Halloween 9: Rumors and the film that almost was.

With the original Halloween returning to theaters in a wide release this October, it’s obvious that Halloween is one of the most beloved franchise to all horror fans. While not always a commercial success, the original eight films – which were released between 1978 and 2002 – always made back their budget and kept one of the most iconic serial killers, Michael Myers, alive and well…sort of well…you know what I mean! But did you know that before the Rob Zombie “revisions” came along there were talks and lots of rumors about Halloween 9?

Yes, there were a lot of rumors regarding Halloween 9. However, I can confirm that the film was in the developing stages. Can’t take my word for it? Go buy Halloween: 25 Years of Terror and give it a watch. It took place at a huge horror convention and Moustapha Akkad – who was the executive producer on every Halloween film – not only confirmed the beginning stages of Halloween 9, but even gave a fan, a walk on role in the feature. Unfortunately, Moustapha Akkad was killed in a terrorist attack in Jordan on November 11, 2005.

Moustapha’s tragic passing seems to have completely derailed the further development of Halloween 9. Maybe the interest just wasn’t there from any other party. Maybe his death effected crew members such as John Carpenter to the point where they thought abandoning the franchise was the best idea. Still, since Halloween 9 was in talks, rumors made their way to the internet and you know what they say – what goes on the internet can stay there forever. Here are some of the rumors I was able to find about the film that almost was – Halloween 9.

The majority of the rumors seemed to focus on the legacy of Dr. Sam Loomis. The basic plot was believed to follow Dr. Loomis’ daughter (or son) trying to hunt down and stop Michael Myers once and for all. The gender and name of Loomis’ offspring was always different, ranging from Nancy Loomis and Susan Loomis to Joe Loomis. Apparently, Dr. Loomis had left behind detailed files, which his child would use to try to hunt down the killer. Rumors also proposed that Steven Lloyd, Laurie Strode’s grandson seen as a baby in Halloween 6, would accompany the next generation Loomis on his or her quest to eradicate Michael Myers forever.

Other rumors were whipped around the horror corners of the internet, but were completely different from the most prevalent Loomis based rumors. In November 2003, Bloody Disgusting posted a letter from an anonymous source that stated Halloween 9 would follow Sheriff Brackett as he tries to find Michael and avenge his daughter Annie’s death. This plot was apparently leaked by Akkad and Charles Cyphers at the taping of 25 Years of Terror. [Source] Another rumor, posted by Creature Corner, saw Michael Myers as a patient once again at Smith’s Grove Asylum as he is awaiting execution. The screenplay was intended to be written by Matt Vennea. [Source]

We can only imagine what would have been in store for Halloween 9. As a devoted fan of the franchise myself, I would have eaten up anything they threw out there. I mean, I did enjoy Halloween 6 to an extent. For now, it seems that the franchise – the 3D feature “revision” included – is dead in the water. But who knows… The Night He Came Home has turned into The Seven Nights and Two Remakes He Came Home. And we all know it takes a lot to keep Michael Myers down.