# In 1981, John Carpenter did “an evil thing” to another director. He still hasn’t forgiven himself

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1981-john-carpenter-did-an-evil-thing-to-another-director-he-still-hasnt-forgiven-himself/
- Published: 2026-10-22T21:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T22:24:51+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-carpenter-did-an-evil-thing-to-another-director/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Carpenter re-edited *Halloween II* after rejecting its initial cut.
- He removed 17 minutes and filmed extra scenes.
- He later regretted taking control from Rick Rosenthal.

## Summary

John Carpenter substantially reworked *Halloween II* during post-production, despite having intended to stay out of the director’s chair. The decision followed dissatisfaction with the cut made by director Rick Rosenthal and editor Mark Goldblatt, but Carpenter later called his intervention “an evil thing” because he knew he would resent a producer doing the same to him.

Carpenter, who co-wrote and produced the sequel and worked on its score, cut 17 minutes from the original version, leaving a 77-minute film, then shot extra scenes over one or two nights. Rosenthal remained the only credited director, while Carpenter was not credited for directing or editing; the article says he continued to feel troubled by how the changes were made.

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