Now that we’ve put up our dissection on the key differences between Carpenter’s “Halloween” and the Rob Zombie remake, I wanted to also mention the alternate ending that Zombie abandoned before he made his final cut.
And don’t worry, we always keep things spoiler-free in these parts.
“The train of thought for the ending is, well, you have plans sometimes,” Zombie explained when we asked why he abandoned what we’ll call the “Dr. Loomis Ending.” “And the weirdest thing about movies is it’s all planned out, but you just don’t know. Sometimes, things that you really think will work work, and sometimes they’re like ‘eh’.”
On set, we watched Zombie film a conclusion featuring a late-night showdown on the Myers lawn. After Michael reaches into Loomis’ car and pulls out Laurie Strode (a scene that remains in the film), Sheriff Brackett (Brad Douriff) and several other policemen pull up in their cars, sirens blazing. Loomis talks to Michael, urging the cops to hold their fire. Blaming himself for Michael’s madness, Loomis talks the killer into dropping the knife and releasing Laurie. But as Loomis embraces the teen, Myers takes a step forward, triggering a hail of reactionary gunfire.
“We were kind of rushed because, filming in Pasadena, it’s like 11:00 and — boom! — they shut you down…the cops would step in front of the cameras,” Zombie told us. “We were shut down and I thought ‘Well, maybe we have it.’ Then I started editing, and it didn’t feel like I had the end of the movie. Luckily, I had the luxury of going back.”
“Now by the end of the movie, on those final frames you’re going to think ‘Wow, that is Michael’s sister,” Zombie said of the finale you can witness in theaters now. “The other way, it was more like she was a victim being rescued. Now, she becomes her own person.”
Zombie added that the “Dr. Loomis Ending” will likely be a bonus feature on the “Halloween” DVD.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:16 pm
the movie was better than the very first won i loved it alot and i loved the ending it kind of makes you think that she becaomes what he alread is which is a killer and that was what i got out of the ending awsome job by rob zombie.thanks for making the movie better than all of them.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:13 pm
I think you want to spell it “one”. If you think it was better than the first you are out of your freaking mind.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:52 am
I just saw the movie and wish the alternate ending was used. I spent the last 10 minutes of the movie wishing Laurie Strode’s death. The last 5 I was wishing my own!!
September 1st, 2007 at 9:16 am
I’m currently at the age of 41. I saw the first one like everybody in my generation years ago and it is still better than this Zombie remake, although…and this is important…Rob did a GREAT job with filling in the story; giving it some texture that the original from Carpenter lacked.
For us original fans, you’re gonna wish that Rob Zombie had maintained a 1970’s timeline because you feel like you’re THERE in the first half of the movie as Zombie explains the making of Michael Myers. It only gets a little spoiled when we advance to Myers as an adult (when the good killin’ starts, lol).
All in all, Rob Zombie has done a good job and I feel like he did the movie the way any of us kids that grew up in the 70’s would have. He had his finger on the pulse of this one.
September 1st, 2007 at 10:28 am
To begin with, I am a Halloween fan, and I have seen each one. I do not believe that this was better than any of them. The only good aspects about this movie were; the mask, the fact that they did a little more background on Michael, and how they made more of a big monster out of him. It didn’t have that “Halloween” feel to it. It felt like there was more effort put into showing the murders, blood, screaming, sex ect… than the actual story. And it was hard to believe the new Dr. Loomis when he was discussing Michael with the police. He was a huge part of this series, and should have been played differently. Also, the girl for Laurie? Could they not find anyone better? She was like a little girl. It was so annoying to listen to those girls talk. You should have heard the movie theater I was in. No one was impressed. I hate to rip on this movie like this, but it was dissapointing. Also, could anyone else pick up on where they were in the house throughout the final scenes? It was very hard to follow where they were/were going? And the ending? What was that? A screaming bloody mouth doesn’t do it for me, especially since Rob Zombie doesn’t plan on making a sequel. I think I will stick to the originals.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!! ROB RELLY DID A GOOD JOB THE ORIGINAL WAS DUEL IT WAS THE BEST BUT SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ONE REALLY PUT SOME FIRE INTO THE MOVIE. GOOD JOB ROB!!! SHERI WAS GREAT AS ALWAYS! I LOVE HOW HE PUT THE ACTORS FROM HIS OTHER MOVIES.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:42 pm
WELL I AM HERE TO TELL YOU-I WOULD PUT THIS NEW HALLOWEEN AS ONE OF MY FAVORITES-I’M SORRY BUT AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED,THE FIRST ONE,HALLOWEEN:H20 AND ROB ZOMBIE’S ARE THE BEST OF THE SERIES!!
I REALLY FEEL THAT ALL THREE MADE ANY EFFORT TO PUT IN A COOL STORY AND HAVE SOME KIND OF SUBSTANCE TO IT. ROB ZOMBIE DID A GOOD JOB AND IT RATES WELL ABOVE 4,5,6,AND RESSURECTION. I AM GLAD HE TOLD THE STORY IN THE FASHION HE DID. HE SHOWED A POSSIBLE REASON WHY MICHEAL BECAME THE TWISTED KILLER HE DID. FOR ONCE ,INSTEAD OF JUST MAKING A MOVIE WITH A PERSON WHO JUST LIKES TO KILL AND KILL,YOU GET TO SEE THE REASON BEHIND THE MADNESS AND HOT IT MANIFESTED. IT DOESN’T HURT TO EVEN SYMPATHIZE WITH THE VILLAN . ESPECIALLY GIVEN WHAT HE EXPERIENCED.
I MEAN I WILL ADMIT THAT THERE SEEMED LIKE THEY COULD HAVE MADE MICHEAL A LIL MORE OMINOUS AND MYSTRIOUS LIKE IN THE FIRST “HALLOWEEN” BUT IT SERVED ITS PURPOSE.
AT LEAST HE KEPT A FEW ELEMENTS FROM THE FIRST IN THE MOVIE AND PUT ON A DIFFERENT SPIN ON THE “HALLOWEEN’ MOVIE.
I RATE ROB ZOMBIE’S “HALLOWEEN 8/10-LOOK FOR WARD TO THE DVD> IT WILL BE ONE OF THOSE MOVIES WHERE THOSE WHO DID NOT LIKE IT AT FIRST,WILL END UP LIKING IT LATER ON DOWN THE LINE. REMEMBER ,WHEN THE FIRST HALLOWEEN CAME OUT,THEY PANNED IT AND NOW LOOK-IT IS A CLASSIC.
THIS SOME MAY NOT EVER BE THE CLASSIC LIKE THE FIRST,HOWEVER IT WILL BE LOOKED AT AS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES OUT OF ALL THE SEQUELS THAT WERE MADE!!
September 1st, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Rob did a wonderful job with this movie. I went in thinking it was Rob Zombie’s Halloween, not Carpenter’s, and I wasn’t disappointed for a minute.
Excellent flick.
September 3rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
Are you guys freakin’ insane? Did we even watch the same film??? This movie was utter crap. Even as a generic horror film that had nothing to do with Halloween, it was inane. As a Halloween film, it was an abomination. The opening scene was so over-the-top as to be cringe inducing. All Zombie seems to care about is tits and gore. There is no suspense because we care NOTHING about any of the characters.
I can not believe that I am having to get on a movie blog and explain why everyone should be supremely offended by this piece of crap.
Loomis’ character was watered-down and ridiculous. The Shape was supposed to be just that, A SHAPE. You can not explain away what made him that. It destroys the whole premise, and takes away everything scary about it. Now it is just some screwed up pro-wrestler who has taken too many ‘roids.
Oh, and the Myers family . . . The whole point was that they were just a normal suburban family and their angelic son suddenly snaps. Zombie has a huge boner for rednecks. Every movie has to be about white trash hillbillies, and I was seriously upset and offended by the fact that every single male in this monstrosity had either long hair, or a handle bar mustache. Is that his view of middle America? Come on, man.
Beyond that, it was just plainly, a morally repugnant film. There was nothing redeaming or fun about it. The original is atmospheric, tense, and enjoyable to watch.
When this movie ended, I was so upset that I wanted to find Zombie, and rip out his hair plugs. This is a bastardization of a great movie, and has replaced Problem Child 2 as my worst movie of all time.
September 5th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Good Movie Well Done ! I like the actors
September 7th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
I loved the movie! I left the theater feeling good and Happy with what I just watched.I hope theres a sequel with Rob Zombies visions. Thanks for making a great movie and Making my day!
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Hello gang,
I wasn’t too disappoited after waiting so long and Zombie could have made a better movie.
But if i take the movie on its on merits, and not compare it to all the other Halloween movies, it was OK. It was still better than H3.
The premise of the first movie was the mystery of why a child of your typical suburban middle class family would suddenly snap.
In this movie a low income, broken home, dysfunctional family,kid is picked on and becomes a psychopathic murderer.
Seems like this could happen to any family in America. I wonder what would have happened if those other kids in the bathroom had given Myers a wedgie? He probably would have murdered everyone in town.
The reason was never given fully in the original movie for Myers killing his sister except for some incoherent mumbo-jumbo given by Loomis in one of his long winded diatribes.
It was given in the paperbacks that came out in the late ’70’s and early 80’s.
I did like the action in this movie but Myers did not act like Myers.The cinematography was great but the story tried to move too fast,but that is because today’s audiences must have instant gratification.
They cannot wait for a story to build up. They must see the monster or killer now and not wait until the end of the movie for the climax.
There were some great gratuitous boob shots and i commend Zombie for his actions. LOL
Zombie, I am looking forward to your remake of Deliverance !! That way all of your redneck, white trash extras will have more work. LOL
September 10th, 2007 at 6:54 am
I HATED this move.!!!! the ending war horrible all she did was shoot him in the face and started screaming….. BOOOOOOOOORRINNGGGG lol i think he should use the other ending in the dvd and then maybe it would be better.. but other than that it wasnt bad.. I basicly predicted the whole move cuz evrytime you meet someone new either they die or they are gonna have something to do with it in this movie .. i rate it a 6/10
September 14th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I hate to admit it but the more i watch it the better i am liking it.
And since nobody else is making a Halloween movie,
well…..
Anywho that Danielle has some great b(.)(.)bs !!!
Zombie maybe you can make a new Friday the 13th movie ? Hint hint !!
December 18th, 2007 at 2:29 am
I just watched this film alone, and thank god, because apparently theaters full of people give some people a bias. This movie was excellent. I definitely prefer Halloween over the other slashers and I believe that Rob did the mythos justice, and expanded it brilliantly for a new generation who craves more information. That requires me to make mention of the first half of the movie which is almost entirely exposition, again something that some people missed. I loved Malcolm as as Loomis and its great to see Sabretooth finding more awesome roles in the industry. Tyler’s size was awesome, making Myers fierce and imposing. Of course Rob made the movie his and threw in a lot of his own signature vision, but his restraint is really what stood out for me, keeping the film slick and modern, as opposed to his wild House of 1,000 Corpses. I could go on and on about the difference between the original and every detail that made this movie one of my favorite of 2007, but I think that I’ve just summed it up pretty well. Good work all around, and thanks for making it. And one big congratulations for anyone who was able to figure out that the characters that we are introduced to in a slasher flick were going to get killed. Excellent perception guys.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:14 am
Listen, you jerk offs out there that does not think this was a great film, well, your stupid. Rob done a great job. Compared to the Originals, I was always asking, why did Michael do this, now we know. Get over yourselves. Rob Zombie did a great job!! I hope Rob remakes all the Halloweens, therofore, we have fact!! The Details of the real story!!
December 20th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I liked it. I think it had a lot more umph than the original. And a lot more of a story. I wasnt a fan of the ending though. Thats okay though, cause Zombie’s awsome.
December 20th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
If you haven’t read Doc’s post above, read it. He hit the nail right on the head. Michael Myers was from a normal family. And he just snapped. That’s scary. Not someone who was pushed into being a killer. That’s too rational to be scary. Especially Mike Myers. He is and always will be my favorite of all the scary movies, however, this was definetely Rob Zombie’s story about some other person named Michael Myers. That’s the way I look at it, and the movie is OK that way. And by the way, he was supposed to kill his mom, too. When he killed his family.