After shattering multiple box office records this past weekend, David Gordon Green's Halloween is by far the highest-grossing film in the series already. Before this juggernaut entered theaters, however, the prior record-holder for the highest-performing Halloween movie at the box office belonged to Rob Zombie's 2007 reboot. While its 2009 sequel made considerably less money, Rob Zombie has clearly carved a spot for himself in the Halloween universe and is proud of his installments in the long-running series, even preferring the controversial sequel more than the first.
"I am still proud of both Halloween movies. I prefer the second one, which might surprise people, but the problem is that when you do a remake you can never get a true judgement on what it is you have done. I think it's the same deal when someone remakes A Nightmare on Elm Street or anything else - it's just too hard to completely break the formula. Everyone knows Michael Myers and a lot of the fans want the same thing again, but maybe with a small twist - like when they did the eighth one and he's part of a virtual television programme or something [laughs]. One thing that I got a lot of was, 'This is what it should have been,' or, 'He should have done it like this,' but if that is the barrier we set then you cannot ever do anything. I really wanted to rework what Halloween was."
One of the biggest differences from the remake and the original is how Zombie's version dives deeper into the background of Michael Myers. A bulk of the film focuses on his childhood, revealing a traumatic upbringing which shapes Michael into the cold-blooded murderer he becomes. The sequel spends more time on the development of Scout Taylor-Compton's Laurie Strode, and how the events of the first movie have left her a mess. Additionally, Malcolm McDowell's Dr. Loomis is responding to what happened in a totally different way, capitalizing on the murders by writing a new book about them.
Zombie also revealed how he's completely content walking away from the series with the two films he's done. As a filmmaker, Zombie prefers to focus on his own stories, which gives him the complete freedom to do whatever he pleases with the characters he creates. Currently, his next film Three from Hell is in the works, which will be a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. As these movies earned the director more praise than his efforts in the Halloween franchise, focusing on his own creations seems to be the right choice for Zombie.
Worldwide, the new Halloween film has drawn over $90 million in just one weekend at theaters. This is far beyond what the early estimates for the film were surmising, placing the gross around $40 to $50 million. In any case, it's clear the franchise is now hotter than it's ever been, and chances are high Blumhouse is going to follow the new film up with another sequel. As long as the boogeyman draws this kind of money at the box office, Michael Myers will never truly die.
Now playing in theaters everywhere, Green's Halloween stars Jamie Lee Curtis as a returning Laurie Strode, with James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle both playing the role of Michael Myers. Andi Matichak, Judy Greer, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner also star. This information was originally printed in SFX Magazine, and comes to us courtesy of Games Radar.
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