Interview With Eric Hiers
Q: What was
your favorite Halloween?
E: The
original. It’s unbeatable. I rank it first followed by H20 (I know a lot
of people hate it, but it was the only one other than the original that scared
me), Halloween 2, Halloween 4, Halloween 6, Halloween 5, and then that piece of
crap 3.
Q: Who was your
favorite Shape?
E: Nick Castle,
without a doubt. No one has come close
to being as creepy as him.
Q: What was the first Halloween you saw?
E: The original.
I saw it when I was about four. I
saw the films in order, with the exception of 3. I saw the 1, 2, 4, and 5 when I was about 4
or 5.
Q: What did you
think of it at the time?
E: I liked
them. But then Child’s Play got out of
the horror thing until I saw Wes Craven’s New Nightmare in theaters in ’94.
Q: Without
giving away anything big, what’s the plot?
E: As the site
says, “After seven years missing, Michael Myers returns to his hometown of
Haddonfield,
Q: Where did
you get the idea for HTFCWMM?
E: After
watching Halloween 6 back when it came out on video, I wrote the original
treatment and I wrote the script. But
after H20 stole my Shape’s demise, I threw the script out. But a few weeks ago, I bought the mask and I
told one of my friends about some of the plot points and they said I should do
that as a film and just think of a new ending.
So I got the old treatment and reworked it. Now I have the script with a good shocking
ending.
Q: Aside from
directing and writing it, you star in it, who are you in the film?
E: I play the
Shape. It’s been a dream of mine since I
saw Halloween 6.
Q: How many
different scripts did you write or consider for the film?
E: There were
five different scripts, including the original version with the beheading. Two versions followed H20. One connected H20 with Halloween 4 through 6
and the other one had Laurie dying at the beginning while at a book signing
convention. It would continue with
Michael going after John and Molly from H20.
Another script was the first two episodes of Halloween: The Series
expanded into a film script. Then
there’s this script which blows away all the others.
Q: Which mask
are you using?
E: The 1999
Illusive Concepts mask.
Q: Halloween
H20 ignored Halloween 4 through Halloween 6, where does this film fall in?
E: While H20
was, in my opinion, the best Halloween sequel, this film ignores H20 and
continues the Curse of Michael Myers story.
Q: The ending
is well hidden; no one has seen or read it, how many different endings were
there?
E: There were
three. The original ending with Steven
cutting Michael’s head off and the two being used now.
Q: There were
two versions of Halloween 6 and supposedly H20 also, are there going to be two
versions of HTFCWMM?
E: Yeah, I have
two different visions of the film and I want to have two slightly different
versions in case one sucks. But I believe
the current ending is perfect. One ends
the whole story and the other suggests future sequels. This film is the Halloween I’d want to see.
Q: What film
characters appear in the film?
E: Of course,
The Shape. But also Tommy Doyle from the
first two and six and the brief cameo in Halloween 4; Lindsay Wallace from the
first two and also Halloween 4; Steven Lloyd, Jamie Lloyd’s son from Halloween
6, who is now seven years old. There’s
also a brief scene with Dr. Loomis, which will be made from footage of Donald Pleasance
in Halloween 6.
Q: Is the Thorn
cult mention at all in the film?
E: Thorn is
mention and plays a big part in the final act.
Q: After
HTFCWMM, what are you going to do?
E: I’m doing a
coming of age film called FilmBUFFS.
It’s basically the story of a film obsessed guy whose world gets turned
upside down when he meets “The One”. It
is a big homage to the 80s John Hughes teenage films and the View Askew films
(the Jay and Silent Bob films).
Q: Any other
Halloween films?
E: Most likely
a fan sequel to Halloween: The Homecoming.
I doubt any Final Confrontation With Michael Myers sequels unless it is
very much wanted.
Q: What are
your feelings about Halloween 8 and how do you think it will turn out?
E: I don’t
really agree with any post H20 Halloweens, but I read the supposed first draft
of the film and I loved it. It was very
different and good considering it was a first draft. I loved the opening with Laurie’s
demise. I didn’t like the fact The Shape
survived and it left it open for future sequels. I mean HALLOWEEN 9?!! Jeez, it’s turning into Friday the 13th. But being the huge Halloween fan I am, I’m
sure I’ll like and I’m sure it will rank at least just under Halloween II. I just hope when it comes to DVD, it will
include both endings; the one they shot first and the one they are shooting
now.
Q: Any other
comments you want to make?
E: Just that the film will be shot this summer and edited probably in the beginning of fall for a Halloween 2002 release. The video, most likely, will include both versions of the film. Once you see it, write a review and send it to me ([email protected]). I don’t care if it’s a good or bad review and tell me if you’d want to see another film. I plan on writing another film to follow Halloween: The Homecoming. It depends on what you guys think of The Final Confrontation With Michael Myers whether or not it’ll be made. I have a script called A Nightmare At Camp Crystal Lake On Halloween, which is a Freddy vs. Jason vs. Michael script. I doubt I’d ever do that as a film, but you never know. If there is enough interest in it, I’ll do the film. There will be a poll on the site when I get the script for it up on the site. Also I’ll help Patrick Dumas on his little Halloween film, which may be done before mine. So that’s three potential Halloweens after mine. Matchbox Pictures will probably be going into the Halloween franchise now. I doubt it. I don’t want to keep doing Halloween after Halloween, so I’ll stop somewhere around……. Fifty (laughs.)