[Interview] Paul Brad Logan on Co-Writing ‘Halloween Ends’ and Authoring Novelization

Halloween Ends is an epic and emotional finale to the recent Strode Trilogy, taking some surprising turns in introducing new characters and exploring unexpected story elements, and one of the creative voices to help shape this chapter is Paul Brad Logan, who not only co-wrote the film but also wrote its official movie novelization, which greatly expands the scope and dives far deeper into the lives of the people of Haddonfield, including Michael Myers, than anyone is likely expecting, as Logan revealed in our exclusive new interview.

In a video conversation earlier this week, Logan recalled that he was one of the first people director and co-writer David Gordon Green called after producer Jason Blum asked Green to consider taking on what would be the 2018 Halloween requel, and Logan urged him to take the job.

Logan also puts to bed an incorrect rumor about the sequels, explaining that Ends was never going to take place on the same night as the previous two films. “We never once had a version where this all took place in one night,” he said. “That never even came up in a conversation. We knew it was going to take place in whatever the modern time was (when the film was released). Everything got delayed a year. We wanted to know what Laurie would be, where her mental state would be, where Allyson would be, where all the characters would be a couple of years removed from Halloween Kills.”

On the decision to bring new blood to Haddonfield, putting Corey Cunningham (played by Rohan Campbell) on a path that intersects with both surviving Strode women, as well as Myers, Logan tells HDN, “To me, all of these movies are Laurie Strode. Michael came into Laurie’s life, not vice versa. And I think Corey is coming into the Strodes’ life – she’s bringing him in, but it’s the same sort of situation.

“The first idea that got us excited was that opening scene, literally. Then it was, okay who is this guy. So we just started coming up with who he is and what his relationship is with Laurie and Allyson, and with Michael. And we just got more and more excited about exploring this character and using him as a kind of way, I mean it sort of happened inevitably, but to find out Laurie and Allyson’s relationship between themselves through this character, as well.

“He was like another way to explore all of these relationships and the aftermath of this town, and the poison, the darkness, the evil that Michael has sort of seeped into the earth, and he’s in the air. It’s like this toxic smog that’s just destroying this town. And Allyson and Laurie are these survivors, and you’ve got Corey as this other version of a survivor. I think all this stuff just got us so pumped up and exited to find out what that was, and we just grew to love that character the more we worked on it.”

Logan says that Allyson (played by Andi Matichak) was his favorite character to write, calling her his hero, and he gives his own personal hope for where she may end up after the events of Halloween Ends.

He also reveals that everything we see in the movie only makes up about half of what we will read in the official novelization, even including excerpts from Laurie’s memoir (written by Logan as Laurie) and an entire chapter on the mysterious vagabond character who has an encounter with Corey. Logan said he even gives more insight into what Michael himself has been up in the four years since we last saw him, and he promises the return of some of franchise characters that will pleasantly surprise fans.

“The novelization, I feel like, is a real love letter to Allyson,” he said. “I still kind of can’t believe they let me write this novelization. I asked in 2019, and David was like, ‘I don’t think they’ll let you.’ I wrote it actually while we were filming the movie. They gave me like five weeks to write this book, so the entire shooting time I was writing it.

“I want to say half of the book is in the movie. The other half of the book is just new extra stuff, extra scenes with Allyson, extra scenes with everybody, flashback scenes to the early ’80s. I’m excited for everybody to read it. I think it’s really cool.”  

We also discussed adding a ’90s-style love story to the Halloween mythology, reshooting the ending of the film, and much more, including Paul’s own relationship to the Halloween movies as a fan, and of course his feelings on the holiday itself.

You can watch our full exclusive interview with Paul Brad Logan on co-writing Halloween Ends, the official novelization, and more below.

Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock, and the Official Movie Novelization is also out now, available to purchase here.

Watch our interview with Joey Harris on playing bully Margo in Halloween Ends here.

Read our Halloween Ends review here.

See all of our Halloween Ends coverage here!

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