Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine halloween films !!

Ive always wanted to see that Director's Cut for H6...

Like I said, I loved halloween 4, the scene in little Jaime's bedroom still creeps me out...

Plus, as gay as I am ( ), I had a crush on the girl who played Rachel. I was so mad she died in the next movie...

I got a very very dodgy copy from some rogue trader at a convention in San Francisco back in '99...Im sure you can find it if you look....probably next to the original-lets only make it to reatain the rights-Roger Corman "Fantastic Four" movie (on DVD in December?
), "Legends of the Superheroes" and "Return to Riverdale". (I passed on "Return to Riverdale" but damn if "Legends.... isnt sweet as'. Expecially drunk.)

Unfortunately the recent bombings in Amman has taken the life of the executive producer of the Halloween films as well as that of his daughter. Moustapha Akkad, who financed the original Halloween and produced all the other films, died of injuries he sustained when a bomb went off in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt. His daughter was killed in the blast and Akkad was critically injured. I understand that a heart attack resulted in him not making it.

RIP

Oh My God. I didn't hear about this. I remember wondering who he was for years as a kid, believing him to be some sinister guy who created these scary movies. I later saw tons of interviews with him and he was such a cool guy, who promised to keep making Halloween movies for the die-hard fans if we kept watching them. As a producer, one can't argue that he went his own way and did his own thing, which I feel is the most important characterisic for anyone producing any form of art. I can't believe he died in the bombings. He'll be missed.

RIP.

Well God Damn.

Damn. This is a bit of a shock. A good friend of mine absolutely ADORES the Halloween films (particularly the 1st and 4th), and we've talked about them extensively. We even tend to agree about the "bad" parts of them, though I went him much further and told him just a few weeks ago how I felt the exec. producer of them must be a really depraved sicko for some of the unspeakably vile things done in some of the films (speaking as a writer as well as a movie fan).


HEY! I didn't put the evil eye on him!!!!! HONEST!!!!!

I dont know if this is news to anyone but Rob Zombie to Write and Direct new Halloween Film. Taste the radness!

This will be awesome! I hope Zombie comes in and gets back to the grittiness of the first film (and 4-6, which despite their flaws were horrifying), instead of that awful late 90's 'hipper than hip good guys'/Busta Rhymes/LL Cool J nonsense. Michael Myers should be ripping people like them apart, and we (the audience) should be barely surviving each viewing!

I found HALLOWEEN 8 (so to speak) surprisingly entertaining... apart from the first 20 minutes, which was an INSULT to everyone involved, and the fact that the only character I actually liked in the film got DECAPITATED halfway into it. As a writer, I look at stuff like this and wonder what the hell is the point in even making crap like that?

I don't understand why Halloween 4, 5 and 6 are getting so much love here! I think Halloween 4 was pretty good overall for creepiness and character, but 5 and 6 absolutley blew chunks comparatively to the prior 3 Myers films. The bad acting and the stupidity of the situations in them were laughable. I know the appeal of cult horror movies is often how they are "so bad, they're good", but with some quality established in 1, 2 and 4, they should not have let the standards drop so low! It's a shame how Donald Pleasance's Loomis character was wasted with such crap writing in those movies.

I personally find 'H20' and 'Resurrection' major improvements over 5 and 6. For one thing, they both featured Jamie Lee Curtis in their casts. H20 did borrow from the trend of the time in horror movies, but the suspense and acting were a big improvement.

Resurrection was at least an attempt to put a new idea into the old formula. The webcast thing was certainly a modern and inventive thing to do with the movie. Yes, some of the characters and situations were absurd, but not really moreso than typical slasher films. To me, the main thing it lacked was a motivation for Michael. He was always after relatives in the other films, but none was to be found in this one. I kept waiting for the main girl character to be revealed as a cousin or something, but that never happened. Yeah, it sucked that Laurie died in the opening, but could it really end up any other way for her? And doesn't it make sense that she was in the loony bin?

My 2 cents, anyway.

For me, its a variety of things, all of which are more about 'me' than the film. Actually, I find that's a common theme about how I rank my favorite horror movies, something I try not to do with other genres. When I was 10 (in sixth grade), my friends older sister rented 4 and 5 for us to watch at a sleepover, and it scared the crap out of me so bad that I was a die-hard fan for life. When I was fourteen, Halloween 6 came out, and it was the first 'R' movie I ever snuck in to see--and was horrified and thrilled again.

I've re-watched them all since many times, and I still love 4-6. Its the idea that Jamie Lee wanted no part anymore and they took a pretty much dead franchise and reinvigorated it with a whole new storyline/set of characters, eventually getting closer and closer to what Michael Myers was really all about (of course, H20 and Ressurection ignored it mostly). Also, the little girl Jamie (in 4 and 5) was really great too and I liked her early fear of Michael and later interactions with him. Probably the fact that I was her age when I first saw them terrified me, but I still love her scenes today, even if she could barely act . The scene in 5 where Michael is chasing the little boy and her in the car through the woods hit levels of terror in me that I didn't know where there!

But I also like my horror movies slightly b-grade sometimes, because I get the sense that anything goes. In H2O, I knew Hartnett and the girl from Dawson's Creek would live, and I groaned when LL Cool J somehow survived. I like it better when I feel like no one might actually make it out alive--which is how Halloween 4-6 felt.

I love 1 & 2 as well, don't get me wrong--there's no arguement about how great they are. But 4-6 have a soft spot in my heart, similar to well, probably Phantasm 1-3. I know the Phantasm movies (to a much, much greater degree) are nothing more than b-grade horror at its 'b-est', but man, those movies kick ass!

H2O felt like a way to capitalize on the Scream movement in horror in the late 90's, and Resurrection, with its Busta Rhymes/reality show stuff felt so forced. That being said, I didn't find either terrible, since both had some great scares. Resurrection had the greatest scream moment I've ever been a part of in the theator, when they get the message 'still inside', and turn to see Michael--the people around me went absolutely INSANE. It was a total adrenaline rush. But I don't think the last two can measure up.

Now, though, I'm actually quite pleased Rob Zombie is taking over. I think this one will be something completely different, which is what Michael and the franchise need.

(I can talk about this stuff all day )

Don't get me wrong, Halloween's 5 & 6 were better than most slasher films. (Hell, only parts 1 and 4 of Friday the 13th are really worth watching!) But relative to the other movies about Michael Myers, I felt they were substandard. One problem I have is that I've watched horror flicks so much in my life, that they stopped scaring me at all by age 9 or 10, so story and character are all that've impressed me since then!

One thing though, Jamie (the little girl) wasn't in Halloween 6? I only saw that one once many years ago, but I thought she was in all 3 movies as I recall. For some reason the cable stations like AMC play the other films a lot, but not 6. All I really remember was being unimpressed. Can't even remember what became of the mysterious "guy with the cane" from 5! If Jamie wasn't in that one, what was it about? Wasn't Loomis in it, too--Pleasance's last film before he died? Inform me, oh knowledgeable one!

Like I said, H20 was great mostly because of Jamie Lee Curtis and some other notable actors like Adam Arkin. It felt like a really personal horror for Laurie.

Resurrection had a lot of problems as I said, but it was different from all the others because of its gimmick. It was kinda surreal and funny having the geek kid remotelyviewing and helping out. And Busta Rhymes was over the top, but how often do you get to see a black character have a heroic moment in a horror flick? They're usually just there to smoke weed, get some and get kakked (if they're even in it at all)! Give the movie some props for going against sterotype at least!

I can't . Really, I tried, but just can't. I feel many hip-hop artists do the African American youth of this generation a great disservice, and Busta Rhymes really just played Busta Rhymes, who is a whole other stereotype. (One hip-hop artist who goes against the grain and really shows how to act IMO, is Mos Def--I love seeing him on film).

But I think you have a great point, I wish it could be done right more often, like it was done most famously, in 'Night of the Living Dead'.

For Halloween 666, there are a few people on this board with much better knowledge than me on the subject (JoeBoy, Mattropolis, Lightning Lad, just to name a few), that could really give a better summary. But its a very intricate plot with some twists.

Jamie, the girl from 4 & 5 is in the first few minutes, but by this time she's in her late teens and has just had a baby. She escapes with the baby and is on her way back to Haddenfield, looking for Dr. Loomis, when 'they' unleash Michael on her, and he kills her once and for all. The rest of the film centers around 'them', the baby and Loomis, among others.

Funny that some people didn't like Jamie Lee's death in the opening of Ressurection. I thought it was the best part of the movie

See... I CHEERED-- LOUDLY-- in the theatre at the end of HALLOWEEN 7. So, it was more than stupid for Jamie Lee Curtis to come back for HALLOWEEN 8 just to get killed off in the first sequence.

I relate it to ALIENS and ALIEN 3. Ripley went thru SO DAMN MUCH in the 2nd movie, and came out utterly TRIUMPHANT. There should NEVER have been a 3rd movie, unless it could have come up to that level of quality and storytelling. Instead, they killed EVERYONE who survived the previous film, OFF-CAMERA, in the first 5 minutes... except Ripley, who had a fate-worse-than-death waiting for her for the whole film. And then she killed herself at the end-- JUST so "there would never be another sequel". YEAH-- RIGHT.

This is almost the exact same S*** Charlton Heston pulled back in 1970 with BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES. He just DID NOT WANNA do that movie! And he agreed to appear in it... ONLY if they killed him off at the end. WTF??? Then, while they were getting close to finishing the film, HE suggested... WHY NOT BLOW UP THE EARTH? Then, there would "never be another sequel". YEAH-- RIGHT.


The HALLOWEEN sequels went off-course the INSTANT they killed Rachel. BASTARDS!!!!!

Do---Joeboy, Mattropolis and/or Lightning Lad: "Tell me more, tell me more!"

Halloween videos! <3

...

There should be a lot for me to comment on here, but I can't think of anything.

Strange.

Eh...Im to tired to get into it right now but I will when Im a bit more cognitive ...for now Im going to bed.

before I do though, here's a mini interview With RZ from Halloweenmovies.com :

QUESTION: Why do you feel that you are the person to take on this project? (from Anna in Florida)
RZ: Because I have a vision that I believe can work. If I didn't I would go near it.

QUESTION: Can you please clarify what you mean when you say you are "not making a sequel" and that your Halloween will be a "re-imagining" of the series? Isn't that just another word for "remake"? (from Cole in Chicago)
RZ: Well, sort of. I am basically making a prequel and a semi-remake of the first film all in one. So really in theory there will be more original content than remake content. That's why I don't like the word "remake."

QUESTION: What is the title of the next movie, and are you finished with the script yet? What can you reveal about the storyline of the new movie? (from Eric in Canada)
RZ: HALLOWEEN, no and not much.

QUESTION: For the next film, are you planning to maybe go into what Michael's childhood was like and how and why he became the serial killer he is? Is it at least going to take place in 1978? (from Sylvain)
RZ: Yes, I think this aspect of the story is very important in order to bring new life to the character of Michael Myers. The film begins in 1978.

QUESTION: Halloween is the most influential horror movie ever made and I for one am not happy about a remake. All of the remakes to hit theaters - from Texas Chainsaw to The Omen - were total crap. Why touch a classic like Halloween? Why would you even risk this? (from Mike in New York)
RZ: Like I said in Question 1, I wouldn't even go near this project if I didn't feel like a had a fresh, worthwhile approach to the material. Besides, I'm not touching one single frame of Carpenter's classic. That film will remain as it always has.

QUESTION: The masks in the past 4 Halloween films were all different, and some of them weren't scary. Are you going to re-design the mask, or will you stick to the Captain Kirk version that was used in the original film? (from Todd)
RZ: I want to keep the mask classic.

QUESTION: Are you you planning on using any previous characters from the first 8 films (like Laurie Strode and Dr. Loomis) or are you planning something entirely new with no old characters? (from Jamie in Scotland)
RZ: Both, but I won't tell you which just yet.

QUESTION: Since you are a musician, will you be doing the entire music score for the film, or will you be collaborating with anyone else? And will you integrate any of John Carpenter's classic themes into the score? (from Craig)
RZ: I do not plan on doing the score for this film myself other than in a supervisor position. I have already done some work with the composer and we both feel that Carpenter's themes are classic and will play an important role.

QUESTION: Your films are known for their gore, but the Halloween films haven't been very gory, they have been more suspensful. Do you plan to focus on gore or suspense in your version of Halloween? (from Paula)
RZ: I plan to focus on character, mood and terror.

QUESTION: How does John Carpenter feel about your involvement in the new Halloween? (from Zack in Georgia)
RZ: I talked to John about it and he was vey supportive. He basically said, "That's great Rob, go for it and make it your own." What more do I need?

Without going into too much detail (I've probably read more about these films in the last year than in all the preceding years they've existed combined)... HALLOWEEN 6 went thru about a dozen script drafts... sorta like the original, unfilmed THUNDERBALL (1959). They actually came up with something interesting... in light of the fact that they had stupidly let 5 or 6 YEARS go by since the abomination of HALLOWEEN 5. I've read one of the unfilmed script drafts, and it had some INCREDIBLE stuff in it-- which did NOT make it into the finished film.

Before shooting, the producers decided to CUT the budget... and PIECED together a final shooting script from parts of the earlier drafts, all based on what would allow them the CHEAPEST budgut. NO S***!!! Is this any F****** way to make a movie?

I've read TONS about the (originally) unreleased, "producer's cut". They say it's a better, more interesting, etc... it's STILL crap. The ending makes NO F****** sense at all.

And yet, before this piece of S*** was released... Donald Pleasence died, and the director-- a Total F****** A**H*** (you can tell how much I like him, can't you?) who apparently HATED Donald Pleasence and thought he and his character were "boring" (so what the F*** was he doing directing this film in the first place for???) --well, this guy decided that without Pleasence, he "needed" to rewrite and reshoot a few scenes.

But instead of doing THAT, he GUTTED the film, tore HALF of what was there out, and EXTENSIVELY reshot scenes and shot entirely NEW scenes. (And what was that about them NOT having a budget to begin with?????) The version released to theatres has MUCH more violence onscreen than it would have... and make MUCH less sense. Instead of sticking with the supernatural, he introduces hints of scientific stuff going on... and NEVER EXPLAINS any of it. There's all kinds of references to previous films... NONE of which are developed. Everything in the film goes nowhere... including at least one chase scene, which I SWEAR was over 10 minutes long (and I believe about 75% of that was cut on TV).

So what you have was, in the words of a friend of mine who may be HALLOWEEN's #1 fan... "a bastardization of an abortion". They had a potentially GREAT film... instead, made a VERY BAD film... and then the director turned it into an EVEN WORSE film!!! Good grief.


It's no wonder Jamie Lee Curtis, in hyping HALLOWEEN 7 (I know... actual title: HALLOWEEN: TWENTY YEARS LATER) did her best to ignore or denigrate 3, 4, 5, & 6, and try to pretend they never happened. (There was supposed to be a news report about Jamie Lloyd's murder early on in HALLOWEEN 7... but they cut it, preferring not to connect the new film with the previous one.)


Meanwhile, I'm writing a brand-new story about my longtime vigilante-detective hero... and in this one, he just happens to run into an indestructible serial-killer. Heh. Of course, "bad guys" have a habit of not surviving the endings of MY stories, so... (heh heh heh)

Prof, I'd like to read some more on H6 and how it came to be. I've been able to score a copy of the Producer's Cut (thanks buddy --you know who you are!), but I'm always curious to learn more about the behind the scenes stuff. Got any links?

Do they ever explain behind the scenes in more depth how the film was supposed to work?

(I'm still a firm supporter of 4-6! Those films made me love horror movie sequels!)

BTW, here is a good site detailing the differences in the Producer's Cut vs. the Theatrical Cut.

Oh yeah, three other things, since we're not just talking about the Halloween series but all halloween/horror films in general:

Suspiria - Just watched this again the other day. I love this movie! Its so *out there*! Italian 'beauty-horror' at its best!

Prom Night - I might watch this one again too. This is a guilty pleasure movie for me. I love every bit of it, no matter how derivitive, corny or obvious it might be!

The Sentinel - I've never actually seen this movie, but my parents both just told me its possibly the scariest movie they've ever seen. I know the basic jist of it from being a horror fan for so long, but anyone ever see it? Thoughts?

One recent scary movie I'm really wanting to see is THE DESCENT.

Cobalt, what you can do is what I did... use Google Search. You never know what you'll find!

SOMEWHERE out there, I actually found posted an ENTIRE SHOOTING SCRIPT for HALLOWEEN 6-- one of those dozen or so that WASN'T used. I skimmed most of it, but when I got to the last 1/3rd, I read it intensely. There were scenes in there between Donald Pleasense and Mitchell Ryan that were BRILLIANT. Astonishingly good!

Best line: "I even taught him how to drive!"

I got so PISSED OFF when I read it! How-- HOW could they NOT have used this material???

If I hadn't come to the conclusion before then, that made me sure the people involved in making the films were utterly depraved degenerates.


MEANWHILE... saw a really FUN serial-killer film over the weekend: SANTA'S SLAY. James Caan, Fran Drescher and "Chester" (!!!) all have uncredited cameos in the opening sequence. It's a blast! Definitely my kinda movie. (It was Chester that caught my attention-- I actually recognized him BEFORE I saw Fran!)

The shooting Script can be found Here . theres alot of good stuff in it like Prof said - including more of Jamie Loyd.
Also check out Halloween : A new Season A pretty kick arse Fan film

The Saw 3 trailer is up on youtube. Looks like Dinah Meyer is going to be a victim this time around

At FYE this past weekend horror films were $7.99 each on DVD, a lil' Halloween Special. While I spent most of my money getting Veronica Mars Season Two, I did pick up a couple of DVDs that I've wanted to get for awhile:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
Wicker Man (original)
Halloween II (my college roomate still has my old one).

Not sure who lives near an FYE, but they actually had a pretty good selection and you can't beat the pricing!

(PS - I never buy a DVD unless I've seen it before)