John Carpenter refused to direct 1981’s Halloween II. Instead of relying on suspense, more gore and over-the-top violence made it into the final cut. According to a documentary on the Halloween franchise, Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, the reason for this change came from the studio. While Halloween served as a groundbreaking film back in the late 1970s the new-school horror movies in the slasher genre focused more on blood and gore. The studio decided to lead, not follow.
