Daniel Farrands

1) How did you get the job of writing Halloween 6?

I started writing and directing my own plays and movies when I was a kid; I grew up watching horror films (the 80's were a great time for them!), and got hooked on HALLOWEEN the first time I saw it on network television in 1981. That same week, HALLOWEEN II was released and that clinched it. I wrote and directed my own HALLOWEEN films in junior high and high school, and it was always my secret ambition to actually write one of the films in the series. (Ironically, I'm attending my 10-year high school reunion this year; I think my friends will be impressed -- albeit not surprised -- that I actually did it.) I moved to Los Angeles right out of high school with stars in my eyes and began writing scripts, working various jobs, making contacts and basically knocking on every door I could find. Most of them were slammed in my face. After HALLOWEEN 5 came out, I was determined. Through one of my contacts I was able to meet Ramsey Thomas, 5's producer, who read a (non-HALLOWEEN) script of mine and was impressed. They wanted to make HALLOWEEN 6 the following year (1990), but a series of complicated legal battles ensued. It took five more years -- during which time I wrote other scripts and had my first film produced -- before Moustapha Akkad finally called on me. The series rights had been bought by Miramax/Dimension, and a gaggle of other (more established) writers had failed to deliver a script that anyone was happy with. I had several meetings with Akkad and his producer Paul Freeman and wrote several versions of a treatment before they decided that I was the man for the job. What impressed them most, I think, was that I had such an intense knowledge of the series and the characters. Morever, I came up with a scenario that intrigued them. My original intent for HALLOWEEN 6 was to bridge the later films (4-5) in the series to the earlier films (1-2) while at the same time taking the story into new territory so that the series could expand for future installments.

This is a tough one. I wrote something like ten different drafts of the script. My original script was much bigger in scope and tone -- it had a real edge-of-your-seat, "action movie" feel to it, which apparently couldn't be done for the modest budget Dimension had in mind. I tried to emphasize suspense over gore, a tack which was completely lost in the finished film. (Sorry, there were no exploding heads in my script.) As for the ending, that was a problem from the get-go. I had written more than a dozen scenarios for the end of the film. The final 15 minutes you saw in the final theatrical cut were completely re-written by Joe Chappelle, the director, who assured me that "everything would make sense" once I saw it put together on film. To this day, I am scratching my head. WHAT was going on in that operating room? WHY was Danny staring at X-rays? (Was he daydreaming about his future in pre-med?) WHY would Myers massacre those doctors (er, cult members)? WHAT were those floating babies in fish tanks supposed to be? WHAT was the green stuff in the syringe? And HOW ... please tell me (the writer, of all people) ... HOW Michael Myers ... evil personified ... the unstoppable force of nature who has survived countless bullet wounds, explosions and stabbings ... could be convincingly laid to rest with a LEAD PIPE??? Would Tommy Doyle of all people WALK AWAY after this vicious assault, convinced that his life-long bogeyman had been vanquished??? These are things that only Mr. Chappelle supposedly understands. After seeing his finished film, I wanted to bury my head in the sand. It was an affront to me and to the fans whom I felt I represented in some sense. Instead of employing Carpenter-style suspense, they gave us a gore-fest; instead of story logic, they gave us some kind of drug-induced X-Files episode. (Don't get me wrong, X-Philes -- I love the show!)

For those who have seen the original Producer's Cut (which has been floating around in the bootleg video market for some time now): that ending was culled from various scripted scenes from about ten different drafts. They basically took all of the simplest (translation: cheapest to shoot) elements from the script, threw them together and came up with one of the corniest endings in movie history. TOMMY: "It worked; the power of the runes stopped him!" I mean, PLEASE! Joe Chappelle wrote that line; he also wrote such memorable hum-dingers as, "Where did everybody go? I feel like I've been drugged." And the unforgettable, "Mommy, it's raining red ... it's warm." For me, it was like seeing my childhood dream turned into a living nightmare. I had no control; I was forced to stand by as the director (and producer) took their hand to the script pages and cut out everything that was scary and suspenseful. The producer was more concerned with getting it done as cheaply and as quickly as possible than with making a quality film. In the director's case, he was more concerned with his shots being "artisic" and "beautiful" rather than telling a solid, suspenseful story. All of this tomfoolery contributed to the dismemberment and evisceration of the final film. And I thought Michael Myers was the bad guy!

The music (what there was of it) in H6 was terrible. The Producer's Cut had many more of John Carpenter's original themes; however, they weren't used to the best effect, due mainly to the producer's decision to record the film's tracks in Ultra-Stereo (translation = UltraCheap). Later, the director had the inspired idea that he could "save" the movie with reorchestrated music (again, doing all of this without the consent or knowledge of the composer, Alan Howarth). Joe wanted the score to be "edgy and hip." I argued that we don't need edgy, and we don't need "hip" -- we needed quality! The score should have been traditional and terrifying -- perhaps with a strain of Gregorian chanting to complement the black mass sequences. In the end, we got a mish-mash of sound design and a minimal amount of music. Joe Chappelle did not understand that the fans of this series expect not only a great movie, but a great score; just listen to the soundtracks for HALLOWEEN 1 & 2. He just didn't get it, or he didn't care, or he was trying to make his "own movie" without regard for the fans and without honoring the tradition that made HALLOWEEN a classic in the genre. He also cut out a number of key scenes -- such as a scene at the beginning which showed just how the Stranger abducted Myers AND Jamie at the end of HALLOWEEN 5. Joe told me that no one remembered HALLOWEEN 5 and it didn't matter how Jamie was abducted. (This on top of the fact that they cast a different actress as Jamie! For the Danielle Harris fans out there, Danielle was not only cast in HALLOWEEN 6 -- she walked into the auditions and DEMANDED that she play the role. It wasn't until Miramax refused her very modest salary request that Danielle pulled out of the project at the last minute.)

Back to the music dilemma: I don't know what Joe's rationale was -- all I know is that the music was non-existent, it was inaudible, and it was a major disappointment on top of the lack of excitement and suspense in the film.

My original title was HALLOWEEN 666. I had no subtitle. One of the earlier scripts (written by another writer) carried the subtitle THE ORIGIN OF MICHAEL MYERS. Apparently Miramax didn't bother to check, because I came up with THE CURSE ... long before those trailers made it on to THE CROW video release. I never once thought of THE ORIGIN ... as a possible title. I think THE CURSE ... is the most appropriate title we could have given this movie, especially in retrospect.

Again, this ending was culled from various drafts. The idea was that Michael Myers was going to outsmart EVERYONE. He switched costumes with Wynn to make his final escape. I can understand why it was confusing in the P-Cut since it was never really made clear that Michael had changed into the Stranger's costume at the end. So no, Michael was Michael throughout the film. He just pulled a Hannibal Lechter costume switch at the end. The director's execution was quite corny, but it was better (and more clever) than the Tommy Doyle pipe beating, in my opinion.

6) I heard once, a while back, that you had written a treatment for the next Halloween film titled "Michael Myers: Lord of the Dead". Is this true, and if so, what would be the basic storyline?

I can't divulge much about HALLOWEEN 7 at this time since nothing really has been decided. I did submit a treatment with the aforementioned title, but it was just one proposal among many. I doubt very much at this time that I will be involved in HALLOWEEN 7 -- by my own choice, since I honestly could not bear to watch another one of my scripts turned into a debacle -- especially another HALLOWEEN.

HALLOWEEN 7 is not in production, and I don't know at this time who will be directing, writing or starring in the project.

I was fortunate enough to have met Donald during production of 6. He was a consummate gentleman and a phenomenal actor. It was a dream come true for me to write the role of Loomis for him one last time. He deserved a better swan song, in my opinion, after such a long and prestigious career. He loved the script for 6, however, and told me that he felt it was the best story since the original. Whether or not that was true, it was an honor to hear this from one of my idols. His agent in London actually phoned one day to say that she had to sleep with the lights on after reading my original draft of HALLOWEEN 6; that was a supreme compliment. I just regret that the finished film wasn't as satisfying to me or to the paying audience. And quite honestly, I am glad that Donald never saw the film; it would have made him very sad.

Paul is a veteran producer with a proven track record. Unfortunately, in this writer's opinion, he doesn't understand (and frankly doesn't care) about the HALLOWEEN franchise or its fanship. He ran interference on every level. He contributed little (if anything) in terms of script development or problem-solving on the set. He chose to film the movie in Salt Lake City during the dead of winter (when we should have been shooting in the original HALLOWEEN locations. (I couldn't resist taking several "jabs" at Paul during the Barry Simms scenes. Remember where Barry is on his cell phone talking to "Paul" and he says, "I'm taking this show to the REAL Myers house where we should have done it in the first place!" When I got this scene on film and Paul never realized I was referring to him, I realized that the pen IS mightier than the sword!) Freeman sent the crew home when crucial scenes needed to be shot. He deleted scripted scenes indiscriminately, without regard for pacing, suspense or story logic. He took it upon himself to direct second-unit shots which looked like a child experimenting with his first Super-8 movie camera. He rewrote dialogue and action sequences, turning them into unintentional laughs. And he supervised the post-production phase of the original cut and made a series of blunders that were so embarrassing that it resulted in Miramax taking control of the film, ordering reshoots, and turning it into the even bigger disaster that was released in theaters. And here's an even sadder coda: Paul Freeman has been hired to produce HALLOWEEN 7. This fact alone might give you an idea of why I would happily pass the torch to the next hopeful writer. Notwithstanding that, I wish them all the luck in the world.

I did actually write a FRIDAY script; it was my first. And I loved doing it. Whether it was better than THE FINAL CHAPTER, I can't say. I mean, I was only 14. It did, however, provide me with a valuable contact in the film business -- Frank Mancuso, Jr. -- with whom I still keep in touch. Frank's encouragement really gave me the impetus I needed to keep writing. When the movie (H6) was in production, I sent him a copy of my script; I think he felt rather proud.

I've got a few projects in the pipeline, a few of which are just speculative at the moment. I've written a script called THE TOOTH FAIRY, which I am also attached to direct. It's a throw-back to my favorite horror/slasher films of the 80's, and I'm excited at the prospect of seeing one of my projects done my way for once. (At least if I'm in the director's chair, I can't pin the blame on anyone else if the movie is a failure.) I'm also in the early stages of developing a new television series (also in the horror genre), as well as a millennial thriller in the tradition of THE OMEN.

I hope you enjoyed this original 1997 interview with "Halloween 6" writer Daniel Farrands. I view it as one of the most valuable pieces of behind-the-scenes information available on 73 Miles to Haddonfield and I'd like to thank Daniel Farrands for agreeing to do this insightful and informative interview.

I tried to contact Mr. Farrands for a follow-up interview circa 2000, but lost contact with him shortly thereafter. Thus this second Daniel Farrands interview has not come to light as of yet, but I will keep the readers of this site posted on its progress so we can follow up on exactly what Farrands is up to now.