comment #1

PastePotPete says ...

Respectable craftsmen? Pfft. This movie is one of the most inept I've ever seen. It has the biggest plot hole in recorded history, and the staging is horrible. Continuity errors abound and Zombie has obviously never heard of the 180 rule. I've given Zombie 3 chances. He's below DTV quality.

It's the worst horror movie I've seen since the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake(which was actually somewhat well made), so of course I fully expect horror buff Dave Poland to love it.

Don't base the estimate on friday's number, the opening crowd where I saw it, not exactly the sort of people Jeff likes to hang around, laughed at the majority of the film. I don't see much word of mouth working for this film(I hope, I pray).

comment #2

D.Z. says ...

"The teenage hormonals and cultural cretins are in the process of rewarding the MGM/Weinstein/Rob Zombie Halloween -- a $10 million-plus earner yesterday and a projected $35 million grosser by Monday night -- and thereby helping to balance the books on all the Harvey Weinstein projects that don't as a rule tend to bring in huge amounts of dough (i.e., I'm Not There), which is obviously a good thing. Ebb and flow, tidal balance, etc. But what does it say about a moviegoing culture that goes apeshit for Rob Zombie's latest but will, in all likelihood, blow off or minimally patronize The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford when it opens three weeks from now?"

I'm guessing it says that, next time, WB should come up with a title which doesn't reveal the entire plot of the film. Oh, and Tyler Mane is more imposing than Casey Affleck.

comment #3

EDouglas says ...

I don't know about that "respectable craftsman" business. I certainly don't think the movie's as bad as those who loved his crapfest Devil's Rejects and are attacking him for doing his own version with this remake.... but Steve Mason is overestimating how well it will do over the four day weekend. Based on a $10.5 million Friday, I'd say $31 million, maybe $32 million absolute tops, but probably closer to $30.

comment #4

EDouglas says ...

"I'm guessing it says that, next time, WB should come up with a title which doesn't reveal the entire plot of the film."

LOL! Good one.

comment #5

Pelham123 says ...

Though I didn't much care for Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects", the scene where the Sheriff (William Forsythe) brings in the local movie critic to discuss the Killer's motivations is hilarious.

comment #6

insidah says ...

this movie will die next weekend. everyone at my grove screening last night hated it. I mean LOATHED it. Zombie can't write or direct for shit. The whole thing is inept and loathesome.

comment #7

Undercover Brother says ...

This movie will die THIS weekend. That $10 mil is top heavy and expect "Halloween" to start tapering off immediately. I think the curiosity factor accounts for that big day.

comment #8

christian says ...

"the scene where the Sheriff (William Forsythe) brings in the local movie critic to discuss the Killer's motivations is hilarious."

and what movie do they bring up?

SKIDOO.

comment #9

The Movie Man says ...

Zombie has talent. House of 1000 Corpses is derivative, overlong and stupid, but it has a surreal splatter force that is memorable. The Devils Rejects was much, much better, a slasher movie Peckinpah trip with an authentically unsettling ambivalence to it. Are either perfect? Far, far from it. But I stand by Jeff's assertion that he's a respectable craftsman.

I don't get why everyone gets so enraged over Zombie and Roth, there are much worse people in the genre to jump on here people. Halloween does sound like a pretty bottom barrel sell out job though, and the script was awful.

comment #10

christian says ...

i think rob has great potential. there was a distinct pov in HO1C and it has one of the greatest death scenes in recent movie history.

i thought TDR was artful, disturbing and much more like STRAW DOGS than TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. zombie has a gift for a certain type of realistic discomfort. he overreaches on the white trash kitsch and i think this remake was a mistake but it will bring him the freedom to make his own movies from now on.

comment #11

The Movie Man says ...

I assume you're speaking of Baby stabbing that girl to death in the graveyard? Very disturbing. I also thought the opening was terrific.

comment #12

christian says ...

actually i meant the drawn out execution of the sheriff.
i love the opening and sid haig steals the movie.

comment #13

The Movie Man says ...

The sheriff scene is effective and Haig steals both movies. I think time will be good to both of these movies, I think part of the problem now is that a lot of people have a hard time accepting that someone who calls themeselves "Rob Zombie" might have something interesting to offer the genre.

I read that Zombie said he would also like to do a hard crime movie like Straight Time. I think this would be a good move. He should have David Ayer collaborate on the script with him. Ayer's Training Day was overrated, but his Harsh Times was very much underrated, a deft mix of Training Day and Mean Streets, with a terrific Bale performance.

comment #14

Pelham123 says ...

I agree that Zombie has talent/potential as a moviemaker, although you couldn't drag me to see the new "Halloween". His (now defunct) radio show on Indie 103.1 was entertaining as well. BTW, John Carpenter must be laughing all the way to the bank with the multitude of remakes and sequels to his original films. Every day must be Halloween for John Carpenter. Man's gotta eat!

comment #15

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Harsh Times was a mess.

comment #16

jeffmcm says ...

That _was_ a joke, right DZ? If so it's the first thing you've ever written which wasn't horribly annoying.

comment #17

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Gotta back up Mira on Harsh Times. It did indeed suck.

comment #18

Aunt Sassy says ...

As a fan of Zombie's music, I wish I could say I see something of the same inspiration in his movies...but I can't. Zombie is a terrible director who doesn't seem to understand the difference between a homage and a rip-off. I finally realized this when I saw an early screening of DEVIL'S REJECTS. The guiding aesthetic principle seemed to be, "let's get all my favorite 70's exploitation stars together, have them mutilate and humiliate some poor schmucks and film it in the most inept way possible. Oh yeah, then everyone dies in slow motion to "Free Bird".

Fans of Zombie's film career all defend him with the same argument, which runs along the lines of his films being so much more authentic than most horror because of their sadism and their ugliness. Well, by that logic, his true calling should be directing snuff. And Movie Man, please don't ever put Zombie in the same sentence with Eli Roth. The technical level of directing in HOSTEL, PART 2 is several orders higher than anything Zombie has ever done, regardless of your opinion of the film's content.

Whatever legitimacy Zombie had as a horror director has now been erased with his shitty HALLOWEEN remake. But he accomplished what he needed to. He got his two-picture deal and all it took was the raping of a classic. Well done, sir. Well done.

P.S. Zombie's last album ("Educated Horses") sucked. Now, he doesn't even make good music anymore.

comment #19

jeffmcm says ...

I disagree. Rob Zombie has a much stronger grasp of how to direct performances and use the camera and music than Eli Roth does. Roth's compositions are still fairly clunky and his music choices are amateurish.

comment #20

christian says ...

the scene in TDR where forsyth staples the dead girl's photos to the rejects was brilliant and a great revenge moment.

there's lots of unique stylistic and character touches to the film. although i didn't feel sorry for any of them and wanted to see them struck down in a hail of bullets.

comment #21

the king says ...

Zombie's visuals alone keep me coming back.

I am very skeptical of Halloween though. I assumed he would have more respect. Wrong.

comment #22

The Movie Man says ...

Aunt Sassy: I was just saying that Zombie and Roth share an inexplicable fanboy hate while crap like Saw 10 gets a free pass. I liked Hostel Part II and think Roth has promise too.

But yes, at this juncture I take Zombie much more seriously, because Roth always squanders effective low throb tension with stupid, gimmicky violence. I'm thinkiing the wang in the clipper moment in H2. its not scary, not tense, not even as violent as it sounds, its just dumb and tries too hard.