John Carpenter’s Halloween Is Returning to Drive-Ins, Along With Halloween 4 and Halloween 5

There’s been more than a few opportunities in recent years for horror geeks to catch John Carpenter’s iconic Halloween in a theatrical screening, but this one still packs some novelty: We’ll bet you’ve never seen the classic slasher film at a drive-in before. This fall you may just get that chance, as the original 1978 classic will be hitting the social distancing-friendly drive-in circuit, flanked by a double bill of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. It will be a rare opportunity to see Halloween in the same way that many fans would have first experienced it more than 40 years ago.

In a conversation with HalloweenMovies.com, 2018 Halloween reboot producer Ryan Freimann broke the news of the upcoming drive-in screenings, saying the following: “Trancas International Films and Compass International Pictures have partnered with CineLife Entertainment® in order to bring Halloween to audiences safely during this time of pandemic, and drive-in theater owners seem excited to be booking it as the Halloween season is right around the corner.”

This is a a “restored and remastered” digital print of Halloween, under the supervision of original cinematographer Dean Cundey. Bookings and screenings will begin immediately (it’s already playing a few locations this weekend), but will surely accelerate as we approach the Halloween season itself.

If you ask us, the chance to see any novel presentation of Halloween is always nice, but we’re arguably even more excited to see any kind of theatrical setting for Halloween 4 in particular. Sometimes derided as the beginning of the series’ descent into mundanity, we actually find The Return of Michael Myers to arguably be the most effective of the original film’s sequels, featuring a sterling performance from child actress Danielle Harris and a return from everybody’s favorite crazed psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. Unfortunately, its direct tie-in to the inferior Halloween 5 has not been kind to the film’s reputation over the years, but we think Halloween 4 is poised for a critical reassessment, and we made sure to make a place for it on our list of the 50 best slasher movies of all time.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for these Halloween films at your own local drive-in, if you’re lucky enough to have one. You can also visit the CineLife website to request bookings in your area, or direct your local drive-in to request a screening by clicking here.