One thing that caught my attention that didnt add up to me (even tho I liked it) was the Stephen thing. It doesnt ever mention Jamie having a baby (or does it and thats a part that i skipped?) and also..when Michael PROTECTS him to keep his power....then why didnt he try to protect Jamie when she was the last of the bloodline before she had Stephen because if he wouldve killed her then the curse would have been lifted (before she gave birth of course).

I liked the story...Just thought Id add that point.

MyersFan75

02-26-2005, 03:27 PM

I love the script - PERFECT.

I printed it ALL out...all 168 pages and have yet to be able to read it all the way through...
It's a great piece of work by you two, I have read it before but I couldn't help but print it out.

Later,
MyersFan75

Remicis

02-26-2005, 10:54 PM

Originally posted by Raechull
For sure...One thing that caught my attention that didnt add up to me (even tho I liked it) was the Stephen thing. It doesnt ever mention Jamie having a baby (or does it and thats a part that i skipped?) and also..when Michael PROTECTS him to keep his power....then why didnt he try to protect Jamie when she was the last of the bloodline before she had Stephen because if he wouldve killed her then the curse would have been lifted (before she gave birth of course).

I liked the story...Just thought Id add that point.

It does indeed mention Jamie having a baby. Although fans like us will already know that from H6, Lytener first finds out about it in his conversation with Devlin, the turncoat cult member.

As for your other point, my explanation is that the cult would've intervened and kidnapped Michael and Jamie to enact the "Final Sacrifice" ceremony if they'd felt he'd gotten close enough to actually killing her. Going along with what H6 presented, they wanted that to happen in ceremonial form, not just out in the open. So in the same fashion they did with Michael and Steven in this story (and with Michael and Jamie in the canonical series in H5), they would've stepped in to take both of them alive at any point the opportunity really presented itself. They just never felt they had that opportunity before it happened in H5. Additionally, with this particular twist on things, Michael would probably also have been trying not to kill her. Showing enough effort to fool the cult into thinking he was trying, sure, but intentionally slipping up here and there to only almost get her. ...Make sense? I'm not in the most lucid state right now, so I acknowledge I may need to clarify further. LOL Or maybe EOTL could pick up the slack if he sees where I'm going with this.

But glad you liked what you read and hope you go back through the whole thing!:)

Originally posted by MyersFan75
I love the script - PERFECT.

I printed it ALL out...all 168 pages and have yet to be able to read it all the way through...
It's a great piece of work by you two, I have read it before but I couldn't help but print it out.

Later,
MyersFan75

And thrilled as always to have the continued praise!:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

02-27-2005, 12:44 AM

Originally posted by MyersFan75
I love the script - PERFECT.

I printed it ALL out...all 168 pages and have yet to be able to read it all the way through...
It's a great piece of work by you two, I have read it before but I couldn't help but print it out.

Later,
MyersFan75
As always, nice to hear kind words about the work that Rem and I did...it's not the sort of thing that either of us generally do (neither of us has ever written fan-fic, before or since, and unless I'm mistaken, this is the only script that Rem has ever worked on). But this was something that we were both passionate about. We both felt very strongly that the series would benefit from a sequel that linked the "lost trilogy," which we both love, to the latter two sequels. And I felt that Rem had an amazing framework for it, and really great ideas, which I helped him to shape and define as much as I could. Really, I'd probably never do another fan-fic (unless Rem came to me with another stellar idea), but this was something we both felt we had to do...and it's always great to hear that other fans of the series like where we went with it. :D

Originally posted by Raechull
For sure...One thing that caught my attention that didnt add up to me (even tho I liked it) was the Stephen thing. It doesnt ever mention Jamie having a baby (or does it and thats a part that i skipped?) and also..when Michael PROTECTS him to keep his power....then why didnt he try to protect Jamie when she was the last of the bloodline before she had Stephen because if he wouldve killed her then the curse would have been lifted (before she gave birth of course).

I liked the story...Just thought Id add that point.
I'm with Rem on this...and to elaborate further on the point that his sleep-starved mind was trying to put forth, I think that it's conceivable that just as Michael wasn't really trying to kill Stephen, he may very well not have been trying to actually kill Jamie. His efforts (for the sake of our interpretation) would essentially be viewed as a dog and pony show of sorts, performed for the sake of an audience (in this case, the Thorn cult). He wanted to retain his supernaturally-obtained power, and needs Jamie alive in order to keep it...but at the same time, he doesn't want the cult to feel he has betrayed their ends because he finds them quite useful for certain things...getting him freed from confinement, etc. So he goes through the motions in order to satisfy them...and meanwhile, gets to engage in his real agenda...simply killing...the ambulance crew, Brady, Rachel...he kills them because he enjoys killing. In short, he pretends that he's going to kill Jamie so that he will be able to kill essentially whomever he wants, without the cult wising up to his machinations.

MyersFan75

02-27-2005, 08:35 AM

MyersFan75

02-27-2005, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
And thrilled as always to have the continued praise!:D

As it is to continually praise!!

Later,
MyersFan75

Remicis

02-28-2005, 01:59 AM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
I'm with Rem on this...and to elaborate further on the point that his sleep-starved mind was trying to put forth, I think that it's conceivable that just as Michael wasn't really trying to kill Stephen, he may very well not have been trying to actually kill Jamie. His efforts (for the sake of our interpretation) would essentially be viewed as a dog and pony show of sorts, performed for the sake of an audience (in this case, the Thorn cult). He wanted to retain his supernaturally-obtained power, and needs Jamie alive in order to keep it...but at the same time, he doesn't want the cult to feel he has betrayed their ends because he finds them quite useful for certain things...getting him freed from confinement, etc. So he goes through the motions in order to satisfy them...and meanwhile, gets to engage in his real agenda...simply killing...the ambulance crew, Brady, Rachel...he kills them because he enjoys killing. In short, he pretends that he's going to kill Jamie so that he will be able to kill essentially whomever he wants, without the cult wising up to his machinations.

Spot-on. This man shares my brain.

Raechull

02-28-2005, 06:39 AM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
As always, nice to hear kind words about the work that Rem and I did...it's not the sort of thing that either of us generally do (neither of us has ever written fan-fic, before or since, and unless I'm mistaken, this is the only script that Rem has ever worked on). But this was something that we were both passionate about. We both felt very strongly that the series would benefit from a sequel that linked the "lost trilogy," which we both love, to the latter two sequels. And I felt that Rem had an amazing framework for it, and really great ideas, which I helped him to shape and define as much as I could. Really, I'd probably never do another fan-fic (unless Rem came to me with another stellar idea), but this was something we both felt we had to do...and it's always great to hear that other fans of the series like where we went with it. :D

I'm with Rem on this...and to elaborate further on the point that his sleep-starved mind was trying to put forth, I think that it's conceivable that just as Michael wasn't really trying to kill Stephen, he may very well not have been trying to actually kill Jamie. His efforts (for the sake of our interpretation) would essentially be viewed as a dog and pony show of sorts, performed for the sake of an audience (in this case, the Thorn cult). He wanted to retain his supernaturally-obtained power, and needs Jamie alive in order to keep it...but at the same time, he doesn't want the cult to feel he has betrayed their ends because he finds them quite useful for certain things...getting him freed from confinement, etc. So he goes through the motions in order to satisfy them...and meanwhile, gets to engage in his real agenda...simply killing...the ambulance crew, Brady, Rachel...he kills them because he enjoys killing. In short, he pretends that he's going to kill Jamie so that he will be able to kill essentially whomever he wants, without the cult wising up to his machinations.

Makes sense....good explination guys. Yeah because he could have killed jamie if he truely wanted to get the job done. I like it! :)

EvilOnTwoLegs

02-28-2005, 02:59 PM

Originally posted by Remicis
Spot-on. This man shares my brain.
Which made it interesting while writing the script...we had to keep passing the brain back and forth. ;)

TheTerminator

03-02-2005, 01:52 PM

This script sounds interesting and I read a little of it, but...

It's just too damn hard to read. The paragraphs are HUGE. My eyes start hurting after a while. You should really fix that. I'm not criticizing the actual material... so, don't take this personally.

It would just be SOOOOO much easier to read. And, make the font a little smaller, too. If I were you, I'd think about purchasing some screenwriting software. It formats everything for you and you can export your work to HTML, PDF, etc. Then, you can upload it to a website and it'll be perfect.

I suggest Sophocles. It's a great program; cheap and easy to use. It has the exporting feature, too (as well as an import feature).

Remicis

03-02-2005, 08:29 PM

I understand your complaint, and others have raised it in the past as well. Truth is, we didn't worry that much about formatting because this isn't a conventional screenplay, and it's never going to be submitted to the industry or have any visual representation (i.e. actually be made into a movie). So the paragraphs are long to accommodate the necessary description of the sights, settings, atmosphere, and action. It gives you the feel for the characters and basic world in your mind since there are no actual actors or pictures to do that for you.

It is what it is for a reason. We just felt the way it's done is what would best serve our circumstances. If you really want to read it, but that's what's stopping you, my suggestion is just to paste it into Word, highlight the whole thing to change the font, and press enter to split up some of those paragraphs. Wouldn't take long at all. But thanks for taking a look nevertheless.:)

TheTerminator

03-02-2005, 09:10 PM

Well, I'm not about to go through your whole script pressing "enter" for every paragraph. LOL

But, if you ever do revise it, let us all know and definitely post it.

Remicis

03-02-2005, 09:13 PM

Didn't think you would. But I'm not gonna do it either. Glad we understand each other. LOL

EvilOnTwoLegs

03-02-2005, 11:56 PM

Uh-oh...the formatting nazis are back. ;)

As for formatting software, I never use it. I prefer to do things the old-fashioned way...moving the tabs and margins by hand every five seconds or so. okay...an exaggeration...but not by much. And I do know how to properly format a script...I've written several and am about to start shooting a film based on one of them. I know how to format, but formatting this...well, Rem and I decided not to dwell upon that. Funny thing is, most people take the time to read it anyway, and seem to quite enjoy it. If you can't do that, for one reason or another, then I regret that we're losing you as a reader.

We've been through all of this before with a couple of other members back on the old board...but since then, not a peep until now.

And since it was brought up...while I haven't checked the net version of the script recently, I know that the font was 12-point Courier (the correct font and size for proper formatting) when we wrote it, and apparently changed at some point when it got put on the net. But I didn't changed it, and neither did Rem. Can't hang that one on us. LOL

TheTerminator

03-03-2005, 07:48 AM

Yeah, after I made my post, I realized I have some kind of a virus which makes my font a little bigger.

Sorry for that particular criticism.

MyersFan75

03-23-2005, 03:15 PM

I know you have no intentions of submitting the script in.
But let me tell you, if it was done right and stayed true to how you guys wrote it, it would be better than H5, HR, and possibly H20.
I truly admire the work you guys did.
I wish I had done it earlier.
:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

03-27-2005, 08:06 PM

Thanks, man...glad you enjoyed it. We aimed to please. :D

MyersFan75

03-29-2005, 04:16 PM

You got the job done w/ me!

*falls out of computer chair*

boogeyman87

03-29-2005, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by MyersFan75
You got the job done w/ me!

*falls out of computer chair*

Enough man..

6Michael6Myers6

03-29-2005, 05:34 PM

I just like to say that your script is awesome...i wish i could write as good as you guys

MyersFan75

03-29-2005, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by 6Michael6Myers6
I just like to say that your script is awesome...i wish i could write as good as you guys

Your Halloween:Revelations script seems to be coming along nicely, I think you are doing pretty good.

Don't kill yourself, but YES, H:SOTD is a great script...a GREAT script.

Your's is looking to be that next great one too.

Nightmareman88

05-05-2005, 02:32 AM

Im inpressed thats an amazing script defently a good sequel to H6 I liked it:)

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-05-2005, 02:55 AM

Thanks. It's actually a sequel to H:R...but you knew that. ;)

I know what you mean, though...we tried to work as much of what was good about H6 into the script (a lot of which was necessary anyway, in order to tie up loose ends). And I think a major goal was to capture something of the mood that a film like H6 had...particularly the mood of the P-Cut (even though we wrote the script according to the events of the T-Cut). H6 seemed more mature, and much darker than recent sequels. It was an "adult" horror film...more cerebral...not just some random teen slasher flick. We wanted to get back to that...especially following on the heels of a movie like H:R...which to me, defines everything that is loathesome in the random teen slasher flick.

And of course, I'm speaking here in the editorial "we," which would be presumptuous of me if Rem and I ever disagreed on these things. ;) Anything to add, O esteemed partner of mine?

Nightmareman88

05-05-2005, 03:01 AM

Remicis

05-05-2005, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
Thanks. It's actually a sequel to H:R...but you knew that. ;)

I know what you mean, though...we tried to work as much of what was good about H6 into the script (a lot of which was necessary anyway, in order to tie up loose ends). And I think a major goal was to capture something of the mood that a film like H6 had...particularly the mood of the P-Cut (even though we wrote the script according to the events of the T-Cut). H6 seemed more mature, and much darker than recent sequels. It was an "adult" horror film...more cerebral...not just some random teen slasher flick. We wanted to get back to that...especially following on the heels of a movie like H:R...which to me, defines everything that is loathesome in the random teen slasher flick.

And of course, I'm speaking here in the editorial "we," which would be presumptuous of me if Rem and I ever disagreed on these things. ;) Anything to add, O esteemed partner of mine?

LOL As far as Halloween, you and I are exact replicas. You could speak for me 'til the end of time, and I'd never have to utter a contradictory word.;) But yeah, H6 was the model for all the Halloween elements we were trying to recapture. I've gone on record that my only HUGE problem with the T-Cut is that the plot doesn't make any sense. It did everything else pretty well. It was spot-on with gloomy, brooding atmosphere, something I wanted to take even further in SotD with an early winter settling in...most everything in nature already dead or dying. And it's also truly one of, if not the most adult entry in the series...something else we were striving to return to with older characters, a more elaborate story, etc. And that's one of the reasons I feel H20 and H:R have been steps back for the series. It had worked itself up to a higher level only to be yanked down into juvenile territory. Basically, our aim was to steer the series back into the direction it had been heading into before H20.

But thanks for checking it out, Nightmare. Glad to hear you enjoyed!:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-05-2005, 10:51 PM

Originally posted by Remicis
LOL As far as Halloween, you and I are exact replicas. You could speak for me 'til the end of time, and I'd never have to utter a contradictory word.;) But yeah, H6 was the model for all the Halloween elements we were trying to recapture. I've gone on record that my only HUGE problem with the T-Cut is that the plot doesn't make any sense. It did everything else pretty well. It was spot-on with gloomy, brooding atmosphere, something I wanted to take even further in SotD with an early winter settling in...most everything in nature already dead or dying. And it's also truly one of, if not the most adult entry in the series...something else we were striving to return to with older characters, a more elaborate story, etc. And that's one of the reasons I feel H20 and H:R have been steps back for the series. It had worked itself up to a higher level only to be yanked down into juvenile territory. Basically, our aim was to steer the series back into the direction it had been heading into before H20.

But thanks for checking it out, Nightmare. Glad to hear you enjoyed!:D
LOL Yes, it does indeed seem that you and I could simply echo one another's feelings on the series until the end of time...which is probably why we worked so well together in crafting this script. We had the same goals and the same sensibilities about it. I definitely felt that H6 was a step in the right direction for the series (though many might disagree in this neck of the woods)...it left behind the teenage aspect of its predecessors and tried to deal with more mature themes, as well as having strong character development and more of a "thinking man's" plotline. Unfortunately, by the time it hit the screen, the plot had essentially fallen apart. But luckily, the mood remained intact. And it was that mood that I felt embodied the potential for future Halloween entries. Thus, I was rather disappointed by what followed...the canned dialogue and California prep school setting of H20...the juvenile humor and cliched plot of H:R...all huge leaps and bounds away from where I had hoped that the series was heading. This is a major reason why I focused so heavily on the dialogue in SotD, and why Rem put so much into the descriptions...we were trying to recapture that feeling that H6 held for both of us...that ominous tone that it provided, and the more mature aspects of it.

Only in H6 did we get into topics like media celebrity for mass murderers, or dysfunctional family life...the abusive alcoholic father, the wife who fears her husband...their daughter, trying to raise a child on her own while going back to college. There was more harsh reality in H6 than most people give it credit for, I think...everyone tends to focus solely on the supernatural aspects of it...and all of that was fresh and unique in the Halloween franchise, and it was something that Rem and I really wanted to get back into...to bring the series back to what we consider a mature, respectable level.

Nightmareman88

05-06-2005, 01:34 AM

And You guys did a good job on it, Im actully working on my very own "H6" sequel called Hal10ween: The Wrath Of Michael Myers:)

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-06-2005, 10:16 PM

Originally posted by Nightmareman88
And You guys did a good job on it, Im actully working on my very own "H6" sequel called Hal10ween: The Wrath Of Michael Myers:)
Cool. Hope to read it once it's finished.

MyersFan75

05-07-2005, 01:45 PM

Nightmareman88

05-07-2005, 02:01 PM

He he Mousthapa akkad sould see your script;)

MyersFan75

05-07-2005, 02:06 PM

Originally posted by Nightmareman88
He he Mousthapa akkad sould see your script;)

I have a bad feeling he'll turn it down after realizing what he is looking for in recent films.

*looks at Resurrection*

(Crap)

;)

TheShape2005

05-08-2005, 09:57 PM

Well I just wanted to tell you both! Matt and James! James you have been trying to get me to read this for a while and I never would because everytime I would look at it I would say......:eek: Damn that is long!!!!!!! LoL so Saturday came and I said Damnit I'm going to read this Script! and I sat down and started in and found out really fast I couldn't stop Reading it! and read the whole thing in one sitting! I'm not a fan of most Fan scripts and their is only a few I like! and you know who you are!!!;) and I have to say this Script is one of the top bests I have read! being a Fan of HalloweeN for 15 years I think you two reconnected the two timelines in vary well! you should really try to get this scripted Fan made into a film! or send it to the Writer Nick Grabowsky on this Board to see his thoughts on it! hey if he wants to use it you two could get some credit somewhere in the future!!!!

well done guys 2 thumbs up!!!

it was a fun ride into the darkness of Horror!!

later guys!!!

Chad!

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-08-2005, 10:09 PM

Glad you liked it, Chad. As always, great to hear feedback from someone who's read the script. And hopefully, it's given you a fresh outlook on H6, as well...as the take that Matt and I have on it (as utilized in our script) is quite different, I think, from that of the average viewer. ;)

Nightmareman88

05-09-2005, 09:11 AM

I wonder what Daniel farrands would say if he saw the script!:)

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-09-2005, 11:23 PM

Hopefully, nothing TOO bad. LOL Rem and I bruise easily. ;)

TheShape2005

05-09-2005, 11:37 PM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
Hopefully, nothing TOO bad. LOL Rem and I bruise easily. ;)

yes I know, that's why I had to lie!!:p j/k

Nightmareman88

05-12-2005, 10:40 PM

Atleast this script has a story and mystery in it other Halloween scripts I have read latley was most about "Michael going after Sara ore John" plain boring really I like slashers but HalloweeN is not a normal slasher it has more story in it :)

EvilOnTwoLegs

05-13-2005, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by Nightmareman88
Atleast this script has a story and mystery in it other Halloween scripts I have read latley was most about "Michael going after Sara ore John" plain boring really I like slashers but HalloweeN is not a normal slasher it has more story in it :)
Glad you thought so...Rem was the mastermind behind the story, and since his ideas blew me away, I forced him to take me on as a collaborator. ;) I loved the noir style mystery and felt that the main story did more than just advance the standard plotline...it redefined the series by adding elements that no other sequel has offered. It wasn't just "a script to reconnect the series"...I mean, it was that...but there was so much more going on there. To me, the character of Lytener made the script...he was like a Phillip Marlowe for the Halloween series. And there are enough mindblowing revelations in the denouement to really end with a bang. Rem's work in crafting the story was what made SotD...and I was proud to be his first audience (even if I did change some of it ;)).

halo thirty one

05-13-2005, 09:51 PM

do you guys care if i print your script out? i don't think i could sit at a computer and read it all in one sitting. i suppose if you said no there isn't anything you could do to stop me, but i figured i'd be courteous and ask anyway.

Remicis

05-13-2005, 11:16 PM

And once again, my esteemed cohort is right on the money. While reconnecting the series was a major priority in this story and one of the chief reasons it was brought into existence, we certainly had a number of other goals. It was also meant to advance the series, finish what H4-6 had started, and resolve the plot threads that H20 and H:R had severed...while also opening the door to a host of new possibilities for future sequels. I'm a believer that what the series needs isn't so much a "back to basics" approach as a return to what an entry like H6 was beginning...deeper plot, deeper characters, and a darker, more mature tone. While stalking is an important core element of Halloween, I think we've reached a point where there needs to be more, whether it's from greater drama and developments between characters or from more complex storylines...personally, I've always liked the idea of there being additional threats or antagonists besides our favorite slasher. Probably one of the reasons Thorn and the cult appeal to me so much. But we're nevertheless reassured that Michael is always the real villain. I tried to inject this story with a good dose of both the greater plot and character elements. It's literally my dream for what a Halloween movie could be.

Originally posted by halo thirty one
do you guys care if i print your script out? i don't think i could sit at a computer and read it all in one sitting. i suppose if you said no there isn't anything you could do to stop me, but i figured i'd be courteous and ask anyway.

Not a problem at all. Whatever it takes for another review. ...Unless you were to want it reformatted. We draw the line there.;)

halo thirty one

05-14-2005, 10:11 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
Not a problem at all. Whatever it takes for another review. ...Unless you were to want it reformatted. We draw the line there.;)

cool. i usually do my relaxing reading in the old lay-z-boy. i'll throw in one of the halloween soundtracks for good measure.

TheShape2005

05-14-2005, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
And once again, my esteemed cohort is right on the money. While reconnecting the series was a major priority in this story and one of the chief reasons it was brought into existence, we certainly had a number of other goals. It was also meant to advance the series, finish what H4-6 had started, and resolve the plot threads that H20 and H:R had severed...while also opening the door to a host of new possibilities for future sequels. I'm a believer that what the series needs isn't so much a "back to basics" approach as a return to what an entry like H6 was beginning...deeper plot, deeper characters, and a darker, more mature tone. While stalking is an important core element of Halloween, I think we've reached a point where there needs to be more, whether it's from greater drama and developments between characters or from more complex storylines...personally, I've always liked the idea of there being additional threats or antagonists besides our favorite slasher. Probably one of the reasons Thorn and the cult appeal to me so much. But we're nevertheless reassured that Michael is always the real villain. I tried to inject this story with a good dose of both the greater plot and character elements. It's literally my dream for what a Halloween movie could be.

with what you said in mind up their matt are you at all going to think about making a Sequel to this Script?

Nightmareman88

05-14-2005, 12:12 PM

A sequel would be pretty cool but evertying seemd to have ended in "spirits of the dead":( but you never know;)

TheShape2005

05-14-2005, 12:34 PM

Originally posted by Nightmareman88
A sequel would be pretty cool but evertying seemd to have ended in "spirits of the dead":( but you never know;)

True but nothing Really ends in a Horror Film!

PhantomPhart

12-01-2005, 04:46 AM

One thing i know for sure is if we do get another Halloween movie and it continues from Resurrection, there is no way in hell it's going to be as good as Spirits of the Dead.

This is the best screenplay i have read. I don't just mean Halloween ones either. I've read tons from other boards about Jason, Freddy, Pinhead, Phantasm.

This one blow them all out of the water. This should be Halloween 9. I'd camp out at the theater to see it. I'd give anything for a sequel.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-02-2005, 01:24 AM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
One thing i know for sure is if we do get another Halloween movie and it continues from Resurrection, there is no way in hell it's going to be as good as Spirits of the Dead.

This is the best screenplay i have read. I don't just mean Halloween ones either. I've read tons from other boards about Jason, Freddy, Pinhead, Phantasm.

This one blow them all out of the water. This should be Halloween 9. I'd camp out at the theater to see it. I'd give anything for a sequel.
Much thanks. Always good to see continued support for our little offering. As always, we're glad it's been received in the spirit in which it was given. We worked hard on it. Rem worked harder than I, of course...but even i worked my ass off, just on my revisions and such. I don't know how Rem managed to carry his end of the workload and get as much done as quickly as he did. But we worked well together and had a blast writing this.

I'll admit that I miss our late-night brainstorming sessions on MSN and our endless back-and-forth emails..."Yeah, that works, but let's try to push it in this direction"..."Yeah, okay, cool...but what if we tried to work this in there"..."Sounds good...now, in this scene here, I say we cut all of this out and let this speak for itself"...on and on and on...and I loved every second of it. Virtually every scene was scrutinized between the two of us before Rem actually wrote it (probably where I put most of my work in), then the scenes would be emailed to me, individually, as soon as Rem had finished them. I'd go through them with a fine-toothed comb, pulling a word or a phrase out here, dropping one in there...really getting down to the basic rhythms. I'd send it back to Rem for approval...he'd generally accept my revisions, with certain exceptions, and we'd start all over again with a new scene. Then he finally sent me the full script...which needed very little tweaking, since I'd already revised about 80% of the scenes. All in all, I had a great time with the whole process.

As I've said, if Rem ever came to me again with a promising idea and wanted to collaborate, I'd jump at the chance. Working with someone like him is a rare privilege, and we were both able to feed into each other's creativity and, I think, craft a script that neither of us could have written on his own. And the continued support from hardcore fans makes it even better. You're the people we did it for (well, you and ourselves, of course)...and it's always nice to see that our work has satisfied more than our own cravings for a proper Halloween tale. I'm always glad to see some life in this thread...it reminds me of the work we did, how much fun we had, and why we undertook this venture in the first place. Particularly, it reminds me of the truly great experience of writing this thing with Rem. Of his generosity in letting me climb on board and help him to steer his vision...of the exceptional nature of our collaborative process...of working with a great guy on his great script, finding what worked and what didn't, hitting all the notes, and always looking forward to the next email.

MMyers89

12-02-2005, 11:25 AM

Roswell

12-02-2005, 12:38 PM

How you two are not making millions writing brilliant screenplays is beyond me.

This was fantastic to read. I literally couldn't stop reading it due to the screenplay being so intriguing.

blicdh

12-03-2005, 07:24 PM

Script was hawt...I've read it a couple times today...my first reads. Coherent story that didn't make me want to pound my head about plot holes. Unlike some sequels in a certain series. ;)

PhantomPhart

12-03-2005, 08:54 PM

Originally posted by MMyers89
Thats all very true...this script makes mine look like garbage...It is truly good work...very professional...much better than H8 for sure. I've read yours too and no way is it garbage ;)

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-03-2005, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by blicdh
Script was hawt...I've read it a couple times today...my first reads. Coherent story that didn't make me want to pound my head about plot holes. Unlike some sequels in a certain series. ;)
Glad to see that you've gotten around to reading our offering, droogie. And that you enjoyed it, as well.

blicdh

12-04-2005, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
Glad to see that you've gotten around to reading our offering, droogie. And that you enjoyed it, as well. Yeah, I was a bit late hopping on the bus but I got around to reading this great story that Matt (with your input) formed. :)

Hopefully you fellas can churn out some more brainchildren in the future?!

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-04-2005, 12:19 AM

Originally posted by blicdh
Yeah, I was a bit late hopping on the bus but I got around to reading this great story that Matt (with your input) formed. :)

Hopefully you fellas can churn out some more brainchildren in the future?!
Anything's possible. It would mainly be a matter of Matt and I getting back into our old rhythms. Well, I guess having a concept wouldn't hurt, either. ;)

PhantomPhart

12-05-2005, 07:52 PM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
Anything's possible. It would mainly be a matter of Matt and I getting back into our old rhythms. Well, I guess having a concept wouldn't hurt, either. ;) I want a sequel to Spirit's of the Dead.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-05-2005, 10:49 PM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
I want a sequel to Spirit's of the Dead.
There was talk a while back of doing another Halloween-related script, though not a sequel to SotD. Matt never got back to me with specifics, though...so I'm not sure.

PhantomPhart

12-06-2005, 03:34 AM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
There was talk a while back of doing another Halloween-related script, though not a sequel to SotD. Matt never got back to me with specifics, though...so I'm not sure. Do you mean a Season of the Witch type of story? Something without Myers?

MMyers89

12-06-2005, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
I've read yours too and no way is it garbage ;)

Well thanks:)

But still, mine is just typical, teenage slasher, while it may be better than most, it is no Spirits of the Dead.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-07-2005, 12:34 AM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
Do you mean a Season of the Witch type of story? Something without Myers?
It was Myers-related. But go back a few generations...it was going to take place in the 19th Century. ;)

PhantomPhart

12-07-2005, 04:10 AM

Originally posted by EvilOnTwoLegs
It was Myers-related. But go back a few generations...it was going to take place in the 19th Century. ;) That sounds interesting. I hope you guys do it.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-08-2005, 12:43 AM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
That sounds interesting. I hope you guys do it.
I'd certainly like to. Maybe Matt will read this and get the hint. ;)

Remicis

12-08-2005, 03:56 PM

Goddammit...I had a nice, long reply typed out, then I hit the wrong button and lost the whole friggin' thing.

Suitable way to begin my first post in a good while, eh?:p

Okay, the highlights of that beautiful post that is now no more...much thanks to Phantom and blicdh for giving this old thing a read, and to everyone for all the acclaim it's received. It's been more successful than either one of us ever thought it would be. There was brief talk of us doing a Halloween story that took place in the 1800s, exploring the idea of this curse or evil running in the Myers family, but it and virtually every other creative project I was working on got pushed to the back burner for awhile. Unfortunately, the only writing I've had time to do has been for varying college professors. But it won't be that way forever, and I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you haven't seen the last of mine and EOTL's combined insanity.;)

And a sequel to SotD? I will definitely go on record as saying that it's not out of the question. Not having time to actually write hasn't kept me from batting around a lot of ideas.;) Thanks again to everyone, and sorry for the delay!

PhantomPhart

12-08-2005, 05:06 PM

Originally posted by Remicis

And a sequel to SotD? I will definitely go on record as saying that it's not out of the question. Not having time to actually write hasn't kept me from batting around a lot of ideas.;) Thanks again to everyone, and sorry for the delay! You just made me very happy. I like the idea of one set in the 1800's but a sequel would be awesome too.

Bucky-lives

12-08-2005, 11:33 PM

Man that was a good read. Next time i start to watch the series in order, i'm gonna finish up with your script. Nice work.

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-09-2005, 02:30 AM

Originally posted by Remicis
Goddammit...I had a nice, long reply typed out, then I hit the wrong button and lost the whole friggin' thing.

Suitable way to begin my first post in a good while, eh?:p
Yeah...you've got a great gift for doing just the right thing at just the right moment. No...wait...I meant...something.............different. LOL

There was brief talk of us doing a Halloween story that took place in the 1800s, exploring the idea of this curse or evil running in the Myers family, but it and virtually every other creative project I was working on got pushed to the back burner for awhile. Unfortunately, the only writing I've had time to do has been for varying college professors. But it won't be that way forever, and I can say with a fair amount of certainty that you haven't seen the last of mine and EOTL's combined insanity.;)

And a sequel to SotD? I will definitely go on record as saying that it's not out of the question. Not having time to actually write hasn't kept me from batting around a lot of ideas.;) Thanks again to everyone, and sorry for the delay!
Yes...our combined insanity must rise again. There's nothing else quite like it. I mean, don't get me wrong...your insanity, on its own, is great. And I like to think that mine is nothing to sneeze at, either. But together...we're flat-out batshit crazy. And for some reason...that works to our advantage. ;)

Anytime you want to get crackin' on something, you just let me know. It would be interesting to see if we could get lightning to strike twice.

Originally posted by Bucky-lives
Man that was a good read. Next time i start to watch the series in order, i'm gonna finish up with your script. Nice work.
Wow...inclusion in a Halloween marathon, even? You hear that, Matt? We've almost found our way into the canon. ;)

PhantomPhart

12-15-2005, 03:39 AM

I'd like to see this thread get a sticky. Blinky's thread is currently a sticky and now that he's hired someone to be his webmaster maybe this could replace it.

Remicis

12-15-2005, 08:41 AM

Originally posted by PhantomPhart
I'd like to see this thread get a sticky. Blinky's thread is currently a sticky and now that he's hired someone to be his webmaster maybe this could replace it.

LOL I do suppose I have the power to do that, but it would look like (and, hell, probably be) utterly shameless self-promotion on my part. And the thread's been doing just fine and occasionally coming back to the top on its own. It's a survivor, we'll leave it be.;)

PhantomPhart

12-15-2005, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by Remicis
LOL I do suppose I have the power to do that, but it would look like (and, hell, probably be) utterly shameless self-promotion on my part. And the thread's been doing just fine and occasionally coming back to the top on its own. It's a survivor, we'll leave it be.;) I see where you're coming from. It ties everything together so well i just wish it was a movie.

loomis26

12-17-2005, 09:24 AM

thats some grade-a movie material right there. good job bro

Blah999

09-23-2006, 04:06 AM

EvilOnTwoLegs

09-23-2006, 08:39 PM

I see a hole in your Thorn 'family bond' when the curse is passed by to family members touching. Michael was strangling Laurie in the first movie isnt that physical contact? And Laurie didnt get the curse and kill someone.
Well, as with most of the plot points, I didn't come up with that. And it's been quite a while since I actually read the script. But since Rem's gone AWOL, leaving me as the only participant in this script whose currently active on the board, I guess I'll take a crack at it.

As I understand it, the premise is that some of the essence of Thorn can be passed to family members through physical contact. It does not automatically follow that it is always passed on in instances of physical contact. Think of it this way...if someone jams their finger into a light socket, it can kill them. But that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who does so will die. So I don't really see that as a hole in the logic. At times like this, however, I really wish Rem was still around. This script was his baby, and he knows the plot elements far better than I do.

So...aside from that, what were your feelings on the script?

Blah999

09-24-2006, 02:13 AM

Too much Thorn and hardly enough Michael appearances! He was in it for a whole 10 minutes.

EvilOnTwoLegs

09-24-2006, 09:23 PM

Too much Thorn and hardly enough Michael appearances! He was in it for a whole 10 minutes.
The reintroduction of Thorn was necessary to properly link the "lost trilogy" with the latter two sequels, and a great deal of Thorn-related exposition was required in order to address certain things within the context of a direct sequel to H:R. And Michael appears in it just as much as he appeared in H1, if not more...so I'm not sure what you're talking about there.

Granted, if you were looking for a script that was (as many fan scripts are) "Michael Michael Michael, Slash Slash Slash," that's not Spirits of the Dead. We tried to have a larger story that was related to Michael, was related to H:R, was related to H4-H6, but also brought something new to the table...something that could stand on its own two feet without simply being "a Michael Myers story." We didn't put Michael in it as much as he was in some of the sequels because we both felt that Michael is more effective when he isn't subject to overexposure. When Michael is lurking in the shadows, or particularly when the audience isn't sure whether he's around or not, that's when I think the real suspense comes into play. So, no...we didn't want him popping up and killing someone every few minutes. We find that formula boring.

Jack O'Lantern

10-04-2006, 12:06 PM

I read this last night and I have to say this is THE best fanscript I've ever read, of any genre.

Major props, guys. :)

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-04-2006, 04:01 PM

Much thanks. Always a pleasure to hear that the fans of the series enjoyed our little piece. The continuing popularity of SotD, as a fan offering, is the one thing that, above all others, made this project worthwhile. Needless to say, it was also personally satisfying for both myself and Rem...but it's the feedback we've gotten from the fans that has been the real pay-off for us.

Remicis

10-10-2006, 10:02 AM

Do forgive me for my tardiness, gentlemen. I still have my options set to receive emails when there's been a reply to a subscribed thread, but for some reason, no such thing ever came. I do, however, have an email account with the nasty habit of sorting things into a massive Bulk Mail folder that really don't belong there. It's eaten more than one important email that way. But I just happened to stop in here on a whim, and I've only now seen these latest sparks of interest. So once again, apologies for the delayed response time.

I see a hole in your Thorn 'family bond' when the curse is passed by to family members touching. Michael was strangling Laurie in the first movie isnt that physical contact? And Laurie didnt get the curse and kill someone.

And I can field this one easily...

You're talking about two different types of touch, my friend. You interpreted the word in a more...literal sense than it was meant to be. To illustrate, bumping into someone on the street or slapping them when they've offended you is not the same as hugging them, kissing them, or caressing them. They have different connotations, and they have different emotional factors behind them. The type of touch to which I was referring is the kind grounded in sympathy or empathy...the kind of touch you use with someone when you're attempting to reach them on another level. Holding someone's hand, for instance, is a physical manifestation of a desire to establish an emotional connection with that person. That's clearly what Jamie did with Michael at the end of H4. And that's clearly not what was going on between Michael and Laurie in H1. See the difference? The Thorn curse is linked to the spirit, and only when you reach out to touch a family member's soul can it use the real, physical touch to spread itself to another person without the performance of a ritual by a Druid priest.

Semantics, that's all.;)

And thanks a million for the latest reviews. As EOTL said, it's the support of the fans that has been the greatest reward of this project. It was a labor of love, and we've been thrilled to share that with the rest of the fanbase. We can't thank you all enough.:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-10-2006, 10:10 AM

Who the hell are you? ;)

Remicis

10-10-2006, 10:11 AM

YOU! Check your PMs, you crack-smoking communist!

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-10-2006, 10:34 AM

YOU! Check your PMs, you crack-smoking communist!
Crack-smoking communist? Man, you have been gone too long. I'm a smack-shooting anarchist, thank you very much. ;)

H-field Hero

10-10-2006, 11:06 AM

Good lord, whats up remmy rem!? Glad to see you pop in for a little. I don't think I've seen you lurking too much these days. Hope all is well with school and all that jazz. Thanks for returning to field questions on the awesome script :D.

Remicis

10-10-2006, 12:55 PM

Dude! Yeah, I'm strapped for Internet time these days, man. Gets hectic over here, but all's going well. Still pop in every once in awhile to keep you clowns in line.;)

Crack-smoking communist? Man, you have been gone too long. I'm a smack-shooting anarchist, thank you very much. ;)

And I've since changed my name to "Matilda." We've got some catching up to do.;)

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-10-2006, 06:04 PM

And I've since changed my name to "Matilda." We've got some catching up to do.;)
Well, that explains quite a bit about you, actually. ;)

Loomis Myers

10-10-2006, 10:13 PM

Fellas, that script was the real deal. It took me almost two hours to read it, but it was well-worth it. I have some comments to make, but I'm bone-tired right now. I'll chime in sometime soon.

Again, great work!

Loomis Myers

10-11-2006, 05:30 AM

Some general comments:

* I loved how you tied the two seemingly conflicted storylines together. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the whole "government cover-up thing," but as I believe you stated before, it's difficult to tie them together without something like that.

* Your exposition and detail given to Sara's trauma was EXCELLENT. Finally, some character development for a change.

* The inclusion of Dr. Wynn gave the story some roots, which also was very clever.

* Your explanation as to why Laurie faked her death and left Jamie behind was perhaps my only gripe (if you can call it a gripe). I understand the difficulty in explaining this, but it's just hard for me to believe that Laurie would go to such great lengths to protect John--not her biological child according to your script--and failing to do the same for her first child (and biological at that), Jamie. One thing that may work in this regard is that perhaps Laurie went on a major self-abusive, drug-induced binge just after Jamie's birth, and left Haddonfield (hence, faking her death) as more of a hallucinatory vagabond than someone intelligently choosing to leave her child behind. When she finally got some sense of normalcy back to her life, and came back to her senses, Jamie had disappeared (end of H5), and she lived with the guilt forever. Again, I totally understand the difficulty in explaining this, but if I had to make an honest criticism, this would be the area where I would do it.

* The reporter character was very, very well done. And that idea (an investigative report) was sharp.

* I would have liked to have seen more Michael, but again, I understand how difficult it would be to tie the series together, because the stories you must merge don't really involve Michael per say. However, the frequent stalking (ala Carpenter's Halloween) was done very well.

* Your flashback scenes--especially those to H6--I could plainly envision on the big-screen. Again, very well done.

* Because of all the characters involved, and your excellent character development, this unfortunately would never see the big-screen. The Halloween series has seemed to tie itself into an hour-and-a-half gorefest, as opposed to real stories and real hauntings as we saw in H1 & H2--and to an extent, H4. This read a great deal like a novel, not a movie. Again, I'm not criticizing you. I'm actually belittling the idiots at Dimension, who would never produce something so classy and well-written.

* Overall, you did a fine, fine job. It was good to see you leaving the door open (especially w/ Tommy) for a sequel to your story. If you aren't working on it, I would strongly recommend it. Not so much because I would love to read it (which I would), but because you're very well-versed with the series, and you have a solid understanding of telling the story as Carpenter might tell it. Kudos on the script, and I look forward to future projects.

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-11-2006, 11:00 AM

First of all, thanks...both for the encouragement and for taking the time to seriously review the script in depth. Always nice to hear feedback, and to get some constructive criticism. We always like to address the questions/comments that people have, as the process doesn't really end with writing a final draft, as far as we're concerned. Connecting with those who read it is important.

To address some points...first off, Laurie. There were two alternate scenarios that Rem had concocted to explain Laurie's disappearance within the context of the H4-H6 storyline. This was one of the main areas in which the plots seemed almost irreconcilable, and required a great deal of thought and finesse in order to construct a plausible explanation. Rem posted a thread asking fans to vote for which of the two versions they favored. This was prior to my involvement in the process and I responded with the explanation I felt was the most realistic and could be best worked into an overall story...which was the one we ended up using. It seemed to carry less baggage than the alternative, and would be more efficient and concise, for exposition purposes. It was at this time that I also sent Rem a PM, asking for more details, posing specific questions about how he intended to explain away some of the more glaring inconsistencies which existed between the two continuities...and eventually, inquiring as to whether or not he might be interested in taking on a writing partner. He agreed, and the ball really started rolling.

I won't go into the details of the alternate explanation. Rem has made a miraculous reappearance, and would definitely be the man best suited to outline that particular scenario. It was, after all, his concept, and I'm sure that he remembers it in far greater detail than I. Suffice it to say, when all of the votes were tallied, it was that alternate explanation that came out on top, as far as the fans were concerned. Still, I was uneasy about it...I felt it was too complicated and would muddy the exposition, which needed to be as cut-and-dried as possible, in order to give us the space to tell a real story. And the more I got acquainted with Rem's story, and where this thing was going, the more concerned I became about this. The vote had gone one way, and I felt very strongly in the other. I brought this concern to Rem on the grounds of "the people who voted don't know what the overall story is yet, and don't necessarily understand the breadth of the exposition that's going to be required...and I really think this is the right way to go." As it turned out, Rem had been leaning that way, as well...so the results of the vote were disregarded and we went with what we felt was best for the overall script. Sometimes, that's how it is.

One of the biggest problems in explaining the disappearance of Laurie in a way that could reconcile the conflicts of the two separate storylines lay in the fact that Jamie and John were approximately the same age. This caused no end of problems. We had to accept the fact, however difficult it may have been, that Laurie had left Lamie in Haddonfield when she'd faked her death. There was simply no way around it. It couldn't be avoided, so we just had to accept it and move on. Also, there is a continuity problem within the H4-H6 timeline because Jamie is said to be seven years old in H4, but it's also mentioned that she is nine years old in H5, which takes place only one year later. So either Jamie was the same age as John, or she was one year older. Either way, Jamie had been more than one year old when Laurie had "died"...so that would mean that if both Jamie and John were her biological children, she would have been leaving one behind, but taking the other with her. This would be extremely difficult to explain, and virtually any explanation would undoubtedly seem contrived. It would also beg the question "Why didn't anyone mention Jamie's brother in H4-H6, if he had "died," as well?"

In the end, I think we went with the best explanation. It was the only one that really fit all of the facts of both storylines, while seeming reasonably plausible and fitting into the tangle of other exposition we had to deal with. We knew that there would have to be a great deal of exposition in order to reconcile the series...but we also wanted the space to tell Rem's story. It wasn't just a script to bridge the gaps...it had to be a story unto itself, as well. It had to be its own entity and stand on its own as a script. And all decisions regarding exposition had to be made with that fact firmly in mind.

As for the involvement of Michael...we tried to give him as much "screen-time" as was possible within the confines of the story, but we had a lot to contend with. Things needed to be explained, characters needed to be sufficiently developed, and we had to try to tell a real story somewhere in there, as well. This, in addition to Rem's exceptional prose narrative (which, for a script, should have been pared down, but I didn't have the heart to touch because it was so good), is why the script ended up as long as it is. I tried to streamline it as best I could, and ended up excising certain things which I felt were more or less expendable, or (more often) could be condensed a great deal. Still, it's a pretty monstrous script by the standards of the genre...and we found that there wasn't as much for Michael to do in it as there had been in some of the sequels.

We tried to get him in there as he had been in the original Halloween, and go back to the basics of that film, where often, you didn't know if he was there or not. Was he lurking? Stalking? Off in the shadows somewhere? We wanted him to have that elusive presence that he had in the first film, where he wasn't seen as much, but the overall impression was that he could be anywhere, at any time. In some of the sequels, he got too much exposure, I think, and lost some of that mysterious, almost omnipresent, quality that had made him such a force to be reckoned with in H1. Like Hannibal Lecter, I think Myers works best when he isn't the whole show. Less is more.

Also, in addition to being our attempt at reconciling the series and telling a new Michael Myers story, we also wanted to go off in a completely new direction. When you're treading so much old ground, it's important that the bulk of your narrative be as fresh as possible. I know I felt very strongly about this, and Rem's story was perfect in that regard. It was something that hadn't been done in a Halloween film, and it brought into play elements of other genres, and sort of played with the notion of what a Halloween film could be. And in order to do that, Lytener needed more exposure than Myers. Rem had succeeded in writing an exposition character who was also much more than that, and we had to use him to his full potential.

We saw this as a new (if only theoretical) step for the franchise. It was more serious in tone, it was darker, there was an almost film noir sense of mystery about it, and it wasn't just another story about Michael Myers killing a fresh batch of teens. Michael played an important role in the story, and was perhaps talked about more than he was seen...but I found that there was something effective about that. It gets back to the notion that this is a legendary (not to mention elusive) entity. People tell stories about the Boogeyman...and the stories are powerful in themselves...but they don't really see him that often. And if you can ratchet up the suspense by not overutilizing the character, it makes his "on-screen" time a much bigger pay-off.

Thanks again...and we're really glad you enjoyed the script. With any luck, perhaps Rem will chime in here and fill in some of the blanks. He's definitely better-acquainted with the material than I am. It's his story...his characters...his scenarios. I was focused more on structure and dialogue. I tried to sort of nudge it in what I felt was the right direction and deliver a final draft that was as tight as possible, all things considered. But getting down to the brass tacks of story, there's one man who understands all of that better than I do (infinitely so)...and that's Rem. So I hope he'll address these issues as well, now that he's recently returned from the dead.

Remicis

10-11-2006, 12:36 PM

Shit, man. That's an epic post to give me a run for my money. You covered all that pretty well, but here I am now to offer what further clarification I can.;)

First things first, Loomis Myers, I also want to extend my deepest thanks for the devotion of your time to reading our little story and reviewing it in detail. We appreciate all forms of criticism, be it good or bad, and we're always happy to address whatever concerns may have arisen. There's always room for improvement, and as EOTL said, the process doesn't always end with a "final" draft. That said, I'll readily discuss these points with you...

As you just heard from EOTL, there were several ways we could've explained "The Great Jamie/John Paradox" as I've grown to call it, but when SotD was in its planning and outlining stages, I had it narrowed down to two scenarios I thought would work best, and I put it to a vote on this very board. Truth be told, the alternate explanation has gotten a little hazy even to me over the last few years, but I do remember the essentials. In this turn of events, both John and Jamie were Laurie's biological children. But soon after Jamie's birth, Laurie started to live a sort of double-life with another man so that she could find an escape from the family she already had: her husband, Jimmy from H2 (and a connection to THAT horrible night), and Jamie, her daughter and another connection to her trauma by pure circumstance. She had a another child (John) with this other man while her mind was a mess and she was leading two lives, but she eventually chose to leave Jimmy and Jamie behind because she just couldn't take the stress of being reminded of her traumatic experience for an ongoing period of time. So she went through the faking of her death and chose to go along with John and the other man, whom she later married. And yes, as convoluted and complicated as that sounds, that was the explanation that won the most votes when I made the poll. I theorize that it was simply because that scenario preserved both Jamie and John as legitimate Myers family members. But as EOTL explained, we went with the backstory that made it into the script because it was far less involved and would take up far less room...for something that really had no bearing on the primary story at hand anyhow.

Now that we've covered that tangent, I can say that I like your alternate interpretation of Laurie's mental state when she left Haddonfield and abandoned Jamie. I think that's something that would work as well, certainly on the same level as the direction I chose to follow. My logic, however, was that Laurie separated herself from Jamie because she was convinced that Michael would eventually come after her again. We saw evidence of this in H20. She never completely got over her paranoia. So in her own mind, Jamie would be safe as long as she was nowhere near Laurie. It may seem somewhat defeating to that purpose, however, to leave the child in Haddonfield of all places, but you have to remember that Laurie didn't choose the Carruthers family to raise her daughter. Jamie was put up for adoption by anyone in the nation (I would assume, anyhow), and this family from Haddonfield happened to be the people who adopted her. And from this point, I intend for the reader to infer that she had Dr. Loomis's promise of protection for her daughter. It's mentioned in SotD that the two of them stayed in contact, and I tried to convey without outright saying it that Laurie never came back to Haddonfield because she'd entrusted Jamie to Dr. Loomis's watchful eye. He'd, in turn, always advised her against returning for her daughter because she would only put herself in danger as well. That was my thinking in taking that direction.

As for Michael's relatively small amount of concrete screen time, EOTL summed up our reasoning perfectly. SotD relies heavily on the power of suggestion to create a sense of dread and danger. That way, it's much more effective when you actually do see the killer on-screen. It not only left more room to tell the story we wanted to tell, but I think it made Michael a more chilling and ominous presence anyhow. I was looking to really bring him back to the Bogeyman figure that he was in H1. A force of nature.

As far as the government cover-up, I actually like that part of the story. It was born not only out of necessity, as you pointed out, but I felt it added both to the scale of the mystery and the scale of the Thorn cult's threat. To be honest, the cult was really little more than a bunch of geeks in cheap robes from a five-and-dime in H6, and with SotD, I wanted to do a group of characters such as this justice. I wanted them to be scary, and I wanted them to be dangerous. Their ability to pull off such a tremendous cover-up, I felt, added to their seriousness and turned them into a force to be reckoned with. It was to show that Lytener wasn't just stumbling onto a hidden, isolated ant hill. He was stepping into deadly world of shadows that was concealed within the world he knew. It upped the ante, I thought.

I think that takes care of the critiques, but once again, I want to thank you for your time and your thoughts. And to some degree, the story reading almost more like a novel was intentional. Since, as you also pointed out, this will never be seen on any big screen or have any visual counterpart whatsoever, I felt that the script itself had to reflect the visuals I had in my mind. For you to see what I see, the narration had to be longer and more detailed. Since there would be no actors to convey emotions wordlessly with their gestures or expressions, I had to use words to make sure those emotions were conveyed. I've said before that yes, it's not a "script" in the truest sense of the word; it's a script/novel hybrid. It's not a proper screenplay. And I'm proud of it.;) If and when we do a sequel to this story, I aim for it to be done in the same fashion.

Thanks again for the review. It was wonderful to read! I'm thrilled we pleased you, and I continue to marvel at the staying power that fans like you have given to our little endeavor.:)

Loomis Myers

10-11-2006, 02:42 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-11-2006, 05:57 PM

Looking back on my "critique" post, I see I left something out...

I was taught in college, and believe firmly, that great leaders are always willing to receive constructive criticism, and continue to learn their trade. I don't know if you make a living from your writing, but the two of you have been very open to criticism and willing to learn something from those very critiques.

I believe firmly that is why your script has gone over so well with so many. A gifted person must always strive to hone and refine that gift. The two of you are certainly excelling at that.

Thanks again.
Actually, I think one of the main reasons this script turned out as well as it did was because of the collaborative effort, which was full of constructive criticism...and creative criticism, as well (as in "What if we did this instead of that?"). Rem actually wrote the bulk of the script, and I mainly polished the dialogue on the scenes, then streamlined his draft once it was done. But virtually everything was discussed at length before he wrote any individual scene. We'd throw ideas around...back and forth...toss the ones we didn't like, and try to grow out from the ones that we did.

That was the best part of the process, for me. The actual collaborative brainstorming process. Rem would say "Okay...this is what I want to do with the scene I'm writing next...." Which sometimes got a resounding "Great...go for it!" but more often than not, I'd have little bits to add, or ways I felt it could be improved. Rem might like all of my suggestions, or he might like some, and suggest ways to improve upon the others. So it went...and out of that process, I think, came ideas and directions that neither of us would have necessarily conjured on our own.

I think that both Rem and I came into the project as two people who took constructive criticism pretty well...but by the end of the project, we took it very well. When you collaborate, the criticism doesn't wait for the finished product. It's an ongoing part of the writing process...and it's where all the best material comes from, in my opinion.

Puglife

10-11-2006, 08:39 PM

I waited to read this because I had started it before and got VERY into it and had to stop, so this time I wanted to make sure to have NO interruptions!

Very, very, very good. I love the details and how it flowed together, hooking all of the past Halloweens together.

I honestly think this is the best fan script I've ever read, and it has amazing thought put into it as well.

Very well done!

MMyers89

10-11-2006, 10:04 PM

Once again, this script puts mine to shame. Haha, well done guys. It's about time that I give this another reading, I remember having a blast reading it the first time.

EvilOnTwoLegs

10-12-2006, 06:30 AM

Thanks, everyone...to those reading it for the first time, or giving it another go...it means a lot to us. One of our main goals, naturally, was to create something that wasn't just for us...but something that we felt the Halloween fanbase would enjoy. Still, by the end of it all, we were so into it, ourselves, that we weren't quite sure how "outsiders" might react to it. haha

But, that said, we were pretty sure that it was going to make a splash...simply based upon the fact that it was, at the very least, something very different. I don't think either of us, however, really anticipated how uniformly positive the reception would be. We knew that a lot of people would read it, and that they'd probably feel strongly about it, one way or the other. But with very few exceptions, the fans all seem to embrace the script...some, almost as if it were canonical. And that's something we never could have anticipated...and something that always makes us very happy. So thanks again.

You know, when Rem's not around, I start to feel like Venom from the Spider-Man comics...like I'm referring to myself in the plural form. I know that I speak for both of us, and that he would agree with what I'm saying here, but I've been speaking for both of us for so long, without his input, that it almost feels as if I'm just referring to myself as "We." haha Regardless, I can't speak solely for "I" because "I" didn't write the script. And since Rem and I see definitely eye to eye on these things, and really had the same goals and the same idea of where we wanted to go with the script, it doesn't feel at all odd to speak on his behalf. Still, I hope he'll chime in soon. As the principle architect of the story, he generally has much more interesting things to say. haha

H-field Hero

10-12-2006, 06:52 AM

Both of you commented on the amount of "screen time" that Michael gets in this script. I'll start off by saying that it's been years since I've read SoTD so I won't pretend to have it fresh in my mind. But I remember the lack of constantly having Michael around being a positive (strong point) to the story and not a negative. A movie like Halloween 5, for instance, has to have the shape around a great deal, because it really has nothing else going for it. However, I recall (again not in great detail) getting wrapped up in Lytner's quest to uncover this and that. I remember finding that much more interesting than your typical fan script "Michael Myers comes up from behind, raises his knife and burries it in Jane's back!!!!". I found Lytner as the perfect eyes to tell the story through and thought he was very well written. Also, I remember the script evoking a lot of atmosphere. When reading it, I had a distinct mental image of Haddonfield and everywhere Lytner went I could picture it all in my mind. This is due in part because i'm a visual thinker like that, but mainly because of the way it was all written. And if I recall correctly, when Michael's presence was placed in a scene, it was just that: a presence. I seem to recall a scene where he's watching Sara Moyer and thinking "damn, this is straight out of the original Halloween" (and meaning it as praise). Things like that made the fact Michael isn't filling up the script constantly a positive and not a negative.

I know my thoughts are vague and a bit scattered. Like I said, I read this way back when it was first posted on the UHMB, but those things I mentioned stuck with me.

Remicis

10-15-2006, 05:03 PM

Thanks again for all the continuing comments, guys. It never ceases to bring a smile to my face when I see life still going on in this thread. More than anything else, I've been surprised at the staying power this story has seemed to have with the board membership here. It's been almost three years since EOTL and I first posted it, and it's still getting reviews and maintaining a strong following. As we've said before, nothing is more satisfying than the fact that we've been able to please more people than just ourselves.;) It feels like we've really given something to the Halloween fan community, and that's a good feeling. We owe it all to you people.

http://www.caror.org/Images/thank%20you.jpg

MyersFan75

10-15-2006, 06:27 PM

Jeez I love this script. I remember first reading it back early last year and ended up printing it all out, page by page.

The thing I think that makes it so unique and interesting is the fact that you don't have just Michael as an enemy; you also have the Thorn cult, Dr. Wynn, and in a sense Tommy, as other threats.

It just makes the story so much more dynamic and flexible - you got plenty to work with and it makes it so much more appealing.

This would make a really good Halloween film in my opinion because of it's potential -- not your typical slasher film, but a really deep and meaningful plot-driven movie...one that I think both fans of the series and critics would enjoy. Usually critics just claim "oh, Michael is back and kills seventeen more people than he did in the previous film". Well, not with SOTD.

You've got a whole team of bad guys here and it makes it not JUST a Halloween film, and not JUST a horror film, but it's almost a sort of mystery/unraveling story as well. It's almost a look back at all of Michael's carnage, and it's all unfolding before us in this new, dynamic story.

It's SUCH a breath of fresh air and I love it to death. You guys inspired me to start my own Halloween script which I have yet to completed (albeit already up in the library), and I just want to thank you. I've done it several times within this thread but you guys just don't know how much I admire the work put into this.

You say "thank you" to us, but it should be the total opposite.

Thank you.

EvilOnTwoLegs

01-26-2007, 05:45 PM

For anyone who was a fan of Halloween: Spirits of the Dead, please visit this thread for an announcement from myself and Remicis:

Spirits of the Dead Revisited (And Then Some) (http://ohmb.net/showthread.php?t=10534)

mannylb88

02-14-2007, 04:28 PM

guys, i think what you guys did, and are currently doing is awesome. i to wrote an H9 script and i have stored somewhere in my bookshelf. As a script writer, i really enjoyed your interpretation even though i'm not a big fan of the middle trilogy's inclusion, mostly because i'm not a big fan of the middle trilogy itself.

i would love to help you guys in any way possible, so feel free to look me up.

Schmeer

02-14-2007, 09:33 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

02-14-2007, 09:43 PM

Glad you enjoyed it, Schmeer. Hope you like the next one even better. :D

Remicis

02-17-2007, 05:54 PM

Well Matt, I finally read your script and it blew me away. I love the thorn story it presents. I've been reading your stuff for a decade now and this is one of the best. Great job matt and ETOL :D

It's still not as good as the H:B 4 script though Matt (the uncut version). Kurt Sloan rocks :rock:

It's about time, you fart-knocking bastard. Now go on and finish that novel. Those 400 pages ain't gonna read themselves, buddy.

Schmeer

02-17-2007, 10:05 PM

It's about time, you fart-knocking bastard. Now go on and finish that novel. Those 400 pages ain't gonna read themselves, buddy.

Look who's talkin', Mr. "SAM"-10/31/05. :D

Remicis

02-25-2007, 10:36 PM

Look who's talkin', Mr. "SAM"-10/31/05. :D

I don't know what you're talking about.

Schmeer

02-26-2007, 09:40 PM

I don't know what you're talking about.

:violin:

Bout' time you've come out of denial Matt. :D

Remicis

02-26-2007, 09:50 PM

Put that violin away, son. You're making the children cry, and not because you're playing Greensleeves.

Schmeer

02-27-2007, 09:39 AM

I wasn't playing Greensleeves, more like the Chase scene from Sleepy Hollow. If ya get my drift. :rolleyes:

The Gill-Man

04-19-2007, 07:48 AM

EvilOnTwoLegs

04-19-2007, 09:54 AM

Okay, since I'm a newbie around here, I just read that for the first time, and I must say that I'm impressed. It was, without a doubt, the most cohesive attempt at reconciling the different Halloween continuities.

I was never a huge fan of the whole Thorn concept as it was presented in H6, but this did flesh it out quite a bit. Had this ever been made into a film, it would have been far superior to H6 or H8.

I know that some sort of online comic has been in the works for a while now. Any chance y'all will be involved in that? This really should be adapted into comic form, as it would truly lend itself to that medium.

I look forward to reading your next piece. You certainly have a lot of directions you could take this in.
Thanks, man...and welcome to the board. It's always great to see new faces around here, and particularly to see interest in our work from new members. ;) This script had been around a lot longer than it seems (at least to me, sometimes), so it's cool to get perspectives from people who are new to the board. :D

Matt and I both appreciated Thorn, as a concept, but definitely felt that it was handled very badly in H6...particularly in the theatrical cut of the film. One of our biggest goals in this script was not only to not alienate fans who didn't like Thorn, but to present it in such a way that we felt even they could appreciate the concept, or at least what we were doing with it. Essentially, to fulfill the potential that we both felt the concept had, that was never reached within the actual canon. So we handled Thorn very carefully, and have been extremely heartened to see numerous members who have never been fans of Thorn say that they really enjoyed our offering. Because that was one of our biggest (and most challenging) goals...not only to reunite the two continuities, but also to reunite the factions of the fanbase that had diverged on the issue of Thorn.

The new script is something that we see so much potential in, and we're 100% confident that it's going to blow SotD out of the water. It's been slow going so far, due to our schedules, and the fact that we're both working more then we were years ago, when we wrote SotD, and don't have as much time to spend online. But it's coming in its own due course, and we're very happy with the direction it's taking. It's going to be epic in scale, and focus a lot more on real human drama. We're taking the series into areas it's never gone before, and we're excited about that.

As for the comics, the official Halloween comics are going to carry on the actual current canon of the series, which includes only the H1-H2-H20-H:R continuity. So SotD won't be seeing an adaptation in that medium. Which I don't mind at all, as I understand what they're doing, and with Stef Hutchinson in the writer's chair, we're in very good hands, as far as the comics are concerned. The comics are extended the canon in their way, and Matt and I are extending it in our own ways, through our scripts. Rob Zombie's remake, and the fact that the old series has essentially been discontinued, leaves a lot of room to play around in, and I think there's certainly room for different extensions within different media. So our scripts are going in one direction, and the comics are going somewhere else entirely. Which I think is fantastic...it gives fans a chance to get as much out of the old continuity (or continuities) as possible, now that the actual films have stopped coming. That said, I am writing material for the Halloween comics website, and might possibly do some work for the comics themselves at some point. So that's very exciting to me. I've always wanted to work in comics, and it's one of the few things, as a writer, that I haven't gotten to do yet.

I'm very happy to be involved in both the fan scripts that Matt and I are working on and the official comics. As I said, there's plenty of room for the old series to expand, in divergent directions, and in various media...and it's great to be involved in that in as many capacities as I possibly can. So working on the scripts and the comics will give me an opporunity to explore many different avenues that might not work together, because they're two entirely separate entities. I've already been able to fill in some blanks in the material I've written for the comics website, and hope to work on the actual comics sometime in the near future. And the scripts allow Matt and I to go in a completely different direction, and establish new characters and story arcs within the Halloween Universe. In short, I'm one lucky bastard to have so many talented people wanting me to work with them, to boldly take Halloween where no slasher series has gone before. ;)

So stayed tuned, because things are going to get pretty exciting. Just because they aren't making any more films in the old series, that doesn't mean that series is dead...only that there's no limit to where it can go. After all, Halloween films have never had particularly high budgets, but you can write and draw things that would never make it into an actual sequel, for financial reasons. So both the scripts and the comics are going to be taking full advantage of that fact, and going places that are unheard of for a slasher series...as well as returning what we feel is a kind of dignity that's been lacking in several of the Halloween films. In the end, whether it's the scripts or the comics, it's all about going back to the roots of the original film and taking that in a completely fresh, unexplored direction. And between these two media, I'm very lucky to have a hand in each, and can guarantee that both the new scripts and the comics are going to give the hardcore fans something unique that they're going to love.

As the old saying goes, you ain't seen nothin' yet. :D

Dark Agent

04-19-2007, 11:44 AM

I can't wait to see the script when ever it is complete, it's sounding good.

The Gill-Man

04-20-2007, 08:15 AM

Thanks, man...and welcome to the board. It's always great to see new faces around here, and particularly to see interest in our work from new members. ;) This script had been around a lot longer than it seems (at least to me, sometimes), so it's cool to get perspectives from people who are new to the board. :D

Matt and I both appreciated Thorn, as a concept, but definitely felt that it was handled very badly in H6...particularly in the theatrical cut of the film. One of our biggest goals in this script was not only to not alienate fans who didn't like Thorn, but to present it in such a way that we felt even they could appreciate the concept, or at least what we were doing with it. Essentially, to fulfill the potential that we both felt the concept had, that was never reached within the actual canon. So we handled Thorn very carefully, and have been extremely heartened to see numerous members who have never been fans of Thorn say that they really enjoyed our offering. Because that was one of our biggest (and most challenging) goals...not only to reunite the two continuities, but also to reunite the factions of the fanbase that had diverged on the issue of Thorn.

The new script is something that we see so much potential in, and we're 100% confident that it's going to blow SotD out of the water. It's been slow going so far, due to our schedules, and the fact that we're both working more then we were years ago, when we wrote SotD, and don't have as much time to spend online. But it's coming in its own due course, and we're very happy with the direction it's taking. It's going to be epic in scale, and focus a lot more on real human drama. We're taking the series into areas it's never gone before, and we're excited about that.

As for the comics, the official Halloween comics are going to carry on the actual current canon of the series, which includes only the H1-H2-H20-H:R continuity. So SotD won't be seeing an adaptation in that medium. Which I don't mind at all, as I understand what they're doing, and with Stef Hutchinson in the writer's chair, we're in very good hands, as far as the comics are concerned. The comics are extended the canon in their way, and Matt and I are extending it in our own ways, through our scripts. Rob Zombie's remake, and the fact that the old series has essentially been discontinued, leaves a lot of room to play around in, and I think there's certainly room for different extensions within different media. So our scripts are going in one direction, and the comics are going somewhere else entirely. Which I think is fantastic...it gives fans a chance to get as much out of the old continuity (or continuities) as possible, now that the actual films have stopped coming. That said, I am writing material for the Halloween comics website, and might possibly do some work for the comics themselves at some point. So that's very exciting to me. I've always wanted to work in comics, and it's one of the few things, as a writer, that I haven't gotten to do yet.

I'm very happy to be involved in both the fan scripts that Matt and I are working on and the official comics. As I said, there's plenty of room for the old series to expand, in divergent directions, and in various media...and it's great to be involved in that in as many capacities as I possibly can. So working on the scripts and the comics will give me an opporunity to explore many different avenues that might not work together, because they're two entirely separate entities. I've already been able to fill in some blanks in the material I've written for the comics website, and hope to work on the actual comics sometime in the near future. And the scripts allow Matt and I to go in a completely different direction, and establish new characters and story arcs within the Halloween Universe. In short, I'm one lucky bastard to have so many talented people wanting me to work with them, to boldly take Halloween where no slasher series has gone before. ;)

So stayed tuned, because things are going to get pretty exciting. Just because they aren't making any more films in the old series, that doesn't mean that series is dead...only that there's no limit to where it can go. After all, Halloween films have never had particularly high budgets, but you can write and draw things that would never make it into an actual sequel, for financial reasons. So both the scripts and the comics are going to be taking full advantage of that fact, and going places that are unheard of for a slasher series...as well as returning what we feel is a kind of dignity that's been lacking in several of the Halloween films. In the end, whether it's the scripts or the comics, it's all about going back to the roots of the original film and taking that in a completely fresh, unexplored direction. And between these two media, I'm very lucky to have a hand in each, and can guarantee that both the new scripts and the comics are going to give the hardcore fans something unique that they're going to love.

As the old saying goes, you ain't seen nothin' yet. :D

I agree wholeheartedly agree about the Thorn concept. When it was first hinted at in H5, I was intrigued, and couldn't wait to see what direction they were going to take it. Unfortunately, the execution of it was rather...lacking. The approach that y'all took here really redeems the concept.

One of my favorite things about this script is that it clarifies that Michael was evil BEFORE Thorn got their hands on him. His psychotic desire to kill isn't because he is a puppet of some cult, but just because he is plain evil. The idea that Michael was actually playing the Thorn cult for fools returned him to his core as a devious, methodical killer with infinite patience. At the end of this script, Michael is restored to the menacing figure that he was in the earlier films, and I LOVED that. Best of all, you didn't have to throw out any of the story elements from any of the films.

I'm glad to hear that you might be involved in the comics. I like what I'm hearing from you, and I love the idea of your scripts and the comics going in different directions. In many ways, that gives the reader all sorts of possible choices as to where the story could go. While I was sad to see the original series end, I understand the reasoning for it. I haven't been a fan of most of the horror remakes that Hollywood has been churning out recently, but I feel that Mr. Zombie is at least attempting to do his own thing with his version. I long ago resigned myself to the fact that Halloween was going to be re-made, but at least this one appears to bring something new to the table. As you pointed out, this is a golden opportunity, as it allows the original storylines to continue in other forms. What you and Matt have done here (and what it sounds like you have in store for us down the road) is take full advantage of said opporunity by crafting a fantastic story that embraced the whole of the original Michael Myer's saga.

On a different note, I just wanna say that I'm lovin' the hell outta your "Deconstructing Scary" series. You've put into writing many of the points that I myself have argued about the medium over the years! Kudos to you, good sir!!!

Schmeer

04-20-2007, 10:52 AM

One of my favorite things about this script is that it clarifies that Michael was evil BEFORE Thorn got their hands on him. His psychotic desire to kill isn't because he is a puppet of some cult, but just because he is plain evil. The idea that Michael was actually playing the Thorn cult for fools returned him to his core as a devious, methodical killer with infinite patience. At the end of this script, Michael is restored to the menacing figure that he was in the earlier films, and I LOVED that. Best of all, you didn't have to throw out any of the story elements from any of the films.

I loved that about the script, too. It really shows how smart Micheal really is.

EvilOnTwoLegs

04-20-2007, 10:52 AM

I agree wholeheartedly agree about the Thorn concept. When it was first hinted at in H5, I was intrigued, and couldn't wait to see what direction they were going to take it. Unfortunately, the execution of it was rather...lacking. The approach that y'all took here really redeems the concept.

One of my favorite things about this script is that it clarifies that Michael was evil BEFORE Thorn got their hands on him. His psychotic desire to kill isn't because he is a puppet of some cult, but just because he is plain evil. The idea that Michael was actually playing the Thorn cult for fools returned him to his core as a devious, methodical killer with infinite patience. At the end of this script, Michael is restored to the menacing figure that he was in the earlier films, and I LOVED that. Best of all, you didn't have to throw out any of the story elements from any of the films.

I'm glad to hear that you might be involved in the comics. I like what I'm hearing from you, and I love the idea of your scripts and the comics going in different directions. In many ways, that gives the reader all sorts of possible choices as to where the story could go. While I was sad to see the original series end, I understand the reasoning for it. I haven't been a fan of most of the horror remakes that Hollywood has been churning out recently, but I feel that Mr. Zombie is at least attempting to do his own thing with his version. I long ago resigned myself to the fact that Halloween was going to be re-made, but at least this one appears to bring something new to the table. As you pointed out, this is a golden opportunity, as it allows the original storylines to continue in other forms. What you and Matt have done here (and what it sounds like you have in store for us down the road) is take full advantage of said opporunity by crafting a fantastic story that embraced the whole of the original Michael Myer's saga.

On a different note, I just wanna say that I'm lovin' the hell outta your "Deconstructing Scary" series. You've put into writing many of the points that I myself have argued about the medium over the years! Kudos to you, good sir!!!
Thanks, man. Matt doesn't get on the board as often as he used to...which is a shame because he was really the brains behind SotD. It was his concept, and he had most of his ideas nailed down before I managed to climb aboard. We discussed everything at great length, and I guess I probably steered a few of his ideas in this direction or that, but he had the overall ideas needed to make the reunion of the two continuities work. Which impressed the hell out of me, and was the reason I got on board in the first place. Also, Matt did the physical writing of the script. He wrote all the scenes himself, then I edited them, revised them, "fixed" what I felt could using "fixing," etc. It was a joint effort, but pretty lopsided. haha

For the new script (as yet untitled), most of the story arc is again Matt's...but I like to think that I've added more to the various subplots than I did with SotD, which Matt had already been outlining for a long time before I got involved. And we'll each be writing scenes this time around, with Matt focusing on certain aspects, and me taking on others, and splitting the work when all the elements come together. So the writing this time will be more of a 50/50 split, with the obvious revisions to come later in the game. It's exciting stuff, and I think that it's going to be something that any Halloween fan will be able to enjoy.

Now that we've established that all of the films are connected in our interpretation of the Halloween Universe, we're letting go of the events of H4-H6. We used them to re-establish a single continuity in SotD, but from now on, our scripts are going to be rooted in the H1-H2-H20-H:R continuity. There will be no mention of Thorn or any characters from H4-H6. This was a decision that Matt and I agreed upon very early on. And mostly, I'd say that we're going to be focusing on the specific continuation of SotD, as well as throwbacks to H1, primarily. Though the story will not be a direct continuation of SotD, Lytener will be returning to Haddonfield, and events from SotD will be brought back into play. And naturally, doing this without getting into the "Middle Trilogy" territory is challenging, and I think that the directions we're taking are going to make for a very interesting read.

And I was glad that in SotD, we were able to use characters and reference events from H:R in a serious story, without touching on any of the elements that Matt and I agree made H:R the ultimate low point in the Halloween series. We were very careful with what we used from that film. At one point, early on, I remember Matt was considering (though hesitantly) including Freddie, as a more serious character whose life had been changed as a result of his Myers encounter. And of course, Michael would kill him this time around. haha But I felt that, based on what we saw of Freddie at the end of H:R, he was still too much of a caricature to have some immediate epiphany and get "serious." Matt agreed, and we decided against using him in any way. In the final draft, I don't think we even mention his name. So, we definitely wanted to utilize material from all of the films, but we were very selective. We knew we could only use elements that could be made to fit with the tone of our script...and with films like H:R in the mix (especially with this being, in a way, a direct sequel to H:R), that wasn't always easy.

Also, thanks for reading and commenting on Deconstructing Scary. It's been a blast to write and I put my heart and soul into every article. I always knew that this encyclopedic knowledge of horror films wouldn't go to waste...that I'd eventually find something constructive to do with my understanding of the genre. Who says horror films rot your brain? haha It's definitely great to get feedback on the column, and so long as people keep reading, I'll keep writing. :D

I loved that about the script, too. It really shows how smart Micheal really is.
Yeah, we knew this was the number one objection of fans who didn't like Thorn...that Michael was "controlled" by some cult. But Matt and I, even in watching H6, never looked at it that way. We always felt that Michael was in control of the situation, and that he was working his own angle. So this was something that both of us felt really strongly about including...and Matt had a lot of great ideas on how to make it work, and convey to the reader that Michael was never under anybody's control. And we were able to do that without contradicting anything in H6...because, like I said, that's just how we've always viewed H6 to begin with. So that was great...and I think it was one of the primary things that really made the script work for readers who weren't really fans of Thorn.

Remicis

04-22-2007, 12:52 AM

First off, let me welcome you to the board and express my own gratitude for you taking the time to read our story here, Gill-Man. Funnily enough, I sometimes wonder how new people to the board will be exposed to this script when it drifts off the front page of this forum and I go into one of my periodic hibernations, taking the link in my sig with me.;) But it obviously reaches new hands somehow, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me feel warm and squishy on the inside.:D So thanks for checking it out, and thanks even more for the comments!

EOTL, as always, has done an excellent job of detailing our personal backstory on this venture and speaking for the both of us, but I’ll drop in with all the tidbits I can.;) The two points you mentioned as having enjoyed the most—the redemption of the Thorn concept and the return of Michael to his truest and most malevolent form—were two of the primary goals we’d been striving to achieve on this project. I’d always been a big fan of the notion of Thorn…the initial developments of it in Halloweens 4 and 5 were what originally solidified me as a Halloween fan when I was first watching the movies…and I’d always been more than a little bitter over its catastrophic mishandling in Halloween 6 due to an asshole director and a studio that didn’t care…or honestly just didn’t know what to do. In any event, I was pissed. And it didn’t help matters when H20 came along and tried to pretend that none of it ever happened. Perhaps I wouldn’t have taken such offense at the film’s selective memory if I hadn’t gotten so interested in the story elements that it was trying to sweep under the rug. That’s anyone’s guess, really. But the way things happened, I felt severely cheated. And then when an entry like H:R came along, well…do I really need to explain why that was the final nail in the coffin?

Thus, in accordance with what it usually takes to spur people to action in any matter, Spirits of the Dead was born out of two guys being really hacked off. So with a single script, we set out to reconcile the severed continuities, make Michael scary again, elevate the characters to a more mature level, bring something new and fresh to the series, and advance the overall storyline so that it would never just feel like superfluous filler…or a mere excuse to reconnect the series. That was one of the items on the agenda, sure, but we wouldn’t have done it if we couldn’t fit it into the context of a story that was worth telling.

And it’s especially gratifying to hear from someone who was a little soured on the Thorn concept, but has come to view it in a new light. As EOTL explained, we also sought very much to attempt to unite the two Halloween “factions,” as it were…the Thorn fans and the “Pure Evil” fans. We wanted to tell a story that everyone could enjoy, that wouldn’t alienate anyone who liked any portion of the Halloween series. And for the most part, I think we succeeded. This script has gotten more positive feedback from more anti-Thorn fans than we could’ve ever imagined or expected. And that’s always one of my favorite things to see.

Overall, we’re thrilled you liked it so much, and I’ll add my encouragement for you to stay tuned to the thread on our upcoming sequel to this work. EOTL’s also done a fine job of explaining where we’re headed on that, but I’ll throw two more cents in here as well…it’s going to be a huge story, and while I’ve gotten in the habit of saying it’s going to completely dwarf SotD, I don’t want to take away from the individual value of that script. You have to keep in mind the very functional and pragmatic nature of SotD as an overall chapter in the Halloween series…it had lost plotlines to tie back together and a forgotten subplot to revive and revolutionize, none of which were small tasks and consequently took up a lot of “screen time.” Now that we’re free of that for the new one, we can explore character depths and psychological elements that there just wasn’t room for in SotD. For instance, we’ll get a much better spotlight on Lytener’s character this time around, whereas he was more of a plot device than anything else for the previous entry. We’ll get a lot closer to him, and to the entire town of Haddonfield. We’re going to examine this place in a way that no other Halloween film has done before. That is one of the new elements our next script is bringing to the table, and it’s our way of topping what we’ve done before. We always try to make every new project even better than our last one, but at least in my opinion, they’ll each still retain a value all their own. Rest assured, however, that we’re pulling out all the stops to make sure we give you something that resets the bar.

And as far as continuity is concerned, it’s not as though we’re “re-forgetting” Halloweens 4-6. But as EOTL already said, both of us feel that we’ve done what we wanted to do with the Thorn storyline, and at least for now, there won’t be any further mention of it. Remember, too, that Lytener buried his exposé at the end of SotD, so the public at large still wouldn’t be aware of those events. A better way to describe it at this point, though, is to say that so much has happened, it’s just time to lapse into summary. When past events are referenced, more often than not, all you’ll hear is that Michael’s been killing people for years and years. End of story, what’s he up to now? That sort of thing. In other words, we’re not going to directly call attention to H20 or H:R any more than we are H4 or H5. They’ve all fallen into “some of his killing sprees over the past few decades.” In the case of the script we have coming up, you’ll get reference to SotD, simply because it’s the directly previous installment, and some of those events still have bearing on what’s happening now, and you’ll get references to 1978 and possibly 1963, simply because they’re the beginnings, and Haddonfield will remember them the most poignantly. Aside from that, they’re all going to blend together.

All right, I think I’ve rambled for more than long enough.;) Thanks again for reading, and we hope to see you back for Halloween 10!

The Gill-Man

04-30-2007, 12:48 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

04-30-2007, 03:58 PM

Thanks to both of you for taking the time out to respond! I appreciate that!

I think y'all are taking a very smart approach with the upcoming script. At the end of SotD, you had effectively reconciled the continuities, tied up the loose plot threads from all of the films, and restored Michael to his state as one scary son of a bitch! There really isn't any need to continue to revisit the events of H:4-H:6, or really H20 & H:R (well, I'd be okay if Michael PAINFULLY killed Freddie, but other than that...). The new script would certainly benefit from the approach of being free of all of that baggage (especially since you aren't "ignoring" the past the way H20 did, just not making overt references to specifics).

I absolutely cannot wait to read this next installment. Everything I'm reading here gets me excited, as it sounds like you two are just filled with great ideas.
Thanks, man. We always appreciate feedback, so we generally respond to all views, comments, or critiques. It's just fantastic to have people still reading and enjoying our script after all this time. :D

And really, I think that the way we're handling the new project is the only way to handle it. The story is going to be so expansive, and it's going in such a different direction, that there isn't really much need (or even room) for a lot of back-referencing. We've got H1, which is the basis for everything, so you have to get into that territory, and then there's SotD, to which the current script is a direct sequel, and we're re-using characters from it...so those are the two main stories we really have to stay grounded in.

Beyond that, we're not defying continuity or ignoring any of the sequels. If we did that, then all the work we did to reconcile the series in SotD would essentially be null and void. So what we're doing is keeping the whole of the canon in mind, while keeping the back-references simple and understated and moving forward, rather than looking back. We're getting really pro-active with it, and taking things in a whole new direction.

That said, the actual writing process has gotten underway for the as-yet-untitled sequel to SotD. Matt finished up the opening recently and sent it my way...and last night I finished revising that, and wrote the follow-up scene...which I've sent back to Matt for perusal, comments, revision, etc. And so that he can get onto the task of banging out the next scene. I've actually made a few adjustments since the draft I sent him...but since I've emailed him so many times today, I've vowed not to send him anything else until he gets back to me. haha I have a tendency to overdo it with emails when I'm working on a project. And Matt, busy as he is, finds his inbox filling up by the time he gets a chance to respond.

So stay tuned...so far, this script is moving a lot faster than SotD, and it's getting pretty exciting. We're looking to get it out in time for October 31st...to make it a real occasion. Hopefully, we'll make the deadline. It'd be great to be able to post the script on Halloween. :D

The Gill-Man

05-01-2007, 10:19 AM

Thanks, man. We always appreciate feedback, so we generally respond to all views, comments, or critiques. It's just fantastic to have people still reading and enjoying our script after all this time. :D

And really, I think that the way we're handling the new project is the only way to handle it. The story is going to be so expansive, and it's going in such a different direction, that there isn't really much need (or even room) for a lot of back-referencing. We've got H1, which is the basis for everything, so you have to get into that territory, and then there's SotD, to which the current script is a direct sequel, and we're re-using characters from it...so those are the two main stories we really have to stay grounded in.

Beyond that, we're not defying continuity or ignoring any of the sequels. If we did that, then all the work we did to reconcile the series in SotD would essentially be null and void. So what we're doing is keeping the whole of the canon in mind, while keeping the back-references simple and understated and moving forward, rather than looking back. We're getting really pro-active with it, and taking things in a whole new direction.

That said, the actual writing process has gotten underway for the as-yet-untitled sequel to SotD. Matt finished up the opening recently and sent it my way...and last night I finished revising that, and wrote the follow-up scene...which I've sent back to Matt for perusal, comments, revision, etc. And so that he can get onto the task of banging out the next scene. I've actually made a few adjustments since the draft I sent him...but since I've emailed him so many times today, I've vowed not to send him anything else until he gets back to me. haha I have a tendency to overdo it with emails when I'm working on a project. And Matt, busy as he is, finds his inbox filling up by the time he gets a chance to respond.

So stay tuned...so far, this script is moving a lot faster than SotD, and it's getting pretty exciting. We're looking to get it out in time for October 31st...to make it a real occasion. Hopefully, we'll make the deadline. It'd be great to be able to post the script on Halloween. :D

Sweet! That would be a great way to experience it...on Halloween itself!

The Dark Shape

05-25-2007, 10:10 PM

Ooh.

This should be fun. That's right, kiddies. Negative ninny 'The Dark Shape' is going to read Spirits of the Dead, cover-to-cover, and not bitch about formatting. It should truly be a sight to behold. Stay tuned.

Back to you in the studio, Bob.

wyatt s

06-16-2007, 12:29 AM

So I know you guys are working on your new script and thus probably don't worry about this one anymore, atleast for the time being, but what the hell I'm gonna comment anyway.Ya see being a newbie to this board (and the fact that I don't sleep) I tend to waste my nights away sifting through old threads and such to get a good feel for the place and the other night I came across this. Well I just finished reading the script at roughly 3 A.M tonight and I just couldn't resist speaking up about it. So bear with me.

Let me just cut right to the chase, brilliant work. It's clear from the first paragraph of this very novelesque (as it truly does read like a great mystery nove) screenplay that a lot of time, energy, and passion went into this. Now that's not surprising as that's what fan scripts, and movies, etc. are expected to do. But the difference between this and most fan works quite simply is that an increadible amount of actual talent went in to making this, and that's evident in every line.

I was quite taken aback by the fact that you didn't really just rehash anything, you had a truely intriguing narrative and did it in a way (and a in a genre actually) that the series of movies never came close to touching and that was nicely refreshing to say the least. Also your character's were very three dimensional, never once did it seem like any of the characters were only really there to die, even if they were. It was actually very easy to establish an emotional connection with them, and thus painful when they died.

The other thing that took me completely off gaurd was how laugh out loud funny a lot of it was at times. That's not to say that it wasn't a serious and intelligent drama, but there were quick little moments that are actually really amusing. The snappy and quick witted dialogue adds quite a lot to that.

Of course I can't say that I loved every single thing, though I do think it's brilliant. I don't really feel like getting in to specifics, so I just give a couple of small criticisms. There are moments in it that seem kind of slow paced when they should be quickened and there are other times where it is sort of fast paced when it should be slow. And of course some of the exposition, and there was quite a lot, seemed a little bit tiresome on occasion. But these are only minor problems and don't detract in anyway from the over all quality of the script. And just so you know, I have problems with Citizen Kane for Christ Sake so there's really no surprise that I have some issues here.

Once again though, this is a great peice of work that deserves any and all accolades it recieves. I Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I thank you for that.

Remicis

06-17-2007, 12:58 PM

Let me say, first of all, that I dig the Watchmen action going on in your signature. Very classy.;)

And make no mistake, we may be currently at work on the sequel, but we're by no means ignoring this script or the comments it receives. Far from it. I'm pretty sure I speak for both myself and EOTL when I say that it's always great to see this story still getting attention after having been posted and around for three and a half years now. So thank you for taking the time to check it out and give it a read.:)

As for your comments, all I can say, again, is thanks.:D A lot of time and passion did indeed go into this script, and it's heartening for both of us to see you enjoyed it. Doing something new was one of our primary goals, as it is with our current project as well, and at least for me, this "fan work" also serves as a way of showing that you can make this series fresh and original without resorting to a remake. It's wonderful to see you got so much out of it.

Again, thanks for reading and replying. Both of us appreciate your review immensely. And we hope to see you come around again for Halloween 10 this October!:D

EvilOnTwoLegs

06-17-2007, 09:42 PM

And the heavens fall...Matt actually replied before me. :p

And as retribution for all the times I spoke for him, he has done an excellent job of speaking for me. We do, after all, share a brain.

Though we plan to completely blow SOTD out of the water with our current project, it's still a special script for us. It was the first stab at fan fiction either of us had ever taken...it was possibly the first time either of us had collaborated with another writer (certainly, it was for me)...it was our first piece of work as a team...and I believe it was Matt's first script. Lot of "firsts" in there...so obviously, we're always going to regard it fondly. And we both enjoyed the experience so much that we decided to do it all over again with a follow-up script. So yeah, it's been fantastic.

SOTD was definitely something personal for both of us. We had a lot invested in it, personally speaking. Certainly, as you said, a lot of time, energy and passion went into it. And Matt and I are lucky in that our passions regarding Halloween pointed both of us in the same direction. We had the same overall goals. We wanted to bring everything together, naturally...but we also wanted to do something different. I didn't get in on this simply because Matt had found a way to connect the two separate timelines...it was the framework he'd developed and the characters he was creating that really pulled me into it. The idea of doing Halloween as a film noir thriller sent me through the roof.

We also agreed on making it more mature...more adult than the average slasher film. Humor is good here and there, but I've always felt "comic relief" was unnecessary. If there's going to be humor, it should be genuine, and come from the characters. You don't need characters who exist for that sole purpose, and you don't have to create scenarios specifically to serve comedic ends. Humor in film, to me, often works best when it's in the spirit of the humor we encounter in real life. People have their moments. Sometimes, they're funny...sometimes, they're serious. I think that's how Matt and I both saw it, and we tried to inject our own sense of humor into the script. Not just for the sake of it...but because it was appropriate to the situation.

Thanks for reading, and for commenting. It's always great to see that, after all this time, people are still coming in and experiencing SOTD for the first time. The reception this script has received, both on the old UHMB and here, has always astounded us. And hopefully, lightning will strike (at least) twice, and our H10 script will strike the same chord with the fans. Honestly, I can't see how it couldn't. What we've got so far, at least in my estimation, is already head-and-shoulders above our work in SOTD.

So thanks for reading, and keep your eyes peeled this Halloween season. We've got more on the way, and it's gonna deliver the goods.

Myersnena

07-13-2007, 11:40 AM

I just wanted to say that i thought this script was good.:nodsmile: i really enjoyed it. Thumbs up to the both of you.

EvilOnTwoLegs

07-13-2007, 12:31 PM

Glad you liked it.

Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming sequel...if I ever get my sorry ass back to writing.

JasonLives

09-13-2007, 05:07 AM

plo koon

09-13-2007, 07:25 AM

wow nice keep it up!

Schmeer

09-13-2007, 10:28 PM

Call me sensitive, but Matt has a knack for creating love stories, beautiful love stories.........and then destroying them. Like Sara and Lex. You do that in everything you write. I hate you for that. :D

Remicis

09-14-2007, 06:56 AM

Plo and JasonLives, thanks a lot for the comments! It's heartening to see another couple of satisfied customers, especially from someone who wasn't particularly into parts 4-6 at the start. That's what I loved the most about writing this story, and it's the highest praise for EOTL and me that this has received such an overwhelmingly positive response from such a diverse range of fans. Again, thanks! And have no fear, Lytener is coming back for the sequel.:D

And Jeff...you love me and you know it. Whatever my destructive habits may be.;)

EvilOnTwoLegs

09-15-2007, 09:54 PM

Wow .. just wow! Just utter brilliance, definetly the best fan-script of Halloween I have ever read. Now I was never a big fan of 4-6 and never really minded that H20 ignored those films. But this amazingly written screenplay definetly rekindled my interest in those films, from beginning to end I was on the edge of my seat -- the only thing I had a hard time identifying with was the character of Sara (having never seen resurrection .. don't plan to either) but it's clear she suffered a great trauma. It was good to see character's like Tommy Doyle back (and the fact that he was revealed to be the Man In Black really caught me off guard -- and the fact that "Kyle" was Steven). The death scenes were written particularly good and you're descriptions of them were quite disturbing (good stuff!), Lytener (did I spell that correctly?) was a great original character and I hope he's in the sequel. This would have undoubtedly made a good no an excellent film, well done and all I can say is bring on the sequel!!
Big thanks. It's always cool to hear from someone who's enjoyed the script...and particularly when said reader isn't a big fan of H4-H6. In many ways, we were aiming squarely at those fans who weren't major appreciators of the "middle trilogy," and trying to frame them in such a way that was satisfying to Halloween fans of all stripes. So it's always great to hear comments such as these.

And fear not...as my esteemed comrade has assured you, you've not yet seen the last of Lytener. Look for him, as well as some great new characters, in our upcoming (as-yet-untitled) SOTD sequel.

wow nice keep it up!
Thanks...we're trying. ;)

Call me sensitive, but Matt has a knack for creating love stories, beautiful love stories.........and then destroying them. Like Sara and Lex. You do that in everything you write. I hate you for that. :D
See...this is one of the things I love about Matt's work. haha He has a real flair for tragedy...which I can always appreciate.

It reminds me of this exchange from Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead...think of it as an outtake from Hamlet:

THE PLAYER: We're more of the Love, Blood & Rhetoric school. Well...we can do you Blood and Love without the Rhetoric, and we can do you Blood and Rhetoric without the Love...and we can do you all three, concurrent or consecutive. But we can't give you Love and Rhetoric without the Blood. Blood is compulsory. They're all Blood, you see.
GUILDENSTERN: Is that what people want?
THE PLAYER: It's what we do.

What we do, indeed. :nodsmile:

plo koon

09-15-2007, 11:28 PM

ooo neat, cant wait to see if you do anything with it

slasher2040

11-12-2007, 07:42 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-12-2007, 08:57 PM

I liked the fact that some of the characters from H6 came back, but seriously, I got to be honest with you, I couldn't get into it, no offense, please don't have Tommy become a cult member, and kill Stephen, myers and wynn didnt even die either.
Too late. We already had Tommy become a cult member. haha But not really. All he was trying to do was kill all the fuckers and destroy Myers.

And of course Myers didn't die! If he died, how could we write a sequel? haha Besides, Myers never dies in these movies. Not really, anyway. That said, we'll kill him off in one of our scripts eventually. Just not in SOTD. See, once we kill him off, we resign ourselves to never writing another one of these. Because when we kill him, he's gonna be dead. We're not gonna pseudo-kill him like the actual series sequels do. That just gets boring and repetitive beyond a certain point. So any time we do one of these, he's either gonna be alive at the end of the script, or he's gonna be dead for good. And that's not gonna happen until we've firmly decided that we don't want to write any more scripts.

Anyway...sorry if it didn't tickle your fancy. But you know what they say about pleasing all of the people all of the time.

slasher2040

11-14-2007, 05:33 PM

hey thats fine, its your script, my script ends the saga, you should read it sometime, its in a new thread REVISED, what about Tommy trying to kill Stephen, he was pointing a gun to him, it didn't actually look like he was trying to kill the cult members and destroy Myers, was John Tate supposed to be dead in this or just ran away.

DoomsdayFAN

11-14-2007, 06:23 PM

I believe in this story, John Tate killed himself off screen. (?)

Remicis

11-14-2007, 06:45 PM

...what about Tommy trying to kill Stephen, he was pointing a gun to him, it didn't actually look like he was trying to kill the cult members and destroy Myers, was John Tate supposed to be dead in this or just ran away.

I believe in this story, John Tate killed himself off screen. (?)

Correctamundo.

And by attempting to kill Steven, Tommy was inherently trying to kill Myers. This story establishes that he cannot be killed until every member of his family is dead. Only then will the Thorn curse that protects him be lifted. So if Tommy wanted to kill Michael, he had to make sure Steven died first. It's a necessary intermediate step.

DoomsdayFAN

11-14-2007, 06:49 PM

i thought it was cool how Michael (I think) grabs Steven and takes him to saftey outside the barn... then dissapires. (Or something like that).

And... if Tommy wants Michael dead, and if the only way to kill Michael is to kill all his family members... why doesnt Tommy just kill Steven?

Remicis

11-14-2007, 07:01 PM

Correct again on what Michael did with Steven there.

And if you recall, that's exactly what Tommy attempted at one point in SotD. But killing Steven himself was a last-ditch attempt after the failure of his overall plan to manipulate Michael into killing Steven in a ceremonial setting, which would allow Tommy to take out Michael and the cult in one fell swoop...because the cult ultimately had to go, too. They were the root of it all. Otherwise, they'd just get somebody else after Michael bit the dust.

And even besides all that, Tommy never wanted to kill anybody with his own hands other than Michael and the cult members. As I'm sure you noticed in the script, Tommy showed more than a little hesitation when he leveled his gun at Steven and would've had to do the deed himself.

He wasn't an out-and-out villain, so deliberately putting a bullet between the eyes of a nine-year-old boy wasn't something he could do easily.

DoomsdayFAN

11-14-2007, 07:54 PM

Will Tommy be in the sequel? He didnt die did he? :bigeyes: Crap. I forgot what happened to Tommy.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-15-2007, 03:40 AM

According to SOTD, Tommy's body wasn't recovered. So he may very well be alive. Will we see him again? Only time will tell.

But no, he's not in our H10.

H-field Hero

11-15-2007, 05:39 AM

Remicis

11-15-2007, 11:03 AM

I get nostalgic when this thread pops up. How many years has it been since this was released? It's been years since I've looked at the script, but I remember how much atmosphere it evoked. I had no trouble putting myself in the setting.

Almost four whole years since we first posted this baby. Gives me a warm, squishy feeling on the inside. ...Either that, or I need to wear diapers.

H-field Hero

11-15-2007, 11:06 AM

Almost four whole years since we first posted this baby. Gives me a warm, squishy feeling on the inside. ...Either that, or I need to wear diapers.Yep 2003ish sounds about right. Back when we were all young lads in this big Halloween board :D.

slasher2040

11-15-2007, 04:23 PM

but that doesn't make sense about it, in H6 Tommy was protecting Stephen, not killing him, besides the curse was lifted in H6, thats why Michael killed those doctors, so this would be like mine, the curse being placed back on Michael, and about John Tate, what did you mean by killing himself off screen.

Remicis

11-15-2007, 08:27 PM

I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but to be honest, everything we've been discussing was explained pretty clearly in the script. Have you actually read it?

That said...

A) Correct. In H6, Tommy was protecting Steven. But that was before he made the critical turnaround to what he has become in this story...an infiltrator of the Thorn cult who has developed an arguably twisted strategy for really bringing about an ultimate end to both Michael and the cult. It's all detailed in a conversation he has with Lytener in the final act.

B) Incorrect. The curse was not lifted in H6. Not according to this story, at least. This was mostly detailed in a conversation Lytener has with Wynn about mid-way through the script. The curse still remains with Michael, as it has since the very beginning.

C) John Tate is in no way involved in this extension of the Halloween universe. It's stated explicitly in a conversation between Lytener and his wife that Tate committed suicide some time between H:R and this story.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-16-2007, 03:34 AM

I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but to be honest, everything we've been discussing was explained pretty clearly in the script.
So I'm not the only one who wondered about this? Okay, good. haha

slasher2040

11-17-2007, 08:54 AM

I said I only read a little bit of the beginning and skipped through to the ending.

TheShape'78

11-17-2007, 09:36 AM

well then you missed major plot points.

-mitch-

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-17-2007, 04:22 PM

I said I only read a little bit of the beginning and skipped through to the ending.
Ohhhhhhhh.

Well, shit...why are we even bothering to answer your questions, then?

Not for nothing, but we're not beholden to our non-reading public.

Remicis

11-17-2007, 06:30 PM

well then you missed major plot points.

-mitch-

Ohhhhhhhh.

Well, shit...why are we even bothering to answer your questions, then?

Not for nothing, but we're not beholden to our non-reading public.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Slasher2040...to not pull any punches, this is a waste of everyone's time. Show a little respect, and come back when you've actually read the material you're trying to discuss.

slasher2040

11-17-2007, 06:59 PM

sorry, that was rude of me, I dont know what the hell I was thinking, sorry.

DoomsdayFAN

11-17-2007, 08:56 PM

Forgive me if you've explained this already, but its been a while since I read the script.

What does Michael look like in SotD? Does he look like H20 Michael? Or H5 Michael? Is he big and hulking like H4/H5/H6? Or more tall and skinny like H1/H2/H20/HR? Or is he HUGE like RZH? Will he look the same in SotD sequel?

Remicis

11-18-2007, 12:19 PM

No problem, Doomsdayfan. Here's my take on it...

This is one of those things that makes the lack of any visual element for this story seem not so bad.;) See, all the actual script really gives you is that Michael's got the blue coveralls with the white mask and "the blackest eyes" and all that jazz. It doesn't specify how tall or short he is or how bulky or skinny he is, it just tells you the basics. The rest is left to your imagination. This way, everyone can have a Michael they like. Some complain about the enormous Michael of H5, some complain about the modest Michael of H20, and so on, and so forth. In SotD, and for the upcoming sequel, we leave it pretty well up to the readers.

In short, Michael's built however you want him to be.

DoomsdayFAN

11-19-2007, 03:43 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-19-2007, 04:05 PM

One last thing which I think I will ask for now...

In the end of SotD, Lytener has compiled ALL of that info on Michael and everything else... But he erases it!!! Oh man, when I read that, I was like "Lytener what are you doing!?" It was a great ending. Left me wanting more. But that was a million dollar report. Why'd he erase it? It could've made him famous. Was he just too soured by what happend?

Oh and hey, Would you guys be able to at least drop a huge hint about what each ACT will be about in the sequel?

ACT 1: ?

ACT 2: ??

ACT 3: ???
Lytener, of course, went into the story thinking it would be just another expose, then quickly realized that it could be THE story that would really make his name. But after all that he saw, and the mass death, and (most importantly) the death of his wife, he essentially decided that he didn't want anything to do with it anymore. Granted, it could have advanced his career...but advancing his career on that much suffering and death doesn't interest him. It hits too close to home. Basically, he has come to truly understand what the woman at the beginning of the script was saying to him about profiting from the pain of others. I don't think he can bring himself to print that story, regardless of how his decision might affect his career.

As for the sequel, we don't want to give much away. I guess the basic answer is that Act I will focus on the FBI's attempts to track Myers down after a massive killing spree, Act II will focus strongly on the effects of Myers's legacy on Haddonfield, and Act III will focus on the chase and plot resolution. Saying any more at this point would ruin the impact of the script...so that's all you get. haha

DoomsdayFAN

11-19-2007, 04:07 PM

Awesome. Thank You. :nodsmile:

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-19-2007, 05:33 PM

Not a problem. Anything for a SOTD fan. :yeah:

Within reason, of course.

I'm NOT gonna come wash your car for you.

DoomsdayFAN

11-19-2007, 05:38 PM

Hey, one last thing you could to to add to hype train of this sequel is: Write a preview. :nodsmile: You know... make a preview that you see in the theater. :wave: Write one out for us all to read. ;)

That would be AWESOME!!! :horns:

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-19-2007, 05:40 PM

Well, until we reach a point where Matt and I can get back to serious work on the script, I don't think it requires much promotion. First and foremost, we need to have something to promote. haha

DoomsdayFAN

11-26-2007, 03:44 PM

ttt

Just bringing this to the top. Incase you wanted to post any updates :nodsmile:

slasher2040

11-26-2007, 05:20 PM

I actually read it this time, sorry for what I said before, it's pretty good.

OmegaRex

11-26-2007, 05:51 PM

Guess you guys have heard it all before by this point but it was excellent --- the best H9 fan script I’ve seen by a mile (or two even). I’m not much of a Thorn fan either but your handling of it was commendable and held my interest. It would have been tops to have seen this played out on the screen. Good work and a good way to pass some time.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-27-2007, 05:18 AM

Much thanks. Always good to hear from first-time readers.

Hopefully, we'll have more news on the sequel in the near future.

slasher2040

11-27-2007, 04:40 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-27-2007, 04:50 PM

there is 1 thing I don't understand, about John Tate not being Laurie's biological son, all John's life he was convinced that Laurie was his real mother, but he was 6 years old when his father first met her, how the hell could John possibly believe that she was his real mother.
I'm gonna float this question over to Matt, if he decides to pop into this thread at some point in the near future. I know that he and I debated the various ways of pulling off the Jamie/John conundrum...and we both agreed on this explanation. But the truth is, it's been so long since I've even read SOTD, let alone since we were writing it...haha...I think Matt's definitely better suited to field this particular question. He was (and is), after all, The Man With The Plan.

Remicis

11-27-2007, 05:47 PM

No problem, I got this one.

This is the exchange you actually get in the script:

LYTENER
Not that much to it. Laurie changed her name to Keri and moved out to California. There, she met a guy named Rob Tate and his six-year-old son, John. Tate’s wife had died giving birth, but it turns out that John never knew that. Tate never had the heart to tell him. He just kept telling him she’d gone away for awhile.

DANA
So he’s the husband we heard about on TV…Laurie’s second husband.

LYTENER
That’s him.

DANA
See, I remember that, but I didn’t know the son wasn’t really hers.

LYTENER
That’s because she didn’t tell anybody but Dr. Loomis. They told everyone else, even John, that she was his biological mother. She treated him and talked to him as if she’d given birth to him.

In other words, John didn't know when he was six that his father was meeting this woman for the first time. After his father met Laurie, they agreed to tell him that she was his biological mother, resolving the issue he'd always had before about telling his son that his mother was actually dead. So John never had any reason not to believe that she wasn't really his mother. Needless to say, he'd never met his real biological mother, so when Laurie and his father fed him the story that they did, he had no reason to suspect they weren't telling the truth. It's not as though he was physically with his father when the man met Laurie for the first time. There was time before he was introduced to her for them to have a "What are we going to tell the boy?" conversation.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-27-2007, 05:49 PM

See, that's what I was looking for. I knew we'd tied it up...I just didn't feel like going through the whole script. haha

slasher2040

11-27-2007, 06:15 PM

oh, I get it now.

Schmeer

11-27-2007, 06:18 PM

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-27-2007, 06:23 PM

Remicis

11-27-2007, 08:27 PM

That seems reasonable. But wouldn't you think that when John got older he would begin to suspect something? I mean yeah, he would believe that when he was six, but now that he's grown up you'd think that he'd probably start to wonder.

What are you doing questioning me, insect? Crawl back under your rock.

Seriously, however, there is what EOTL just said. Plus, why would John suspect anything, even as he got older? As this story explains, he did eventually question why she wasn't there for the first six years of his life, and she attributed it to problems she was still having because of her brush with death when she was seventeen. That was somewhat true anyway, and it would certainly make sense to John as well, at least the way I see it. Not saying he'd be happy about it...it'd definitely leave some issues, which H20 let us know he had with Laurie anyway. But as for John ever just suspecting out of the blue that Laurie wasn't his real mother? Nah. I don't see any reason for him to. And when you think about it, does anybody remember being born? No. So other than a birth certificate and the like, what's the only way you know who your mother is? Some woman who's hanging around when you're young tells you she is.

MischievousSpirit

11-27-2007, 09:09 PM

What are you doing questioning me, insect? Crawl back under your rock.

Muahahaha! That little quip just made my signature! :jump:

Schmeer

11-27-2007, 10:05 PM

What are you doing questioning me, insect? Crawl back under your rock.

Seriously, however, there is what EOTL just said. Plus, why would John suspect anything, even as he got older? As this story explains, he did eventually question why she wasn't there for the first six years of his life, and she attributed it to problems she was still having because of her brush with death when she was seventeen. That was somewhat true anyway, and it would certainly make sense to John as well, at least the way I see it. Not saying he'd be happy about it...it'd definitely leave some issues, which H20 let us know he had with Laurie anyway. But as for John ever just suspecting out of the blue that Laurie wasn't his real mother? Nah. I don't see any reason for him to. And when you think about it, does anybody remember being born? No. So other than a birth certificate and the like, what's the only way you know who your mother is? Some woman who's hanging around when you're young tells you she is.

Yeah I'm questioning you. I'm gonna take that rock and throw it at your horny little alien tyrant face.

But he had to be suspicious, if they had issues with each other. He had to at least thought about it. You'd think he'd snoop around for a box of secrets of hers or something like that.

And that's the last time I play Devil's Advocate with you. You just ruin everything don't you.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-28-2007, 08:43 AM

Yeah I'm questioning you. I'm gonna take that rock and throw it at your horny little alien tyrant face.

But he had to be suspicious, if they had issues with each other. He had to at least thought about it. You'd think he'd snoop around for a box of secrets of hers or something like that.

And that's the last time I play Devil's Advocate with you. You just ruin everything don't you.
Y'know, maybe it's just me, but I don't think a kid should be sneaking a peek at his mother's "box of secrets." That's just sick. :p

The Dark Shape

11-28-2007, 09:33 AM

Remicis

11-28-2007, 09:42 AM

This is the problem with trying to tie 4-6 and H20 together -- you can do it, but you have to fudge so many little details, and stretch continuity plausibility, that it's all a bit ridiculous. I honestly think there's no way you could do it on film. You'd need to make a flow chart for the audience to follow everything, whatever your explanation is.

I disagree, at least on this specific issue. Saying that John would suspect and question the authenticity of the woman who's always told him she was his mother (with the aid of his father, even) seems like forcing something to be difficult or improbable when it's really not. At least to me. I honestly don't see any plausible cause for John to have ever accosted Laurie and said, "Hey, lady! Prove you're my mother!"

But that's my opinion.

MischievousSpirit

11-28-2007, 10:13 AM

The Dark Shape

11-28-2007, 10:23 AM

I disagree, at least on this specific issue. Saying that John would suspect and question the authenticity of the woman who's always told him she was his mother (with the aid of his father, even) seems like forcing something to be difficult or improbable when it's really not. At least to me. I honestly don't see any plausible cause for John to have ever accosted Laurie and said, "Hey, lady! Prove you're my mother!"

But that's my opinion.

This is true, but at the same time (and this is the most important issue for me), why is this information important to your story? I don't mean yours specifically, Remicis, I mean in general. God knows I've tackled it, even in Past Tense, but I look back at that and the explanation just kills the pacing. In every single script I've seen, or story -- very much in mine, gyaah -- it comes down to characters sitting down and having a nice long chat and ironing out the details.

And in the end, it always leads to "Well, that's nice. Let's get on with the story we're trying to tell."

Remicis

11-28-2007, 02:09 PM

Here's my humble point of view. This is Remicis' and Yottle's FAN FICTION. They can write it however they wish. If you don't like what they've done, that's fine. But you don't have to tell them what to write, or how to write it. This work they've done is like a 100 times better than what most anyone else on this board can come up with. And it makes more sense than what most anyone here can come up with as well. I give them kudos for their work! I look forward to their next story!

Thanks, Joe. And I'm lovin' the new sig.:roflmao:

This is true, but at the same time (and this is the most important issue for me), why is this information important to your story? I don't mean yours specifically, Remicis, I mean in general. God knows I've tackled it, even in Past Tense, but I look back at that and the explanation just kills the pacing. In every single script I've seen, or story -- very much in mine, gyaah -- it comes down to characters sitting down and having a nice long chat and ironing out the details.

And in the end, it always leads to "Well, that's nice. Let's get on with the story we're trying to tell."

Dude...call me Matt. Or at least some shortened version of my username there. You've been around long enough that it's just weird for you to still be using my full screenname.;)

At any rate, I do understand your point. Lord knows I've even thought about it myself. Writing professors and how-to books on fiction will all tell you that exposition is the enemy. You always have to keep the story moving in front of you, any exposition must relate directly to what is going on in real time, etc., etc., all that. And that's all well and good, I'm not claiming to be a better authority on storytelling than a professor or a book, but I do believe that there are exceptions to every rule. And I think that an eighth sequel in a horror franchise is a very different beast from what most professors or books typically deal with.

In my opinion, the "Rules of Writing" should be taken most literally for stand-alone stories...which the vast majority of stories out there are. And to an extent, a high-numbered sequel should do that as well. But what you have to do is take everything into context. It's going to work a little differently for each individual series, and especially when you pick a title as troubled as Halloween, there are going to be certain weights thrust upon you as a writer when you choose to do certain things. In other words, connecting H4-6 with H20 and H:R means exposition. Lots of it. With no way around it. I'm sure you're just as aware as I am that when people read a story that does this, many of them read it just looking for holes in it, because they know how difficult a task it really is. The last two entries in the original series actively negated what had come before them, and to attempt to reunite everything requires no shortage of explanation and justification. Most of your readers, who are fans that are familiar with all these characteristics of the series, will demand this of you, without question. And to ignore that is not only irresponsible writing, but also an insult to your readers. The way I see it, doing specifically what SotD does requires that you at least bend one of the main "Rules of Writing," and when this is the case, a professor's usual answer to it will be, "Well then, you can't write this story."

That wasn't an acceptable answer to me.

You see, I believe there's truth in what Joe said about fan fiction. But to me, it falls under a much wider umbrella about knowing your audience. And I knew my audience for this story. I never had any intentions of submitting SotD to a studio because I honestly couldn't give two shits about a studio's thoughts on it. They had given me films like H20 and the abysmal Halloween: Resurrection--not to mention the more recent, and equally abysmal, remake--and I frankly just wasn't interested in what they were doing. Their audience was Average Joe Moviegoer, who could care less about continuity and past plotlines. He was their bread and butter, and that's fine...they did what they had to do. So did I. SotD, while designed to be accessible to anybody, is a story for the fans. And while being a story for the fans, it is also designed to be a good story, despite whatever rule(s) it breaks. The exposition, though heavy, is part of the story taking place in front of you. Every "chat" leads you to a new and significant plot point, or establishes something about the characters taking part in real-time action. That was actually an issue I had with it for a long time before writing it. I'd been thinking about ways to connect the series for years beforehand, but I never wanted to actually write it until I could come up with a real story that warranted it. It couldn't just be an excuse to sit down and put everything together. And in my humble opinion, it wasn't.;)

Maybe you disagree. If so, that's your right. But this is the way I see it all. I'm proud of mine and EOTL's work on this story, and I make no apologies for it. I don't feel it needs any. The script still habitually comes up on the first page of this forum without any bumps from either of its authors, so, hell...we must have accidently done something right. Heh.

EvilOnTwoLegs

11-28-2007, 08:36 PM

SOTD was definitely an exposition-driven beast of a script. haha But that was necessary, according to at least one of our primary goals. Still, another of our primary goals was not to let the exposition stand in the way of telling a unique story within the Halloween Universe. Naturally, it was necessary to have characters giving information (and often, a lot of it) to the audience via exposition-laden conversations...but by making it a process of discovery and using it to propel our own storyline forward, rather than just letting it hold us back, I think we were able to connect the series while still pushing the bounds of storytelling within the Halloween franchise. Certainly, I think we achieved more in that area than several of the canonical sequels...and for the most part, they didn't bear the task of carrying all that exposition. So overall, I consider SOTD to be a pretty successful fan script.

And as always, Matt raises precisely the point I think is most important. Namely, that this script was mainly targeted at obsessive fans (like ourselves) who knew their stuff, and could handle all of the exposition without their circuits overloading. And so, it's more a case of puzzle pieces falling into place than two guys sitting around, trying to force them into spaces where they don't fit. Once we had the logistics nailed down and the proper framework to fit it all together, it came down to the unfolding of a mystery...which is what SOTD is, at its heart. More than being a standard stalk-and-slash affair, it's a noir-style mystery. And I think that's what makes it work, and more than anything else, the reason it's found some popular acceptance. It's not just about exposition and connecting the arcs...it's got its own agenda. And I think it's the story itself that really sells the script.

I was intrigued early on by Matt's stated goal of connecting the series...and his great ideas on how to go about it...but it was really the framework that got me on board. I loved the story he was putting together, and I wanted to help him shape it. I think it's a unique look at the Halloween Universe from a different angle. It's an outsider's view of what is, for dedicated fans, familiar territory. And seeing it all from an outsider's POV adds an extra dimension and gives the story a different kind of resonance. The Lytener character is what holds it all together. Which is why he was really a necessary component to the sequel, as well. Once again, we're going in a different direction...but Lytener acts as an anchor, maintaining a continuity, rather than simply churning out an entirely unconnected script, which has sadly become the norm in franchise sequels. The new script will be its own unique story, not relying too heavily on pervious outings (including our own)...but the connections are there, so there's a sense of real continuation about it. That's very important to us.

DoomsdayFAN

11-28-2007, 10:37 PM

Whats an exposition-driven script?

Im growing more excited :krad: Cant wait till the sequel is out!!!

MischievousSpirit

11-28-2007, 10:42 PM

Main Entry: ex·po·si·tion
Pronunciation: \ˌek-spə-ˈzi-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1: a setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of a writing)
2 a: discourse or an example of it designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand b (1): the first part of a musical composition in sonata form in which the thematic material of the movement is presented (2): the opening section of a fugue
3: a public exhibition or show

slasher2040

12-05-2007, 03:57 PM

when are you guys going to do the H10 you were talking about.

Roswell

12-05-2007, 04:01 PM

when are you guys going to do the H10 you were talking about.

I'm guessing you never read this thread:

http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?t=10534&page=2

slasher2040

12-05-2007, 04:07 PM

I'm guessing you never read this thread:

http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?t=10534&page=2

shoot that H10, they didn't shoot H9 SOTD, did they?

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-05-2007, 04:10 PM

Shooting? As in, on film? We have no budget for that. Our budget only permits us to write (i.e. we have no money). haha

Our H10 is a work in progress. We're closing in on the final act, but we haven't had the time to devote to the project recently...we'll finish it as soon as humanly possible and get it online immediately thereafter.

DoomsdayFAN

12-05-2007, 04:11 PM

Hey (if you want)... Write a "Preview" for this sequel right before it comes out!!! :horns: Get us even more into it!

slasher2040

12-05-2007, 04:12 PM

thats cool man.

Roswell

12-05-2007, 04:12 PM

We have no budget for that.

*imagines the movie that would be made if they had the budget*

*dies*

MischievousSpirit

12-05-2007, 04:23 PM

I would love to see your stories in comic, or Graphic Novel form. :nodsmile:

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-05-2007, 04:25 PM

Hey (if you want)... Write a "Preview" for this sequel right before it comes out!!! :horns: Get us even more into it!
We might work up a "trailer" or something like that...just as a bonus, since we're taking longer than we initially thought. You guys probably deserve something extra for waiting on us. haha

*imagines the movie that would be made if they had the budget*

*dies*
I'll just say this. If we could shoot our H10 (which would, by necessity, easily have to be the most expensive Halloween film ever made), it would blow minds.

Schmeer

12-05-2007, 07:07 PM

I'll just say this. If we could shoot our H10 (which would, by necessity, easily have to be the most expensive Halloween film ever made), it would blow minds.Knowing Matt I bet the running time for this movie would be close to 5 hours as well. :D

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-05-2007, 07:38 PM

Knowing Matt I bet the running time for this movie would be close to 5 hours as well. :D
hahahaha

We're trying really, really hard to keep it at about half that. Two and a half hours (or, in this case, 150 pages) is, of course, pretty damn epic for a genre film, but we feel it's appropriate for this particular story. I've kept after Matt about the length issue...haha...and we've both been doing our part to keep it down. We've already excised a lot of material for time considerations, and we haven't even completed a draft yet. I'm sure it will be pared down a bit more before it reaches the readership.

And, of course, being that it will never translate visually, we are including a bit more narrative than would normally be customary in a script. So a film version wouldn't necessarily be as long as the "page per minute" rule dictates. However, the narrative in this one won't be nearly as verbose as in SOTD. We're trying to keep it at a happy medium, somewhere between the novelesque paragraphs of SOTD and the standard bare essentials of a film script...leaning more toward the latter, wherever possible.

And since we're dividing the writing duties on this one (as you know, Matt pretty much did the actual "first-draft" writing on SOTD), that pushes us more toward that end of the scale a bit. Being somewhat more versed in screenwriting, I have a tendency to be more concise, and Matt has adapted very well...so the script will have a pretty even feel. It won't bounce between scenes of mass description and scenes of sparse narrative. haha I'm using a few more words than I usually would when writing a screenplay, and Matt's using less than usual...so we meet in the middle, and everything works out.

That's one good thing (among many) about our collaborative process...we're both very adaptable, so our scenes merge well. We each take hints from the other, and manage to find an overall style that suits us both. Going into this one, I was a bit concerned about how this would all work out, as we didn't trade off scenes on SOTD. But it's been coming along quite nicely, and in the end, I don't think there will be such a pronounced difference that readers will be able to pick out who wrote which scenes.

MischievousSpirit

12-05-2007, 07:47 PM

graphic Novel!

graphic Novel!!

graphic Novel!!!

DoomsdayFAN

12-05-2007, 07:55 PM

I cant wait to find out what the name of this will be. :horns:

DoomsdayFAN

12-05-2007, 08:08 PM

OMG!!! This is the PERFECT thread to make my argument.

Ok, I think we can all agree that SotD and the sequel to it are meant for Hardcore fans. SotD was great, and Im sure the sequel will be EXCELLENT! So why doesnt Malek try to put stories like these out? He rather opts for cliche CRAP! And like a few on here tell me... "Cliche is what adiences want; Cliche will sell better than Unique" I smell BS! I bet anything if either of these fan fics were put into theaters, they'd do WAY better than HR and any other cliche crap they come up with. So why dont they try to put out quality storytelling? They always go for cliche crap. Now, THESE two stories are for Hardcore fans, but Im sure if something equivelant was made... it'd sell like crazy! Even to the casual fan. So... WTF!?

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-05-2007, 09:01 PM

graphic Novel!

graphic Novel!!

graphic Novel!!!
hahahaha!!!

You get the petition circulating, then we'll talk.

I cant wait to find out what the name of this will be. :horns:
Yeah, me neither. haha

Ok, I think we can all agree that SotD and the sequel to it are meant for Hardcore fans. SotD was great, and Im sure the sequel will be EXCELLENT! So why doesnt Malek try to put stories like these out? He rather opts for cliche CRAP! And like a few on here tell me... "Cliche is what adiences want; Cliche will sell better than Unique" I smell BS! I bet anything if either of these fan fics were put into theaters, they'd do WAY better than HR and any other cliche crap they come up with. So why dont they try to put out quality storytelling? They always go for cliche crap. Now, THESE two stories are for Hardcore fans, but Im sure if something equivelant was made... it'd sell like crazy! Even to the casual fan. So... WTF!?
Yes, Matt and I are definitely gearing our work toward the hardcore fans who really know their Halloween. And I don't think something like SOTD would really go over, mainly because it's too heavy when it comes to reconciling the continuity. We wanted to do that, and we did it...but it's not the kind of thing that the Powers That Be are interested in revisiting. And I understand why, so that's not a big deal.

Our sequel pretty much drops that angle. There's no direct reference to the events of H4-H6. Now, we're not pulling an H20 and making like they don't exist. After all the effort we put into bridging the continuity gap, we would have to be crazy to do that. haha But that's the thing...we poured all of that into SOTD, so there's really no need to go into it here. We're not doing much referencing here at all, in fact. It's a Halloween sequel, generally, and a sequel to SOTD, specifically...and that's it. For the most part, our references are confined to H1 and SOTD, with a reference to H2 here and there. And we're not getting into the expositional aspects of SOTD. We brought back Lytener, and he's a very key character in the new script, but we're not going back into Thorn and all of that. We feel that we pretty much wrapped up that arc in SOTD (since the actual series never did).

That said, our H10 would require a much larger budget than the studio would be willing to put behind it. haha Seriously...it's gonna be big.

But I do agree that studios (and not just Dimension) are generally unwilling to take risks, and that can make for unfortunately viewing experiences...i.e. the same crap on a different plate, time and time again. And that's enough for some fans. It isn't for me...or Matt...and obviously isn't for you, either. That's why Matt and I are writing these scripts. These are interesting directions that we think the series could benefit from exploring. So we explore them. On the one hand, I understand why studios don't like to take risks. On the other hand, you don't get into interesting areas without taking a few.

I wish they would take more risks, honestly. I've discussed this many times, with various people, in reference to various projects. I think that when something is as firmly established as, say, Halloween, the only way to keep it interesting is to take it in new directions. Generally, the studios want to play it safe to minimize their risk factor. But what that breeds is endless parades of sequels that offer little to nothing in the way of new and enticing possibilities. Which is one of the reasons I think good fan fiction is vital. While new trails may not be blazed in the latter films themselves, the classic films can inspire fans to branch off in new and intriguing directions.

I should also point out here that there is something being done within the actual Halloween canon right now that is infinitely more interesting than the recent films have been. And that's the new series of official Halloween comics. The writer, our own Stef Hutchinson, is certainly no fan of cliche, and has some very interesting things in store for the fans. These comics are drawing from the well of the original Halloween, and are going to be much deeper, and much darker, than the Halloween films of recent years. As I see it, they're really bringing back The Shape...and that's something to be excited about, being that (in my view, at least), the real "Shape" quality was completely lost in every Halloween sequel. So do yourself a favor and check out Halloween: Nightdance when the first issue is released this coming February. It's gonna be fantastic...and it's gonna be official...which means it's canon. And that's the one thing you can't achieve with fan fiction. haha

Dig it: Halloween: Nightdance (http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?t=12911)

DoomsdayFAN

12-10-2007, 03:16 PM

BUMP!

Oh hey, just wondering...

Why are you aiming at keeping the length down? This is a Fan Fic, and as long as it is good, why not shoot for quality over length? Meaning: If it takes longer to get a good scene out, then why not do it? Rather than cutting back?

I'd still try to read your script even if it was 300+ pages.

(Any updates?) :)

EvilOnTwoLegs

12-10-2007, 04:59 PM

We're trying to be reasonable with the length for a number of reasons. First off, we're doing it for the same reason we're writing scripts, rather than short stories or novels. SOTD and it's sequel could have been written in novel form (arguably, one could say that SOTD was written in semi-novel form)...but as Halloween is a film series, we want to write our sequels as if they were films of their own. Hence, we'd like to keep them at a reasonable film length.

Also, it's a matter of trimming the fat. Now, sometimes the "fat" is material that we both like...but it can be condensed, and still retain the quality we're aiming for. We don't want to deviate too much from the thrust of the plot. Tangents can be fun, but if you have too many subplots going on at once, you get to a point where you feel that you may not have time to make all of them pay off. In those cases, you find a way to take what was important in that subplot and convey it by other means...which inevitably means condensing it into a more sensibly-sized package. We're not condensing at the expense of quality, mind you. We're condensing for the sake of making the script more palatable for the reader.

Structure is also very important. Tightening the pace helps the flow of the story. And the way you tighten the pace is to make things concise, while still retaining the original atmosphere. This is not always easy, but it makes the script read better, and that's what we're going for. And we only have a certain amount of information that's necessary to tell this story...anything beyond that will be saved for a future sequel or sequels. So we're trying to get that information across through an entertaining story with as much tension and atmosphere as we can muster. We linger when it's appropriate, but we also want to keep the story moving along. It's all a matter of understanding your structure and knowing where you need to hit your beats.

So far, I think we're doing really well. By trimming the script a bit, we've managed to tighten it a lot. I think we're hitting all the beats now, and I'm very pleased with the way it's shaping up. Quality always comes first...but there's no need to get long-winded and slow the action down when it needs to keep popping. To me, that would be a sacrifice in quality.

Everything we do is a committee decision. No changes are made unless Matt and I are both 100% certain that it's the right thing to do. Between the two of us, we always manage to find the right solution to any complication we encounter. It's a process that involves a lot of discussion before, during, and after the writing of each individual scene...as well as reflective discussion on any overall element that may be getting sticky. Luckily, Matt and I seem to agree on just about everything when it comes to these matters...and yet, we have different enough perspectives that we can each bring something to the table and guide one another until a consensus is reached.

There are no updates as yet...Matt and I haven't managed to get back on track with the script. But it's something that we both give thought to, even if we're not getting the scenes written out right now. Hopwfully, we'll have something to report soon. Until then, we just hope that you'll all bear with us through this hectic point in our collective schedule.

As always, thanks for your interest. We really appreciate it.