Halloween is the quintessential horror series, and Halloween: The Game looks like a worthy video game adaptation. The people from Australia and New Zealand might never learn if that’s the case, though, as the game has been banned due to the presence of a “controlled substance”.
After the release of a trailer celebrating the 30 days until Halloween: The Game’s release, the game’s official Twitter account told Australian fans who were surprised they couldn’t find the game anywhere for preorder that, despite the studio’s biggest efforts, the game wouldn’t be put up for sale in the region because it failed to get a rating.
And, in case you’re wondering, the controlled substance is weed. We learned a few months ago via Bloody Disgusting and Slash N’ Cast that lighting up a joint and smoking it will actually grant characters a buff, a little gimmick that many found amusing, but some approval boards not so much.
Slash N’ Cast explained, “Smoking weed in Halloween allows you to see Michael’s pings across the map and can give you an advantage.”
That’s ridiculous because, as pointed out by the Halloween: The Game‘s very own Twitter account, this is a very violent game about a mass murderer. For those unaware of the series’ mythos, Michael Myers, the main bad guy in the Halloween franchise, is not out for revenge against evil people, or for any excuse that a good video game lead uses for killing people. Michael Myers is fascinating because he kills merely because that’s his thing, without the movie ever trying to give a proper explanation for his actions. Decision makers are ok with that particular form of violence, but not with this. I personally do not care for weed, and I do believe it might hold more dangers to mental health than previously thought, but this is a good moment to perhaps reflect on the dated standards of whatever committee is making these decisions.
I’d really like to know what series creator John Carpenter thinks about all this, a man who famously lists smoking weed and playing video games as some of his favorite pastimes, and who smoked so much during the filming of the original Halloween that some of his puffs of smoke accidentally ended up making it into the final film.
Halloween: The Game, which takes its inspiration mostly from the first movie in the series, is set to release on September 8 on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Outcry against this ban is pretty fresh, so it remains to be seen whether it’ll stand or if the developers will replace the banned substance with vapes or something in those regions to get a wider release.
