Spirit Halloween, the seasonal chain that pops up ahead of the spooky holiday each year, never took up much space in my brain. Then musician Nick Lutsko came along. He made it so the store is never far from my mind or my ears, since I listen to his three theme songs every day. That’s why I’m convinced Nick is, at least spiritually, responsible for this unexpected news. Christopher Lloyd and Rachael Leigh Cook will star in a Spirit Halloween movie. This Spirit Halloween movie will also feature monsters based on the chain’s original animatronic creations.
Yeah, this is a real movie that is really happening. Production on the film has already wrapped.
According to the Spirit Halloween movie’s official Instagram, the film will feature monsters that are based on original animatronics created by Spirit Halloween.
So far, we know that Nightcrawler, Mr. Dark, and Buzzsaw will feature in the movie. Nightcrawler is a fiendish ghoul ready to consume you with his gaping maw. Mr. Dark, meanwhile, lurks in the shadows and feeds on your fears, anxieties, and wicked thoughts. Finally, Buzzsaw has some fearsome weapon-like hands. We wouldn’t want to run into these fellas after dark on Halloween night.
“When a new Spirit Halloween store appears in a deserted strip mall, three middle-school friends who think they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating make a dare to spend the night locked inside the store Halloween night,” reads the logline. https://t.co/IdyAgUSRnp pic.twitter.com/HDP0x8k5il
— Variety (@Variety) April 11, 2022
Variety reports Spirit Halloween is going from abandoned Circuit City locations to theaters. The costume shop teamed with Strike Back Studios, Hideout Pictures, and Particular Crowd for a family-friendly adventure movie. The site also provided an official synopsis and first image for the film (above).
When a new Spirit Halloween store appears in a deserted strip mall, three middle-school friends who think they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating make a dare to spend the night locked inside the store Halloween night. But they soon find out that the store is haunted by an angry evil spirit who has possessed the creepy animatronic characters. The kids embark on a thrilling and spooky adventure in order to survive the night and avoid becoming possessed themselves.
The film will also star Donavan Colan, Dylan Frankel, Jaiden Smith, Marissa Reyes, and Marla Gibbs. David Poag directs, in his feature debut, with a script from Billie Bates. As unlikely as this movie sounds, it’s honestly going to happen. The film finished shooting. Spirit Halloween is set to debut—when else?—this October, in time for Halloween.
That means there’s still time to make sure this movie is the best it can be. There’s still time to hire Nick Lutsko. Because, incredibly, right now he’s not. Here’s what he said about the film. (And this really is his official statement. I reached out to him for comment.)
Seems like Bezos got to Spirit and wrote me out of their film. I’ll make my own Spirit Halloween film with @tacolamp and destroy them at the box office https://t.co/BFbKtls0Wz
— “Big Nick” Lutsko (@NickLutsko) April 11, 2022
Spirit Halloween the movie, please, do the right thing. (And the smart thing, lest your movie is only the second best Spirit Halloween movie release.) You have three Nick Lutsko theme songs to choose from. Or, better yet, hire him to write another one. He has experience writing family-friendly songs.
Remember, a lot of us never though about your store all that often. Not until Nick Lustko started writing theme songs for it. If he works on the film we won’t forget it’s coming out.
Originally published on April 11.