HALLOWEEN IN FEBRUARY: HUTCHINSON & SEELEY ON HALLOWEEN: NIGHTDANCE

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

It seems like Michael Myers, the babysitter-murdering madman who breathed new life into the horror film industry in the late ‘70s, is in fact having a little bit of a “renaissance” himself. Not only did John Carpenter’s “Shape” get a facelift late last year with the release of Rob Zombie’s prequel/remake of the original Halloween film—but it seems Devil’s Due is going to be adding to the Myers mythos as well with the release of Halloween: Nightdance this week. The miniseries boasts a number of covers from industry favorites like Bill Sienkiewicz, Sean Phillips, Greg Capullo, and Ben Templesmith.

Written by devout Halloween fan and writer, Stefan Hutchinson, with artwork from Hack/Slash writer/creator Tim Seeley—Halloween: Nightdance is set in the town of Russellville, Illinois where ‘the Shape’ finds himself fixated on another beautiful young woman—who suffers from a terrible fear of darkness.

Newsarama contacted Hutchinson and Seeley to talk about Halloween: Nightdance; the difficulties of tackling a horror film icon on paper; and about their love of the character and the film franchise which aided them on this project.

Newsarama: First off guys, how did the Halloween: Nightdance project develop?

Stefan Hutchinson: I’ve been working with Malek Akkad, who manages the Halloween series, for a few years now, and constantly pushing for a comic series. I’d originally self-published Halloween: One Good Scare back in 2003 and lots of complications got in the way from a series developing straight away, all out of my hands anyway. So, over the years I’d been developing storylines—basically as rough outlines, as I had a lot of time to think about it. I just kept harassing everyone to make it happen—even putting the Halloween: Autopsis comic inside the 25 Years Of Terror documentary to show that Halloween was a really viable comic property that didn’t have to be handled in a dumbed-down way.

When Devil’s Due approached Malek, it seemed like a really good match. I just did what I could to drive it forward and make it happen as all of the licensor’s focus was on the remake at this point, so it did seem like forever. During that time, I wrote a full and detailed treatment for Halloween: Nightdance, as it seemed a good story for new readers.

Tim Seeley: For my part, I'd already seen all the Halloween movies several times a piece—even the bad ones. So, I put my hat in to draw this as soon as Josh mentioned it. Stef always notes for me to watch the movies in the script for references, so I do what I can to make it as close to the movies as possible without driving myself insane.

NRAMA: Armchair psychologist time – how do you two personally view the Halloween franchise?

SH: Halloween seems to be with me wherever I go. I first saw the film when I was seven, and it was the catalyst for me, in that I no longer wished to become a paleontologist (I used to be all about the dinosaurs), but a writer—a writer of scary things specifically. The Shape just terrified me and left me scared of the dark—I’d never seen a villain like that before. When I was at university, I actually studied Halloween for my Film Theory dissertation, and my appreciation of it basically grew-up with me. Since then, there’s been the documentary, and now this, and lots of other strange coincidences.

My favorite moments are all from the first film—it’s almost like a collection of genuinely iconic moments where everything is perfect—music, style, pacing—everything.

TS: Yeah, I've been watching horror movies, especially ‘slasher’ flicks, my whole life. Hell, I write Hack/Slash. The original Halloween has been a huge influence on my whole creative life. For me, the first, the second and H20 are some of the best horror movies around. And, I'll admit a huge soft spot for Season of the Witch. And now, I've done and gotten the Silver Shamrock theme in my head. ____!

NRAMA: When working with an established franchise like Halloween/Michael Myers? How important is remaining "true" to the source? Where do you have to draw a line with that source so that you aren't too confined by it creatively?

TS: I think we're doing our best to ensure everything is in the spirit of the best of the films. Y'know, the whole, "What Would Carpenter Do?" On the other hand, this is a film series with some really iconic scenes, some of which are deeply embedded in horror iconography. So, I think we have to make sure we're creating new and referencing old, rather than rehashing. So, visually, I am trying to mix it up...

SH: For me, remaining true to the source is the actual freedom. And by the source, I specifically mean the original film. There’s so much scope for decent material lying latent within that original film which was never utilized in the sequels. A lot of the mysterious and creepy elements of The Shape were forgotten for the films afterwards – you know, the bizarre and dark sense of humor (e.g. wearing a sheet over the head), the scaring of the characters just as much as the killing (look how The Shape stalks Laurie Strode and lets her see him to creep her out). Also, the fact that in the first film, The Shape is a complete absence of personality—a void—leaves the character much more open to interpretation and less restricted than in the sequels, where he became pretty much a family killer and nothing more.

NRAMA: So Stefan, from what you’re saying, this story “fits” within the established continuity, that is, it’s not just something like high end fan fiction of a Michael Myers story that could fit in anywhere?

SH: Exactly. It falls specifically within the continuity of the films. For better or worse, the remake ended the original series. That gave us freedom within the comic books to do anything really, as we didn’t have to worry about it being overwritten by the next film. We’ve worked closely with Malek in terms of setting this into continuity, but also making it accessible for new readers, which is essential. Most of the die-hard Halloween fans only really care about the actual movies, so you’re appealing to a more general audience. Also, there’s not just one continuity in the Halloween series, so we had to stick to the one it ended on – which goes Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween: H20 and Halloween: Resurrection (I should really say here that these books are way darker and more serious than Halloween: Resurrection ever was).

I’m guessing by ‘high end fan fiction’ you’re referring to the Chaos books, and I completely see what you’re saying about them in many ways—those books are so dense in exposition that they are almost impenetrable if you’re not a die-hard fan, and there’s little space for character building, pacing, suspense or anything like that. They’re all obsessed with enriching and contorting a back-story that probably should never have even happened (one of the brilliant aspects of the first film is how little it gives you, but by being so minimal, creates a much more terrifying villain because you know almost nothing). It’s that form of self-referential continuity-porn that I’m trying to avoid with the new material. I think when it gets to the point you’re writing just for the fans, it’s not necessarily a good thing. I can see why people like them, and of course there will be people who prefer them to my stuff, but I don’t intend to go the same route here.

NRAMA: Traditionally, John Carpenter's "Shape" was this ambiguous force of nature that sort of materialized out of the darkness in the original Halloween. Rob Zombie also tried to create this shadowy visual awareness/ ambiguity of Myers presence in the background of character based scenes. Artistically, how difficult is it to try to recreate the character device of "the Shape" with Myers in a comic book? Or is it more straightforward visually?

TS: It's really hard. Part of what makes Michael scary is his timing. He's there, he's not there. You saw him, he's gone. This doesn't work in comics—at all. Comics are static. So, you have to get scares by creating mood, and by implying scary things. It's doable. But, you have to approach the story in a different way.

SH: I think how Rob shot Myers in the latter half of the film was often based on Carpenter’s style, but didn’t quite achieve what the original did as Myers was very much the central character of the film, rather than the force of nature.

In terms of writing the character as ‘The Shape’, you firstly have to try and make amends for how poorly the character (well, concept more than character) has occasionally been treated over the years. It’s hard to keep him mysterious without constantly replicating Carpenter’s brilliant visuals. Also, in translation from one medium to another, we lose so much of what makes ‘The Shape’ actually work—the movement being the most obvious example, and the sound (be it breathing or the incredible score) so you have to compensate.

The way I approach it, is to define The Shape by his actions, and by how he is perceived by others—it goes back to the blank slate of the original. All we know is that he’s a voyeur as much as a killer, a hunter that slowly stalks his prey, a prankster of sorts who really messes with the heads of his victims, occasionally sexual and perverse (see the difference between how he watches and pursues women to men) and a sadistic, evil bastard with no redeeming human qualities whatsoever.

Visually, that’s all down to Tim, and I don’t envy him, because that mask is an absolute bastard to put onto paper. You have to invent a version of the mask that fits with your style, because it’s virtually impossible to replicate it constantly. What I do for my part, is script certain behaviors, making note on how visible he should be at any given time and what parts of him should be visible. One thing I strive for is to make his presence felt throughout, even on the pages were he’s not actually there. The falling leaves are kind of an omen—we know exactly how nightmarish things are going to become.

NRAMA: That said, what does Michael Myers represent to you?

SH: He represents everything I’m scared of—he is the bogeyman, he is death, he is the shadow over your shoulder. The character’s determination is terrifying, and he’s very much a vision of the end—if you see The Shape looking at you, that it’s horribly inevitable how it’s going to turn out. He’s a monster from nightmares, in that he never goes away, never gives up and constantly pursues you. Even though we never see his eyes, the black sockets of the mask give him this horrible stare. He is, as presented in the original film, one of the greatest monsters of all time.

TS: Yeah, Michael is the ultimate boogeyman. He stalks us when we're alone and vulnerable, when we're babysitting some kids. He has no expressions. He could be anyone. He's really one of the most perfect horror icons when he's done right. And though I actually liked the Rob Zombie film, I always liked Michael best when we didn't know why he was so goddamn evil. That was the scary part. How could a kid from a supposedly normal home be such a demonic little bastard? To that end, Michael is the part of all of us that might snap and knife someone. We're afraid of that part of ourselves, so we're afraid of Michael.

NRAMA: Okay – so we’ve gotten through your connections, motivations and views…so what is Halloween: Nightdance about?

SH: It’s about a girl named Lisa, who’s been severely traumatized by a bad experience in her childhood that has left her an emotional mess who suffers from a chronic fear of darkness. She sleeps with the lights on and has nightmares every night. She’s going through the difficult adolescent years, and her mind is stuck in a place between childhood and ‘growing up’, which is a very fertile ground for nightmares to spawn from.

Somewhere in that darkness lurks The Shape, and he fixates upon her, in much the same way he did on Laurie Strode in the original film (before the ‘she was his sister all along’ retcon). She and her childhood friends, Nikki and Sean suddenly find themselves in serious danger, and if Lisa herself is to escape the Shape, then she has to conquer her fears on Halloween night, when all the demons come out to play.

NRAMA: I figure the answer for this isn’t going to surprise anyone, but Stefan, Tim, would you like to do more stories involving the Halloween franchise and its 30 years of continuity?

SH: Absolutely. I plotted out several arcs before this even began and would love for them all to get out there, and also a Loomis solo comic (set in the years before Michael Myers became his patient, and more dark and adult in style). I genuinely love the Halloween universe, and it’s a massive honor and privilege to be writing these stories. It’s far, far more than just a gig for me—it’s a lifetime dream and I’ll be trying my hardest to do the source material justice. We’re also going to be doing a lot of work on the website www.halloweencomics.com which is going to be stuffed with free content so people can explore the world in which these stories are set, and find information that will put things in new light. It’s been a blast so far, and I feel we’re only just getting started. News will also be posted at our MySpace – www.myspace.com/halloween_comics

TS: Maybe. I'll see if people like my rendition before I go forcing myself on them.

NRAMA: Wrapping things up, what are the two of you working on individually in the near future?

TS: I'm still writing Hack/Slash every month for DDP. If you like Halloween, chances are you'll like Hack/Slash. I've also got my Image Comic, Loaded Bible 3, which comes out in February.

SH: I’m currently developing the other Halloween storylines into more detailed treatments and also working on a couple of film scripts. I’m also developing a comic book with John Fallon and Marcus Smith called Deaden. In addition I’m writing the pitches for some new horror titles, but I’ve learned to shut up until they actually see daylight, or else they never happen!

Newsarama Note: Check back tomorrow for the full issue of Seeley’s Loaded Bible 2.

[SONESH!]

Cannot wait for this

First post, yay

[Charlie Hustle]

That interior art suggests a penciler who has trouble drawing a lot of different things. Stick to closeups maybe.

[tim seeley]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

That interior art suggests a penciler who has trouble drawing a lot of different things. Stick to closeups maybe.

Whew, thanks for the advice. What would I do without you?
TIM

[eejobeau]

Originally Posted by tim seeley

Whew, thanks for the advice. What would I do without you?
TIM

Looks good to me Tim! Keep up the great work!!!!

[dreadscape]

Totally looking forward to this!!

We all know that Tim can do slasher books well (thank you Hack/ Slash) so I have no doubts this will be done properly.

D.

[BUMP]

Tim rocks the page, background to fore. And this looks like some of his best work yet, though I am looking even more forward to his upcoming interior art two-issue run in HACK/SLASH. Numbers 12 and 13, I believe...

[Statham]

Okay, the idea of a solo book with Loomis is awesome.

Each issue ends with the lines ' Twenty years! He's free!'

[ljacone]

I'm a big Halloween fan, so I am very much looking forward to this series in the same way I looked forward (and enjoy) the WildStorm F13 and NOES books.

Originally Posted by Statham

Okay, the idea of a solo book with Loomis is awesome.

Each issue ends with the lines ' Twenty years! He's free!'

That, or "It's the ultimate evil!" But that is more of a joke on the late, great Donald Pleasance than Sam Loomis.

[Zechs]

Originally Posted by Statham

Okay, the idea of a solo book with Loomis is awesome.

Each issue ends with the lines ' Twenty years! He's free!'

I go for "You don't know what death is!"

[Brent S.]

This looks great. From an artist perspective, Micheal's mask is a bitch to draw but that drawer full of masks is pretty impressive having them all folded and random yet still indtifiable with what they are. Nice work Tim, can't wait to see the rest of the series.

Brent

[Supreme Convoy]

Those Sienkiewicz and Templesmith covers rock!

[Charlie Hustle]

Originally Posted by tim seeley

Whew, thanks for the advice. What would I do without you?
TIM

I don't know. Learn how to draw cars?

[JLAJRC]

I actually remember the last Halloween one-shot being really good. I may get this.

[SMARTASS8]

I think Tim Seeley is the best artist that Devil's Due has. He's also a lot better than a bunch of the artists that Marvel and DC are putting on their books right now.

[tim seeley]

Thread, I call thee DERAILED.
In any case, here's some more art from the first ish:
http://ColtNoble.deviantart.com/art/...age-3-76374074
http://coltnoble.deviantart.com/art/...age-4-76374216
This book was actually intentionally drawn without rulers...I was going for a grittier, more hand drawn look. More Templesmith than Hitch. Didn't work for some Charlies. And, hey, win some, lose some.
Check out the book, enjoy Stef's story, embrace the wonder of the many genres comics can encompass.
TIM SEELEY

[buff1040]

This looks good. I'm a huge Michael Myers fan (I even liked 4, 5, & 6) so anything with him has my money.

[MattBrady]

folks - if you're coming here to take potshots and call one another names, I will more than happily show you the door.

MattB

[Ravengregory]

Best news this year. Seely and horror go together like....like....


Gregory and Seely?

[JediMaster]

As a lontime fan of Michael Myers, I'm absolutely stoked for this series. Stef truly seems to "get" what made The Shape scary in the original, and Seely's artwork certainly conveys the mood and tone of Carpenter's classic. I truly hope the series is a hit, so that we'll get more Halloween comics in the future!

[thomas_mason]

Gregory doing horror... you mean without peckers hidden everywhere? i don't think it can be done. i don't think Tim should lower his standards to that level. keep up the good work Tim!

[Ravengregory]

Originally Posted by thomas_mason

Gregory doing horror... you mean without peckers hidden everywhere? i don't think it can be done. i don't think Tim should lower his standards to that level. keep up the good work Tim!

Don't you have Wildstorm books to be coloring?

Don't hate the magic

[thomas_mason]

yes i do!

jealous? wait... i already know the answer to that one.

hate what magic? the "ZENE-magic"? if thats what you call "magic" then i would rather not live in your world of trolls and goblins. i'm doing just fine where i'm at.

[BrianWarmoth]

Originally Posted by BUMP

TI am looking even more forward to his upcoming interior art two-issue run in HACK/SLASH. Numbers 12 and 13, I believe...

That's correct! Watch for it in issues #12 and #13.