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Richmond Arquette, who is already playing a Deputy in David Arquette's The Tripper, will play Deputy Charles in Rob Zombie's Halloween, which is now filming around the Los Angeles area

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I’ve been on plenty of movie sets in my time, but never have I actually felt like I was IN the movie. Feeling like you’re in Haddonfield, on Michael Myers’ street and witnessing one of the largest and most talked about crimes in the history of mankind made me so giddy I couldn’t sleep. But how did it feel like I was actually in the movie? Let’s begin start at the beginning…

All I wanted to do was go home and sleep, being that I had yet another cold. When I walked in the door my phone rings – “Are you sitting down?” my friend asks, “Yeah, what’s up?” He pops the cork, “I know where they’re shooting Halloween right now, and it’s a freaking ZOO. You got to come by. It’s right by my house!” So quicker than you can say Michael Myers I was out the door with my roommate and fiancé and speeding down the 134E.

When we get to the set we had to walk all the way down the street and my fiancé had high heels on that were clicking super loud. I was like DUDE! So she popped off her shoes and we tip-toed are way onto the set. The entire street was closed off and there were spectators all over the place and kids getting autographs from Rob. We were like “perfect!”

We loomed around on set for a little bit and talked with the new Michael Myers, little Daeg Faerch, who plays the younger Michael. The kid was super cool and very excited to be there. He was rocking his full clown costume and clown mask, which looks pretty damn cool. My memory of the original’s look is a little fuzzy, but it looked pretty close other than the red shirt he wears over it (it actually makes him more realistic as a young teen). After that they called him to set, where the magic was about to begin…

Here we are, on the street that will now be Michael Myers’ street. The new house was only blocks from the original so, the design is similar, if not the same. There were trees as high as buildings looming over us like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Over in the distance was a giant, bright light on a crane being used to illuminate the entire set. We stood across the street as Director Rob Zombie calls action and I’m transported to the movie, I AM THERE. I’m a spectator, a neighbor across the street, who is witnessing the post-Michael Myers murders. There’s a coroners van, cop cars and an ambulance with lights flashing and random sirens going off. Out comes a gurney with the body of Judith Myers (Hanna Hall) lying on it, brutally murdered. Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie), who is dressed like a sexy, hippie stripper mom, is screaming in agony. Her daughter is dead. Michael Myers has been transformed into THE MICHAEL MYERS.

To me, I had witnessed the pinnacle moment in the film, the moment where Leatherface gets his chainsaw, or Jason Voorhess gets his mask. I was there, a neighbor to the Myers, standing on my lawn wondering “what just happened?”

Once they wrapped production for the day we had the chance to check out the interior of Michael’s house, where they had been shooting a scene in their living room. The place is that typical white trash environment you’d expect. Dirty table, beer cans and cigarette butts everywhere, a shot gun on the wall and family photos scattered everywhere. There were blood stains on the carpet and it looked like something had gone on in that room. What could it have been?!

In the end, we have more surprises for you that we can’t reveal just yet. But I can assure you that we know a few things that make us extremely confident about Rob Zombie’s remake. I think, when it is all said and done Rob’s going to make us all happy campers or happy Trick-or-Treators. Michael Myers will live once again and his legend is only beginning.

Watch for HALLOWEEN in theaters August 31

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I know some of you were worried about the size of Tyler Mane as Michael Myers, but I assure you that he looks really cool. The jumpsuit he wears is a little baggy so he just looks like a tall dude, kind of like the Jason from 'Freddy vs Jason'. I saw Mane shoot a scene as Myers from across the street and I have to say... in person, he's scary as all hell!"

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B-D scooper 'OrangeMeyers' is back again from the set of Rob Zombie's Halloween with another photo for you guys to dig on. Inside you'll be able to check out one of the Haddonfield Sheriff cars that are being used in the film, which is now on its fourth week of shooting in Pasadena, CA. Read on for the pic

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SK: How about DAY OF THE DEAD (2007) and HALLOWEEN (2007). Where are you at with those scores?

TB: DAY OF THE DEAD I’m nearly finished with. Rob Zombie is in his third week of filming HALLOWEEN. I’m going to start working on the score next week. I usually go over to his house and watch dailies and talk about it. I’ve been working for awhile to develop a palette of sounds for that just because I had the opportunity to do a version of the John Carpenter original theme but in the Rob Zombie aesthetic. Some of that was developed while working together on THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005). That led to a whole palette of some pretty disturbing sounds.

SK: So the Carpenter theme will definitely be an major ingredient in the HALLOWEEN score?

TB: Yeah. You can’t do that without it. It’s part of the fantasy come to life for me. To not do that would be totally lame.

SK: It wouldn’t be HALLOWEEN.

TB: No, it wouldn’t and while Rob is making a Rob Zombie movie, it’s definitely HALLOWEEN. I think it’s really going to blow people’s minds. I think it’s going to be a lot more intense than people expect.

SK: How does fan expectation factor in to your approach to scoring HALLOWEEN?

TB: You know, I’m not really motivated by that. I’m more motivated by my own personal demons. I love the challenge but I come to it as a fan.

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Op donderdag 22 februari 2007 18:06 schreef Dannie_Dorka het volgende:
Die Danielle Harris heeft toch al eens eerder in 'n Halloween film gespeeld?

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Op donderdag 22 februari 2007 20:31 schreef AntiChrist het volgende:
Topic bestond al

om deze externe inhoud weer te geven is het noodzakelijk dat je toestemming geeft voor het gebruik van tracking en social mediacookies.

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Halloween Remake door Rob Zombie

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I just woke up and found an AMAZING image stuffed in my inbox - the pic is of star Sybil Danning and writer/director Rob Zombie chilling by Judith Myers' tombstone on the set of Dimension Film's Halloween remake!

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“I play Ronnie White, the abusive boyfriend of Michael Myers’ mother,” Forsythe tells us, “and something I didn’t know all these years is that apparently, I’m the reason Michael Myers goes off on his killing spree. I’m one of the reasons he clicks off into the abyss. You know, all these years, all the times I watched Michael killing people, I had no idea it was because of me!” he laughs.

Forsythe recently completed his two weeks of shooting on HALLOWEEN, which reunites him with DEVIL’S REJECTS writer/director Zombie. “Rob’s a great director and a great guy,” the actor says. “We formed a friendship when we made DEVIL’S REJECTS [in which he played vengeance-seeking Sheriff Wydell], and I told him, ‘Whatever you want to do, just call me and I’ll come’—and he did, so we had another round. It was fun, really fun—I mean bloody.”

In other words, expect the full-bore approach of REJECTS and HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES in this HALLOWEEN, not the classical, subtler terrors of John Carpenter’s original. “In DEVIL’S REJECTS, Rob really put together this manic style of filmmaking and made it his own. And in just the part I worked in HALLOWEEN, he has taken it to another level. My guy is torturous, he’s like a roach; he’s the meanest, rottenest trailer guy who ever lived. He’s totally on Mike Myers every minute, like, ‘Hey man, you’re my bitch.’ It’s quite out there. I felt dirty when it was over, so I know it worked.”

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Normally I'd say "what the hell?" I usually hate when studios show off their killers before the movie hits theaters, it takes away a little of that "mystique". But seriously, we all know what Michael Myers looks like, so what's the big whoop? Nothing, which is why I'm very excited to share with all of you both young and old Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) from Halloween: A Film By Rob Zombie. Read on to see Michael suited up and ready for the hunt, then post your comments below as I'm curious to what all of you think. Halloween hits theaters August 31.

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Rob Zombie announced this evening on his official MySpace blog that Richard Fancy has joined the cast of Halloween as Dean Carpenter.

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If the first two pictures weren't cool enough, Today shock-rocker turned director Rob Zombie revealed yet another still of the new Michael Myers from his re imagining of Halloween, which is still filming around the Pasadena area in CA. Read on to see Michael suited up and ready for the hunt

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Wednesday, February 28, 2007


On the set!
Current mood: sore

It was a hell of a day of shooting!

Highlights:

1. For lunch we had veal. Another reason why being in film is the best.

2. Watched one of Rob's videos. Wow.

3. Someone had to die!

4. Big Joe Grizzly came to work with spunk in the trunk, but Mikey stepped up and kicked his ass.

5. Broke the set. Whoops!

6. Broke the knife. DAMNIT!

Here to represent! Don't worry I didn't get a scratch on the mask, can't say the same about me though. Gettin' ready to do it all again in a few hours I love it...hope you will too!

Nothin' like the smell of rubber and a sharp blade to get the blood pumping!

Tyler M.

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Just so there's no doubt there's a dedicated Halloween fan on this project, what's you greatest piece of Halloween memorabilia?
The best piece of Halloween memorabilia I own is PJ Soles gave me her original shooting script from when she shot the film. It has all her hand written notes, written in pencil and a lot of famous lines she ad-libbed that she wrote in. That's the best thing I have.

What are you trying to achieve with the movie?
Well, my main goal with this film is to make a great film. People are like, "Remakes!" and they all cry about it, but there have always been great remakes over the years. It's just that most of them don't take place in the horror genre. Nobody complains about Cape Fear or Scarface or The Magnificent Seven or whatever. My goal is to make a film that's not a copycat of the original, a film that you can enjoy on it's own, not that you have to enjoy in relationship to another film. Remakes don't work if they're compared to the [original] film all the time. My goal is to retain what everyone enjoys about the character Michael Myers but present it in such a different light that you can't sit there and compare and contrast, which is a waste of time.

Any major challenges so far with the shoot?
Right now my major challenge is battling the weather. It's about ready to storm, and of course we shoot out of sequence; in so many of the exteriors it's not raining, so now rain is our biggest challenge.

Is there any truth to claims that have been made that online reviews of the script resulted in you doing rewrites?
There's no truth to anything ever. I actually don't have any idea what's going on online because I would say it's always about 99 percent nonsense. I don't have to pay any attention to that because it doesn't mean anything. People don't really know how movies are made or what goes on or the things that change, the channels that things go through. For a few minutes, when I first started, someone would always email me and go, "Is it true so-and-so is Laurie Strode?" "No, it's no true, I don't even know who that person is you're mentioning." But then it would get posted anyway and y'know, I'm done, I can't address nonsense all day long, I've got actual work to do. Clearly, they would sit at home, think of something and just put it out there because there was no basis in anything ever. Life's too short to address bullshit all day long.

We've been joking around the office that there won't be actors left in the horror community to make a film right now because you've got everyone in your movie. Was there anyone you wanted for the film that you couldn't get? Aside from Donald Pleasence, of course.
Hmmm… probably. Y'know if there's somebody not available that you want, you so quickly forget about it and move on. I'm trying to remember if there was anyone at any point— no, I think I got everybody I really wanted.

How much contact do you have with John Carpenter regarding this project? Does he cruise by the set?
I talk to John off and on. I talked to him before we started; I talked to him a couple times since we've been shooting. He doesn't give a fuck. He's like [affecting a gravely voice], "Hey Rob, do your thing, have a good time. Whatever."

And finally, just how hard is it to resist putting on the Myers mask and wandering around the Haddonfield set?
Y'know, it's pretty easy actually. Heh heh, it never even crossed my mind. The mask has been lyin' around – all versions of it – and it never even crossed my mind once. I guess I'm so focused on what I'm trying to do, there's no time for fun.

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It's just another sunny day in South Pasadena, California - old, architectural homes line the wide streets, which are dotted with towering palm trees. The morning lull is punctuated only by birds calling and the occasional passer by on the sidewalk. Nothing appears out of the ordinary until we turn the corner and find ourselves immediately transported to October in the Midwest. Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, and spiders can be spotted peering out from the suburban lawns. As we continue walking down the sundappled street, a set of HALLOWEEN crew members are scattering dead leaves all along the cracked pavement. At the end of the street the film camp has completely taken over the entire intersection, as well as several homeowner's lawns.

As we arrived, director Rob Zombie was setting up the first scene of the day with Danielle Harris (as Annie Brackett), Kristina Klebe (as Lynda), Scout Taylor-Compton (as Laurie Strode) & Brad Dourif (as Sheriff Brackett). When action was called and the girls started walking down the street, we immediately made the visual connection to Carpenter's original. As the girls were strutting along in their Haddonfield High letter jackets and teasing each other with lighthearted girl talk - all we could think was, "the casting is perfect for these roles!"

After we got comfortable and grabbed a few snacks from catering, we sat down to watch the movie magic. Everyone in the crew seemed to perform their jobs expertly with minimal direction, as Zombie hovered around the director's monitors. While the crew members worked diligently and professionally at their jobs to make sure everything flowed smoothly on set, they weren't so uptight that they couldn't joke with each other in between takes. There was a general excitement and positive vibe among the cast and crew that they are creating something special - not just another cheap Hollywood slasher flick.

In-between scenes, the girls took a break and rested in their actor's chairs under the shade tent. During the scene change Rob spotted us and made his way over to where we were sitting. He welcomed us to the set and started explaining the girl's characters. He expressed that his vision for Lynda was more hardcore and he also assured us that Scout lives up to expectaions and that he didn't know Danielle Harris was that good of an actress. Rob was obviously very passionate about his vision for the film, and his enthusiasm was evident in our conversation.

After the scene with the girls was shot from several different angles the crew moved their equipment further down the street to shoot a scene with Michael Myers in broad daylight. This was when we first saw Tyler Mane (as adult Michael Myers) in full costume - even though we only saw this scene from a distance, Tyler's towering presence and purposeful movements still managed to give us the creeps.

After this scene was shot, the cast took a break and headed back to the base camp for lunch. This pause in the shooting gave us the opportunity to visit the new Myers' house, located several blocks away. When approaching the house it appeared out of place - it's dilapidated presence was a striking contrast to the other well-kept suburban homes along the street. There was a definite feel that neighborhood children may very well dare each other to run up and ring the doorbell. Inside the house, the imposing staircase turns sharply as the dark wood of the banister trails into the shadows of the second story. The windows are grimy, the wallpaper is peeling, and it feels as if the boogyman may be hiding around any corner. It's time to get the hell out of here!

When we arrived back on set, we were greeted by the mother of Michael Myers, Sheri Moon Zombie (as Deborah Myers). While she was not shooting that day, she was showing her support by visiting the set and checking in with SMZ.net (see end of article for an exclusive interview with Sheri by Kenny Caperton).

By this time the sun was going down over Haddonfield and the crew was setting up for a night scene at the new Strode house at the other end of the street. The house was illuminated and trick-or-treaters were roaming the streets as Dee Wallace Stone (as Cynthia Strode) and Pat Skipper (as Mason Strode) walked on the set. As Laurie Strode and her parents were handing out candy, a foreboding presence seemed to hang over the scene.

As the cast and crew wrapped up for the night, everyone finished off a hard day's work with a birthday celebration for Scout. For her birthday, Sheri and Rob gave her a new TOTAL SKULL hoodie to keep her warm on the set. Despite not feeling well throughout the day, Scout mischievously started a cake-fight with Rob after blowing out her candles.

Unfortunately, due to legal restrictions, we are unable to release much information about the plot and characters of HALLOWEEN or reveal many of our photos from the set until the movie has been released. But rest assured that this movie is likely to shatter any doubts you might have. Rob Zombie describes his film as being brutal and completely insane. Throughout the day many crew and cast members echoed Rob's feelings about the intensity of this film. Over 50 minutes of the movie has been roughly cut so far, and everyone involved in the production seems to be very excited about the direction the movie is taking. Everyone is entitled to ONE GOOD SCARE, but this may very well be your last.

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01. Now Sheri, please tell me that you haven't been a neglectful & abusive mother to poor little Michael Myers, have you?

NO, DEBORAH IS VERY LOVING AND CARING TOWARDS LITTLE MICHAEL, SHE IS JUST IN A DIFFICULT SINGLE MOM SITUATION TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST OF A SHITTY SITUATION.

02. So how has shooting been going so far for HALLOWEEN?

SHOOTING HAS BEEN GOING GREAT! IT'S BEEN A LOT OF HARD WORK, BUT EVERYONE I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MAKES IT SUPER FUN.

03. Are you almost done with your portion of the shooting?

I HAVE A FEW WEEKS OFF NOW AND THEN I'LL GET BACK TO IT IN MARCH TO FINISH UP, I MISS IT!

04. As far as acting goes, what have you learned this time around? Have you experienced anything new during the duration of shooting this film?

WELL, I THINK I'M ALWAYS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW WITH EVERY PROJECT AND EVERY EXPERIENCE HAS ITS DIFFERENCES.

05. Have you gotten to witness a bunch of bloodshed from Michael Myers on the set?

I HAVE NOT REALLY WITNESSED ANY BLOODSHED YET!

06. Rob has put together a phenomenal cast for the film. Have you met anyone really cool on the set & whom have you enjoyed working with the most?

WELL, OF COURSE IT'S GREAT TO WORK WITH WILLIAM FORSYTHE AGAIN, AND THE CAST OF THE MYERS FAMILY ARE SUPER! HANNAH AND DAEG ARE JUST THE BEST! I'VE YET TO WORK WITH MALCOLM, BUT WE'VE HUNG OUT AND HE IS SUCH A FUNNY GUY!

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today Rob Zombie revealed on his official MySpace some really f'n cool news - Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees fame has a cameo in his Halloween remake as Derek Allan, owner of the gun shop where Dr. Loomis buys his gun. In addition, B-D reader 'Suicide Trash' dropped us a line that Calico Cooper, shock-rocker Alice Copper's daughter, also has a small role in the remake, according to her official website

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02.27.07
Hey Guys!,
Its been a while! I've been so busy, and being the technotard that i am, the website has fallen by the wayside. I just finished doing a cameo in Rob Zombies Halloween. It was so much fun. Im here to tell you that Rob is as cool of a director as he is a performer. The film is going to be amazing, so make sure to check it out when it hits the big screen! ( As if you weren't already!)

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Today Rob revealed photos of not only Dr. Loomis, but of Laurie, Annie and Lynda! Read on and enjoy!! Dimension Film's remake, which is still shooting in Pasadena, CA, is slated for release on August 31.

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Sunday, March 04, 2007


On The Set!

It was a great week of shooting, things are coming together nicely! It was a big stunt week and all of the action looks…well…killer. I must say throughout my career I've had the privilege of working with some of the greats in our business and this week another icon was add to the list… I had my first scenes with Malcolm Mcdowell and what a pleasure it was! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun on a movie set. It was surreal to be standing out front of a dilapidated Myers house with Scout Compton (Laurie Strode) who is just fantastic and a great person and Malcolm (Doctor Loomis) and the magnitude of working on this film finally hit me. The images are chilling to say the least. The shot Rob ended the week with last night was a brilliant work of art…I'm still chilled to the bones thinking about it! But you'll have to wait for the film…

The following of loyal fans this film has is unbelievable. I've had the opportunity this week to meet some more of them on the set. One of our drivers told me a fan had been sitting around for quite awhile watching the action that was going down in front of the "Haddonfield School." He was holding a Michael Myers doll that played the theme music and he was hoping to get Rob and myself to sign it. As soon as I heard that I wiped the remainder of my lunch from out of the corners of my mouth and I made my way to where he was sitting at the bottom of some stairs. I took the Michael Myers pose (we'll call it that) at the top of the steps waiting to see how long it would take him to realize Big Mike was standing over him (good thing I didn't have the knife.) I stood there… … and stood there… … as he continued to look over the set… and I stood there. I finally had to clear my throat for him to notice me and when he turned around to see Michael Myers a few stairs above him he jumped! After signing his toy, he asked for a photo but needed to get his camera out of his car. I said, "No problem get it and come back to base camp and find me." I knew he'd think that was cool if he thought staring at the school while we were on lunch was! I told the guards to let him back and we had our photo op, chatted for awhile and it was back to the killing.

I want to say thank you to all of you fans, you're great! I've been getting a lot of questions to answer and I will get to all of them just as soon as I can. I'm very happy with the response the new Michael Myers costume is getting. Yes the evil is back!



Quote for the day:



"Yeah, I'm tall… so what?!"

The new Michael Myers

Tyler Mane

P.S. As you have all heard by now, Mickey Dolenz will be in the movie! Call me a dork, but after I heard that I couldn't stop singing …. Hey, Hey we're the Monkey's some people say we Monkey around but we're to busy singing to put anybody down… Some of you doubters should have reflected a bit before hating. I gave Scout a short history lesson on who the Monkeys are (before her time) and I even had Scout doing the cross over walk down the sidewalk before too long. Hey you gotta have fun right!

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2007 is a big year for legendary actress Sybil Danning who is not only starring as Dr. Loomis' wife in Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN remake, but also stars in Zombie's GRINDHOUSE faux trailer, Werewolf Women of the S.S. This year will prove that Danning, like so many others before her, is an official "Scream Queen".

BD: You’ve been working in Hollywood for a long time now, but horror fans will always remember you from THE HOWLING 2, do you think that will change by the end of 2007?

SD: Yes, that will certainly change by the end of 2007. Having worked with Rob Zombie for the first time in 2 movies, in one year will certainly change that!

BD: This year you’ve not only been cast in Rob Zombie’s faux trailer for GRINDHOUSE “Werewolf Women of the S.S., but in his feature film HALLOWEEN, is this the start of something special?

SD: I don’t know what this is the start of, but my year sure started off very special! Working with Rob on WWOSS in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez’ GRINDHOUSE, then working again with Rob on HALLOWEEN!

BD: Rob Zombie casts a lot of his favorite actors/actresses in his film, how does it feel to know you’re working for a big fan? Is it different than working for just “some director”?

SD: You bet! To know you’re appreciated in our genre by a master of the genre like Rob, is a great feeling and experience. Coming with the territory, Rob expects, and gives you freedom to express yourself! He never misses anything or let’s anything get away! His brilliant mind is constantly working, injecting you with wonderfully crazy Ideas.

BD: Do you see yourself working with him more in the future?

SD: I sure as hell hope so and I look forward to it.

BD: So you play a Nazi in WEREWOLF WOMEN next to Sheri Moon, how did that make you feel?

SD: Playing a Werewolf Woman Of The SS was fun and right up my alley. “The HOWLING II” was very successful theatrically and on DVD, which was just released for MGM. I played Queen of the Werewolves! In WWOSS, I loved playing this campy Nazi together with Sheri Moon. She is very beautiful, strong, talented and sexy! I’ve seen her movies and love the strong characters she plays. It was a pleasure working with her and we had a lot of fun. We actually complimented each other in our roles. Though we looked and dressed alike, our characters differed which made it interesting.

BD: Was it uncomfortable at all wearing the symbol?

SD: WWOSS, how serious is that? It’s a hilariously funny, and brilliant movie! I keep saying movie because I hope someone will ask Rob to make a movie from this trailer!

BD: What is your role in the faux trailer?

SD: I play Gretchen Krupp, She-Devil of Belzac

BD: Have you heard anything about it becoming one of the next Grindhosue FILMS?

SD: No, I have not, but as mentioned, I would LOVE to see this as a movie and I know the fans will too!

BD: Do you have a favorite scene you’re in?

SD: In WWOSS, all scenes were equally fun!

BD: Do you have a scene where you come face to face with Michael Myers? If so, what was that like?

SD: Can’t talk about that yet!

BD: What’s next? More horror films?!

SD: After WWOSS and HALLOWEEN? That’s a hard act to follow! I’ve been offered to play a “Demon” in a movie called BLOOD RED. Gary Brandner, writer of the HOWLING books, Philippe Mora, Director of HOWLING II & III and I are, writing, producing, and I will star in a new Franchise with the working title THE WOLF PROJECT.

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Zombie Kills 'Halloween' Theme Song, Revokes Myers' Driver's License
'Everything I've wanted to do I've done with this movie,' director says.

PASADENA, California — In this sacred neighborhood, on this holiest of blocks, Reverend Rob Zombie is presiding over a ceremony of appreciation. "Halloween" fans have come to worship the artifacts, kneel on the lawns of the sacrosanct homes and hum along with the hymns. Now, after 30 years of faithful repetition, the director of "The Devil's Rejects" is continuing the ritual — just don't expect him to preach from the same Bible.

"Michael Myers does not know how to drive in this movie," the long-haired, tattooed filmmaker told MTV over the weekend on the set of his highly anticipated remake of one of horror's most beloved slasher films (see "Rob Zombie Resurrecting Michael Myers For New 'Halloween' "). "[Myers in the station wagon] always bothered me. They would always play that off like someone must have given him lessons, but you know no one gave him lessons! He's in a maximum-security prison! So, no, he doesn't drive."

(See Rob Zombie spill "Halloween" secrets before Michael Myers starts spilling blood.)

It's one of the sure-to-be-controversial revisions that Zombie is making to the classic John Carpenter flick. Realizing that the blueprint has simply been Xeroxed too many times, the ultra-violent filmmaker is now entering the final scenes of an intense 38-day shoot with wrestler/actor Tyler Mane as Myers, 18-year-old Scout Taylor-Compton as imperiled babysitter Laurie Strode and Malcolm McDowell as the eccentric Dr. Loomis.

"I want to make Loomis a man with a tremendous ego," said McDowell, dressed in black and draped in a beige trench coat that evokes predecessor Donald Pleasence. "[He's all about] getting a book out of it, which of course he has done, he's a best-seller ... he's the psychiatrist whose lifelong work is Michael Myers. He's obviously not a very good one, is he?"

Zombie's flick is also aiming to up the ante in terms of action. "I remember coming in the first day and we were down in the basement, and there was Lynda [actress Kristina Klebe] lying nude," Taylor-Compton remembered. "I'm screaming, and here comes Michael, and we're doing knife stuff and slashing him, and me pulling wood [off the wall] and going through a hole, climbing out this little fence and he pushes through the wall and grabs me ... I love doing my own stunts."

Contrary to Internet rumors, Zombie's "Halloween" has no discernible time period and begins well before the original's opening scene of young Michael killing his sister Judith (Laurie doesn't even come into the film until the final third). Now, the 6-year-old slaughters five of his relatives and is then sent to Loomis' sanitarium.

"In one scene we do, he's completely blank and I'm trying to coax him," McDowell said of his work with Daeg Faerch, who plays a young (and verbal!) Myers. "He gets to deliver [lines], but of course the older Michael is completely [silent]; he doesn't say a thing, he just wears a mask and terrifies everybody to death."

Including innocent drivers, apparently. On this particular day, Zombie has the 6-foot-10-inch Mane dressed in green coveralls, his hands so drenched in blood that they look like red work gloves, wearing a scarred white mask and holding a massive knife. Hiding behind a tree, he watches Laurie and her mother Cynthia (Dee Wallace) putting up Halloween decorations in their front yard. Filming in the same neighborhood where Carpenter shot the original, Zombie allows cars to access their homes between takes, resulting in more than one brake light upon discovering a homicidal icon on their sidewalk.

"[Myers' trademarks] were perfect for the original because nothing had become iconic," Zombie said, insisting that his movie will explain many of their origins. "It was just, 'Oh, the jumpsuit; big deal, it's a jumpsuit,' or, 'Oh the mask; big deal, it's a mask.' "

"In this film, Michael has [the mask] as a child," said Wayne Toth, the special-effects makeup artist on the flick, explaining why the new mask has scars on it. "While he's away [at the sanitarium], this time he's buried it in the basement of the Myers' house. So when he gets out, he digs it up and it's rotten."

Among the other notable moves that Zombie is embracing:

· The Myers' house is much larger, with a battered porch, "No Trespassing" boards on the windows and a "For Sale" sign out front reading "Strode Real Estate - Price Reduced." A blue RAM van in the driveway belongs to an ill-fated boyfriend, and a climactic battle between Laurie and Michael takes place in an empty swimming pool in the backyard.

· In the original, Myers killed two dogs, even eating one of them; this time PETA can relax. "No, there is nothing like that at all," Zombie said.

· While in the sanitarium, young Michael makes masks out of paper — a bucket of papier-mâché versions of his famous mask was glimpsed on set.

· Loomis steals a Town of Haddonfield police car in the film, using it as his transportation.

· Don't hold your breath for a Jamie Lee Curtis appearance à la "H20." "There are no real cameos," Zombie said. "There is no one from the original film."

· Look for a genre veteran as Myers' new best bud. "Danny Trejo, who always plays the badass, is playing the one sympathetic hospital worker at Smith's Grove," the director explained. "He's been with Michael for 17 years there."

· Zombie has stocked the cast with veteran actors like Udo Kier ("He's the head of Smith's Grove"), Tom Towles ("He plays a councilman who is at [Myers'] parole hearing"), Adrienne Barbeau ("She has a brief moment as a woman at the adoption agency in Haddonfield") and Sybil Danning ("[She is] a young Michael's last victim at Smith's Grove").

· McDowell and Taylor-Compton say they'd return for additional "Halloween" sequels, but Zombie insists he's done after one. ("Everything I've wanted to do I've done with this movie," he remarked.)

· Zombie won't replicate Carpenter's classic one-take opening scene. "Since I've already spent a half-hour developing the little kid," he reasoned, "to do any kind of mysterious POV would be ridiculous."

· Laurie has traded in her skirts and turtlenecks for Chuck Taylor sneakers and a skull-depicting hoodie. "She's conservative, but she has a little bit of an attitude now," said Taylor-Compton, whose character engages in a risqué conversation about bagel holes with her embarrassed mom.

One final change might just be the most controversial of them all: The dropping of the famous "Halloween" theme composed by Carpenter. "The plan was at some point to [remake it], to change it around," Zombie said, revealing that it has since been shelved. "The actual way it sounds now doesn't really work with what we're doing."

"We've reimagined the picture," producer Andy Gould added. "Perhaps a reimagining of the sound is in order too."

Reverend Rob Zombie's holy mass doesn't begin until August 31, but check back Friday to read more from our interview with the director.