New ‘Halloween’ Movie Hires ‘Saw’ Writers for a “Recalibration”

Remake. Reboot. Reimagining. All of these words we use to describe taking an old property and making it new again. Well now you can add “recalibration” to the list of the creative ways people try to explain what is, essentially, a remake. The writing team behind four of the seven ‘Saw’ films, as well as ‘The Collector’ and its sequel, have been brought on for a new installment in the classic ‘Halloween’ franchise, and they’re doing what they like to call a “recalibration” of the property—whatever that means.

THR reports that Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, best known for writing the last four ‘Saw’ films, have been hired to write the newest ‘Halloween’ film. Previously, ‘My Bloody Valentine 3D’ director Patrick Lussier was attached to direct a new 3D ‘Halloween’ movie, but as Bloody Disgusting reports, a 3D version is no longer happening (so that’s at least one piece of good news here).

Melton and Dunstan are well versed in the horror genre, with their recent films ‘The Collector’ and ‘The Collection,’ which Dunstan also directed. They have a new adaptation of ‘The Outer Limits’ in the works at MGM, an adaptation of the classic kids’ horror book ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ being developed at CBS films, and they’ve worked on Universal’s ‘God of War’ movie.

The pair don’t have the most sterling track record (those last ‘Saw’ films aren’t exactly the best, for example), but they definitely know the genre. Bloody Disgusting adds that this new ‘Halloween’ will not be a follow-up to Rob Zombie’s reboot and sequel. Other than that, no other details are known at this time, including who might direct the “recalibration.”