Interview with H2 Writer/Director Rob Zombie
Written by Michael Varrati
One thing is certain: Rob Zombie is man who fits firmly in the “no nonsense” category.
I’ve had the good opportunity in my time as a horror journalist for this and other publications to interview a celebrity here and there, and one thing that you often find is that people in entertainment can filibuster with the best of ‘em up on Capitol Hill. Ask the right question, and a lengthy answer is sure to follow. Rob Zombie, however, is a no filler, concise kind of dude.
You ask, and he’ll tell you…direct and to the point.
But please, dear reader, do not construe this observation as a negative one. Far from it, in an industry packed with people who talk just to hear themselves speak, Rob Zombie is a breath of fresh air. He’s serious about his art, and he wants to tell you about it, but there’s a sense of the humble there too. When you’re talking to Rob Zombie, you get the sense that this is a man who is at once one of the most focused artists you’ll ever encounter, and yet, at the same time, someone with whom you could enjoy a laugh over an ice cold beer.
With the release of his latest picture, Halloween II, looming very near on the horizon, I had the good opportunity to sit down with Rob and discuss his directorial return to the menace of Michael Myers, the upcoming release of his very first animated feature, and what the future has in store for a man who has solidified himself as a contemporary master of horror.
Admittedly, Rob’s concise nature caught me off guard at first, as I was expecting the usual Hollywood persona that is so often served up in interviews, but before it was all said and done, I couldn’t help feeling the same way Charles Manson might if he met Captain Spaulding- “He’s certainly my kind of guy.”
Here’s what Rob had to tell me:
Michael Varrati: Obviously, with the first Halloween, I imagine there was some pressure on you to do this popular character from the horror zeitgeist in such a way that was unique to yourself, but also that stayed true to what fans have come to expect of Michael Myers. Was there a similar pressure in making Halloween II, less because of the success of the first one, or more, now that the expectations for what you can achieve are higher?
Rob Zombie: Well, the main pressure I felt was that I wanted to reinvent Michael Myers. I thought that, except for John Carpenter’s Halloween, in which Michael Myers was a fairly elusive figure…a very vague and mysterious character, I really felt Michael Myers was handled terribly in all the sequels. He was basically a visual element, and visually, he looked terrible all the time. The main thing I wanted to do was turn Michael Myers into a character, not just a background boogeyman. I started to do that with the first one…we gave him a big, elaborate back story so that we could take some of that and reflect it off the character, and in Halloween II, we take it even further. We go inside the mind of Michael Myers…and I thought, what better way to see things we were not meant to understand. Obviously, he’s a psychopath and he has no sense of right, wrong, or remorse…but there has to be some way he perceives the world, and I tried to show a little bit of that.
MV: Not only are you giving more depth to Michael Myers, but I’ve read that you’re taking a different route with the Laurie Strode character in this film, using her to highlight the notion that insanity can be a family trait. Crazy families sure have become a trademark of yours.
Rob Zombie: Well, Laurie Strode in the first film…that’s a John Carpenter character. Laurie Strode: the all-American girl. That’s not really the type of characters that I write. By the end of my Halloween, Laurie Strode was covered in blood, holding a gun, and basically it looked like her mind had cracked a little. That’s the Laurie Strode I was interested in making a movie about. So, in Halloween II, we have a girl who is starting to come to grips with her life…her parents are dead, some of her friends are dead…everything’s horrible. She’s now living with Sheriff Brackett, her life is a mess, she’s in therapy, and I found that character very interesting. So yeah, she’s rebellious and she’s trying to almost reinvent herself into a different person in order to understand who she is, and then one of the major plot points for her is that it is revealed in Dr. Loomis’ book that she’s the brother of Michael Myers…er…I mean sister of Michael Myers.
MV: …now there’s a twist.
Rob Zombie: …ha ha, yeah I mean that Michael Myers is her brother. That just sends her into a tailspin, and that’s really what it’s about.
MV: Other than that revelation- Laurie Strode being the sister of Michael Myers- would you say that this is an entirely fresh take on Halloween II, as opposed to the original Halloween sequel where it kind of continues that night…this is set some time later, correct?
Rob Zombie: Yeah, this has absolutely nothing to do with the original Halloween II. Nothing at all.
MV: Now that you’ve done two of these, is there any potential for a Halloween III, perhaps the Rob Zombie version of Halloween III: Season of the Witch?
Rob Zombie: No, I think with one and two…one and two end my saga. It pretty much has been the golden rule that the second movie is always better than the first, and the third movie is always disappointing. That just seems to be the way things go…so I want to leave it where I think we made a bigger and better movie than the first Halloween, and that’s a good place to stop.
MV: In September, your first animated feature, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is set for release on DVD. What can fans expect from Superbeasto, and how did you feel working on animation, as opposed to a live action production?
Rob Zombie: Working on an animation was great, it’s a totally different experience. Whatever your brain can think of, you can do…which was nice. Fans can expect something they have never, ever seen before. I cannot think of another movie like this. Even the animators, who have worked on everything from SpongeBob to Shrek, were excited because they had never worked on a movie like this before, because it’s R-rated. It’s an adult, superhero monster sex comedy. The closest thing I can think of is back in the 70s, things like Fritz the Cat, but it’s not even like that, it’s a totally different thing…and I can’t wait for people to see it. I think they’ll really be blown away.
MV: There was some hold-up in getting it released…was that due to the content of the film, or was it just the process itself?
Rob Zombie: It was the process itself, which is slow, so it took a long time to make the movie. The other thing that took place, the company that I started the movie with, Film Roman (they make The Simpsons and King of the Hill), they got sold to one company…and that company merged to another company, which merged to another company. So basically, the people that own El Superbeasto changed hands four times in four years. That was really the thing that threw a big monkey wrench into the releasing plans, but now it’s all straightened out. But really, that was a big pain in the ass.
MV: So, with all of those headaches, would an animated feature be something you’d be interested in doing again…or is this one of those “I’m glad I did it, but enough is enough,” kind of situations?
Rob Zombie: No, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Everything’s a headache, nothing’s easy…making movies is never, ever easy, so you just have to be ready to deal with all the headaches.
MV: Speaking of movies, I did read on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) that your next film project is something titled Tyrannosaurus Rex, what can you tell us about that…if you’re allowed to discuss it at all.
Rob Zombie: Well, I mean, I don’t know if that’s my next project…it might be, it might not be…nothing’s cast in steel. That’s a script I wrote, and I’d like it to be the next movie, but I don’t know if it will be. It’s not a horror movie, it’s a very violent drama about a washed-up prize fighter, who, upon his release from prison, gets himself involved with the world of underground fighting. So, it’s a dark, violent movie, but it’s not a horror movie.
MV: Have you been looking to move away from horror to try something new? Has this been something you’ve been wanting to do for a while?
Rob Zombie: Well I mean, I’d like to move away…but, with The Devil’s Rejects, I didn’t really see that as a horror movie. To me, it was more of a violent, post-modern western. You know, it’s really the story of a sheriff tracking three outlaws, avenging the death of his brother. That’s really what it is. But, I love all kinds of movies…I love dark, violent movies, but there’s all kinds of dark, violent material…it doesn’t have to be horror.
MV: So, I guess then, my question for you should have been…and not trusting the Internet Movie Database, but going to the source…what projects are you looking to do, beyond Tyrannosaurus Rex, what can we expect from you in the future? Anything else you’re working on film wise?
Rob Zombie: Nothing’s in development…there’s nothing really, I’m just trying to finish Halloween II, and then take a break. Then I’ll start thinking about what’s next, but as far as what that is…I don’t have a clue.
MV: Obviously many of our readers are not only fans of your films, but also of your music. I’ve heard your going on tour this fall…is there a new album coming out as well?
Rob Zombie: Yeah, there’s a new album, it’s coming out in November…and then I’ll be on tour to support that for the rest of the year.
MV: What can you tell us about the album itself?
Rob Zombie: It’s probably my favorite record. Of course, it’s impossible to describe music, so I can’t really say how it’s different or what it sounds like, but I’m very excited with it…I love this record, and I’m so ready to hit the road, you know?
MV: …and let you hit the road we shall. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at Fatally Yours, and all the best to you!
Rob Zombie: Thanks man, have a good one!
Watch the Halloween II trailer:
Behind the Scenes of H2 Courtesy of Dimension Films:
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