HALLOWEEN: The Franchise

[muthagoose]

Now that Dimension Films is prepping their release of Rob Zombie's Halloween, other companies are cashing in on the hopes that the franchise will get the reboot it deserves, one such company is Devil's Due. Announced this morning is a bone chilling comic book series based on the original Halloween movie, which you can read all about it in the press release below:


POPULAR HORROR FRANCHISE HALLOWEEN TERRORIZES DEVIL’S DUE PUBLISHING!
Publisher Adds the King of All Slashers to its Horror Line-Up


Chicago, IL – July 23, 2007 – Compass International Pictures, Inc. and Devil’s Due Publishing, Inc. join forces to launch a bone chilling comic book series based on the original Halloween movie!

With the 30th Anniversary of the Halloween franchise fast approaching, the property has enjoyed a long and healthy success, and Devil’s Due Publishing is proud to be telling the new horrific tales of slasher Michael Myers. “We’ve done a number of horror titles in the past, and I love them all, but there’s something extra special about bringing the original to the comic page,” said Josh Blaylock, president of DDP. “He’s the big daddy of hard-to-kill slashers.”

Compass’ Malek Akkad has been working closely on the new Halloween film to be released in 2008, but despite his busy schedule was personally involved in selecting Devil’s Due for the property’s new comic home. “Devil’s Due has a track record for quality horror comics perfect for Halloween and we are working closely with them, said Akkad. “ It is important to us to
bring a sense of the original Michael Myers film to this series.”

Look for creator announcements and more Halloween news in the weeks to come.

Devil’s Due: Reminding everyone that pop culture IS our culture.

[Stomper]

I was thinking about trying to put together a field trip for the kids to go check this out. Have some drinks before the killing begins. Anyone interested?

[Ponyone]

I'm in..

[muthagoose]

I'm in depending on the schedule.

[muthagoose]

Halloween 30th Anniversary Convention Is A Go

Well all that is there is a date and a logo, but it's a start! The 30 Years Of Terror site has gone live, and reports an August 29th-31st, 2008 date to mark on your calendar. You can also sign up for updates via a link to Myspace. The last convention, in 2003, was a huge success and the guest list was pretty astounding. A lot of good stuff from the con can be found on the excellent 25 Years Of Terror documentary, and we can hope that there will be lots of video coverage on this one as well for all the fans who can't make it. Personally I can't wait. Man, and here I thought there was nothing going on in Halloween land today!

www.30yearsofterror.com/

The dates are August 29-31, 2008 in Pasadna, California.

[Stomper]

Looks like we will be going to see this shit next Sunday the 2nd. More info on the showtime will be available soon. Last I heard Goose, Steele, Pone, Chuck, Kira, and I are in. Anyone else?

[muthagoose]

"Halloween" Workprint Leaked

Just four days prior to its release, a near DVD quality work print copy of Rob Zombie's remake of the classic John Carpenter's "Halloween" has leaked onto torrenting sites.

This is far from the first example of this happening, notably earlier this Summer a similar DVD quality work print of another horror film - "Hostel: Part II" - managed to make its way online pre-release.

Whilst director Eli Roth was more than happy to blame that film's only moderate financial takings on pirates, it was never shown to have notably effected that film's box-office at all. The same goes for Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" which suffered a similar fates.

This leak is more interesting in that it's the film's 'work print,' the version shown to test audiences back in June which was panned and lead to a rushed week of reshooting to change the ending and "beef up" the gore quotient (allegedly six more deaths were added in).

Not only does it imply somebody in the production process leaked it (rather than exhibitors or audience members with cameras), but also gives insight into the test screening process as to what about the film has been changed.

Right off the bat for example, the 'sample clip' being offered with the torrent shows off a disgustingly brutal gang rape by guards on a female prisoner in front of Michael. It's a scene that is non-existent in the final film in theatres, replaced by a thankfully tamer 'escape scene'.

[Stomper]

Anyone else in for the big trip? If Sunday is cool with everyone, we can start discussing a time.

[muthagoose]

Contact Stomper for trip details. We are going on Sunday.

[Stomper]

We are going to hit the 12:15 showing on Sunday. Guess we can meet up in easton somewhere if you are interested. So far it sounds like Chuck, Goose, Steele, and myself are headed up.

[Dementro]

I will meet you guys there. If I am there before you call me with how many are in your group and I will get the tickets.

[muthagoose]

Might as well JUMP!

[muthagoose]

ROB ZOMBIE's 'Halloween' Explodes In U.S. Theaters
Is Headed For $35M Four-Day Weekend

According to SlashFilm.com, Rob Zombie's remake of the 1978 horror classic "Halloween" has exploded for an estimated $10.5 million at the box office in the United States on Friday (August 31), and it's headed for a three-day of $30 million and a spectacular four-day Labor Day weekend of $35.775 million. This will easily be the best three-day opening weekend of the nine-film Michael Myers franchise.

Top three-day opening weekends for Michael Myers movies:

01. "Halloween" (2007) - $30M (projected)
02. "Halloween: H2O" (1998) - $16.1M
03. "Halloween: Resurrection" (2002) - $12.2M
04. "Halloween II" (1981) - $7.4M
05. "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (1995) - $7.3M

Also as expected, Michael Myers has become the all-time No. 4 grossing "killer" franchise in modern box office history, surpassing Jigsaw from the "Saw" trilogy and trailing only Hannibal Lecter, Jason ("Friday the Thirteenth") and Freddy Krueger.

According to DailyHerald.com, John Carpenter filmed his 1978 indie chiller on a $325,000 budget. The film made roughly $47 million at the domestic box office, and still ranks among the most impressive budget-to-box office ratios in history. Zombie's studio-approved "Halloween" cost about $20 million.

Zombie has scored successes with low-budget slasher flicks "House Of 1,000 Corpses" ($12.6 million in domestic receipts) and "The Devil's Rejects" ($17 million cumulative box office gross).

[muthagoose]

SCENES IN WORKPRINT NOT IN THEATRICAL VERSION:

1. During the breakfast scene, there’s additional dialogue between Judith and Deborah concerning eggs. Judith alludes to Deborah having an abortion.

2. The workprint has an opening credits sequence. It plays over the scene of Michael running from the school, Loomis’ introduction, and the bully walking through the woods. These scenes are all longer as a result, most significantly more dialogue between Loomis and Deborah, presented in voice over as Michael runs.

3. There’s an additional shot when Deborah confronts Michael outside the house after the murders.

4. The montage of Loomis and Michael getting to know each other has more dialogue/scene snippets

5. In the workprint, there is an additional scene of young Michael with Deborah at the institution, where he expresses his need to “get out of here”. When he learns he cannot leave, he says “Then I have nothing left to say.”

6. When the nurse looks at the photo of Michael and “Boo”, there is an additional line where she alludes to Michael being ugly. This provides more of a motive for her killing than is present in the theatrical version.

7. The “Fifteen Years Later” scene begins with a newscast about Michael’s possible transfer.

8. Following this newscast begins one of the biggest changes: Udo Kier’s character. In the theatrical he is only in ONE scene, but here he has quite a few as the head of Smith’s Grove. He is joined by Clint Howard and Tom Towles as other hospital higherups. They disagree with Loomis’ instructions for Michael’s care. This is followed by the scene where Loomis tells Michael he can no longer be his doctor.

9. The scene of Ishmael Cruz and the new orderly in Michael’s room is a bit longer.

10. An additional shot of Loomis leaving Smith’s Grove, looking back with a look on his face showing that he is clearly conflicted about his decision to quit on Michael.

11. Additional shots of Michael watching Joe Grizzly.

12. The scene where we meet Laurie and the Strodes is lengthened, there is more talk about the “pervert” hardware store owner.

13. After Loomis speaks at the lecture, there is a scene of him walking with a colleague, asking how he thought he did in the speech.

14. When Laurie and Lynda leave the school, Lynda harasses another female student for some reason, pouring a drink on her head (this is one of the few changes that were for the better, as it makes Lynda even more annoying than she already is)

15. Additional sex talk between the three girls as they walk home

16. When they see Michael, there are additional shots of him standing across the street (in the theatrical we only see his blurry shape)

17. A scene of Laurie walking to her house where her mother is putting up decorations outside. Michael is seen following her in the background.

18. A scene showing Michael in the graveyard, finding the tombstone and then removing it.

19. After Laurie leaves to baby-sit, we hear Michael breathing as her parents chat. When the mother goes inside, Michael approaches. The father sees him and assumes he is a trick or treater.

20. A scene showing Laurie watching horror movies with the kids. Laurie tells Lindsay it’s time for her to go.

21. The chase from the Wallace’s to the Doyle’s is a bit longer

22. The pool scene is a bit longer

23. A scene of Loomis and Laurie walking to the car. After Laurie gets in, Loomis pauses and you can see he is beginning to blame himself.



SCENES IN THE THEATRICAL THAT ARE NOT IN THE WORKPRINT

1. A scene of Loomis explaining the color spectrum to Michael

2. The death of Ishmael Cruz.

3. A scene of Brackett pulling up alongside the girls as they walk home. Brackett offers a ride, which only Annie accepts.

4. The graveyard scene with Sid Haig.

5. A scene where Lynda calls Laurie right before Bob’s death.

6. A quick bit where the Strodes express confusion over what Annie means by saying her dad is “same as always”

7. Loomis buys a gun

8. A shot of Bob backing his van into the driveway at the Myers house. Also, this scene occurs much earlier in the theatrical version than it does in the workprint.

9. A scene where Brackett explains how he knows who Laurie Strode’s real family is (a much needed addition as it is never explained in the workprint how she came to be with that family or how Loomis would know where to find her).

10. Loomis running up to the house and finding the kids is not in the workprint.



SCENES THAT ARE DIFFERENT ENTIRELY

1. Michael listens to Monster Mash in the first scene instead of classic rock (note – a lot of the music is different, more usages of the original music, but that is to be expected from a workprint – this was the only one I will point out)

2. The biggest one that almost everyone knows about, when Michael escapes. In the workprint, an orderly and his friend harass and then rape a female inmate in Michael’s room. Michael ignores them until they begin playing with his masks (this pays off the line about him not liking it when people touch his things). He kills them both, gets their keys, and escapes. In the theatrical, he is being moved for some reason and suddenly kills the four guards, including Tom Towles (who plays a different character in the workprint), as well as Bill Moseley, and Leslie Easterbrook, neither of whom appear in the workprint).

3. The scene where Loomis is told that Michael escapes is entirely different, and features more Udo Kier.

4. The scene where Loomis leaves for Haddonfield after arguing with Udo Kier and Clint Howard is completely different.

5. The scene where Loomis meets Brackett takes place in a different location (a diner in the theatrical, and what appears to be the graveyard in the workprint), and the dialogue is different.

6. Mrs. Strode is brutally killed; in the workprint it is just sort of suggested.

7. Bob’s death is completely different. In the workprint, he is killed in his van when he goes out to get beer. In the theatrical, he is killed in the exact same way he was killed in the 1978 film.

8. Tommy goes with Lindsay and Laurie back to the Wallace house in the theatrical version, in the workprint he stays in his own home.

9. The ending is completely different from the moment Michael pulls Laurie out of the car. In the workprint, Loomis talks to Michael for a while longer than he does in the theatrical version. Then the cops show up, guns drawn. Loomis convinces them all to stand down while he continues to try to calm Michael. He succeeds, and Michael lets Laurie go. As she runs to Loomis, the cops (including Brackett) open fire, shooting him dozens of times. Loomis screams for them to stop but it’s too late. Michael appears dead. The film ends on a very nice shot of Loomis standing over Michael’s body, clearly realizing how he failed his patient, as we hear the audio recording of their very first meeting at Smith’s Grove. In the theatrical, Michael kills Loomis, then spends about 10 minutes smashing his house trying to find Laurie. He finally does, and then rushes her. They go out the window, then Laurie shoots him, screams, and the film ends.

[Ponyone]

Halloween Review (unedited version)

HALLOWEEN
8/10
(May contain spoilers)


By JEFF MAKI


Writer/director Rob Zombie, while keeping the essence of the original Halloween, has injected his own telling of the backstory of psychopath killer, Michael Myers. The end result is a terrifying take on the legend, but after hearing so much about how Zombie was going to focus on the characters, character development is a problem in the end. Luckily the film is so violent, disturbing and entertaining that it doesn't fully take away from the finished work.

Despite all the protest and even disbelief from fans of the original about Rob Zombie writing and directing this remake, I myself had no problem with the idea. The original Halloween by John Carpenter became a legend in itself, due to the fact that it opened the door for the slasher genre and the many years of blood soaked screens that followed. But looking at the work alone, the film was not a masterpiece by any means. I'm sure I'll take heat for these comments but open your eyes. The script had basically very little plot, bad B-movie acting and though it has obviously withstood the test of time, it is not all that horrifying when watching now. The best thing that Zombie has done here is made Michael Myers a scary figure again. Instead of just having a guy wearing a William Shatner mask, stalking and killing people, we now know some of what drives this personance of evil to kill.

The film begins with Michael (Daeg Faerch) as a little boy in Haddonfield, Illinois. We quickly are introduced to his Texas Chainsaw Massacre type family—his mother and stripper, Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) who seems to be stuck in a situation that she knows is going to turn out for the worst, his foul-mouthed, drunken, white trash stepfather, Ronnie White (William Forsythe), who calls little Michael a fag and is mentally abusive to his family any chance he gets, and his sister, Judith Myers (Hanna Hall), who'd rather fuck her boyfriend then take little Michael trick or treating. In this beginning portion of the film, Faerch commands the screen as a disturbed, demented and confused little boy. Is he sick? Does his family just drive him insane? This part is left up to our imagination. The acting in this new imagining of the backstory is phenomenal, particularly Sheri Moon. As the audience, you feel for her, as you of course know what is about to unfold and can't help but feel sorrow for a good soul underneath it all.

All these leads up to young Michael snapping and killing three people on Halloween night, in some of the more brutal death scenes to grace the big screen—this is miles ahead of the original telling when Michael simply stabs his sister while wearing the clown costume. But still, I had a hard time justifying why Michael snapped like he did. Sure some bad things happened to him and his life was hard, but not to the extent that a person could snap like this—but I guess that just falls into the whole personification of evil tag, given to him by Dr. Loomis.

Shortly after, Michael is being held at Smith's Grove hospital, where he of course meets Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). McDowell's performance is everything it is hyped up to be, as he adds personality and a general sense of human nature to the original character player by Donald Pleasance. This is one aspect that Zombie nails down. There are a few great scenes when Loomis is interacting with young Michael and giving his all to tap into the mind of his disturbed patient, but to no avail. You now actually care about the character of Dr. Loomis—he's just not some guy running around screaming “He's evil!” in this half of the film.

Years later, Michael is grown to about 6'8, resembling Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remakes, and makes his big escape from Smith's Grove—another area that Zombie immensely improves upon the original. There's a lot more here than Michael just driving a way in a station wagon. Myers then sets he sights on his baby sister back in Haddonfield just like in the original.

It's from here on the Rob Zombie's vision seems cautious. Contrary to other reviews and talk, the second half of the movie is not a carbon copy of the original, in fact there are several new scenes and even more grizzly murders. But since Michael is the main character and focus in this film, we get little time to know Lauri Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) or her friends Annie Brackett (Danielle Harris) and Lynda ( Kristina Klebe). And the thing that drives me crazy and was a problem with the original also, is why does Michael want to kill his little sister so badly? Or does he? What does he want with her? This is still not explained at all. Basically, what plot there was from the original movie is compacted into the last 45 minutes of the new version and does seem choppy in parts. Another 30 minutes of character development here and we would actually care about Lauri and her friends. Instead, it's just Michael Myers stalking, stabbing and brutally killing without any real explanation or purpose. Elements from the original are included here and even particular scenes but overall it is very different. The strong development of Dr. Loomis is lost in the second half and he turns into the very character that Zombie was trying to avoid. Michael turns into Jason from Friday the 13th and kills anything in his path, while refusing to die himself. Ironic really, since Jason was very much a rip-off of Michael Myers. Much of the death sequences are so shaky and dark on the screen that it's hard to decipher what's going on. While in the beginning of the film, you know little of what's happening, the second half is predictable, and will have you kind of thinking what's the point? I'll stop here as to not ruin the ending of the film.

Rob Zombie did not remake the original Halloween, he did it a great justice by adding in a strong backstory that could have been developed even more. This is two films in one, and to me, the end result suffers somewhat by studios accommodating the A.D.D. Generation. It's a good bet the the DVD release will have an extra 30-45 minutes of footage, as it was evident that the movie was missing this valuable time. I'm not at all disappointed in this re-imaging as it did recreate Michael Myers into the iconic horror figure he should be. I'm am relieved but also frustrated. I just wish that Rob Zombie was allowed to follow through on all of his ideas, because from the start we were heading for something really special. What we do get is a bloody excellent take on a horror classic and the door was certainly left open for a sequel.

[Chick-O-Stick]

*Lots of spoilers*

Saw Halloween last night at a double feature at the drive-in. I intentionally stayed away from all the talk about it because I didn't want my experience to be ruined by what other people said and how they felt. Now I can say this- I think Rob Zombie made the best re-make of a horror film that could've been made, which is saying a lot in the day of "re-make anything you possibly can."

I thought the backstory of how Michael lived as a child was really good, it held my interest and creeped me out. I really thought the dialogue was over the top however. I mean how many times do you need to say "fuck" to drive home the point that he lived in an abusive household?

To answer Pone on why Michael "snapped", it wasn't that he did- he was a psychopath as we saw when the dead cat was pulled out of his backpack with the photos of the animals he killed. This was how he was born. Also, the question to why he went after Laurie all those years later- I think in this version it was almost that he wanted to have a part of his family back, but after she stabbed him then he felt he needed to kill her. In the original he was after he because she was his sister, and he felt the need to kill everyone in his family. I do have to disagree with what you said about the '78 film- Halloween is iconic in the world of horror. It came at a time when things were taking a turn with more atmospheric movies. (i.e. "The Fog") Horror had never seen a character like Michael Myers before, and although he has been copied to an extent, the essence of "evil" with the character has never been fully seen again with the exception imo being Hannibal Lecter. The acting in the original was chilling-how can beat Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie?

Something I found totally distracting in this new version was that Zombie used almost every single actor that we've seen in his movies in the past. Ken Foree, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, etc.... It bothered me to no end. I read in an interview that Zombie didn't want to use any original cast members (such as P.J. Soles) because he didn't want viewers to think of the first Halloween....instead he goes ahead and uses the same actors he has had in his previous two films which I thought was a lot more distracting. I also thought that the only talent Sheri Moon Zombie showed was sliding down that pole, her acting is pretty bad and her voice...oh lord.

It is still my opinion that if you want to see a haunting horror movie then Halloween is a place to start, I would recommend the first part of the new movie for character background if someone really needed it. As I said, I do think that if a re-make had to be done then Zombie was the man for the job. He didn't butcher the beloved original, instead he added some insite for todays generation and did for the most part hold true to the story line of what plays forward from then on. I just wish he didn't have to do that with the same actors he always calls upon to do so.

[muthagoose]

Let the gouging continue...

Three-Disc Collector's Edition of Rob Zombie's 'Halloween'

Fangoria got word this afternoon that Dimension Extreme has planned an October 21 release for a Three-Disc Collectors Edition for Rob Zombies Halloween (review), which will contain Zombies all-new four-and-a-half-hour documentary about the making of the film. No other details have been revealed.

[Stomper]

Alright! I am getting sick of this shit! If anyone on this site buys the damn 3 disc version, I will pummel you! Well I gotta run, I am working on a 36 hour documentary for the next DVD release of "Who Gives a Fuck!"

[muthagoose]

You outta love this Stomper...

Carpenter's 'Halloween' Gets 30th Anniversary Release!

Anchor Bay has revealed early details on Halloween: The 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set.

DVD Active reports that the 6-disc package will include the original 1978 film, the extended edition which has been out of print for several years, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, a Halloween 25 Years of Terror documentary with cast and crew, and a bonus Blu-ray release of Halloween. On top of all that, the collectible set will include a replica of the Michael Myers mask.

Retail will be $89.97.

[muthagoose]

'Halloween' Sequel Talk From Inside Directors!

The boys over at Arrow in the Head came across an article in the latest issue of Rue Morgue Magazine where French directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo talk a bit about their involvement in Dimension Films sequel to Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN. It's unfortunate that the duo left HELLRAISER, but it's also pretty incredible that they could save Michael Myers from what appeared to be his death.

AITH report that Bustillo and Maury are officially attached to HALLOWEEN 2, or so they claim in the latest issue of Rue Morgue Magazine.

"...it's a proposition we couldn't refuse,” Maury explained and added that he and Bustillo are well aware of Zombie's re-imagining of Michael Myers and they're out to put their stamp on the character, not copy what came before them. "Therefore, our vision will be done with utmost respect, with a continuity of [Zombie's] work but also a real evolution of the world he set in place."

[lianxiang301]

louis vuitton mens bags A fun time outside
Dong You Harbin AmountHarbin, aching, the best upper places is a period of time louis vuitton outlet uk. Always wanted to check out Harbin in the winter months, for you to feel the n . on the glaciers earth louis vuitton mens bags, go through the authentic frosty cheap louis vuitton handbags. Simply by Innovative Springs getaway discount louis vuitton, has been lastly accomplished. With this getaway louis vuitton handbags authentic, but will also specially created very careful formulations louis vuitton bags sale, for the most part upon tools, very long system solid all the way down jacket, great to support ascending shoes or boots, made of woll caps, jewelry, ski gloves, for example.naturally louis vuitton outlet, visit have fun with, for their unique safeguard is very important , specifically, moved for the middle of winter season within Harbin, huh, huh. Ten pm your jet landed, make coach from your air port towards the urban center, select from your accommodation the nearest prevents to get away from. As you go along, conduct not see one's heart as being a little bit of light, a bit dropped.Eli Harding