It’s been a long time since we’ve had a novelisation of a Halloween film but with the 40th anniversary sequel projected to do great numbers at the box office an adaptation of its story was announced.
What’s interesting about John Passarella’s novel is how it goes into greater depth on some scenes and also adds in some interesting tidbits for fans.
Dr Sartain explains that whilst in the asylum Michael has been studied and even left with animals in his cell to see what his reaction would be to them.
We also find out the fate of the Myers house and have slightly more time with Allyson’s boyfriend Cameron; which isn’t really necessary.
The novel also keeps the films original opening with Allyson going out jogging in Haddonfield and re-introducing us to this quiet town. This has greater context later on as a dog is found hung from a tree as the Shape watches on.
We also have some fun exchanges between Laurie and Ray where the latter clearly shows who’s boss in this situation.
Make no mistake this one is for the fans and probably won’t reach beyond the quite expansive fanbase.
Although there is some cringeworthy dialogue which was gladly cut out of the finale of the film, this is a faithful look at the film’s story.
The detail Passarella uses on the kill scenes really drives home just how brutal The Shape is during the film.
It’s clear to see the film had a hard job trimming down to the 1 hour 45 minute runtime but in taking out some of the scenes it helped to make it a leaner machine much in the same way as the original.
Fans of Michael Myers will find plenty to love here though.
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Halloween by John Passarella is now available on Amazon and all good book stores.
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