'Halloween Ends': John Carpenter says he and fellow composers had to do 'everything differently'

Over the summer, SYFY WIRE had the opportunity to hop on a phone call with the legendary John Carpenter in honor of The Thing's 40th anniversary. Of course, we just had to ask him a question about Halloween Ends (whose score he composed alongside his son and godson), which the director/musician teased as "a departure" from the first two films in David Gordon Green's rebooted trilogy.

His comments were right on the money. While many audiences probably expected an entire movie dedicated to a final showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney), Halloween Ends takes an unexpected turn by having The Shape take on a protégée of sorts in the form of a young man accused of murder named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell). This third entry is more concerned with how evil and trauma can forever poison a town via endless (ironic word choice, we know) cycles of violence.

"The movie’s so different that we had to do everything differently," Carpenter recently explained to MovieMaker Magazine while discussing the music he created with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. "[David Gordon Green] challenged us on a couple of things, which was great, then gave us ultimate freedom on a couple others, which is also great. We had a great time working with him. He’s a wonderful director. Knows what he wants, not afraid to take chances. He really did a terrific job. This one’s a totally different movie. Very different. And it was like a puzzle to figure out how to put this thing together, but he did, and did it well."

Carpenter also affirmed that he has no desire to return to the director's chair (his last credit was 2010's The Ward), despite the fact that "there are a lot of movies" he'd still "love to make." For the time being at least, he's content to write music, play video games, and pen the occasional comic book. And why shouldn't he get to rest on his laurels? The man reinvented horror in the '70s and '80s. His legacy is secure.

"I’m having a great time in my life. I love making music with my son and godson," he added. "Why would I want to f*** that up? I have a lot of movies I want to make. Like Jamie [Lee Curtis], there’s always things I would love to have made, or love to make, but I’m not going to make them. Just not going to do it."

Even so, that doesn't mean his relationship to cinema has ended for good. In addition to the last three Halloween titles, Carpenter and his two musical cohorts also scored Universal and Blumhouse's new adaptation of Firestarter. And with Gordon Green moving on to a brand-new trilogy of Exorcist films, the trio may find themselves in a world of demonic possession.

"We’re standing by in case he [David] needs us," Carpenter said.

Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock.