The Creepercast 'Halloween' Retrospective: joel talks about 'Halloween 2' (2009)

When Rob Zombie's 2007 vision of 'Halloween' ended, I really had no second thoughts that he would make a sequel. Instead, I imagined the studio finding a similar gritty film maker to pick up the mantle and begin a new cycle of Michael Myers madness. That's truly the thought that went through my mind. Then I saw interviews with him where he commented that he'd said all he needed to say and was stepping away in favor of other projects. Little did I know, that he did have more to say. Now, there's some debate as to whether the motive was creative or cash driven, but regardless of what your stance is on the whole topic.... Rob made a slasher film that was different from the original and very different from a lot of the sequels we've ever seen or even any other horror films we've ever seen. This time around, he wasn't going to follow the template that was laid out in the subsequent follow ups to Carpenter's first film. Rob Zombie was out to make a Michael Myers film that was truly all his own. Love it or hate it, this film exists now and you can't deny that it didn't leave a hell of a mark.

This film takes place, literally minutes after the first films ending. Just before that, we get a brief glimpse and a little foreshadowing of events to come, as a young Michael (not played by Daeg, as adolescence had made it impossible) hearing about the white horse. Cut to Laurie wondering down the empty streets, bloodied, bruised, broken and barely breathing. Sheriff Brackett finds her and rushes her off to the hospital, where you truly see the kind of havoc that was caused to her body by the night of terror she had just endured. Right off the bat, you know this is going to be something different. Meanwhile, the 'meat wagon' shows up to get Michael's body and transport him to the morgue. Along the way, the two paramedics (one played by the later cast as Doom Head, Richard Brake) share a little gallows humor before hitting a cow head on and crashing the truck. We quickly find out that Michael isn't dead and he's about to pick up right where he left off. We also see the vision of his mother and the aforementioned large, white horse. This is something that has divided fans across the board and was one reason so many of them felt like this film was not the follow up they were hoping for. It creates a backdrop for what's actually going on inside the mind of a killer. It's a bit of high art that isn't typically seen in your run of the mill cut em' up and for that, I give Rob credit. He took a big risk and for me, it proved to be something that makes this film stand apart. We then see Laurie in the hospital, recovering from the massive trauma she's just sustained, but her respite is short lived as soon Michael shows up and starts murdering everyone in his path back to Laurie. She makes it out of the hospital (note to the reader: the theatrical and unrated version differ pretty largely during this sequence) and to a guard outside. He attempts to calm her down and get her back to her hospital room. What happens next is one of my favorite visual scenes in the film, which is Michael in the rain. He kills, Buddy the guard, and then proceeds to kill Ms. Strode.... or does he?

She wakes up screaming and we come to find out that this was all a nightmare or at least parts of it. It's never clearly defined what actually happened, other than Michael showing up to dispatch her. Now, this is where the film really starts to shine. One of the two main reasons I will defend this film and consider it to be a worthy successor to his first outing is the portrayal of Sheriff Brackett, by Brad Douriff and with the way that we see the true repercussions of a killer on a rampage. We rarely see the collateral damage or what happens to the victim, post attack. About 95% of the time, the 'final girl' becomes a raging bad ass who will take on the killer, head on, in an act of vengeance and anger. While I can certainly appreciate and enjoy the empowerment of women in these scenarios, the reality would truly be something entirely different. Instead, we see a young woman who is fragile and traumatized by the events that transpired. She's not out to take on all the evil of the world, she's just trying to get her life back together. Just that alone deserves some credit. Instead, most of the viewers seemed to see this film as a confusing piece of cinema that didn't ring true for them. Why do we always have to follow the same formula? Horror doesn't have to be a cut and paste mad lib that just adds slightly different elements to create the same final product. If you do this too often, you become stagnant and the genre turns into something that people don't take seriously. Along her journey, we see Laurie in counseling and struggling with PTSD. We see her having difficulty having normal human interactions and trying to move past something that her small town society won't let her do. This is the reality that isn't normally shown. Again, for that, I give Rob all the credit. It's not pretty or what's expected, but it's more of what might be true to life in this horrific situation. Another point of deviation from the original is how Dr. Loomis goes from a loving and caring professional to a straight up media whore. As I said in my previous piece, he, in his own way, becomes a monster. Casing in on the tragedy of those around him for the sake of the almighty dollar. While I know that the initial take on the character from the original films was more of counterpoint to Michaels' mayhem, I like Malcolm McDowell's spin on him and his character arc.

During a scene where Mr. Myers is still roaming the countryside on his way to Haddonfield, we get the sense that perhaps he and Laurie are more than just linked by blood. When he decides to eat a dog that was caged with the three owners of the land he was trespassing on that he dispatches rather abruptly. As he's eating, so is Laurie. It's established that she's a vegetarian and while she's having her meat free pizza, she becomes violently ill, as if what Michael is eating is effecting her. It's never explicitly said, but rather implied throughout the film. After all of this, Michael sets up shop at the Rabbit In red, where his mom used to dance. Brutally slaying the owner, bouncer and dancer in one of the most vicious killings in both films. The murders in and of themselves aren't as gory, but the methods are just insane. I think because in a lot of ways, Michael is taking it out even harder on them because it's personal. They're not just random people. The next morning, Dr. Loomis releases his latest book that reveals that Laurie is in fact, Michael's little sister. This spins her out and while trying to drink away her problems, she spends the evening at a Halloween party with her two best friends. Once again, Michael picks them off one by one, until he ends up at the Brackett's, where he finally finishes what he started with Annie. Once again, there is an implication of more violent acts than what we're shown. It's one big point of contention I do have with this film. If what Rob is implying is what actually happened, it was unnecessary and completely out of character for Michael. I'll leave that up to your own interpretation. Things at this point go into overdrive as all of the world's come crashing together at a small shed where Michael has taken Laurie to be a family again. The standoff comes to an end with Sheriff Brackett, Dr. Loomis and an large fleet of police officers are looking for a chance to take him out. While it's interesting to watch, it doesn't end up holding the same weight as the end of the first installment. That brings us to the last shot of the film and the way the Rob ends it with almost no way for Michael to continue on and with Laurie set to take up the mantle. It's a bold choice and one that doesn't totally feel out of character, based on the events that led up to it's conclusion. In my personal opinion, it bookends nicely with the original film and always leaves me feeling like it was a complete story. With all the other original films, I always felt like there was one more movie yet to come and with the newest chapter being released this year with 'Halloween' (2018), I was right.

Love them or hate them, Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' films are two stand alone pieces in an alternate reality to the one we grew up with. I found them to be gritty masterpieces of modern horror. Telling an entire lifetime of story in a mere (roughly) four hour window of time. There is a beginning, middle and ending that tie up any lose ends and leave me feeling satisfied. His choice of music, set design, actors, costuming, color pallet, right down to the best version of the mask we've seen since the original.... he puts his passion on a plate. I know that I'm in the minority with my feelings on these films and I'm okay with that. As I said at the beginning of my two part retrospective, I'm a Rob Zombie fan, no two ways about it. However, that's not the only reason that I love these films. I love them for what they are. The original films were a tale of a modern day boogeyman that started out with a two part bang, but quickly faded into a rather wimpy shadow of what he once was. These films brought him back to life for a new generation and made him terrifying again. I think we can all agree that John Carpenter's original 1978 film is a masterpiece of horror that did something that was new and unique. I feel that these were a love letter to those first few films, but bravely paved a new path to set itself apart of it's predecessors. That's the legacy that these film will leave behind..... or maybe it's just me?



We continue to look back in retrospect at the Halloween franchise films that we have loved, or at least found entertaining, before they cease to exist with the release of the new Halloween II on October 19th.

The Creepercast 'Halloween' Retrospective: joel talks about 'Halloween' (2007)

This film and it's sequel, have created some of the most bombastic arguments I've ever seen. You'd think that someone had taken religion and politics, threw them in a blender, and then made each person drink their worst nightmare. You've got the lovers and the haters and not much in between. When Jeff approached us with the idea of taking two of the 'Halloween' franchise films and writing a retrospective type piece on them, it was a no brainer as to which two I would choose. Kind of like there's no secret that I love Rob Zombie and his body of work. When remakes began to become a buzz word in the Hollywood lexicon, I was not on board with the idea. However, this was not a new thing. Hollywood and every other creative format, had been using some form of remake or reboot or whatever you choose to call it, for decades. For some reason though, this time it felt different and everyone kind of lost their collective minds. Over the years I've come to change my thoughts on the subject. While I still feel that shot for shot remakes don't really offer much to the movie going public, the ones that do something a little different or make it their own, I've come to enjoy. So by the time I heard that Rob Zombie was taking on the original John Carpenter classic, 'Halloween', I was on board. I was very curious to see what he would bring to the table and how he would twist this tale into his own terrifying take. What that all boils down to is that I was there, in the theater, to see this one unfold on the big screen as soon as it came out. It made the character scary again. It also made me feel pretty dirty to watch, as this was not the clean cut, no blood story that we originally got. This was a no holds barred cage match to the death and when I left, I was exhausted.

Now, let's back things up a bit, to a time where Mr. Zombie was on the same page as me. He spoke out very loudly about how remakes were terrible and he would never do one. Over time, he softened on the topic. He and I began to line up in our ways of looking at them. Kind of like a popular song that gets remade over and over, there's no reason that you can't apply that same approach to film making, right? Not too mention, I can only imagine that when he got the offer to take this one on, he couldn't pass up the chance. I mean, he even went so far as to get John Carpenter's blessing first. If that doesn't make you feel like you're safe to rewrite history, I don't know what would? Besides, Rob wanted to turn this into a version that only he could create. He also wanted to 'fix' some things about the original that always had plagued him as a youth. Not saying that he didn't love 'Halloween', just that it wouldn't be the same as the one we grew up with. That brings us to the film itself. A nearly two hour symphony in two acts. The first, telling us about a young Michael and his journey into madness and the second, showing us where his madness would end up. It put a face inside the mask, but didn't make the character of Michael Myers any less terrifying in my opinion, despite what many people have gone on to say. While he may not be 'The Shape' anymore, he's still a boogeyman for the modern day. In fact, no matter how much story was divulged in the beginning, it didn't really elude to a true motive. It seemed as though he was damaged from day one. It's just that he was waiting for the right moment to snap. He had a rather heartless father figure, a broken mother who loved him, a big sister who couldn't care less and a baby sister he adored. While he lived in a lower class environment, it wasn't like he was surrounded by violent role models or actions. He came to those conclusions on his own. One of my favorite scenes before he starts his killing spree, is where he's standing by the window in his Halloween costume and watching the kids outside Trick or Treating. It's like he's either disconnected from the joy they're experiencing or that he's kind of witnessing the end of his youth. Aside from that moment, there's never really a section you can pinpoint that shows where he snaps, only that he just makes a decision that it's time to begin. End of story.... or the beginning.

Once he's completed his night's work, we begin his treatment at the hands of Dr. Samuel Loomis (played by the iconic Malcolm McDowell). The audience is still shown that Micheal is a child that may not fully understand what's he's doing and goes so far as to point out that he has no memory of it. Almost as though he's possessed or taken over by the evil inside him. I don't think that was Rob's intention, but none the less, it almost plays out that way. Now Dr. Loomis is another point of contention for people. He has a rather sharp character arc, unlike Donald Pleasance's take on the role. He goes from loving caretaker and almost guardian, to becoming a hardened man to all he's seen. Deciding to cash in on his life's work and thus eventually turning him into a different kind of monster. He eventually realizes that Michael can't be helped and decides to move on with his life. This seems to almost be a motivation for Michael to want to break out and begin again. Once out of the sanitarium, he goes back to Haddonfield and begins a killing spree. While it's never explained why he singles out Laurie, all of his victims center around her and her family. Rob still uses the angle that they're related, but since Michael was locked up this entire time, he had no way of knowing who or where she was. It's never really explained, but we'll chalk that one up to movie logic. Before long, he's killed everyone in her immediate radius and then comes after her. It's a showdown until one of them finally brings an end to his reign of terror.

I somehow got off on a bit of a tangent there about retelling the plot. Of all of Rob Zombie's films, this is actually one of my favorites. I've seen it so many times, that I can quote it as I watch. Actually, on Halloween night, I always watch this and its sequel as a double billing. This may make some of you think I'm crazy, but there's just something about these versions of the film that hit all my high points. So much so, that I own multiple versions/copies. For the first film, I own seven copies and for the second, I own 5 copies. These include DVD, Blu-ray, theatrical, unrated, multi disc special editions and even a work print copy. Why so many? Well, each version of the film is just a little different or has different things attached to it. For example, the theatrical and unrated versions of the film, while very little is changed, are drastically different. The same with the work print version. I much prefer the theatrical ones, as we don't hear Michael speak ever and there's the deletion of the scene with Lew Temple getting a bit too handsy with one of the inmates at Smiths Grove. Along with the copies of the film, I had a plush Michael Myers from part 2 and I have an action figure from the original film. It's just a piece of horror cinema that fascinates me. Some of the things that were drastically changed for this take on the tale were the incredible increase in the amount of blood. In the original film (but not its sequels) there is basically no blood at all. This is what I was referring to earlier, when I called the movie 'clean cut'. Rob also makes excellent use of the shaky cam technique of cinematography. It's used as a way to indicate the fear, uneasiness, power and just plain chaos that takes place in some of the more intense sequences. While this particular technique seems to almost be overused these days, in this world it makes sense. It was also nice to see some of the familiar faces of Mr. Zombie's cavalcade of stars. At some points in the film, he pays homage to the original, as well as some other classics of the genre. Such as when Michael grabs Annie and drags her into the house and slams the door. It feels very similar to the scene in the original 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Finally, the ending. I cannot say enough good things about how he wrapped up the first film. It's become one of, if not, my favorite ending in a horror film of all time. There's just something about when Laurie is on top of Michael trying desperately to shoot him, but there seem to be no bullets left. He finally grabs her arm and she pulls the trigger one final time, thus shooting him in the face with the last remaining bullet. As she's covered in blood, she screams a blood curdling scream that gives me chills. Every. Single. Time. I. See. It.

Final thoughts, I think this film gets a bad rap. I fully understand that not everyone likes remakes or thinks that they're valid forms of film making. I also get those who completely love the original and feel that this is some kind of sacrilege. You are welcome to your opinions. However, just looking at this from a film making standpoint and as a stand alone horror film, it's above average. We live in a world of a lot of carbon copy, cookie cutter movies that are being put out. This felt like something different, as all of his films do. They exist in a world he created and I like that world. I also felt that his decision to cast Tyler Mane as Michael was inspired. It actually put fear back into me, with the character. He's so incredibly large and menacing, that you can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Just think about it from Laurie's perspective. You essentially have a giant shark coming after you, with one goal in mind. He's stronger than you are. He's got no morals or boundaries. Not too mention that he won't stop until he gets you. It's a horrifying thought. Just my two cents and at the end of the day, horror is subjective. We're not all going to love the same things and that's the beauty of our genre. There is always going to be something for everyone. Just please try and be kind and respectful of the things you dislike. We're already in a minority, as horror fans, we need to stick together. Blood is thicker than water, kids.



We continue to look back in retrospect at the Halloween franchise films that we have loved, or at least found entertaining, before they cease to exist with the release of the new Halloween II on October 19th.

Breaking News: The Master of Creeps Joins Zombie's Devil's Rejects Sequel

We have just learned from a reliable source (Bill Oberst Jr.'s Facebook Page) that our patron saint, the Master of Creeps, has officially joined the cast of Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects sequel, 3 FROM HELL! There has never been a better horror actor to receive such an honor. Though we agree some of us have been kind of luke-warm on the idea of DR sequel, we're starting to get excited by the project given Zombie's taste in actors. Keep checking in with us here at Creepercast.com for continued stalking of the project and our Master.

It's Time for a Terror Time Out Featuring Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' 2007

One picture alone tells a story and a horror film is full of still frames that stand out as works of art. A Terror Time out is when we feature a still from one of those films. Here is this weeks frame of horror fame.

In the Halloween reboot Rob Zombie introduces us to hulking Michael Myers with a penchant for blood and gore. He also provided a previously bits and pieces back story that includes Michael's love creating and wearing his own masks. It is this reviewers opinion that the attempt to humanize Michael took a lot of the evil out of him, but the mask making is definitely a newly developed creep factor.

my thoughts on.... 'Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told'

As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....

The 60's were a different time. Not just socially and politically, but in the film making industry. It seemed that studios were more willing to take risks and there were more b-movies being made. Well, that's not entirely true. We have just as many b-movies being produced today, they're just being done on smaller budgets and by home made film makers. Therefore, the quality isn't quite as good as it was, as it's primarily being shot on cell phones, digital cameras and other cheap and easy options. There just aren't as many film makers, actually using film. Because of that, we don't get these strange little oddities like 'Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told', that look like they had a bigger budget than they probably did. I've heard about this film for many years now. Being a fan of Sid Haig, ever since I first saw 'House of 1000 Corpses', it's been on my long list of things I needed to see before I died. It's currently streaming on Amazon Prime, so it felt like a good time to settle in and give it a proper viewing.

The basic story, which is fairly simple, focuses on the Merrye family. Two sisters (played by Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn) and a brother (played by a very young Sid Haig), who are being looked after by their caretaker, Bruno (played by the late Lon Chaney Jr). The adult children are suffering from something later referred to as 'Merrye Syndrome'. This is defined as a condition that basically makes them have the mental capacity of children. Sometimes, the condition can cause them to regress further and further into a younger state of mind. All three 'children', don't seem to have a full grasp on right and wrong and have been known to murder innocent passers by. After keeping them safe from outside eyes for many years, Bruno is soon forced into trying to save his house and the 'kids' from an outside family member who wants the home and all the assets that come with overseeing the 'children'. During the course of the fateful 24 hour period, all of them soon realize that the Merrye 'children' are not as innocent as they appear. They may not escape the night with their lives.

What's fascinating about this little slice of bizarre cinema history is that it was made in 1967, the same year as George A. Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead'. Although it doesn't share the undead aspect of the story, it still feels very much like a distant cousin to this film. Written and directed by Jack Hill ('Coffey', 'Switchblade Sisters' and 'Foxy Brown') this was originally intended as a comedy. What we ended up with, instead, was a very dark and somewhat demented tale of murder and mayhem. Despite there being no blood shed what so ever, this film is still rather gruesome and contains several scenes that are shocking. Perhaps that makes it tame by today's standards, but when you look at in the context in which it was made, it's a rather curious piece of cinema history. Perhaps this is why it's remembered so fondly? If you ever do any research on horror movies and the history of the genre, this one will continually pop up on people's required viewing lists. After finally seeing this one, I can see why. I can also see how it influenced several writers and directors, in their future film making careers. Where as many people cite 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2' as Rob Zombie's primary influence on 'House of 1000 Corpses', I would beg to differ. I would clearly put this at the top of the list, in terms of the movie that most closely resembles that film and bares a lot of striking similarities in more ways than one. Right down to the last scenes in the film, this almost feels like the original to Rob's unintentional remake. Perhaps that's too big of a stretch, but it clearly was a film that he used as a basic template. Watch it for yourself and see if you would agree with me.

All in all, this is one that will continue to puzzle and jump start the creative juices in many writer/directors to come. There's just something about it, that bares a required viewing seal of approval. It's strange, unique and twisted, but at the same time it's quite well made and something like you've never seen before. It's not the greatest film ever made, but it's certainly one that needs a wider audience. If you're a fan of Rob Zombie's work and want a little peak inside of his head, then you should put this one in the top of your queue and give it a go. A 4 out of 5 star blast from the past and something I could say a lot more about, but I don't want to spoil any of it for those of you who decide to take the journey. There are a lot of winks and nods to other prior films and a certain deranged charm to it. The only criticism that I might have, is that poor Sid Haig had no actual lines of dialogue. He spends most of his time just smiling and acting bizarre, but in only a way that he can. Make a bucket of popcorn, make sure your cat is okay and turn off all the lights. This is one that you'll be telling your friends about the next day.... just like I am.



If you like this, check out: 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968), 'House of 1000 Corpses' and 'The Wolf Man' (1941)

On this day in horror history.... September 26th, 1970

On this day in horror history.... Sheri Moon Zombie is born. Wife and long collaborator of Rob Zombie, Sheri is a unique talent. Known for her role as Baby Firefly in 'House of 1000 Corpses' and 'The Devil's Rejects'. Also working as his personal muse, she's been in all of Rob's other films and tours with him, when he's on the road. Happy Birthday, Sheri!

A Terror Time Out featuring 'Halloween 2' (2009)

Say what you will, Rob Zombie's remake of the 'Halloween' sequel, is a meditation on survivors and what it takes to live.... once you've nearly died.
5 out of 5 stars

On this day in horror history.... April 19th, 2013

On this day in horror history.... Rob Zombie's polarizing tale of witches, 'The Lords of Salem' is released. Unfortunately panned by the critics and causing a large divide among his fans, this film was a throwback to a time, when films consisted of a slow burn. Beautifully shot and mesmerizing to watch, this one is unique among it's peers. Love it or hate it, 'The Lords of Salem' is something unique to behold.

On this day in horror history.... April 11th, 2003

On this day in horror history.... One of my all time favorite horror films and a movie I can watch over and over, 'House of 1000 Corpses' is finally released theatrically. A modern day masterpiece, containing all the elements of a proven classic. This fright fest brought us not one, but an entire family, of iconic characters. Not too be missed, 'House of 1000 Corpses' is the stuff of true nightmares.

Uber Spencer Reviews Rob Zombie's 31

Before I do my intro I want to say that this review isn't bashing Rob Zombie as a director nor as an artist but that said, I am a huge Rob Zombie fan between his films and his music, I can't get enough of the guy. This film is a film that I have been anticipating for some odd couple years and there a lot of films that have come out over recent memory that I have been hyping up and a lot of them have left me with a sour taste in my mouth, for instance Unfriended (ugghh!!!). This review isn't about me bashing movies from past but my review is for 31!

Intro: When I heard Rob was making a new film entitled 31, I was seriously thinking it was a stunt to promote a new Halloween movie, alas I was wrong. This movie is Rob's first crowd funded film and does it help or hurt the film? You'll find out in a minute. Before I get to who stars in it and the premise I just want to say is are there no original concepts left? I mean House of 1000 Corpses, Devils Rejects and Lords of Salem was for the most part original concepts but 31 makes me think of another movie. 

31 is a 2016 American Horror film directed by Rob Zombie and stars Sheri Moon Zombie (who you might know as the wife of Rob and star of all of his feature films including his animated film), Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lawrence Hilton- Jacobs, Meg Foster, Richard Brake (who you might recognize as Joe Chill from Batman Begins and as a paramedic from Rob's Halloween II) and Malcom McDowell (I honestly don't need to explain Malcom to you do I). 

The film starts out with Doom-Head (Brake) who we think is talking to the audience about who he is is talking to a captive priest who he later kills but he ends his little speech with "In hell, everybody loves popcorn." In 1976, 5 carnival workers are driving around in their RV working on new material when they stop at a local gas station much to the gas station attendants joy with Charly (Moon-Zombie) wearing a revealing shirt. Roscoe (Phillips) is approached by a 'slut' (sorry not sorry) who he turns down. On the road they stop for scarecrows blocking the road, as Roscoe and Panda (Hilton-Jacobs) try to move them, they are attacked by clowns and the clowns take the 5 to an abandoned building where they are told they are going to participate in 31. 31 is a game of cat and mouse and for 12 hours the 5 are hunted by various clowns called The Heads, which named by their unique personality. [edited for spoilers]

Positives: I really have no positives about this movie. That said, I do think Rob tried his hardest to make a film in 20 days that was crowd funded. 

Negatives: remember when I said that a crowd funded movie can either be good or bad? Well, 31 is a prime example of a crowd funded film that doesn't work. The first Head is well um he's a little person and for some reason when I see a little person in a horror movie I can't take them seriously. Let me draw comparison to Chucky, for a little kid, a killer doll is scary but for an adult? Yeah I'd punt that little bastard back to hell. Even with this film, if I saw a little person running towards me with a knife and intent to kill, it'll be easy to get away. The acting itself is pretty much B movie acting. Malcom McDowell shines in his role no doubt but I never once empathized with any of these characters nor did I want to root on the villains because it was all a big hunk of horse poopy. Rob calls 31 his most brutal film to date but I have to disagree with that. Halloween 2 even though it's a sequel is pretty brutal. I never once found myself scared with 31 let alone sick to my stomach. It's a movie that doesn't deserve to be spent 13 bucks on but it will warrant a day rental from redbox. 

Conclusion: I was very disappointed greatly with this movie. I love Rob Zombie so much but I think he could have done this way better without crowd funding. The Lords of Salem is still my favorite Rob Zombie movie to date. 

I give 31 a blistering 1.5/5 stabs. I give Rob props for wanting to a  crowd funding movie but it fell down the crapper! 

My #2 pick for best Horror films of 2016 By William S. Mayfield

Directed by Rob Zombie this film follows a group of carnival works when they abducted by a group of psychos and forced to fight for this lives in a sadistic game.

Sherri Moon zombie plays Charly, her and the rest of the carnies face some of the most sadistic villains to grace the screen. Zombie once again brings his unique brand of film making to the genre that has become his home. Some of the other actors in this are Jeff Daniel Phillips,Malcolm McDowell, and Lawerence Hilton-Taylor of Welcome Back Kotter fame. New to me is Pancho Moler in the role of Sick-Head, one of the vile characters the carnies face in the game. He is a wonderful actor and I look forward to him in other films. Now Richard Blake plays Doom-Head. The guy that gets called in when stuff goes bad and the bad guys need things fixed. This movie is probably my favorite of Rob Zombies films to date. Love everything about it. From the twisted story to the props and to the down to earth nasty and evil of the whole thing. Please give his a watch, but remember to bring your popcorn.

my thoughts on.... Rob Zombie's '31'

As with all of my reviews for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of the films out. I am one man, with one opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support all of the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....

Let's get one thing clear, I'm a fan of Rob Zombie. I may only be partially in love with his music, but his films struck a chord with me from the 1st time I sat down and watched 'House of 1000 Corpses'. There's just something about his visual style and keen eye for little artistic flares, that speaks to the horror lover in me. Not only with the cinematography, but with the music, set designs, character creation and his all out kinetic style of editing. It spoke to me in a way that most other film makers had never done before. Ever since then, I've seen all of his films more times than I can count. I own several action figures, various versions of his films on DVD and Blu-ray, all of his albums and soundtracks and even a plush Michael Myers from 'Halloween 2'. With all of my Rob Zombie out of the way, when I first heard that he was crowd funding a new project called '31', I got excited. Since 'Broad Street Bullies' seemed to be languishing in development hell, the Groucho Marx picture was looking like it was still way out in the future and 'Tyranasaurus Rex' being dead.... it was something new to sink my teeth into. The first concept art, that was released, was insane and had all the ear marks of a Rob Zombie joint. It looked like he was pulling out all the stops, since he was working outside of the studio system. Not unlike, one of his favorite directors, Woody Allen, he was doing his own thing and doing it his way. When you can take someone who just loves to make movies and doesn't care what the greater masses think and give them a blank check, it's possible that you might get the unfiltered magic you've been hoping for. As the film progressed through all of it's production phases, I got more and more excited. After it's premier and Cannes, the overall thoughts were that it was a pretty solid film. Rob Zombie doing exactly what fans of his work would expect. However, there were a lot of issues with the original cut being too much for an 'R' rating. He's since gone on record as saying that the unrated version will be the version he intended for us to see, but we'll have to wait for that for the DVD/Blu-ray release. Once Cannes was over, the film went back into the shadows as it was looking for a distributor. Finally, Saban Films picked it up if up for distrubution and I got our hopes back up that it would finally reach a mass audience. With a release date set for October 22nd in theaters and September 17th for VOD, I settled in for a few more months of waiting. Then the clouds broke and it was announced that Fathom Events was having a one night only showing on September 1st, that would include a post Q and A with the man himself, some behind the scenes stuff and 2 world premier music videos. Of course, I bought a ticket 5 minutes later. Last night.... I finally saw what I'd be waiting for, in all it's cinematic glory and surrounded by fellow horror hounds. What better way than that to take it all in?

*** Some small SPOILERS may follow. You have been warned. ***
'31' opens on a black and white scene of a door opening, to reveal a shadowy figure carrying an ax. As he slowly walks into focus, his entire head fills the screen. It's covered in grease paint and blood, as the man introduces himself as Doom-Head (played by Richard Brake). He proceeds to give one hell of a monolgue about who he is and why he's there. Almost as if he's talking to the audience directly. We soon realizes that he's speaking to a priest (played by Daniel Roebuck), who's tied to a chair in front of him. What happens next, is one of the strongest moments in Rob Zombie's film career, so far. Only to be matched by the opening scene with Captain Spaulding in 'House of 1000 Corpses'. After this establishing shot occurs, we jump to the credits and then move on to our main story. '31' then begins to tell the story of 5 carnival workers, their driver and 2 'hangers on', as they travel from one town to the next. The film takes place on Oct. 31st, 1976 and things are steady for the group, but not as good as they used to be. They stop at a run down gas station, in between destinations to fill up and there, Roscoe (played by Jeff Daniel Phillips), strikes up a conversation with a flirty stranger. She asks some obviously strange questions, but he thinks nothing of it, as he's too preoccupied by her flirtations. They soon finish up with their pit stop and hit the road. After nightfall, they come to a row of scarecrows that are blocking the road. Roscoe, one of the 'hangers on' and Venus Virgo (played by Meg Foster), get out to remove them from their path. The rest of the group stays in the RV, until the trio are suddenly attacked by an unknown number of men in masks and old timey burglar costumes. They dispatch, quickly, with the two 'hangers on' and the driver and proceed to kidnap the other 5 and take them to an abandonded factory in the middle of nowhere. After being gagged and strung up by chains, they meet their captors. Father Murder (played by Malcom McDowell), Sister Dragon (played by Judy Geeson) and Sister Serpent (played by Jane Carr). They're all dressed up in white face and powdered wigs, like old English artistocrats. They inform the group that they are about to play a game called '31'. The game takes place over 12 hours and the only rule is to survive. Each of them are only given a number and it's attached to their wrists by a metal arm band. Along with Roscoe and Venus, there is Levon (played by Kevin Jackson), Panda Thomas (played by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) and Charly (played by Sheri Moon Zombie). At this point, odds are placed on the 5 'players' and they're introduced to their first competitor, a midget dressed as Hitler, who only speaks Spanish. His name is Sick-Head (played by Pancho Moler). He slowly walks past each one of them, taunting them before the game begins. Once the time is right, the 5 of them are released into the hell on earth known as '31'. Along they way they meet a duo of chainsaw weilding clowns named Schizo-Head (played by David Ury) and Psycho-Head (played by Lew Temple) and another duo of sexily clad killers named Sex (played by Elizabeth Daily) and Death (played by Torsten Voges). Finally, whomever is left of the group, meets the ultimate player of '31', Doom-Head. That's all I'm going to give you, kids. The rest you just have to see for yourself. I don't want to spoil anymore of it for you.

What I put into the plot portion of the review, will never truly paint the picture of what we see on the screen during the film, but I don't want to take away from what the film maker has done. You really need to see how it's presented in the film, to really appreciate all of the hard work that went in to each shot. Specifically, with Rob Zombie's way of telling a story, it's something that needs to be seen to be believed. He lives in a world of dirt, grime and sideshow attractions. He fully intends on making us feel uncomfortable and like we might need a shower when it's all over. '31' is no exception. Now, the film itself, doesn't tread a lot of new ground for him, as a film maker. As a matter of fact, it uses bits and pieces of each and every element used in all 5 of his movies to date. It's like taking ingredients from all over your kitchen and putting them together to create a single meal. At times, it works amazingly well, but at other times, it can feel a bit like a repeat of what's happened in the past. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it did take me out of the film a few times, as I was trying to put the original idea into a new context. There was also a strong sense of deja vu with the storyline. However, this type of story has been told and re-told in countless films over the years. Including, 'The Hunger Games' most recently and classic, 'The Most Dangerous Game'. Rob Zombie, in the post Q and A session even made reference to 'The Most Dangerous Game' as being similar, but not in an intentional kind of way. One of the other things that took me out of the story, was how fragmented each section of the game was. It never felt as fluid as I thought it should be. The game had more rules than they let on in the beginning and this made it a bit clunky. The biggest thing that never felt quite right though, was Sheri's role as Charly. Not that she didn't have the ability to embody the character, but it almost felt as though her and Meg Foster should have swapped roles and it would have been more effective. Charly was just not as flushed out as the other characters in the film. I never totally got her motivation and felt like she was all over the place at times. Perhaps, that's what Mr. Zombie was going for? I don't know, but at the end of the day, she was outshined by everyone else in the movie. The stand out performances were really by Meg Foster, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Kevin Jackson. They were so committed to their roles, that you could feel every bit of tension and terror they experienced throughout the night. Even Jeff Daniel Phillips fell short and usually he and Sheri have amazing chemistry together.

The villians in '31' were exactly what you would expect from the warped mind of Rob Zombie. Vicious, cruel, filthy, violent monsters. None of them had any redeeming qualities, but yet Doom-Head was so charasmatic that you loved to hate him anyway. Credit to Richard Brake for embracing the role and playing it with gusto. My only gripe with his character is that we didn't see more of him. With as strong as his introduction was, I was expecting him to play a larger role in the game. I also felt like there were some logic jumps that had to be made, throughout the picture. However, I was so immersed in the world, that anything that might not have made as much sense as it should have, was lost in my suspension of disbelief. The battles were bloody and over the top and everything you are hoping to see in this film, was given to you on a silver platter. I do wish the ending had been a bit more thought out, but it left me thinking about the film and has kept me wanting to go back and see it again. It's like ending a song on a minor chord, your brain needs to finish the song, but the minor chord feels so out of place, that you just need to hear it again, to see if what you actually heard is what actually happened. That is a sign of a good film. Something that leaves you wanting to come back and see it again. '31' was certainly that film. Despite all of the inconsistencies and flaws that I'm knit picking at.

The two videos, before the film, from his recently released album 'The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser', were a nice bit of pre-show entertainment. Something to set the tone for what you were about to witness. The first of the two songs was 'The Hideous Exhibitions Of A Dedicated Gore Whore', which featured Sheri Moon Zombie back in her Living Dead Girl outfit. This was, by far, one of the best videos Rob Zombie has made so far. Just watch and let me know what you think afterwards. It was like all of my favorite things were jammed into one 3 minute video. The second was 'Get Your Boots On ! That's The End Of Rock And Roll'. A straight ahead concert style video, but that's exactly what it needed to be. Straight forward and a kick to the throat. Now, the Q and A after the film, brought some insight into the process of creating '31'. It also gave us all a chance to hear directly from the horses mouth, about the experience we had just had. Rob Zombie was very candid about the whole production and even took us back to the exact moment he decided to make the film. It was during a phone call that he was on, as he was struggling with the difficulty of getting 'Broad Street Bullies' to keep moving forward. He jokingly commented about how he could throw any other idea out there, no matter how crazy it was and it would probably be able to get made before 'Broad Street Bullies' would. At that moment, he just spit out the rough outline for '31' and the rest is history. This comment has left other reviewers feeling that this film was just an after thought and nothing to be taken seriously, but Rob followed up that question by saying that '31' was the film that his was most genunie film he'd made to date. It was straight out of his head and was unfiltered Zombie. He also saw the use of other elements from his first film, as a positive thing. It was 100% intentional and it shuoldn't be looked upon as a bad thing. Following the Q and A, was an excerpt from the upcoming documentary 'Everybody Loves Popcorn'. Which I assume will be a special feature on the DVD/Blu-ray release.

So what did I think about it, in the end? After all of that waiting and time spent reading about the film and counting the days until it came out? To put it simply, I loved it. It's not my favorite, of the films he's made, and I don't think we've seen the best he has to offer.... yet. This was just an incredibly, fun, sick and twisted carnival ride. It gave us a new and iconic villain and it proved that horror is still and alive and well. There isn't a lot of new ground that's covered here and it's not going to make too many critics top 10 of 2016, but it did what it set out to do. To give Mr. Zombie a break from his other project and to create something that just comes naturally to him. This is simply the most Rob Zombie film that Rob Zombie has made, up to this point. I can see myself watching and re-watching this for years to come. Puzzling out the various bits and pieces hidden in the background scenery and to marvel at the opening monoluge. There is also some really great dialogue sprinkled throughout the film, that will make you think. It's not entirely about the blood, guts, gore and icky stuff. There's also some wit and wisdom contained within, if you pay attention. All in all, a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It's simple, refined, Zombie in his purest form. No film will ever be made that doesn't have its share of flaws here and there and '31' is no different. But for as many problems as I found in the film, there were far more positives that I found too. This one is going to polarize people, in the same way that 'The Lords of Salem' did. However, if you love Rob Zombie's previous films, then I think you'll enjoy this. If you're a horror fan and want something that's new and worth your hard earned money and that isn't a PG-13 Hollywood style horor, then you'll dig this one. This was the film I was waiting for. It feels like I'm leaving out a lot of things I originally had intended to say about the film. But instead of going on about it, I'll leave you with this final thought: I only regret not having popcorn while I watched it, because “In hell, everybody loves popcorn.”

If you enjoy this, check out Rob Zombie's entire body of work: 'House of 1000 Corpses', 'The Devil's Rejects', 'Halloween' (2007), 'Halloween 2' (2009) and 'The Lords of Salem'