I am participating in a 30 day challenge. This time it is all about horror! If you know anything about us here at the Fort you would know that we are hard core horror fans. Each October we watch a movie each night in what we dub as “The 31 Nights of Horror.”
Day 2: Best Sex Scene Murder
I have chosen Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007). Zombie has always had a knack for going over the top. He did this to the extreme with the sibling rivalry between Michael and Judith.
Every year we have a tradition in the Forto house where we celebrate the greatest month of the year, October, with scare your socks off, hide under the covers, turn on all the lights, sleep with one eye open, fright fest, movie marathon everynight of the month! We call it 31 Days of Horror.
This movie rocks! It has to be one of the best re-makes in the history of film. At least in my humble, slanted opinion. Not only am I a hugeRob Zombie fan but mixing that with horror, Halloween, KISS and the classic slasher flick and you end up with a great flick.
I remember seeing this film on opening night in Boulder, CO with my wife Michele after dinning on some awesome garlic fries at a restaurant in the Flatirons Mall. Garlic fries soon became my new obsession.
The movie starts with the KISS song God of Thunder in the background, pan to Michael Myers wearing the classic KISS t-shirt from theDestroyer album (I had that shirt when I was about seven) then the ultimate white trash breakfast…
In an early scene in the film, the movie White Zombie (1932 and 31 Days of Horror Movie: Day 4) is playing on the TV. The band ‘White Zombie’, whose name comes from the film, is where Director Rob Zombie first gained attention in the 1980s and 1990s
There is said to be a Halloween III in pre-production with a 2011 release with Scout Taylor-Compton reprising her role as Laurie and the horror master John Carpenter (The original Halloween and 31 Days of Horror: Day 20 Movie) to be on board too.
Interesting Facts
The movie’s production was delayed due to the death of Moustapha Akkad, the producer of all eight previous movies. Akkad died of severe injuries as a result from the terrorist attacks at Jordan in 2005.
Before deciding to go with Rob Zombie’s version, the studio was about to green light “Halloween: The Missing Years”, which would have been a prequel, set within Michael Myers’ early days at the Asylum.
Before reinventing the legendary Halloween (1978), Rob Zombie made the wise choice to inform John Carpenter about it. In response, Carpenter encouraged Zombie to “make it [his] own”.
Plot: The residents of Haddonfield don’t know it yet… but death is coming to their small sleepy town. Sixteen years ago, a ten year old boy called Michael Myers brutally kills his step father, his elder sister and her boyfriend. Sixteen years later, he escapes from the mental institution and makes his way back to his hometown intent on a murderous rampage pursued by Dr Sam Loomis who is Michael’s doctor and the only one who knows Michael’s true evil. Elsewhere a shy teenager by the name of Laurie Strode is babysitting on the night Michael comes home… is it pure coincidence that she and her friends are being stalked by him?
What is your favorite scary and/or Halloween movie? I would love to hear from you!
Every year we have a tradition in the Forto house where we celebrate the greatest month of the year, October, with scare your socks off, hide under the covers, turn on all the lights, sleep with one eye open, fright fest, movie marathon everynight of the month! We call it 31 Days of Horror.
The 31 Days of Horror would not be complete without watching some of the greatest slasher films ever made. The first of which is the original 1978 version of Halloween directed by John Carpenter. Made for a mere 320,000 dollars (has grossed over 47 million to date). The original script was called The Babysitter Murders and was supposed to occur over several days but the production budget limited it to just one day, hence Halloween. In fact half of the budget was spent on cameras for the film!
If you are a Halloween fan I urge you to check out the show: Inside Story: Halloween that airs on Bio. Check your local listings.
The movie is all about the deranged mind of Michael Audrey Myers. According to an additional scene in the extended television version, Michael Myers’ middle name is Audrey. Michael Myers’ full name is never mentioned in the final film. In fact, the only time anybody refers to him by name is in the opening scene.
Fun Facts:
This was Jamie Lee Curtis’ first feature film. Thus the title of ‘Scream Queen’ was born!
As the movie was actually shot in early spring in southern California (as opposed to Illinois in late October), the crew had to buy paper leaves from a decorator and paint them in the desired autumn colors, then scatter them in the filming locations. To save money, after a scene was filmed, the leaves were collected and reused. However, as Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter note on the DVD audio commentary, the trees are quite full and green and even some palm trees can be seen, despite that in Illinois in October, the leaves would probably be mostly gone and there would be no palm trees.
As the film was made in spring, the crew had huge difficulty in procuring pumpkins.
Due to its shoestring budget, the prop department had to use the cheapest mask that they could find in the costume store: a Star Trek (1966) William Shatner mask. They later spray-painted the face white, teased out the hair, and reshaped the eye holes. Shatneradmitted that for years he had no idea his likeness was used for this film. It was only during an interview that someone mentioned his mask was being used. He has since stated that he is honored by this gesture.
When Michael breaks the car window behind the nurse’s head you can see a wrench tied to his hand.
When Michael goes to the school and gets in the car to follow Tommy, the passenger side window is no longer smashed from the previous night’s attack on the nurse.
Laurie’s hair changes from curly to straight in almost every scene.
Tommy meets up with Laurie at the corner to walk to school, yet to get to Tommy’s house requires a car ride across town.
Annie tells Laurie that she will pick her up at 6:30. When she does, it is full daylight, which is not the case anywhere in Illinois on October 31. And even though it is a small town, it’s full dark when the girls arrive at their destination.
Plot: The year is 1963, the night; Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that a 17 year Judith Myers had been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out just days before Halloween. No one knows nor would wish to find out what would happen on October 31st 1978, besides Myer’s psychiatrist Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be to late for many people.
What is your favorite scary an/or Halloween movie? I would love to hear from you!