Exclusives
Producer Malek Akkad Still Wants to Make a “Halloween” TV Series; “Something We’re Looking at Very Closely” [Exclusive]
Two years ago, Fangoria reported that Malek Akkad’s Trancas International Films was developing a TV series based on Halloween. We haven’t heard much about it since, so when we interviewed Akkad for the new Halloween movie this week, we also asked if the TV series was still on. Turns out, it was in the works long before Fangoria reported it.
And Akkad still wants to make it happen.
“You know, it’s something that we’ve had for a long time and I definitely want to see it done,” Akkad told us in a phone interview.
“When we started doing it… this was in development about a decade ago. At the time, I think the thought was we don’t want to cannibalize the theatrical. Let’s keep it as a theatrical event movie. If that starts flowing down, we would address TV. Nowadays, we all know, TV is pulling out ahead of theatrical in a way that surprised everybody, certainly me.”
Akkad was still cryptic about what form a Halloween TV show would take, but did confirm it would certainly involve Michael Myers… naturally.
“The one we were developing and that I still feel very strongly about, he’s involved in it,” Akkad said. “That’s really all I can say about it now. It wouldn’t look anything like your traditional Halloween movie, but he’s in there as are a lot of other characters but used in different and interesting ways.”
“I wish I could talk more about it but it’s something we’re looking at very closely.”
With the release of Halloween 2018 still weeks away, the new movie is Akkad’s focus right now, but he hasn’t forgotten about the show.
“Just getting across the finish line for this one, that’s the goal right now,” Akkad said. “We’ve got the wind at our back, everything looks good. Before we start talking about anything else, it’s all about the movie. [The show] is something that there’s been some discussions.”
We’ll have more with Malek Akkad before Halloween opens on October 19.
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika