Musician/filmmaker Rob Zombie recently announced that he has begun work on his next full length film, to be entitled 'Lords of Salem'. Few details have been released about the script or the over all pre-production but Zombie did state that he will have "total control over the script, casting and final cut." Something that he didn't have while working on his big budget studio remakes of Halloween 1 and 2. For these reasons Zombie turned down the proposition to do a re-envisioning of Halloween 3 and a remake of the 1958 classic 'The Blob'.
Stating:
"The remake train is getting pretty tired now and when I made 'Halloween' everybody complained, either that it was too much like the original or too different. I like that people either love or hate what I do because it’s better than being in the middle, which means forgettable. But when you do an original premise, they take it on face value and after three years of not being able to win on 'Halloween', I just couldn't go through that again.”
I am assuming that this new project will take it back to the nitty gritty, to his 'House of 1000 Corpses' basics of innovative, low budget, film making. After the latest two pictures Rob released in 2009, 'Halloween 2' and 'The Haunted World of El Superbeasto' (an animated feature starring Paul Giamatti) both went relatively under the radar and became the scorn of many an angry Michael Myers fan and on-line bloggers, that apparently have nothing better to do then to bash the hard works of others in very humorous and obscene ways. I am guilty of both charges, for being a far too overzealous Myers fan and for wasting away a good portion of my life ridiculing and belittling others via the world wide web, the only difference is I happened to love 'Halloween 2'.
As I said above, little is known about the story line of the film so far, except that it is to take place in modern day Salem Massachusetts where inhabitants of the town come under attack by 300 year old demonic witches. If that doesn't spark your interest I don't know what will, it's like Rob Zombie's version of 'Hocus Pocus'! Hopefully Sarah Jessica Parker will play the hot witch in this one too. Filming is to begin in 2011, I'll keep you posted as I learn more.
I always look forward to Rob Zombie films. It looks like the Halloween films are done. Even though I didn't like them, it's hard not to admire them. Zombie's style is evident throughout. There's a ferociousness about it. It's like the filter has been taken off and evil comes through with less hindrances. It's so interesting how Zombie can take a run of the mill plot and transform it. His trademark style will just make it so distinctively spooky. Even the cover looks eerie. Again, it's all in the style. It's a style that no one working in the horror industry can really duplicate: that unabashed presentation of the macabre. There's a hopelessness about it too. There doesn't seem to be a way out. No redemption. Just sheer horror.
ReplyDeleteHe did get tied down by the re-make. It's so tricky. You have all those studio and audience expectations, the fine line between a personal interpretation and the interpretation that the fans desire and the studios think will get them the most money. But Zombie's name attached to the film should be enough. And it was. I confess I haven't read reviews (critical or amateur), but I'm sure it got acclaim one way or another.
"There doesn't seem to be a way out. No redemption. Just sheer horror." That is a perfect way to describe his style of film making, very harsh and sometimes extremely difficult to watch. When I first saw '1000 corpses' and 'devils rejects' I didn't particularly like them, mainly because parts of those films made me feel horribly uncomfortable. But then I started thinking, isn't that what a horror movie is suppose to do? When you hear people talk about seeing movies like 'The Exorcist' or 'The Shining' or 'Jaws' back when they first got released, they'll tell you it was one of the most shocking, terrifying experiences of their lives. Nowadays it seems that feeling is becoming increasingly harder to find. Rob Zombie does a good job of finding it.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned about not reading reviews of his 'Halloween' films, they're aren't very many good ones, which is a crying shame. I certainly don't think Zombies remakes are better then John Carpenters original 'Halloween' but he wasn't trying to out do the original he was trying to add to it and pay it tribute. I guess people will always say whatever they want, but the bottom line is Zombies remake of just the first Halloween alone grossed more money then Halloween 2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8. So he must have done something right!
Zombie does raise the horror genre to the second power, or maybe a new sort of power. It doesn't really tweak plot elements; and it doesn't really tweak the gore variable in any remarkable way. It's a drastic change in atmosphere. You seems transported to an new sort of hopeless dread. And I want to underline that ferociousness lurking just beneath the surface. That's the key. A subtle yet clean break in atmosphere and a surging sort of heinousness (there's almost an unholiness there), a bleak, demonic wickedness.
ReplyDeleteGood point on the gross. The movie had the myth of Michael Myers boosted by a talented and demented imagination. We knew we were in for something new. We know that even if we were revolted, we weren't bored. I wouldn't be surprised if Zombie's reputations outshines Carpenter's, especially considering the role he's on. Personally, I think Carpenter ran out of steam after The Thing. After that, I always felt like he was straining after originality, instead of the muse paying a visit. But Zombie and the muse seem to be getting along quite fine! His temperament seem suited for the job: a sort of aloofness, a moderate apathy toward studio pressures, a self-reliant sort of guy, who has a purpose behind his art, without the dross of petty ethical categories. I hope he keeps going strong!