WIRE Buzz: Creepshow Halloween Special lands Kiefer Sutherland; Nightstream; Halloween

The holiday season is right around the corner! And of course, the holiday in question for genre fans is Halloween. That means shows that thrive in the realm of the spooky...or perhaps, "Creepy," are giving out the goodies. Creepshow, the Shudder horror anthology showrun by Greg Nicotero, is giving fans a star-studded, fully-animated special called, suitably, The Creepshow Halloween Special.

This special contains two stories, both directed by Nicotero and animated by Octopie animation studio. The first, based on Stephen King's short story "Survivor Type," features the voice of Kiefer Sutherland as a man stuck on a desert island, full Castaway style. But, it's a Stephen King story, so don't expect a Tom Hanks happy ending.

The second also comes from the Stephen King family: “Twittering from the Circus of the Dead” is getting adapted (by Melanie Dale) from Joe Hill's short story, featuring Joey King (no relation) as voice talent for the tale of the scary sideshow.

“Halloween wouldn’t be complete without Creepshow, so with the help of the father and son team of Stephen & Joe as well as a fantastic animated format, we get to continue the tradition and spirit of Halloween,” said Nicotero.

“Although Season 2, now in production, has been delayed due to COVID, Greg and his team were still able to pull off this fantastic special so everyone will be able to enjoy a little bit of Creepshow during Halloween season,” said Shudder GM Craig Engler.

The Creepshow Halloween Special hits Shudder on Oct. 26.

Next, the coronavirus pandemic has had a heavy impact on the world of film and TV, and more specifically on the world of film festivals. No longer is it OK to gather a ton of moviegoers and shove them in a theater for a full day. That led the Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights film festivals to put together their own virtual program: Nightstream.

Aside from the seven world premieres offered at the fest, Nightstream also includes events like a Virtual Fireside with Candyman helmer Nia DaCosta, an American Psycho retrospective conversation with director Mary Harron, a conversation with A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and a dinner honoring Mick Garris, which will feature horror staples like Joe Dante and Mike Flanagan.

The films having their world premiere at the virtual fest are Run, The Doorman (which will feature a post-screening Q&A from star Ruby Rose), Frank & Zed, Honeydew, It Cuts Deep, Reunion, and An Unquiet Grave.

Nightstream runs from Oct. 8-11 and offers varying levels of badge cost depending on how many films/events fans want to enjoy.

Finally, a trio of films from the iconic Halloween franchise are heading back to theaters this October to put horrorhounds in the holiday spirit.

Variety reports that John Carpenter’s original Halloween, as well as slasher sequels Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers will be hitting 225 screens, including 104 drive-ins next month. 

“We are so excited to be bringing these films back, especially to drive-ins across the country where this iconic franchise launched,” said Ryan Freimann, senior vice president of Trancas and Compass. “Now, with the fall season growing closer, the drive-in format is helping keep both Halloween spirit and the cinema experience alive in these unprecedented times.” The original film being circulated to drive-ins is the remastered digital version overseen by cinematographer Dean Cundey, while the latter two (which star Danielle Harris as series heroine Laurie Strode’s daughter) aren't getting any similar restoration.

Variety notes that while it's ultimately up to the theater or drive-in, most drive-ins are showing all three movies as a spooky marathon, while traditional theaters — still deemed dangerous under COVID-19 conditions - are only screening the original.

No specific dates have yet been announced, but these Halloween films are all fans will get to see in theaters this year, as Halloween Kills has been pushed back to Oct. 15, 2021.