Early drafts also handled the paternity of Jamie’s baby differently. Theatrically, the filmmakers never address the issue but the producer’s cut charges that Michael is the father. Farrands originally envisioned Wynn as the father, which is not surprising given his already sinister characterization. As in the producer’s cut, Jamie would have recalled the terrible memory of her rape while at the hospital. The major difference is that the Shape would be caged nearby and forced to watch this horrendous act take place. Enraged by Wynn’s actions, he would slam against the metal bars of his confinement in protest. This alternate take on Jamie’s pregnancy far more evokes Rosemary’s Baby, as was the original intention, than having Michael be the father.
While Farrands had always intended for Wynn to be outed as the Man in Black, he had originally teased that reveal with a longer build-up. In a deleted subplot, the screenwriter introduced Haddonfield’s mayor as a red herring. This role would have been staunchly anti-Halloween and thus opposed to the town celebration that takes place midway through the film. Visually, the mayor would have appeared in all white to contrast against the Man in Black. Farrands wrote that his backstory would have included losing someone to Michael Myers many years ago. As first envisioned, both the mayor and celebration would have somewhat evoked Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Fearing another slaughter, the mayor orders Haddonfield’s law enforcement to patrol the town throughout the night. This includes using a police helicopter to monitor the festivities from above for any possible Shape activity. (In light of Haddonfield’s back-to-back police massacres in 1988 and 1989, this seems like a wholly appropriate precaution.)
In both versions of Halloween 6, the filmmakers momentarily trick the audience into thinking the Man in Black is at the town festival. This turns out to be a mostly naked Barry Simms in trench coat and hat. As originally written, the real Man in Black would have been at the festival and spotted by Tommy, who chases him with gun drawn. (How Tommy would have known about the Man in Black is unclear.) Tommy is quickly apprehended by Sheriff Holdt, who begrudgingly turns him over to Loomis. In this version of events, the doctor is extremely untrusting of Tommy, whom he holds at gunpoint. (Loomis to Tommy: “I know enough already. Just shut your mouth and take me to that baby.”) The discovery of Barry Simm’s mutilated corpse allows Tommy to escape, though he’s ultimately kidnapped and taken to Smith’s Grove.
Initial drafts of the Halloween 6 screenplay depicted Dr. Wynn as being far more evil than he appeared in either version of the film. Some of this darker characterization played out during his revelatory chat with Loomis at Smith’s Grove, which was originally much longer. Farrands wrote that Wynn not only controlled the Shape, but was psychically connected to him as well. Wynn to Loomis: “He moves when I tell him to. Acts on my impulses. Feels what I feel.” Wynn demonstrates this connection by cutting his own hand, which also injures the Shape’s hand. He next demonstrates his absolute control by throwing his own secretary into Michael’s cage and ordering him to kill her, which he does. Loomis is, of course, horrified by this.
Another sequence that changed throughout production was the climactic cult ceremony, which was altogether absent from the theatrical version. In the producer’s cut, it’s fairly clear what is supposed to be happening here. Wynn wants Michael to kill the baby in order to end his curse. Wynn then wants Danny to kill his mother in order to begin his own curse. The filmmakers considered several variations on this, including one in which Danny is supposed to kill the baby rather than his mother. At its best, the cult ceremony was a battle for Danny’s soul with Wynn demanding that he kill and Kara begging him to suppress the urge. The outcome of that struggle changed several tims. In one draft, Danny actually succumbs to Wynn’s influence, yet in others he manages to resist it with the help of his mother. We never get to see Danny’s choice in the producers’ cut as Tommy crashes the ceremony disguised as a cult member.
In dropping the cult ceremony, the theatrical ending lacks a sense of purpose for what exactly the cult is doing at Smith’s Grove. Per the producer’s cut, Jamie’s baby is but a sacrifice to be slaughtered in order to end Michael’s curse. The theatrical version suggests an alternate fate for her baby. Wynn in a deleted monologue: “Jamie has the gift -- the blood of Thorn running through her veins. Michael’s mother had it, too. For six years I incubated Jamie, prepared her for this night. Michael has served his purpose. And soon we will have a new progeny.” This all makes so little sense, which is something the script itself seems to realize. In a subsequent deleted line, Wynn teases Loomis for being so utterly confused at what the cult is trying to achieve. “There you go trying to make sense again.” We feel your pain, Doc.
In the producer’s cut, Tommy escapes with Kara and the children. An earlier version of the script saw him doing this with Loomis – and accidentally setting the chamber on fire in the process. In an effort to save everyone else, Loomis offers his own life to the Shape as a diversion. (“Let it be over, Michael. This time let it finally end. Take me. Let me be your final sacrifice.”) The doctor is slashed across the chest and thrown through a window, though his survival is left unclear. Tommy and Kara escape the burning room with Jamie’s baby – pursued by the Shape who is literally on fire and doesn’t much seem to mind. The script: “The Shape glides steadily through the tunnels. A walking pillar of flame. Undaunted. Unstoppable. Hell-spawned.”
ALTERNATE ENDINGS
One of the biggest unknowns throughout Halloween 6’s development and production was how it would all end. As with almost everything else, the filmmakers were divided. Moustapha Akkad strongly advocated for a cliffhanger ending to set up the next sequel. Of Halloween 7, actor Mitch Ryan told Fangoria, “They’ve already talked about bringing me back for the next one. That would be fine. But the next one probably won’t be made for another couple of years. Who knows? I could be dead by then.” (For the record, Ryan is still alive as of this writing!)
In both versions of the film, Tommy, Kara, and the children escape Smith’s Grove unharmed. The producer’s cut shows Michael vanishing into the night and a horrified Loomis becoming his guardian protector. The theatrical version has Loomis heading back into Smith’s Grove alone – only to encounter an unmasked Shape offscreen. We should probably interpret his screams as evidence that Michael finally murdered his doctor. Beyond these two endings, there were at least three others under consideration.
The first alternate ending saw Wynn leaving Smith’s Grove in a helicopter that would have been seen earlier in the film. Farrands planned for Wynn to depart with what he thought was Jamie’s swaddled baby, but was actually a bomb Tommy swiped from his office. The helicopter explodes into a massive fireball shortly after takeoff with Tommy, Kara, and the children escaping the facility. Having been attacked by the Shape, Loomis’ fate would be left unclear until the next film. Budget limitations would force filmmakers to nix this ending, though not before Malek Akkad had reportedly purchased a miniature helicopter for the explosion effect.
(On a related note, Farrands initially wrote for Loomis and Wynn to arrive at the barn crime scene via the aforementioned helicopter. Their aerial approach would have revealed a massive crop circle of the Thorn symbol cut into a nearby field. Losing the helicopter also meant losing the crop circle. The scene was rewritten so that both men found the symbol burned onto a stack of hay bales inside the barn instead, which is slightly less epic.)
The second alternate ending is a variation on the first. In this conclusion, Wynn escapes Smith’s Grove in the helicopter with Danny in his custody. Tommy and Kara rescue Jamie’s baby and hijack a hospital van in order to follow the helicopter. The final lines of this script read: “In the back of the van, we can see the Shape’s white mask. Glowing in the darkness. Emerging. Kara and Tommy drive on, unaware. And that, for now, is how we leave them.”
The third alternate ending – and the screenwriter’s personal favorite – would have eerily mirrored the film’s opening. Tommy, Kara, and the children escape Smith’s Gr
ove and arrive at the same bus depot where Jamie went the previous night. Its lobby would again appear deserted with no one in sight. Kara takes the children to the restroom while Tommy searches for help. Hearing a blood-curdling scream, he rushes downstairs to find Kara stabbed to death, a giant Thorn symbol painted above her in fresh blood. The script reads, “Danny stands looking down at his mother with the darkest eyes we have ever seen ... the devil’s eyes. His hands are covered in blood! A cold gust of wind blows through the open window. The baby is gone.”
The series of location shots that end the film was originally going to show the Man in Black approaching the Myers house - only this dark figure is breathing heavily as though through a rubber mask – he disappears into the night “like a figment of our imagination.”
INTERVIEW: Daniel Farrands
(Daniel Farrands: Writer - H6)
You were introduced to Moustapha Akkad through Halloween 5 producer Ramsey Thomas. How did you manage to connect with him?
I connected with Ramsey in a very old-fashioned way by sending him a letter through the mail. It was a standard query letter saying how I was a fan of the series and had written several other horror scripts. Someone in his office called me back and invited me to send in a writing sample. I didn’t think much of it, but was honored to be asked. Within a few weeks of that, I received a call from Ramsey himself, who said, ‘I read your script. I actually think it’s really good and that you’re a good writer. We’re starting to look for writers to pitch Halloween 6, which we’re going to make this year and release in 1991. Would you be interested?’ And so off I went. There were maybe three weeks between that call and my meeting with Moustapha Akkad. Obviously, they didn’t make the film that year.
Ramsey remained a part of my world long after that meeting. We kept in regular contact with each other through the years. He was a very direct person and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He told you exactly what he thought in the moment, whether he liked something or didn’t like it. Even though he wasn’t ultimately brought in to produce Halloween 6, he was thrilled to hear that I’d gotten the job years later. He remained a good sounding board for me as I developed the script. I remember him reading my initial treatment and liking it, especially the radio show opening that tied all of the stories together. He gave me a lot of great feedback even though he wasn’t officially a producer on the movie. I felt obligated to rope him in since he introduced me to Moustapha. I have nothing but gratitude to Ramsey for taking this kid into the office of Moustapha Akkad.
What was your original pitch for Halloween 6 like back in 1990?
You’re making me go back a long way here, so let me think back to that. I was very young in that first meeting and very intimidated. The closest thing I could liken it to was being summoned to the principal’s office. I wanted to be very prepared, so I created this kind of story bible covering the entire franchise up until that point, minus part three. I was so concerned about having the right answers to any questions that might come up, so I went through a lot of effort to prepare.
I went to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, this new age place in Los Angeles, trying to find out what that rune was in Halloween 5, the symbol of Thorn. I wanted to find out if it was real or not and someone directed me to a book called Rune Magic by Donald Tyson. That’s really where the inspiration for my story launched from. So my bible contained information about the rune symbol, a family tree of how all the characters were connected, and ideas about where the story could go from there. I don’t think it was a fully fleshed out pitch, but just general ideas that could be explored. I pitched it as Halloween 666 with the satanic and black magic angles. Little did I know, all those years later, I would get a call back to pitch again. Interestingly, that very same bible binder I had made in 1990 was sitting on Moustapha’s desk when I went back. They had moved to a new office and brought the binder with them. I remember him telling me how grateful he was for that because they used it all the time.
Filmmaker Fred Walton was initially attached to direct your version of Halloween 6. Did you and he have any discussions? And why did he ultimately not direct the film?
The only people in the room when I pitched Halloween 6 again in 1994 were Moustapha, Malek, and Paul Freeman. There were no studio people, no director, nor anyone else. At the end of that meeting, Paul mentioned that they were trying to attach Fred Walton to the project. I don’t think that deal was ever made, but that’s who they were focused on at the time. They were confident that he was going to direct the film, which excited me because I love When a Stranger Calls. I kept that in mind as I wrote my first draft of Halloween 6. I tried to make it more suspenseful because I thought he would be directing it. Remember the scene where the girl is on the phone by the window and Michael appears behind her? That was directly inspired by When a Stranger Calls. I was hoping he would appreciate that nod, but it didn’t work out.
I did eventually have lunch with Fred Walton at Jerry’s Deli in Studio City. He was kind enough to autograph my When a Stranger Calls laserdisc. I remember asking him about Halloween 6. He told me, ‘It just wasn’t the kind of movie I wanted to make. I didn’t have any problem with your script or anything. I just didn’t want to make a movie about a guy with a knife killing people.’ He then pitched me his ideas for the movie, which involved Jamie Lloyd living in a halfway house for people that’ve survived traumatic experiences. He wanted to focus the story on that. I thought it was a little too much like Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning. His idea to open the movie had Jamie standing up on a table and blowing her brains out with a gun. I remember thinking, ‘Wow That’s... not good. It’s bad enough we had to kill her in our movie, but her killing herself was not good.’ So I could tell Fred was creatively on a different page than we were.
So you’re hired to write the new sequel to one of your favorite films of all time... only to have your script butchered. On a personal level, what was that like?
I was young and so incredibly happy to have the opportunity. Not that I didn’t work for it, because I did write a spec script that got my foot in the door. I went in with so much excitement and passion and enthusiasm. I felt like a kid that had been given the keys to Santa’s workshop. I couldn’t even believe this was really happening. The stars had truly aligned. I was constantly pinching myself on set, especially when I would see Donald Pleasence reading my lines.
On the other hand, it became apparent to me very quickly that there were cooks in the kitchen that were not as concerned with making Halloween 6 a good movie. I thought this would be the sequel to connect all the dots between the films while returning to the spirit of the original. They didn’t care about that. Working on the film became difficult once feedback started coming in from people like studio execs, line producers, and others who only saw the film as a product to be sold. They were not committed to making it good, only to getting it done. That was a huge frustration. I was pretty ballsy and outspoken about my displeasure with some of those people and their decisions. Their only goals were to make the movie quick and cheap.
But you know what? I’m still grateful. Halloween 6 gave me a career in this business immediately. Suddenly I had an agent and an entertainment lawyer. Doors opened for me that might never have opened otherwise. I was suddenly at Paramount, Disney, Universal, and Fox. I had meetings with every studio in town, not to mention several development deals and pitches that were actually sold. My career has now lasted over twenty years in this business.
I really admire how diplomatic and professional you are about all this. I don’t know that I’d have handled it the same. You’ve really taken what happened on Halloween 6 in stride.
Thank you, but I didn’t at the time. As both people and as filmmakers, we mature, we grow up, and we move on. They always say that creative projects are never finished but abandoned. On some level, Halloween 6 was abandoned. I felt badly about it because the movie deserved better than it got. It helped having such great people to work with. Especially Malek Akkad, who
m Moustapha was grooming to one day take his place Being the same age, he and I connected as twenty-somethings. He would share in my frustration while making the film. If I wasn’t on set, Malek would call me and go, ‘Oh my God, they cut that scene. I can’t believe they’re cutting that!’ Those decisions were being made by old people who thought they knew better than us. We were the kids who thought we knew what the movie should be like. It was clear to us that the old folks didn’t want to make a cool movie, so we would band together to come up with solutions.
There was one night of filming at this park where they were going to shoot the town festival happening. The old fogies on the production didn’t want to pay the permit to light the bonfires, but that whole scene is about those bonfires! It’s supposed to be intercut with Mrs. Blankenship talking about old Halloween and how they used to light huge fires. It’s a juxtaposition of that old Samhain festival to this modern one. How do you do that without fire? We were told, ‘No, you’re not getting fire. Not happening.’ I was like, ‘Fuck. Malek, what are we going to do?’ And he’s like, ‘Don’t worry. I got this.’ And he went around with some PA’s and lit those fires on his own. He just said, ‘Fuck these permits and fuck these people.’ That’s the reason there are fires in that scene. He was vested in trying to make it good.
Marianne Hagan, who was such a delight to know, was also committed to making it good. I think she actually cried when she learned there were certain scenes that were being so arbitrarily cut from the script. The only reason was that they didn’t want to spend the money. She had heard somewhere that Jamie Lee Curtis had gone to JC Penny to buy clothes for Laurie Strode on the original Halloween. Since Kara is supposed to be cousins with Laurie, Marianne decided she wanted to do the same and she did. She went with the costumer to pick out her character’s wardrobe. Audiences would never know any of this, but to her, myself, and the other young rebels on set, this kind of stuff made it fun. We tried our best on Halloween 6 despite the resistance we were getting from the grown-ups above us. We were a team of renegades that included myself, Malek, Paul Rudd, Marianne, Keith Bogart, and JC Brandy. So I was always glad when small moments like those little fires made it into the movie in spite of the old-timers shaking their fingers at us.
Taking Shape Page 22
