John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher classic “Halloween” returns to nearly 300 theaters nationwide tonight, Sept. 4, kicking off a weekend celebration for the franchise’s newest interactive chapter, Halloween: The Game.
The limited theatrical screening event arrives four days ahead of the game’s full Sept. 8 launch. Developed by IllFonic in partnership with Compass International Pictures and Further Front, the asymmetrical horror title enters early access today for fans who pre-ordered the game.
“There is nothing like watching Halloween the way it was meant to be seen, in a theatre, in the dark, on the big screen,” said Malek Akkad, CEO of Trancas International Films. “Nearly fifty years later, Michael Myers still brings audiences back to Haddonfield. Pairing this screening event with the launch of Halloween: The Game gives fans a whole weekend to celebrate the original film that started it all.”
Widely credited with birthing the modern slasher genre, “Halloween” introduced audiences to 6-year-old Michael Myers, who murders his sister in 1963 before escaping Smith’s Grove Sanitarium 15 years later to stalk his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. Co-written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, the film launched the career of Jamie Lee Curtis alongside co-star Donald Pleasence.
The accompanying video game translates that classic cat-and-mouse tension into an asymmetrical sandbox where players can step into the shoes of desperate civilians attempting to survive, or play as Myers himself.
Halloween: The Game launches wide Sept. 8 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Tickets for tonight’s screenings are available through Regal Cinemas and via the Regal app, with Regal Crown Club members eligible to win digital game codes.
