Although certainly boasting a huge stylistic difference, Quentin Tarantino was once considered to write the much maligned Halloween 6, which finished the Jamie Lloyd trilogy and introduced audiences to the Cult of Thorn.
Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers released in 1995, was directed by Joe Chappelle and written by Daniel Farrands. It expanded on the mythology that was introduced long before in the Halloween movies regarding the Thorn curse inflicted on Michael Myers that causes him to be supernaturally compelled to murder his entire family. It not only provided some explanation for why he was so intent on stalking Laurie Strode in the first movie, but added to the saga with Jamie Lloyd, Michael’s young niece who was introduced in Halloween 4. Though Jamie Lloyd is an adult in Halloween 6 and ultimately meets her demise in the movie, many fans weren’t keen on the entire Cult of Thorn storyline, which was ushered in quickly by the mysterious Man in Black during the end of Halloween 5, when Michael is broken out of jail.
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The Halloween 6 that ended up being made was set six years after Halloween 5, and ended up undergoing significant reshoots before the final version made it to audiences. Eventually, the very different Producer’s Cut has been revealed to fans, and is often preferred because of how much had to be edited in the theatrical version, including a recast of Dr. Loomis after Donald Pleasence’s death. While Halloween 6 was harshly critiqued, Quentin Tarantino, who was fresh off Reservoir Dogs, was initially approached by Miramax to add his name to the long list of contributors who have lent their talents to the Halloween franchise over the years. While Tarantino’s gritty, pulp stories don’t quite mesh with the existing franchise, his ideas for the project certainly sounded wild.
Quentin Tarantino’s Version: Halloween Meets Natural Born Killers
Tarantino’s idea for his version of Halloween 6, had he been tapped to write the script, would have involved the Man in Black, who was revealed to be Dr. Terence Wynn in the Halloween 4-6 timeline. In John Carpenter’s original movie, Dr. Wynn was an administrator of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, though his greater significance in the franchise and involvement with the Cult of Thorn doesn’t exist in the same capacity in that timeline. Although the Man in Black was used in Halloween 6, Tarantino had a much different idea for the character that was more his speed. In an interview with Consequence of Sound, Tarantino talked about how he wanted to take the Man in Black and Michael Myers on a bloody Route 66 road trip after he was broken out of jail in Halloween 5.
Apparently, his idea was to have them stop at different locations along the way; Michael would kill a bunch of people, and then they would proceed on with their trip. Although it is a bit strange for a character who is notoriously silent to go on a road trip with a mysterious cloaked figure, “stop at coffee shops“, and fill a ninety minute run-time, the kind of magic Tarantino is able to work into his movies bolsters the ridiculous and inconceivable with success more often than not. In many ways, Tarantino’s pitch sounds like a cross between Halloween and Natural Born Killers, which was directed by Oliver Stone and written by Tarantino; it released in 1994, right around the same time he pitched his idea to Miramax.
As the project never came to fruition, it’s difficult to say whether or not it would have been better than the film’s final version, but as many fans prefer the Producer’s Cut of Halloween 6 for good reason, it could have taken the movies in a completely different direction and maybe even gotten Tarantino into the director’s chair of a major horror franchise.
