‘You Can’t Kill the Boogeyman: The Ongoing Halloween Saga―13 Movies and Counting’ is a cultural and critical examination of the legendary Halloween film franchise, considering the style, themes, and development of the series within temporal and industrial contexts.
The title ‘You Can’t Kill the Boogeyman’ is intentionally layered. On one side, it highlights the fact that the HALLOWEEN series has managed to spawn thirteen movies. On the other hand, it reflects the recurring theme within those films—no matter how many times Michael Myers is presumed dead, he always manages to come back. In that sense, the title is spot on. As someone who’s followed the series for years, what made this book stand out to me wasn’t just nostalgia. Instead of rehashing the familiar stories of John Carpenter or Debra Hill, the original creators, it digs deeper—offering interviews with the lesser-known actors and crew who were vital to the sequels. That’s where its real strength lies: giving a voice to those typically left out of the conversation, and providing an insider’s perspective on both the triumphs and stumbles that shaped the HALLOWEEN saga.
It’s hard to argue with the impact “Halloween” had on the film industry. The 1978 release is often credited with giving birth to the modern slasher genre and breathing new life into horror. Its influence can be seen in the movies that followed—“Friday the 13th,” “My Bloody Valentine,” “Sleepaway Camp,” “The Burning,” “Happy Birthday to Me,” and “Prom Night”—all of which borrowed elements of Carpenter’s original blueprint and, together, defined a generation of scary movies.
Given how successful the first film was, sequels were bound to happen. As is often the case, opinions on their quality vary. Some entries are embraced by fans and critics alike, while others split the audience. Personally, I think “Halloween II” does a good job picking up where the first left off, with Rick Rosenthal handling the continuation well. “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” took a different approach, dropping the Michael Myers storyline entirely—a move that was divisive at the time but has gained more fans over the years. Back then, Carpenter, Hill, and writer-director Tommy Lee Wallace had hoped to turn the series into an anthology, telling a new Halloween-themed story with each film. But the experiment didn’t go over well, as many viewers just wanted more Michael Myers.
Parts 4, 5, and 6 reverted to the established formula, only with plots that became more and more complex, eventually introducing the bizarre “Curse of Thorn” storyline involving ancient cults and mystical runes controlling Michael. “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” ignored those developments, serving as a direct sequel to “Halloween II.” Later, Rob Zombie’s reboots divided audiences even more—some appreciated his unique vision, while others felt it strayed too far from what made the original special.
Most recently, David Gordon Green put out his own trio of films—“Halloween,” “Halloween Kills,” and “Halloween Ends”—that pick up forty years after the 1978 movie and disregard all the other sequels. These new installments found an audience, but “Halloween Ends” stirred up controversy by shifting focus to a new character and downplaying Michael Myers’ role.
Author Wayne Byrne, a fellow Irishman, is the ideal guide for this journey. With credits like ‘Welcome to Elm Street: Inside the Film and Television Nightmares,’ ‘Walter Hill: The Cinema of a Hollywood Maverick,’ and ‘Burt Reynolds on Screen,’ Byrne knows how to get compelling stories out of his interviewees. Tommy Lee Wallace—who wrote and directed “Halloween III” and worked on the earlier HALLOWEEN movies—shares that he declined to direct “Halloween II” because he thought the script retread old ground, but leapt at the chance to do “Halloween III” because of its originality and break from tradition. Dean Cundey, the cinematographer for the first three films, talks about both the difficulties and creative opportunities he encountered—especially the chance to experiment more on “Season of the Witch,” which let him move beyond the shadowy look of the originals.
Byrne’s interviews cover impressive ground, especially considering how many key people, like Donald Pleasence, Debra Hill, Charles Cyphers, and Dan O’Herlihy, have passed away. The book mainly concentrates on the first set of movies and Zombie’s remakes, with less attention on Green’s recent trilogy. The recollections are frank and insightful, offering both nostalgia and honest criticism. The sections about Donald Pleasence’s failing health are especially moving, knowing he died before “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” came out—a film that wasn’t warmly received.
Both Wallace and Cundey reflect on why “Halloween III” flopped at the box office, blaming its title. Audiences expected another Michael Myers movie and weren’t prepared for a completely different story. They suggest that if it had just been called “Season of the Witch,” without the HALLOWEEN branding, it might have done better. Over the years, however, it has built a loyal fan base and is now viewed in a much more positive light. One can’t help but wonder what might have happened if Carpenter and Wallace had kept going with the anthology idea, delivering a new Halloween tale each year.
For hardcore fans, ‘You Can’t Kill the Boogeyman: The Ongoing Halloween Saga—13 Movies and Counting’ is a must-read. Even those who only casually watch the films will find a lot to enjoy in its behind-the-scenes look at how each entry was made and the drama that came with them. Despite how definitively “Halloween Ends” seems to wrap things up—with Michael destroyed in an industrial shredder—it’s hard to believe the series won’t make a comeback eventually. Whether he’s brought back or reimagined, Michael Myers is bound to haunt movie screens again. In the end, the boogeyman isn’t going anywhere.
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