You might think with a surname like Zombie, Rob would rather tackle something more up his

Halloween is a prequel of sorts. But that’s not a word that RobZom likes to use. He prefers to say “it’s a remake with more back-story built into it.”

That means get ready for all the Freudian reasons why the chilling Michael Myers became the serial killer we have all come to know and, of course, love.

PAUSE.

Let’s face it. There’s only one reason to make a sequel, prequel or “re-imagining”: Greedy movie studios trying to CASH in on a brand name. So, right away, you’re making the film for the wrong reason.

Zombie, who comes off as totally straight-forward and cool on the telephone, might have something else in store. I say “might” because I don’t want to sound like you dickwads on youtube who already passed judgment on the film based on viewing a two-minute trailer, the faithful crying out, desperate to know: Is Rob going to further run the original Halloween into the ground? Or is he going to infuse the tired franchise with a grand, new beginning? – ala Batman, which is the comparison Zombie likes to draw.

Directing his third feature, the man who has already conquered the heavy metal world, and says there are virtually no challenges left for him in that arena, might be able to pull off a resurrection with Halloween because he seems to possess a sense of wonder and enthusiasm for this new mountain he finds himself climbing. He loves directing, says he’s “really calm and mellow” on the set. And, frankly, he also says he doesn’t give a shit about what you or the critics think of his work. His gut tells him when something gels, and he chooses to shut off the outside chatter so as not to confuse his own creative process. “People like to vomit their opinions all over everything these days,” RobZom says. “And sometimes those opinions can change your own.”

I was in my teens when the first Halloween rang our collective doorbell. And, quite honestly, being a teen, and a total stoner, there’s no residual opinion I have left in my brain cells – other than: that must have been some good shit we were smoking. I do know that John Carpenter’s Halloween was a cult classic that launched a ton of imitators of the teen-slasher variety. (We all know that imitation is the death of originality.)

“This isn’t a teen slasher flick,” Zombie says, defending his movie adamantly. “It’s more mature. It’s rated R.” OooooooooK.

Speaking of maturity, let’s talk actress Adrienne Barbeau, who was a last minute replacement for a small role in Halloween. For those of you too young to remember her glorious roles in the ‘80s (The Fog, Cannonball Run, Escape From NY, Swamp Thing), Barbeau was a young teen’s wet dream waiting to happen. Though, not Zombie’s. When asked if Barbeau was like his Farrah Fawcett, RobZom said, “No. Farrah Fawcett was like my Farrah Fawcett.”

Touché, Mr. Zombie.

When further pressed on Barbeau’s past hottiness, Zombie said he had no comment, and that “I’ll leave the pervy comments up to you guys.”



Hey, there’s some other cool actors in the flick. And not just the sure-to-be teen
scream queens who get sliced and diced by Mr. Myers. We’re talking the honorable Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Sam Loomis. “I loved working with Malcolm,” RobZom says. “He’s my kind of actor. And A Clockwork Orange is my favorite film.” Also look for RobZom’s wife Sheri Moon taking a part, and two actors who are locks for the Creepy Actor’s Hall of Fame: William Forsythe and Brad Dourif.

RobZom loves them all. He will dish no dirt, because, as he says, “Hey, I gotta work with these people.”

Film to Zombie is all about working with his peeps peacefully, and doing the prep work before the shoot, and coming to the set with an open mind to collaborate. “Making a film is a lot like going on tour with the band,” RobZom says. “People don’t even realize how many people it takes to pull it off.”

When he is asked if what he hopes to pull off is scaring the shit out of viewers, Zombie says, “I hope so.”

It should be noted that RobZom was hardly scared by anything as a kid, other than the occasional funhouse experience and by the movie Jaws. Maybe that’s why, whether with his music or film work, he’s made a career out of raising the decibel level on your tingling spine. Fans everywhere are hoping he does it again on Halloween. So it’s a holiday treat for all involved. And not just another studio trick.