The Michael Myers Vs Pinhead Crossover We Never Got To See
Crossover stories have excited audiences for generations, with "The Jetsons" meeting "The Flintstones," Abbott and Costello meeting the Universal monsters, Godzilla coming to blows with other kaiju monsters, and even the NBA meeting the "Looney Tunes" with "Space Jam." The world of comic books frequently featured crossover issues, which eventually led to the cinematic universes we know and love today. One of the biggest crossover hits in pop culture history, however, is the 2003 slasher mash-up, "Freddy Vs. Jason." The combination of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th" franchises was sparked after fans requested to see a showdown between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, and Paramount first began planning for the film all the way back in 1987. Unfortunately, no one could agree on the story, and the film fell through.
Two years later, "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" bombed at the box office and "Friday the 13th" co-creator Sean S. Cunningham looked to get the rights back to the franchise to begin working with New Line Cinema on the crossover film, as they owned the "Nightmare" series. Allegedly, 16 different writers were given a chance at the script when finally, in 2003, we got "Freddy Vs. Jason." The film grossed over $116 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film for both series. The success of the film inspired other crossovers like "Alien vs. Predator" but there was a previous crossover that almost made it to screen that we just missed out on: Michael Myers of "Halloween" and Pinhead of "Hellraiser."
A Blending of Dimension Monsters
Back in the 1990s, filmmaker Dave Parker ("The Hills Run Red," "Tales of Halloween") had pitched an idea for "Freddy vs. Jason" at Sean Cunningham's company, but the pitch was unsuccessful. However, it got him thinking about other possible crossovers, and he realized that Dimension at the time owned the rights to both "Halloween" and "Hellraiser," and the seasoned editor put together a trailer using footage from the films called "Helloween." In an interview with Fangoria Corner, he divulged his plot combining the two mythos:
I was just trying to come up with a plausible way to get these two guys together to fight. So, why does he all of a sudden go out and kill his sister in "Halloween?" He's trick-or-treating in a flashback and he goes up to this one house ... and sees the guy with the black boots, who gives him the box. He opens it and the Lord of the Dead – Sam Hain – escapes from hell and takes over Michael's body because he doesn't want to be in hell. Now, Sam Hain is who the Shape is, and that's why he can't be killed.
Parker had the perfect set-up, or so it seemed.
How Do Pinhead and Michael Myers Fight?
Parker continued in his interview with Fangoria Corner saying:
The story takes place when people try to destroy the Myers house and they find the box hidden between the walls. Of course, they open it and Pinhead shows up, and it's Halloween and it's the Myers house, so Michael shows up because there are people there and Pinhead recognizes that Michael is Sam Hain because he can feel it – which begins this whole battle in the real world. And of course, the third act takes them all to hell...
Unfortunately for Parker, Dimension wasn't on board, and wouldn't humor the idea of a crossover until the success of "Freddy vs. Jason." Dimension reached out to "Hellraiser" creator Clive Barker and "Halloween" creator John Carpenter, hoping that Barker would come up with a script for Carpenter to direct. During an interview with Den of Geek, "Hellraiser" star Doug Bradley admits he was excited about the possibility of the crossover, but noted Barker wasn't super-interested in a face-off, especially because Michael Myers doesn't speak. "He was interested in finding the places where the Hellraiser and Halloween landscapes might have crossed over," Bradley said. "The first 'Halloween' works like a classic vampire movie with Michael as Dracula and Dr. Loomis as Van Helsing." Barker, being the wonderful filth peddler he is, saw Michael as a kindred spirit to Pinhead. "Clive saw him as a sadomasochistic sexual pervert and serial killer which would be enough to pique Pinhead's interest," said Bradley.
Why It Didn't Happen
Barker and Carpenter were both on board, but the long-time "Halloween" producer and rights holder Moustapha Akkad absolutely hated the idea. It's never been outright stated that Akkad is the one who put a stop to the crossover, but it definitely put a delay on everything. Sadly, Akkad was unfortunately killed in the 2005 Amman bombings along with his daughter. In the time that followed, "Alien vs. Predator" was torn apart by critics and Hollywood was no longer interested in mashups. Blumhouse acquired the rights to "Halloween" and David Gordon Green began a new trilogy, and "Hellraiser" was snagged by Spyglass Media Group and Phantom Four Films in the wake of the Weinstein take-down, with a new film to come in 2022.
It's likely that a crossover won't happen in the future as the gimmick seems to only seem viable for massive universes with guaranteed returns like with Marvel or DC, but it's still fun to fantasy book our favorite horror stories. Maybe if there's any justice in the world, something like "Celebrity Deathmatch" will come back and we'll finally get a chance to see how Michael vs. Pinhead would play out.