By Corey Chichizola
This time of year many moviegoers take the time to watch some horror movies. David Gordon Green’s Halloween Kills will arrive in theaters in mere days, offering a ton of scares and the return of Michael Myers. Anthony Michael Hall is making his franchise debut in the slasher, and revealed a sweet cameo in the horror sequel.
In Halloween Kills Anthony Michael Hall plays an adult version of Tommy Doyle– the little boy who Laurie was babysitting in John Carpenter’s 1978 original movie. His version of the character is a strong defender of Haddonfield, created by director David Gordon Green and company. I had the privilege of speaking with Hall ahead of the movie’s release, where he revealed a cameo that Green added to the upcoming release. As he put it,
Brian who plays the bartender, the owner of the bar in the beginning, he’s actually a good friend of David’s who owns a bar in Austin. So David does this kind of Fellini thing where he hires him to be the bar owner in the movie because he loves the guy and they’re friends. David Gordon Green does all these great things. He can direct great actors who are comedic or so-called dramatic actors, and he can also work with people who have no experience. And that’s beautiful too.
I mean, how cool is that? While David Gordon Green is working with legacy actors and the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis on Halloween Kills, he’s also someone who highlights lesser known talents. And that includes casting his friend who owns a bar as Joe the Haddonfield bartender.
During our conversation, Anthony Michael Hall helped to peel back the curtain on what it was like working on Halloween Kills. From our chat I got the feeling that everyone involved in the project was genuinely happy to be there. And that joy starts from the top down with director-writer David Gordon Green.
David Gordon Green has had a unique career, as his collaboration with Danny McBride has resulted in both comedies and drama. That includes the current Halloween trilogy, as well as Pineapple Express and shows on HBO like The Righteous Gemstones. We’ll just have to wait and see if Joe the bartender ends up in a future project like the new Hellraiser movie.
Anthony Michael Hall is making his debut in Halloween Kills as Tommy Doyle, but it’s a character beloved by the generations of fans out there. He was played in John Carpenter’s 1978 original by Brian Andrews, and then more recently by Paul Rudd in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Rudd gave Hall his blessing, although that sequel technically isn’t part of the current canon.
Halloween Kills hits theaters and on Peacock on October 15th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
