The Halloween Box Office Line-Up That Could Have Been

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Right now, we should be able to cover our mouths with our hands while gasping uncontrollably for air amongst sold out crowds in a dark movie theater, as we watch Jamie Lee Curtis once again defying the terror brought on by “Michael Myers.” We should be watching the return of a sinister being who appears when someone on-screen regrettably looks in the mirror and says his name five times. We should be doing a lot of things at the moment and carefree moviegoing should be one of them. However, the world has experienced countless setbacks in 2020 and the U.S. box office has not been saved from the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the highly-anticipated October 2020 horror films we should be enjoying in theaters this season, but have since been delayed, followed by a couple other horror films that are taking a shot in the dark at the box office this weekend.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Though it is technically not a horror film, the title alone deserves to join this category. The sequel to the 2018 film starring Tom Hardy as the title character was originally set for an October 2, 2020 theatrical release, but due to the ongoing pandemic, Sony has decided to delay its release until June 25, 2021. The plot has been kept under wraps, leaving mainly just a teaser trailer so far of the sequel’s title design and wording choices.

Halloween Kills

Arguably, what would have been this month’s highest grossing horror film is the story continuation of iconic characters “Laurie Strode” and “Michael Myers” in Halloween Kills. As the popular horror franchise hits 42 years of terrifying moviegoers in 2020, Halloween Kills follows the gory events of 2018’s Halloween. Originally scheduled with an October 16, 2020 release, Universal Pictures has pushed Halloween Kills back a year to October 15, 2021. Halloween Ends, another sequel that will follow the release of Halloween Kills, is now set to arrive in theaters on October 14, 2022.

Candyman

A movie that has experienced setback after setback is Candyman. What is being called a “spiritual sequel” to the popular 1992 horror film of the same name, Candyman was originally slated for release back on June 12, 2020 but was pushed by Universal Pictures to September 25, 2020 and then to October 16, 2020 in hopes of competing during the Halloween season. With movie theaters continuing to struggle and the pandemic not seeming to ease up quite yet, Candyman has now been scheduled for a August 27, 2021 theatrical release.

Come Play

One horror film hoping to scare up some ticket sales this Halloween is Come Play. Starring Gillian Jacobs, it is the story of a monster named Larry that uses smart phones and mobile devices to manifest itself to then prey on people. Come Play arrives in movie theaters today.

The Empty Man

Released to movie theaters a week ago is The Empty Man, which is the story of an ex-cop in search of a missing girl, who stumbles upon a secret group attempting to summon a supernatural entity. The Empty Man took third place at the U.S. box office last weekend, grossing $1.3 million.

For those not intrigued by the two newly released horror films above, currently open movie theaters nationwide like AMC Theatres are hoping nostalgia will draw people in this Halloween weekend with re-released popular titles at a discounted ticket price including Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Conjuring, Poltergeist and more.