Just got back from the set of Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween where we did a few quick interviews and watched them shoot a bit, although there's not much more in terms of "scoops" to report, we do have a clarification about the title. Since we broke the news exclusively (here) in June, their has never been an official title to the project at Dimension, it has always just been 'Rob Zombie's Halloween film". Since then we've heard it called "Rob Zombie's Halloween" and most recently "Halloween: A Rob Zombie Film". The shock rocker-turned director tells us that the film is now simply know as HALLOWEEN. When you see the trailer with Grindhouse on April 6... you will simply see the name, and hear the theme song (wink). Halloween hits theaters August 31.
Honestly, they should've left it as RZ's Halloween. At this point that's what it is, and you'd think Dimension would want to use his name as a marketing tool. But hey, you can't go wrong with plain old Halloween now can ya?
sorry for double post but i forgot to say, i think the reason why they didnt put the title as "rob zombies halloween" is because if their is a sequel, rob said he aint intreasted in directing it.
amanda,if you want to EVER be taken seriously you might want to hold back on the name calling.You were the one complaining,telling me to "grow up"weren't you?
martin - maybe the news story means that the trailer starts with a simple 'Halloween' / theme tune instead of 'Rob Zombie's Halloween' / theme tune. If not, it sounds like it's just a teaser?
he OBVIOUSLY changed the title based on the reaction on messageboards because CLEARLY film maker's spend 99% of their time monitoring the internet while making a movie.
It'll be good or it'll be bad, what's the big deal? If it's good then great, another good horror movie. If it's bad, there's always the original to watch.
Exactly Scott. Most who hate the movie will probaly make up rumor's and innuendo's that is supported by ZERO facts. I'll buy into it when someone can show PROOF that the movie title and the script is being altered because of the outcry on the internet. REALLY? Scott said it best, if it's good, great, we got a good horror movie. If it suck's, BIG FREAKIN DEAL.
If i end up seein a teaser i'm gonna be pissed and it might ruin my whole night which is gonna be unfair to grindhouse cuz if im in a bad mood im not gonna feel like sittin in a movie theatre for two hours...maybe. I hope its a damn trailer.
You know, I find it funny with all the bitching and moaning going on. Oh, I don't want it called Rob Zombie's Halloween, or I want watch without the music, or he will ruin the original, that all the ones that say that, will be there opening night. It's kinda hypocritical to judge before the actual viewing of the film. I for one think that it should be Rob Zombie's Halloween, this movie is written by him, directed by him and the cast chosen by him, so he should give himself credit for that, weather it's shitty film or not, plus I don't think Rob gives a flying fuck about the messageboards or the opinions from anyone yet. The film isn't wrapped yet, or released yet, so the opinions of the crybabies on the internet probably hasn't even registered on his "I Give A Fuck Meter."
KDW,what basis do you have that says the so-called "haters" will show up on opening night,if at all?Do you think you have some kind of precognitive powers or something?Funny,something like that coming from someone who thinks it's unfair to judge the movie before release.There's way more evidence suggesting this movie will be garbage than there is that you can read friggin' minds.NEXT!...
SUPERFRY. No offense, but what evidence is there that say's it's going to be horrible other than people who hate it's opinion's? That's really all it is, an opinion. Not proof or fact. But I know where you stand, and I can appreciate your passion and views. I'm still on the fence with this and reserving full judgement when I see it. Unfortunately for the hater's (MY OPINION), I think the movie will have a strong opening weekend based on the name and to that whole new teenage generation out there that are way more aware of Rob Zombie (the musician). I'll bet a large number of kids today have no idea who Carpenter is, (that's a shame by the way). Then you will have a portion who have zero idea that it's a remake and think it's brand new. I witnessed this first hand with Texas Chainsaw and Hill's Have Eye's. Some kid's had no idea they were remakes.
OK, that's it. STOP FUCKING CRYING!!!
NO ONE knows how good this movie is going to be until we see it. THAT SIMPLE!!! Analyze all you want to.....talk shit all you want to.....but NOTHING changes the fact that NO ONE, me included, truly knows with any sense of intelligence how good this film will or won't be until WE ALL SEE IT!!!
So SHUT UP!!! NO ONE CARES!!
See it & THEN bitch all you want.
Grow up, haters.
Along those lines, you could also argue that no one knows how BAD the movie is going to be either. There's a difference in the reserving judgement arguement and the "haters" don't have a clue arguement. For everyone who argues that haters are just venting jealousy of all things ROB, can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that this movie is going to be GREAT simply because ROB Zombie is directing it. Got any proof? Johnny, I gotta respectfully disagree about a huge opening. Based on ROB's 2 previous endeavours and the fact that hardcore gore generally steers box office downward, I am skeptical of anything other than a mediocre opening considerring the filmaker's history, release date, and the fact that as much as people don't want to admit it, critics responses carry tremendous word-of-mouth weight that invariably affects box office.
Consider also this point, the trend for high blood horror flicks these days is to prevent advanced critic viewership and that right there would spell disaster for this project. If ROB and Co. decide to reserve advanced viewings until opening night, he will automatically relegate this as a second tier effort, no questions asked. However, if he allows the press and fans advanced viewership, there is the very high probability, not certainty mind you, but probability, that he will doom this in advance thereby driving ticket prices down. This is gonna be very tricky (especially given this particular movie) and I am very interested as to how ROB navigates this as the summer wears on.....
SAURON. You bring up some good point's. Again, I'm just going on a hunch that the name recognition (Halloween) will bring lot's of interest, not RZ's success (or failure's). Also, I would argue that the release date is the tail end of summer and just before most kids go back to school. I would guess that would be a busy time at the box office. But who really knows? It's all speculation. The trailer will be what drags people in. I'm not so sure the critic's opinion will do much to keep kid's away. I just don't think most care. And we've seen some pretty bad horror fick's in recent years debut strong, then fizzle out.
why do you want it to be like the original there no point in making it if its going to be the same shit you already seen and we all know that the haters will be seeing this so why hate all i know is good or bad im still going to like it and i dont care what anyone says rob zombie is the man
The term 'How do you know untill YOU try it' springs to mind. I hate following the views of critics, simply because they've all got their own individual tastes which reflect on their reviews. Just because some say that one film is fantastic - hit of the summer, doesn't mean to say i'm going to like it. I don't care who's directing this film, it just holds no weight to me at all, as long as they do a decent job interpreting a new but semi faithful version of Halloween then i'll be happy. Change is good, keeps things from stagnating, We're not seeing a remake in it's entirity but a movie which expands on the vision of the original. Something new, something that could possibly refresh the Halloween franchise.
See how i said 'possibly there' As it's just as plausable for it to be the final nail in the coffin, (even though the coffin was cremated after a poor showing with H8)
I think it's a little lame that its just the music and title... Yet its still brilliant because it leaves the audience in confusion cause they don't know what to expect since they didn't get to see any still's or shot's from the movie. I think once the audience learn's (if they haven't already)that the film is being made by Rob Zombie it will leave them in more confusion and shocked. I guarentee this movie is going to be great. I hope that he sticks with Micheal though.
I'm crapping myself just waiting for it. I'd go see Grindhouse just to see (hear) the preveiw. At first I was a little bothered by Zombie's vision, but I'm reserving judgement until after the end credits roll on August 31st...
Rob Zombie is one of the aptly named members of the unofficial "splat Pack" group, and is making headlines in even Time magazine for cryin' out loud. Halloween has been a phenominal success and Rob's name is big right now anyway...and getting bigger, especially because of this "controversial" Halloween project. I think, personally, that he went a little overboard with the casting (who the hell doesn't have a part in this movie) but to cast Danielle Harris ;) and Malcolm Mcdowell was a brilliant move. And Tyler Mane...isn't he like 7 feet? Michael's not supposed to be a fucking wrestler. They could've gotten Kain from See no Evil to play him if that's the case. I could see The Shape standing 6'2 6'3, but not fucking huge (according to what I've read on the net, the script described Mikey as 6'10 280 lbs). That would make this Michael bigger than Jason from Freddy V.S. Jason. Furthermore, I don't want to see a remake scene to scene repeat ala Gus Van Zandt's scene for scene remake of Psycho. Give the story a new vibe and feel. Make it fresh and...different, but don't go fucking with Michael Myers. He's emotionless...he has no motive other than he's "EVIL ON TWO LEGS" and evil on two legs doesn't have an emotional pallette...
We may be overanalyzing the whole thing.
Of all the horrow movies out there - this one will bring in the seasonal audience plus the dating set plus the original fans. They will do a media blitz - if they rock a good trailer without giving too much away - I think the movie will be successful.
This is old school, not high budget, bankable name that RZ will either succeed in reviving the series or destroy it.
I'm still not luke warm to the whole idea - but what the hey.
OOHH MMYY GGOOSSHH!!!!! DVBG I think we've finally found common ground on something(s) we can finally agree on. I feel the magnetic polarization of the earth's axis may be inverting and life as we know it might be coming to a screeching halt because of it..... The series was dead after 8. I would even further the arguement by saying that critics responses are generally poor to horror. However, the Fog remake got one of the lowest critical reviews I've seen in a decade and that was actually endorsed by Carpenter AND turned out to be an absolute, disgraceful bomb. Everything I've seen thus far (and I will readily admit to not seeing footage) indicates that this will be received by the critics and diehards in a similar manner. It's Halloween, the "Stairway to Heaven" of horror. As I've said many times in the past, you don't see many people rushing out to "reimagine" that masterpiece. To do so invites ridicule and outright scorn, which for the record, this project has done. Did anyone honestly expect any different? Here we have a much more popular and important part of horror history being made by a part-time filmaker. I'm not pickin on ROB with that, but it is the truth. He is a musician who never went to film school or spent years refining his craft accordingly. He was a friggin production assistant on "Pee Wee's Playhouse (I sh%t you not) whose MTV fame has given the opportunity to induldge his hobby. And it IS a hobby. It cannot be seriously argued that ROB is a professional filmaker and musician on the side. So I for one am not willing to give him a blank check simply because he's ROB and his little legions of myspace wannabe's are trying to justify how their poor little misunderstood adolescent angst should be transferred to one of the greatest stories in modern horror and we should just thank the almighty ROB or shut the h%ll up and wait until he rapes a masterpiece with his part time cretive vision.....I don't think I could state my position (and I suspect the position of a few others as well) any clearer!
OOHH MMYY GGOOSSHH!!!!! DVBG I think we've finally found common ground on something(s) we can finally agree on. I feel the magnetic polarization of the earth's axis may be inverting and life as we know it might be coming to a screeching halt because of it..... The series was dead after 8. I would even further the arguement by saying that critics responses are generally poor to horror. However, the Fog remake got one of the lowest critical reviews I've seen in a decade and that was actually endorsed by Carpenter AND turned out to be an absolute, disgraceful bomb. Everything I've seen thus far (and I will readily admit to not seeing footage) indicates that this will be received by the critics and diehards in a similar manner. It's Halloween, the "Stairway to Heaven" of horror. As I've said many times in the past, you don't see many people rushing out to "reimagine" that masterpiece. To do so invites ridicule and outright scorn, which for the record, this project has done. Did anyone honestly expect any different? Here we have a much more popular and important part of horror history being made by a part-time filmaker. I'm not pickin on ROB with that, but it is the truth. He is a musician who never went to film school or spent years refining his craft accordingly. He was a friggin production assistant on "Pee Wee's Playhouse (I sh%t you not) whose MTV fame has given the opportunity to induldge his hobby. And it IS a hobby. It cannot be seriously argued that ROB is a professional filmaker and musician on the side. So I for one am not willing to give him a blank check simply because he's ROB and his little legions of myspace wannabe's are trying to justify how their poor little misunderstood adolescent angst should be transferred to one of the greatest stories in modern horror and we should just thank the almighty ROB or shut the h%ll up and wait until he rapes a masterpiece with his part time cretive vision.....I don't think I could state my position (and I suspect the position of a few others as well) any clearer!
rob zombie is the man and i dont care what any says why would you want the same stuff you have already seen that wouldnt make sence thats why all the other remakes didnt work they trie to the original accept batman begins the omen black christmas the only reamkes i liked were the texas chainsaw massecre and batman begins but that not even a remake its alot like how rob zombie is going to his halloween a new reamagining thats the hole point of makeing it so it would be a diffrent take so iam a hundred percent rob zombies vision on the film and i will be there opening day so cant wait
Actually superfry, I do read minds, how did you know? Futhermore, It is very predictable that the curiosity of the haters will lure them to the theatre and calim that they are only there to nit pick. Your itching to go and your curiosity will lead you there like it leads you to this board everyday, you can calim it's to read messages, but we secretly know, your dying to know what the film is like. You can admit, it's OK. I despised the fact of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre REMAKE, after watching the horrible sequels, the scariness of Leatherface faded and he became laughable and I was completely opposed to a remake and bitched that I would not go, but then, I did, just to see if Leatherface could be redeemed and to me, he was, the film wasn't the greatest and Jessica's acting was sometimes horrible, BUT Andrew (Leatherface) creeped me the hell out. I didn't see him as a mentally ill cross dressers, like in some of the sequels, he was down right creepy and HE made the film good again and I am glad I went. Yeah, not as good as the original, but a million times better then the sequels and Leatherface was redeemed.
I have to say I admire Rob Zombie for breaking into other forms of entertainment (I dream of the day I can say I've done it but I have to do at leats one thing first). He's like Todd Mcfarlane in a way except he started not in comics but on Pee Wee's playhouse and then music.
Robs' done music, comics, animation, and now he's tackling the movies. It's safe to say he's a go-getter. Ambitious. But what cojenes to do a reimagining of Halloween for his third film? Sure he's directed music videos, (More Human Than Human) and we got that music video look and feel with House of 1000 Corpses (which I think he realized was a big mistake i.e. leave the super groovy color scheme in the videos of White Zombie yesteryear.) But I was pleasantly surprised by The Devil's Rejects. I know of a few who panned the movie and didn't like it, but then again, there are those who thought it was the bomb-diggity. I know I did. Sure there were some flaws, and some dialogue could've been improved, but all in all, great flick which stands on its own. Now he wants to do Halloween. Hmmm...tricky buisness. I'm sure every director or writer since Halloween 2 sweated while working on their installments and I damn sure know Rob has to be more than a little nervous. I think it's safe to say he knows what he's getting himself into, but that doesn't mean he knows what he's doing.
RE:Uwe Boll's HALLOWEEN-I also wonder how many people would complain about how all "the haters" do is bitch.I'm sure you'd have plenty of complaints as well and there'd be no argument about our right to speak out.You'd be complaining right along with us.
Sauron, guess we cant be exchanging unpleasant undertones with our comments all the time! In regards to our shared ground on h8, i actually believe they should have finished the series with H20 , was a fitting finale to a half decent movie, although alot of fans also despised that entry in the franchise. So it all boils down to personal preference. Anyway, to shed light on a few things, i'd like to ask the proverbial 'haters'
whether their main problem lies with Zombie taking on this project as director, or the fact they are trying to rehash an original classic?
I'm neutral, really, as in I'm reserving judgement until I actually see the film. Everybody (including all you haters) is entitled to his or her opinions. This is after all a User Comment Post. Post your thoughts and opinions. But to all the shitheads who wanna bitch at someone for having an opinion, whether you loved the original or not, SHUT THE HELL UP! Seriously, you're giving yourselves aneurysms over a movie. It's only controversial because we the people make it out to be controversial. There are those who glorified Carpenter's classic and hate Rob Zombie. And there are those who hate the original Halloween but love Rob Zombie. There are those who are skeptical. And the only ones really skeptical are the fans of the original. So no matter hwo you are Hater or otherwise, you're still gonna see the flick, no matter how much you deny it. Sure I was pissed about some of the core changes. A new take on an old plot is a warm welcome, but don't molest Michael's character. And also, Michael doesn't drive in this film because it didn't make sense to Rob for Michael to know how to drive. Well, in the original Halloween, when Donald Pleasance's Dr. Loomis said "Maybe somebody around here gave him lessons," was quite litterally a sarcastic remark. Just liten to the late great actor's tone when he speaks the dialogue. Of course nobody gace Myers lessons. He's pure evil on two legs. Evil knows how to do whatever the hell it wants. You have to keep in mind that even though Myers is the boogieman perosnified, he's no idiot. Anyway, with that said, don't blow a hole in your asses over a movie. Because chances are, whether you loved it or hated it, it'll still end up on your shelf of DVDs. I have H20 and Ressurrection for god's sakes...
so whats this i hear that danielle harris tells mtv that she is topless in a scene??? However she goes on to say that in regards to what is happening in the scene if anyone is lookin at her then there crazy...well i guess im gonna be a little crazy. Idk if its true but its what i heard
Bottom line is this. Halloween is going to compete and possibly out gross all of the major flicks this year. That includes spiderman 3, pirates 3 and anything else that is released. I just don't get what people are in such an uproar about. Is it the fact that halloween is being remade or is it the fact that Rob Zombie is remaking it. I'm a huge Zombie fan. Do i think he's a great director? no. But I think he's a great horror director. When he first did house of 1000 corpses i knew it wasn't going to be a great movie, but it was different from the rest of the crap that horror fans had been subjected to for the decade. Zombies not trying to make a horror movie that reaches out to the majority. Besides his two movies and a select few everything else looks like a damn mtv music video. Everyone has to keep in mind that this movie was going to be remade regardless. Zombie didn't go after the movie, he was asked to do it. So that means there were alot of people in high places that felt he would do the classic justice. In my opinion if you are a true horror fan you should be happy about this movie, if not go watch the ring or the grudge or something like that. I would rather watch a thousand remakes of Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Texas Chainsaw than have to endure any of that shit. Like I said bottom line the movie is going to be a hit and a huge success. Instead of people flocking to see another Saw movie this fall they will be flocking to see Halloween.
Danielle Harriss topless?!?!
Anyway, Let's discuss the two main charcters that make up the Halloween mythos: Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis.
Rob's representation of Michael (to my understanding so please correct me if I'm wrong) is a huge, hulking brute with a bad temper and an affinity for his baby sister. The (original) Michael we all know and love wasn't a big guy; 6'1 to 6'2 (Ressurrection's Michael was 6'2) And even Carpenter himself didn't know Laurie Strode was Michael's sister until the inevitable sequel. So all of these films, especially the original classic, are ambiguous to begin with. Rob's just trying to bring what we all learned in the subsequent sequels together in his movie. I bet I would do the same if given the job of retooling The Shape. In fact, I'd try to bring back Jamie's baby from Curse but we may never see that character again. Now on to Dr. Loomis. Donald Pleasence was, is, and always will be The Shape's nemesis. Pleasence's portrayal was of an already eccentric doctor who began to obsess over the discovery of pure evil. Sure the old Loomis might've been afraid of Mikey, but I bet he carried the gun because he aimed to kill him. After all, he was one of the only ones who truly knew what Michael really was. If you were a doc, wouldn't you try to off him yourself, knowing full and well that maybe Michal could never be stopped. Still, you've got to try, right? Now, it is to my understanding that Rob's representation of Loomis as portrayed by Malcolm Mcdowell is not quite as loony as the old Loomis. He goes to a gunstore to purchase a gun from Mickey Dolenz for crissakes. Ouch. This Loomis is a family man; he's married to sybil Danning. But who knows, maybe the new Loomis will be an eccentric (all psych docs are). He just won't be quite the same as Donald Pleasence's Loomis, which is why Rob called for such a dramatic change. You can't replace a legend. Wait and see when they remake A Nightmare on Elm Street with a new actor to play Freddy one day. Jesus, what kind of discussion will that make for?
This is Rob's privelage and right (given to him by the almighty powers that be at Dimension and Miramax) to do this film. Yes he was approached by the bigshots, and yes he jumped at the oppurtunity to do it. Wouldn't you, if you had what it takes to make a movie? I know I would. So in effect, we have no choice but to give Rob a chance and see what he does, because the movie's in production and will hit theaters no matter who bitches and how loud...
Jason, I very rarely call anyone out by name but dude, you gotta get a grip. There is no way on heaven or earth under the sun that Halloween is gonna compete with Pirates, Shrek, Spiderman, or Fantastic 4 in terms of box office. Dude, I'm not even gonna bother trying to explain it to you (the R-rating and its history financially can be looked up at numerous sites, so happy hunting) If you really think (and I mean seriously think) that this movie is gonna do even 25% of what these others will do you're in for a hard landing this summer. I know I shouldn't attack your right to free speech but dude I gotta suggest here that you never post again if that's the best you can come up with.....
DVBG your questions (and I will answer them) can be best summarized like this: Halloween should never have been remade, ever. PERIOD. The original was a complete masterpiece that tanscends even the horror genre to rank as a pretty important contribution to the history of cinema. And I mean that with complete seriousness. Carpenter crafted an absolute masterpiece of efficiancy and effectiveness of story, mood, and ambiance. And he did it in 3 weeks with $320,000. It's a disgrace and an insult to touch this simply as a psudeo-emo teenage angst revenge saga (oh, he's sssoooo misunderstood) Now the second part of your question is slightly more complex. Yes, I cannot stand all things Zombie. Yes I feel he's a petualnt poser whose creative fire died out about seven years ago, especially since his last two attempts to remain relevant to the public have been "reimagining" others originality (the VH1 KISS ""tribute"" and now this)., Yes I absolutely refuse to respect someone who calls out everyone who challenges his vision (the MPAA, Ain't it Cool, "haters" who supposedly don't know what goes into the moviemaking experience, etc. etc.) Yes, I feel that I have proven time and time again that he is a hobbyist filmaker with little to no formal training or education (or talent for that matter) who's bypassed paying his dues simply from his MTV/Myspace status and that Malek Akkad is desperate to reinject street cred to this franchise. And he's whiny on top of it all. Maybe if ROB had gone to school and spent time in the industry refining his craft he wouldn't be bitching about how difficult it is to make a movie. You don't see many other directors lodging that complaint. A little knowledge would've went a long way with this guy, but at this point MTV/Myspace have made that moot.....That's just the way I see it.
Sauron drives an excellent point. First, Hollywood Horror is on a remake frenzy trip and the Halloween remake was inevitable, but I really didn't expect it to happen so soon. As sad as that is, the obvious fact remains: the paid "talent" are running out of ideas. Why? Dollar signs apparently make for an impenitrable writer's block. So kudos to the Saw guys even though they're milking those films to death, too. I'm sure there are plenty of creative people who are average joes with awesome and original ideas who are stuck punching clocks while these high-paid medeocre jackasses mangle old classics. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre should not have been remade. The grindhouse feel of the original could never be recaptured for that particular story. I wasn't too crazy about the original Hills Have Eyes and have only seen it once many, many years ago, so I can't pass judgment on that film, but I wasn't too impressed with the remake to be sure. So I guess I'll go check out the original again. Black Christmas was remade. The Fog...wtf? Also, The Hitchhiker; never saw the original, but they remade it. So what's next? I shudder to think. Friday the 13th? A Nightmare on Elm Street? Child's Play? Hellraiser's scheduled for a remake with Clive Barker himself writing the treatment, or so I've read in Horrorhound, I believe. There seems to be a pattern here. A very disturbing pattern...
Respectfully, Jason, I and Sauron are together on this topic. Perhaps I confused the issue with my tongue in cheek responses to Superfry on other parts of the site, but there is no fucking way this is gonna compete with the blockbusters of the summer. Pirates will make more money with it's eyes closed, as will Spider Man. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. However, consider that IF Halloween makes Scream type $$$, about 120 million, it will have generated 50% of the money of all other Halloween movies combined, includng the original. Now, I'm not sure how much Zombie cost Dimension on this, but let's go WAY off the deep end and assume 50 million. If this movie hits even 70 million then cut to Dimension honchos shooting in their shorts. This alone would be a nice scenario for them, but I believe it gets better. You have a recognizable director, and an iconic mask, character, and music to start with. There has already been more media attention than I can remember for a Halloween flick. The stage is set for a home run here, let's all hope RZ doesn't strike out.
Hell no will Halloween outgross Pirates or Spider-Man 3 or even Saw IV respectuflly, but I'm sure it will make some money. No, I'm not saying it'll bomb at the box-office, but that's still a possibillity, although unlikely. RZ's Halloween will rake in its fair share of bread, but to think it'll be a blockbuster, sorry, dude, no dice. Horror movies don't generally appeal to everyone i.e. the mainstream audiences. But alas, the powers that be are trying to appeal this film to mainstream audiences, as well as the fans. With the right amount of media buzz and marketing, it'll rake in the the returns, but it's not blockbuster material. But then again, who am I to say what will happen, I can't predict the future.
So do most of us agree that the Halloween remake is a travesty to say the least? Jesus, how can someone who claims to be a fan of the original make such a brash attempt at "re-imagining" a brilliant classic as John Carpenter’s tale? Rob’s a privileged fan boy with connections to be sure. Yes, the suit and ties may have approached him to do this, thinking that if anyone can breathe new life into this already stale as old dog shit series, it must be good ol’ Rob Zombie. But he—being a self-professed fan—should’ve known better than to touch this project (at least he wouldn’t catch so much shit for assaulting a masterpiece). Personally, if it had been me who had been offered the job, I would’ve turned it down to let someone else fuck it up, because ultimately, that’s what it’s going to be: a fuck-up. Here’s a short list of the obvious problems: First, he’s crammed this little flick with way too many characters. Apparently, everybody and his or her mom have a part in the movie (great job casting Danielle Harris though, the only redeeming factor may be her topless scene). And I’m reading about a new actor joining the cast everyday it seems like. How much screen time will adult Michael get, I wonder? Second, Rob is spending thirty minutes alone on developing young Michael, who will be portrayed as a troubled child with an attraction to his baby sister, Laurie Strode. We don’t care what Mike was like as prepubescent snot. In the original, he was a creepy little shit who didn’t say a single word (normally a silent child would be a blessing lol) and very little was spent exploring young Mike. In fact, the original showed all but something like forty-five seconds on one shot of the young actor playing six-year-old Mike. Anything else you fan boys might’ve seen relating to little Mikey Myers in the institution was shot and added for the 1981 T.V. airing of the movie. Also, don’t forget, the scene in Michael’s room following his escape from Smith’s Grove, with the word “sister” written on the walls in blood(?) was added after Halloween II, to coincide with the new plot twist in the sequel. Furthermore, it wasn’t until Halloween II that we (and Carpenter, apparently, in a desperate plot twist to spice things up I guess) find out that Laurie Strode is Michael’s sister. But I digress. Getting back to Rob’s blurred vision, his representation of Dr. Loomis is also whacked out. We have Malcolm McDowell, who I’m sure is a fine actor and is as good a choice as any for this unnecessary inclusion of the Loomis character. But the bottom line is that Loomis died along with the late great Donald Pleasance. Funny how The Curse of Michael Myers, such a mangled hack job, could make for a superior film than one not yet released. Why? Because it had Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis. Also, the original was vague in many parts i.e. giving no reason as to why Michael Myers singled out Laurie and her friends. I know she sure as hell couldn’t have reminded him of Judith (that slut). But they had to tie it together in the sequels. God, when a good film makes the big bucks, the money is almost like a malignant cancer spreading throughout poor sequels. I sincerely believe that a sequel was never intended. Hell, Pleasance took his $20,000 fee as opposed to box-office returns because he didn’t have that much faith in the film to begin with (boy was he surprised). In fact, the only reason why he did it was because his daughter was a fan of Carpenter and practically begged him to do it. Glad he did, and he was, too. Anyway, there’s a laundry list of problems with this remake, and an even longer list of reasons why it shouldn’t be made. Oh, and one more thing, Rob thinks Michael shouldn’t be driving because it was unlikely that someone did give him lessons. Well, Rob, Dr. Loomis was be facetious. Just go back and re-watch that scene and listen carefully to how Pleasance delivers the line. Remember “Three road-blocks and an all points bulletin wouldn’t stop a five-year-old”? That was sardonic wit from a very perturbed doctor. Anyway, the remake is, was, and will always be a bad idea. Just watch the original to find out why…
Great username. I couldn't have said it any better myself. The problem is that legions of ROB's little friends, who apparently want desperately to be included in all things ROB, seem intent upon his creative majesty flying in the face of the obvious. But, according to them we should just shut up and sit idly by and wait and see.....
Let me be the first to say that, no, I don't find this to be a travesty yet. I like the fact that Zombie is looking for places to expand the story, instead of just refilming it. I like the idea of an extended sequence in the sanitarium, and personally I always found the made for TV scenes to be a welcome addition which fleshed it out even more...keep in mind I didn't see these till later, well after seeing Halloween II numerous times. I also like the fact that Zombie is interested in cleaning up some of the plot points which make no sense...the driving, the car, the tombstone (how the fuck did he find it, and can even Tyler Mane carry it around lol?) I also dig the fact that Zombie is not in tune with the supernatural aspect of the film. Like all of us, I thought the sparring use of Michael, and the way he fades or intrudes into a scene was spectacular. I was less into the parts where he was (if you choose to see it this way)opening and shuttng doors with his mind, or getting up after being shot 6 times, or suspending a body in midair for his viewing pleasure. Not to say these aren't great scenes, but they are ones I don't like to put much thought into because it brings the reality level down, and I like that aspect of the film. My main problem with Zombie is that of young Michael. I see why he went there, but I also see why it could just fuck the charachter from the get go. If you explain the roots of his evil, does it make the dude less effective? It's certainly possible. But the thing is, if you look at serial killers, you are going to see patterns emerge from their childhood. This is documented stuff, not RZ storytime. Just because other crappy movies have made this story a bit cliche doesn't mean that Myers was raised in a perfect household, and I'm willing to give this a go and get another take on it....but it worries me quite a bit. The only other thing that really gets my goat is another thing you touched on: the length of the remake portion, and the story or adult Michael. I'm willing to sit through RZ's version of Michael's upbringing, and I've wanted to see a indepth view of his imprisonment for awhile, but the players involved in the original don't make an appearence until 30 min left to go I'm gonna be pissed. Considering the way he claims to be fleshing out Loomis & Brackett you would think a little more time would be needed for that, at the least, but we will see.
lol...like the user name?
It's great that-since it's being made anyway-Rob's not shooting the same film. And also, I think-since it's being made anyway-that it'll be an interesting portrayal of an icon of modern horror. However, my opinions and arguments are really based on the original Halloween alone, Michael Myers, as well as Dr. Loomis in general. So when I think about this film...this remake...I'm not concerned how it will affect the series, just how it will affect what it's all about (and I don't mean the storyline, I mean the reason we fans love it so damn much). I know it's just a movie, but what the hell else is there to do in this day and age? Ski? Sky-dive? Dig for buried treasure? Run from a sabre-tooth tiger? Hell no, we fan boys and girls find a good medium of entertainment and attatch ourselves to it. Some people play basketball with the same kind of passion we're devoting to films like Halloween. I can take a remake of the more obscure titles that didn't catch on quite as well as a Michael or a Jason or a Freddy-like Wes Craven's shocker for instance (no offense to those of you who liked the flick). Or even Deadly Friend-that'd be interesting. See, Gus Van Zandt remade Psycho well over thirty years after Hitchock's original, and he shot it scene for scene. His vision included modernizing a personal favorite for the today's horror audience, and, as I recall, that didn't fly too well. That was before remakes began plaguing our theaters. Now, Rob wants to tackle Halloween, giving it more than just a face-lift. How many of us gave a shit about the original pyscho anyway? I respect it as a piece of slasher and horror/suspense history, but I wouldn't make it a point to set out to watch it again. Sure it's a great film and set new standards carried over today. Sure it inspired Halloween, but the point is that it was a beloved classsic to some, and had been remade into a piece of garbage. Now Rob's going one further by completely obliterating the story of Halloween and what Michael Myers is all about. But times change and so do old monsters, I guess. Just look at Peter Jackson's King Kong, big difference from the original and 70's remake, yet it stuck closer to the orignal storyline and it worked damned well (given it had some of the most awesome special effects and giant monster fights I've seen in a long time). King Kong appealed to mainstream audiences. My point is this: (the original)Halloween is not King Kong, nor is it Psycho, meaning it stands alone. It's not in the same category-technically-as Friday the 13th or Texas Chainsaw or Saw or Nightmare-those are more or less gore flicks of a different nature. Halloween is atmospheric horror at its best. It didn't need the blood and the ax to the face shock value of the subsequently spawned 80's slasher fair. It's almost art. I don't think Halloween should ever be tampered with in any way except for digital resotrations for those new generations of horror fans who can't appreciate anything in it's original intended format. There should never be a re-tooling or a re-telling of Halloween or Michael Myers, because to be perfectly honest, that would be re-tarded...
I'm neither for rob zombie directing this or against yes his movies aren't that good and he's doin a remake type shit but it CAN still be a good movie. I understand ppl when they are pissed cuz he's remakin and i also find it kinda funny how in the H25 dvd in the bonus features someone asks if they would ever remake it and almost the entire panel said NO. but anyways it can still be a very good movie wiht new elements and im excited to myers come back and get a fresh start to say the least but as far as the director goes i have a question... was everyone excited when wes craven came back to do NEW NIGHTMARE? probably but an even better question... did anyone like how he changed it around and was it even any good??? THe only thing good about new nightmare was the fact that freddy was scary again and that is what rob zombie is tryin to do wiht michael myers, hes tryin to make him scary again. When i first saw the preview on tv for halloween 6 i was excited and ran to my parents sayin hes back! hes back! and when jamie lee cut off his head in H20 i was pissed because he shouldnt die, bottom line is that we shouldn't cheer for someone who is supposed to scare us but the problem was he wasnt scary anymore, so i at least give rob credit for tryin to make him scary again but i do understand it when everyone says they dont want it remade but who knows right?
Guys....were going to need a bigger screen(lol). When i get this dvd im going to kick out the fucking speakers
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