John Carpenter says Halloween Kills is “so intense” at Fantasia Panel

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Despite the Covid-19 shutdown that’s brought film festivals to a standstill, the crew at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal have decided to push on with an all-digital edition, which is taking place until September 2nd, and one of the most anticipated events was a Q&A they were hosting with none other than John Carpenter. The recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the horror maestro gave a solid one–hour online masterclass, which you can watch above, but here are some of the highlights:

• Described HALLOWEEN KILLS as “the quintessential horror film” and “so intense”
• He referred to Blumhouse’s new version of THE THING as a “reboot” but wouldn’t elaborate further
• When asked if he’s been approached by a streaming service to work on content, he responded that he’s “sworn to secrecy” (which sounds like a yes)
• For his music, his next album LOST THEMES 3: ALIVE AFTER DEATH comes out in February
• Has been playing Fallout 76 during lockdown and is looking forward to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Says that Albert Whitlock’s assistant actually did all the matte paintings on THE THING
• He’s not aware of any movement on remakes of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

For more on Fantasia and to buy tickets to their virtual screenings, visit the festival here!