On Saturday, the trailer for the Spirit Halloween movie made its debut at the opening of the flagship Spirit Halloween store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. But on Sunday, Midsummer Scream, the world’s largest Halloween and horror convention, had Tales from the Boo Crew podcast hosts Trevor Shand, Lauren Shand, and Leone D’Antonio moderate a panel with “Spirit Halloween: The Movie” screenwriter Billie Bates along with the film’s producer Noor Ahmed and cinematographer Andy Kugler to not only share the trailer but talk a bit about the film itself. In recent weeks, more has been unveiled about the film, but here are some new things we learned about the film and its release.
Spirit Halloween wasn’t originally tied to the project
While the Halloween retailer had been at the heart of Billie Bates’ script since it was first created in 2018, they weren’t initially involved with the project. In fact, at one point, the producers considered changing it to be a generic Halloween megastore. But before that could happen, producer Shannon Houchins suggested reaching out to the retailer to see if they would be interested in being part of the film. The filmmakers weren’t looking for a sponsorship or brand partnership but wanted to include Spirit and its products organically in the film the way that it was in the script. After reading the script and realizing this was a family-friendly film, the retailer got on board. As a result, the film takes place in a real-life Spirit store in Rome, GA, features actual Spirit Halloween animatronics, and of course still shares a name with the film.
Very little needed to be changed in the script
Aside from swapping out some of the Spirit Halloween animatronics and generating some additional backstory on characters, and changing some of the locations, Billie Bates’ script went relatively unchanged as the film was being made. Quite a feat considering this is Bates’ first feature.
The film is still in post-production
Despite being just two months out from the film’s release, it’s not actually done. Post-production work is still happening on the film, including color correction and final sign-off from Andy Kugler.
Christopher Lloyd, is the villain in the film and at the heart of the curse the kids in the film are up against
From the film’s trailer and during the panel, we learn that Christopher Lloyd’s character, Alec Windsor, meets his demise very early in the film. However, his presence is felt throughout as his spirit is actually what possesses and brings the Spirit Halloween animatronics to life. While the animatronics will each feature their signature movement and style, Lloyd performed the voiceover work for the characters.
The “monsters” in the film are a mix of actual Spirit Halloween animatronics and practical effects
Each of the animatronics featured in the film starts out as an actual Spirit Halloween animatronic. However, when they come to life, they are played by actors using practical effects to recreate iconic Spirit Halloween animatronics like Buzzsaw, Mr. Dark, and Nightcrawler.
The film has a target release of October 11, with various distribution channels planned
During the panel, Noor Ahmed shared that the general release plans for the film include a few different film festivals in late September and late February; limited engagements in both AMC and Regal theaters; select drive-in screenings in September and October; and then a commercial release in the U.S. and Canada on October 11 where you’ll be able to rent or buy from all the major VOD platforms, including Amazon, Apple, and Google Play. The film will also be made available to stream internationally on HBO Max beginning October 22.
Want to see the trailer that was shared at Midsummer Scream? Check it out below! And keep an eye out for an all-new teaser for the film, which is expected to drop on August 2.
