PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Braden Timmons’ The Last Nightmare: Part One is a highly popular fan film that follows the Halloween H20 timeline. The much-anticipated sequel debuts in October 2026. PopHorror caught with Timmons recently.
Check out what he had to say!
PopHorror: Obviously, the Halloween franchise has gone in a bunch of different directions. What made you decide to take off from H20?
BRADEN: H20 has always been my favorite, just in terms of the overall storyline. I love the conclusive ending that we get, and I’ve always wondered, if we were going to continue it, what we would do with John Tate.
I figured that was a character who needed to be explored, so I was really excited to jump on that.
I was doing research and watching the franchise, and I thought, “Oh my God, no one has ever done a sequel—a good sequel—to Halloween H20.” That’s what really inspired me to do it.
PopHorror: When you’re tackling something that is so well known to the public, but you’re also trying to make it your own at the same time, what’s the hardest part?
BRADEN: The hardest part is doing your own thing while also making sure you’re staying relevant to what you feel the fans may want to see.
I struggled with that initially because, when I was writing it, I was thinking about what the fans wanted to see instead of what I wanted to see. Once I shut off my brain and actually started doing what I wanted to do, it made the writing process so much easier.
With what we have coming out this year—the ending—I’m really excited for people to see it, and I hope the fans get a kick out of it.
PopHorror: What did you learn from Part One that prepared you to make Part Two?
BRADEN: The biggest thing I learned from Part One is that the Shape is absolutely terrifying. I feel like we actually made him terrifying again in Part One, and we doubled down on that in Part Two.
PopHorror: What advice would you have for filmmakers who are working with either no budget or a low budget but are trying to get something out into the world?
BRADEN: It’s the most generic advice you can give, but you literally just have to do it.
The best film school is making a movie with almost nothing and learning to use your resources. You’ll be surprised by how many people are willing to give you a location if they simply receive credit.
It’s about having those conversations with people. When you have a story you want to tell, you have to go out and do it. Again, it sounds generic, but that’s what I did, and I feel like I’ve benefited a lot from it.
PopHorror: OK, John Carpenter walks in and says, “I’ll give you one question. You can ask me anything.”
BRADEN: I think I’d have to ask him where he really developed the idea. I want to know his full thought process and where the idea for Michael Myers came from.
I know there are a lot of interviews you can find where he talks about how he wanted a supernatural, scary guy. But how do you really embed that idea in your brain?
How did he know that the look Nick Castle walked out in during the costume fitting that day was the right look? How did he know that was Michael Myers?
You check check out The Last Nightmare Part One HERE. Be on the lookout for Part Two in October.
