Will John Carpenter's New 'Halloween' Sequel Be the Scariest Ever?

After almost four decades and nine sequels, the Halloween franchise is finally going back to its roots by hiring the franchise's original director to be the executive producer of its latest installment. Even if the new project from Miramax and Blumhouse isn't the "scariest" Halloween movie ever, as John Carpenter promises, it will at least be the most talked-about Halloween film in a long time.

No details about the content of the new film have been released yet, but we know that it will boast the involvement of John Carpenter, who co-wrote, directed and scored the original 1978 film, and Malek Akkad, whose father financed most of the franchise to date. Carpenter will serve in a creative role on the new project and may work on the film's score, too.

The news of Carpenter's involvement brings hope that the venerable franchise will be revitalized after decades of largely uninspired and forgettable sequels. Carpenter's 1978 original has the dubious honor of being widely acknowledged as the progenitor of the modern slasher horror movie.

Although Carpenter's role in the new movie seems generally like a positive development, it's worth noting that he was also involved with the first two sequels in the franchise, as well, and neither of those films manages to top a 40% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.