The horror genre has been on a serious roll in the past few years, with many of the biggest hits coming from acclaimed horror studio Blumhouse. After bringing projects like Get Out and Happy Death Day to theaters, Blumhouse recently pivoted its focus to the classics, with David Gordon Green's Halloween. The new sequel has been breaking records for the franchise, but it wasn't long ago that Rob Zombie released his pair of Halloween flicks.
The Rob Zombie Halloween movies were released in 2007 and 2009, and were a major step away from the traditions of the franchise. Ultra violent and cruel, some hardcore fans of the franchise took umbrage with Zombie's vision. And according to Halloween producer Malek Akkad, they were never going to give him a threequel.
We did the Rob Zombie era if you will. We did two films with Rob which we didn't really know we were going to do two. We never considered doing three. So after two of those, I didn't really see any other director continuing in Rob's voice a part three and using those characters that he had set up.
While not making any sort of comments toward Rob Zombie's vision, Malek Akkad and the powers that be didn't have an interest in a third movie. So fans were left waiting 9 years in between Halloween II and Blumhouse's recent sequel.
Malek Akkad's comments to Bloody Disgusting really highlight how much the Halloween franchise has changed throughout the years. While they all star a murderous Michael Myers, the vision and amount of gore used has been altered with each new sequel. And when Rob Zombie came on, he definitely made his mark on the classic slasher property.
John Carpenter's 1978 classic Halloween relied on a tense tone, and the slow build of chaos in Haddonfield. The kills are relatively blood free, and Laurie Strode's final conflict with Michael Myers is tame compared to what horror audiences have grown accustomed to. The OG Scream queen got out with just a small cut on her arm.
But when Rob Zombie brought his sensibilities to Halloween, he stepped up the violence in a major way. Bringing Laurie and her friends to a modern setting, and Michael ripped them apart brutally. Because those sequels were built upon the director's vision, Malek Akkad didn't think anyone else could continue with a threequel.
The current Halloween movie went back to basics, with David Gordon Green and Danny McBride taking heavy inspiration from John Carpenter's original movie. Its a choice that has resonated with audiences, with another sequel seemingly inevitable.
Halloween is in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
