SEPTEMBER 19

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but the jig is up. A lot has happened in the last few weeks, and the time has come for me to spill my guts.

There's good news and bad news.

Bad first. For all you guys(and gals) out there who are fans of my script, I hate to disappoint you, but HALLOWEEN '98 will not be used for the upcoming HALLOWEEN 7.

Now the good. For all you Jamie Lee Curtis fans out there(and hey, what HALLOWEEN fan isn't?), you can look forward to seeing her in the next sequel. That's right, it looks like your and my favorite scream queen will be back for H7.

Now for the details.

The date was August 30. One day after I had mailed a copy of my script to Mr. Moustapha Akkad. On that fateful day, I received an email from a very prominent figure in the HALLOWEEN world. The person shall remain nameless b/c I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Anyway, this person informed me of the status of the HALLOWEEN 7 production. Unfortunately for me, a script already exists(contrary to what's been reported on Brian Martin's page) based on Kevin Williamson's 7-page storyline that was turned in to Dimension Films earlier this summer. In his own words, it looks "pretty certain" at this point that Jamie Lee Curtis will be starring in the film and Dimension hopes to have the movie in production by February.

So there it is. At that point, Curtis' involvement was not cast in stone, but since then, I've spotted several news articles on the internet and in magazines stating that Curtis is attached to the project. I don't know that it's a done deal just yet, but I would expect to see Jamie Lee's name above the title when HALLOWEEN 7(3, in this case?) is eventually released next October.

While I am disappointed that my script won't be used, I can honestly say that I am excited about the prospects of Curtis returning for the sequel. Her name alone will draw large crowds to the box office, something the last several sequels have been unsuccessful in doing. Hopefully, the storyline will be up to par as well. With the script being based on Kevin Williamson's story, I feel confident it will be something special. With Curtis on board and the right story and direction, hopefully the new film will return the luster to the HALLOWEEN name and take the series out with a bang.

Don't feel too bad for me though. If nothing else, this screenplay has allowed me to obtain an agent and my first inside contact. My mysterious emailer was apparently impressed enough with my work to offer to read my next screenplay once I get it completed. I will stay in contact with him and if all goes well, maybe one day you'll still see my name on the silver screen. I have several scripts in the works that range from horror to comedy to somewhere in between. Keep an eye out for me cause I'm not giving up. I've decided screenwriting is what I want to do, and I WILL make it.

On that note, let me take this time to thank everyone who has stopped by to read my screenplay. We're closing in on 6,000 visitors and I'd say over half of them half taken the time to email me with their comments. On the whole, 99% of the comments I've received have been positive. I'd like to say thank you to you all. Your encouragement has really kept me going.

Oh yeah, I mentioned earlier that the HALLOWEEN '98 script would be coming down soon, but in the aftermath of these new events, I've decided to leave it up. Since it won't be used for the new film, I am going to keep the screenplay on the net for other fans to enjoy. And when HALLOWEEN 7 finally makes it to theaters, come back and compare. If it's a dog, I won't mind you guys emailing and saying, "THEY SHOULD HAVE USED YOUR SCRIPT!" ;) Hopefully that won't be the case though.

Well, I guess that about wraps it up here. I'll still be around so feel free to continue to email me if you wish. I probably won't update the page much, but maybe some day I'll post one of my new scripts. You might want to check in occasionally for that. Thanks again for everything. This is Justin Morris, last surviving member of the crew HALLOWEEN '98, signing off...

AUGUST 29

Well, it's in the mail. That's right. A copy of Halloween '98 is on its way to Moustapha Akkad via my agent. If Akkad likes what he reads, then he will notify my agent who in turn will get in touch with me. I'm really excited. I've come this far and now all the hard work is finally paying off. Still, it may take awhile to hear any word, and I'm going to be a nervous wreck until I do. As soon as I hear anything though, I'll post it on the page.

On another note, let me take this time to say that the screenplay may not be up much longer. Originally, I had just planned on leaving it up long enough to get some feedback from a few fans. The turnout has been incredible though(almost 4500!) and I don't want it to get to the point that all Halloween fans have already read the script in the event that it is turned into H7. So if you haven't finished the script or have been putting off reading it, you better get it in gear because it will be coming down in the near future.

Meanwhile, I have received countless emails from readers asking if I plan on writing anything else and if so, what? In case you're interested, I am hard at work on my next screenplay. It's another horror/suspense flick. Not a sequel though. Very original, with a lot of twists and turns. Imagine "Scream" meets "Clueless" meets "Seven" and you'll have the very unique tone I'm going for. I'm not at liberty to post any details just yet, but I may post a few pages on the site later as a teaser.

Guess that's about it for now. Don't forget(I'm sure you won't) that Halloween is just around the corner. Save some candy for Michael. ;)

AUGUST 9

You've probably noticed the new subtitle for my screenplay. Yep, I picked a winner. Josh Novosel came up with the catchy title "Halloween '98: The Evil is Gone" Thanks to all those that sent in suggestions. I had well over 50 to choose from and after whittling it down to a few finalists, I chose Josh's title. It seems to fit perfectly with my storyline and also suggests that this is Michael's swansong without actually saying it. E-mail me with your thoughts on the title.

You've probably noticed the new look for the main page as well. The old one was getting stale so I spiced it up a bit. Just a little tweaking. Thanks to the Shapes of Wraith Homepage for supplying me with the pics.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! The agent search. I've heard back from one agency and I'm happy to report they liked the script. They are interested in trying to get it to Miramax. I'm really anxious to get on the ball with this thing, but I'm holding off until I can hear from the six other agencies that asked to read the script. Things are definitely looking up though! I'll let everyone know as soon as I take the next step.

JULY 23

I finished posting the revised version of my script on the site today. Finally got the last three parts up today. If it's been awhile since you read the script, skim back through and let me know what you think of some of the changes. One more note - I mailed the scripts today to the agencies that requested it. It's now out of my hands. Hopefully, I'll get some positive feedback.

JULY 20, 1997

Hey guys. First off, let me say thanks to all of you guys that have taken the time to read my work and email me with your comments. You've been very helpful. When I first decided to post my script on the web, I expected maybe a couple hundred visitors to stop by, but amazingly I've had 2,300 in only five weeks. I can't believe it. I've even had a couple of famous people by, but not the right ones just yet. Eventually, maybe the Akkads will come around. Anyway, thanks to all of you guys that have come by, and especially those that have linked to me.

I also wanted to let everyone know how things are going with my search for an agent. As a few of you may know, I sent out a query letter to 152 agents a couple of weeks back. Since then, I have gotten responses from 35 or so agencies. The good news is that some of them have even requested to read the script. And all it takes is one, right? Well, I've worked really hard trimming my 148-page original draft down to a filmable 116-page version and I'm mailing the copies tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly how long it will take before I hear back from anyone, but it'll probably be a week or two at least. I'll post some info as soon as I get it.

One more thing. As I said I've trimmed the screenplay a lot, adding a few scenes and cutting or altering a few as well. I'm now in the process of making all of those changes to the internet version. Much of the difference in the lengths of the original and revised drafts is accounted for by a change I made in the formatting of my scene headings. The new format makes the script a lot easier to read. I've just posted the revised version of the first two parts and hope to finish up the rest within a couple of days. Keep checking back and let me know what you think of the alterations.

That's all for now.