Hellraiser + Halloween = Helloween?

Frankenstein battled the Wolf Man, the Xenomorphs fought the Predators, and Freddy duked it out with Jason, but did you know that there was one point in time where Michael Myers and Pinhead almost came together for an epic confrontation? Yes, the Halloween and Hellraiser franchises almost joined forces in the early 2000s, and oh boy would that have been wild.

In an interview with Your Move Magazine, Hellraiser star Doug “Pinhead” Bradley just opened up about the failed film, which was being developed around the time of Freddy vs. Jason.

Said Bradley:

I was told that the year before Freddy vs Jason was released, Dimension Films rejected two scripts for a Hellraiser-Halloween crossover, which was obviously where they would go because they owned both franchises. I was told the reason they turned it down is because they didn’t think it would work. They predicted that Freddy vs. Jason would bomb, but it opened at the top of the box office and stayed there for a second weekend – I think I’m right in saying that it was the first movie that year to do so.

After its success, Dimension wanted a Hellraiser-Halloween movie made immediately, so it was certainly going ahead. I had a couple of phone conversations with Clive [Barker] about it and I was getting quietly excited. Clive said he would write it and I heard reports John Carpenter would direct.

So what happened? Bradley explains:

The version of events I got back on this is that the Akkad brothers, who produced Halloween, retained control of the sequels and didn’t want the crossover to be made. I guess they didn’t want Michael Myers hanging around with the likes of Pinhead.

Around the time the film was being considered, a poll was held to determine whether or not fans cared to see Pinhead and Michael Myers do battle, and the overwhelmingly negative response to that poll is thought to be another reason why the mash-up never happened. As for specific plot details, none were ever revealed; it’s likely the project died before Barker got to work.

*Art featured up top courtesy of SteveIrwinFan96*