H2

Here you go guys. Despite the HARDKORE EXTREMENESS Zombie gets slagged for bringing to the HALLOWEEN franchise, I hope you will appreciate the very Carpenter-like shots of Myers in shadow.

Director Rob Zombie has furnished the official Halloween site with yet another image of Tyler Mane as Michael Myers in his forthcoming H2. Whilst it is hardly packed with action, this is the best shot so far of the series antagonist. Initially reluctant to return for a follow up, Zombie stated; “When I finished Halloween I was so fucking burnt out that the thought of doing another seemed totally insane to me at the time. I was done. But after a year and a half break I started to think that maybe another one wasn’t such a bad idea. I love the characters and felt that I had only just scratched the surface of what could be done with them. The basic story was out of the way and now the series could go anywhere. Seeing the aftermath of Michael’s rampage through the eyes of Laurie and Loomis was very exciting to me. So I came back and now we have a movie. Never say never.”

Source: Official Site

The RZ HALLOWEEN 2 teaser trailer is now playing in select NY & LA theaters. While it has yet to officially hit the internet, Entertainment Tonight aired it under the snipped-down guise of “exclusive clip” (which they always do), so here that is – when a better copy is up we’ll update this post. April 20 – Updated with HQ Version

Rob Zombie has engineered a hell of a lot of security to keep HALLOWEEN 2’s new mask secret all through filming – a top feat, in this internet age. Now the time has come to reveal all – while we recently showed you the subtlety altered bloodied-up mask he wears at the continuation of the previous film’s climax, here’s what Michael Myers will eventually come to wear after the story flash forwards to an October 31st a year or two down the track.

The haggard one (aka Zombie) also had this to say about reports that Maskless Myers (aka Hobo Myers), to appear in the second act, would comprise the bulk of the grand slasher’s presence in the movie:

Another question that seem to have been asked quite a bit is about the mask. Their have been reports and rumors that he only wears the mask 25% of the time or not at all.

Well, the truth is the movie is just now being edited so the exact percentage of mask wearing is unclear at this point. But fear not, Michael is seen wearing the mask as much if not more than you’ve ever seen him wearing a mask in any Halloween film. As seen below. Enjoy.

Source: Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN 2 has finished shooting, so now decent materials should start pouring in. Throughout filming, Zombie seemed to spend his internet time building some sort of alternate in-film universe for the fictional music and TV acts featured in the flick.

So here are the only 3 pics that jumped out at me since filming began: Michael Myers in his post-headshot visage, Michael in his Act 2 hooded look (a maskless hobo for part of the film – sacrilige! Not really, it was always a stetch to think Mikey wore a mask 24-7, think of what it woulda done to his pores) and the smoking hot Scout Taylor Compton as Laurie Strode, who’s Myers insanity gene is set to kick in for HALLOWEEN 2.

Source: HMC

You’ve got to hand it to Rob Zombie, you really do. Some of you may think dude don’t know how to make a horror movie, but he sure knows how to harness the infinite power of the internets. Whereas other major genre productions would make every effort to keep photos to themselves before dumping them onto websites during release week (looking at you, Platinum Dunes), Rob’s taken a more direct tactic straight from day one of filming his sequel to his HALLOWEEN redux, provisionally titled as H2. He’s been releasing pics every few days – some from set, some from-film, some interesting, (like a bearded unmasked Myers) and some boring (people standing around in the distance… but by releasing a steady flow of pics almost daily, he’s ensured the horror news outlets follow with just as many news items calling out each new set of pics. And that equals – all eyes on his flick, all the time.

I honestly don’t know where the sites get the energy to keep up with that steady stream… or maybe I just don’t have enough creative streak to make article #200 on new H2 photos sound interesting. So I definitely envy their stamina. I’m certainly interested in the flick, but we’ll only post periodic updates here at Retro Slashers so as not to clog up the place.

If you are looking to keep up with all the new photos from Rob, might I recommend the recently revamped Official HALLOWEEN Website (or HM.Com to us online old-timers) so you don’t get lost between news on the latest tepid-looking studio horror flicks (geez, I really am starting to show my age, aren’t I?). HM also get first crack at exclusive pics, so bookmark that joint.

Below pic gets a thumbs-up from Team Retro – in just this one image, it looks like Laurie Strode’s going through far worse then the poor-honey scrapes and dried-up voicebox she did under Jamie Lee Curtis’ trip to hospital in the 1981 first sequel. Not that there’s any reason to compare the two beyond the number 2 in their titles – H2 isn’t a remake of HALLOWEEN 2 in any way. You’ll recall Rob Zombie already blew part two’s she’s-his-sister wad in his part one redux.

The man that said he’d never remake a horror classic and reneged later said he’s never do a sequel. News flash – he’s turned around on that one, too. Because Rob Zombie is such an artist of conviction. Heh – okay, I’m not one for negativity so I’ll balance the preceding snarky comment with an admission – I’ve actually grown to enjoy RZ’s Halloween. Not as a Halloween film mind you, but the overall aspects of trying to put together a homage to the original classic. Now that he has got the origin tale and literal adaptation out of the way, I’m eager to see what he’ll do with H2, broken free of those earlier constraints. Will he serve up another trailer park bloodbath, or will the hairy director go jihad on expectations?

Dimension Films and Rob Zombie are teaming for another chapter of “Halloween,” and he’s racing to scare up the pic for release in October.

Zombie will write and direct “H2,” the sequel to his 2007 reinvention of the John Carpenter horror classic. Production will begin in March.

The new film picks up right as the first remake ended, following the aftermath of Michael Myers’ murderous rampage through the eyes of the sister he hunted.

Zombie said it won’t resemble the original second installment, as the “House of 1000 Corpses” helmer continues to take the franchise in different directions.

Zombie took Carpenter’s original and stamped it with an original storyline that treated Myers as a clinical psychopath. The film grossed $60 million domestically in 2007.

Zombie had told Dimension chief and TWC co-chairman Bob Weinstein he wanted nothing to do with a sequel. But just like the franchise’s villain, Zombie was compelled to come back.

“I was so burned out. (But) I took a long break, made a record and I got excited again,” Zombie said. “Now, we’ll be hauling ass, and that’s the problem making a movie called ‘Halloween’: If you come out Nov. 1 or after, nobody cares. If it was called anything else, I’d be fine.”

Malek Akkad of Trancas Intl. Films will produce with Spectacle Entertainment’s Andy Gould.

Source: Variety via the ever awesome OHMB.