It was a Halloween night like any other. There were children dressed as witches, ghouls and zombies… and even clowns. It was a night where a young Michael Myers went into his kitchen, picked up a knife and proceeded to walk up to his older sister Judith’s room. That is when the nightmare of what was to come began. He brutally murdered her, stabbing her seventeen times. He walked down to the front of the house where he was greeted by his parents, they were shocked at what they were about to find. And I trust that each one of you know what happens next…
HALLOWEEN is one of the most important and influential horror films ever made. John Carpenter took a simple story of a man killing off babysitters and made it into a suspenseful shocker that became a classic. It launched several sequels and a re-imagining by Rob Zombie. Everybody knows that mask, that music and the legacy which continues to this day. On Halloween, you can still count several Michael Myers trick or treating in your own neighborhood. And we have seen it re-released several times on DVD over the years. Do we complain about the double dipping? Of course. But do we still want to own the latest and greatest version? Hell yes.
I feel a lot of love for these films. While I have my favorites and of course, my least favorites, I have always had a fondness for Michael Myers. And with that, I was offered a wonderful chance to be a part of something really incredible. Thanks to Sean Clark who was putting together the
30th anniversary convention for HALLOWEEN, he asked Arrow In The Head if they would like to share in the experience and be a guest moderator for some of the panels during the event. This series has been a part of my life as long as I can remember, and the idea of being on stage with those involved in the making of the films was a dream come true.
When I arrived, I found myself nervously awaiting what was going to happen next. I’d never moderated a panel before and I was a bit terrified. Luckily, my sister Judy came along for the ride to snap a few pictures and commemorate the event. I knew very little about the plans for the day, only the fact that I would be covering the HALLOWEEN 2 and ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN. I enjoyed both films and was excited to walk into the convention hall and see P.J. Soles standing in this huge room. There were tables and chairs and many people standing around waiting for the doors to open. And once inside it was a who’s who for this Halloween fan. There was Danielle Harris, Alan Howarth, Dee Wallace, Ken Foree, Tom Towles, Scout Taylor-Compton, Ellie Cornell, Dick and Lance Warlock, Tawny Moyer and many, many more.
I mentioned that I was covering Rob Zombie’s Halloween, little did I know that would include three different panels. In fact, I had the first one of the day on Saturday, it included Daeg Faerch, William Forsythe, Hanna Hall, Adam Weisman and of course, a very cool individual, Dan Roebuck. We talked about the early years of Michael Myers and luckily we had both Forsythe and Roebuck chatting it up. While the audience was offered many a chance to ask questions, they didn’t for the most part. But I did speak to one of the fans watching from below and he said they were just trying to figure out what was going on with Mr. Forsythe. It was a blast to watch as he desperately tried to keep his dialogue clean, at Daeg’s mothers request. So for me, Halloween had officially begun, and I was ready for the next chapter.
Next up came Halloween 2 with Dick and Lance Warlock, Tawny Moyer, Gloria Gifford, Leo Rossi, Cliff Emmich and Kim Gottlieb-Walker. As a huge fan of number 2, I was pleasantly surprised with all of these wonderful people. There were some stories that were often told on panels similar to this. But one moment of interest included Kim, who was the on-set photographer for both Halloween and Halloween 2. She mentioned that her job was a joy during the first film with John Carpenter, but not so much with Rick Rosenthal. He wasn’t terribly thrilled with her snapping photos during the shoot, while Carpenter was very open to having her there. It made for an interesting conversation as Gloria brought up that Rick was protecting the actors involved. But what was most impressive here, is the absolute professionalism they all had. Even in the midst of what could have been a very heated argument. And just to lighten things up, Leo even talked about getting naked in freezing cold water… I bring this up since once I talk more about Zombie’s film, it is all about the ladies getting naked… well not ALL about that, but there are worse things to talk about.
After that, my Saturday was complete, but I did get a chance to hear a little bit about the future of Halloween. And according to Malek Akkad, we are definitely looking at HALLOWEEN 2. He mentioned that they do have another title, and for now, it is secret. After all, Universal owns the rights to “Halloween 2” so they will have to change it up a bit. It seems we are looking at something that will be a direct sequel to Zombie’s version. Malek was very careful about what he said, but since the last installment made money, there is no surprise that a sequel will follow. And for those of you who dug Tyler Mane as the big M, you’re in luck because he will be back. No other casting was announced, but once we find out, you’ll be sure to know who Michael is going to slash on his next go around.
After my first day of being a guest moderator, I left the Pasadena Convention Center looking forward to another day of Halloween. Not only is it at the top of my list when it comes to movies, it is also my favorite holiday so to get to be engulfed in all that is Halloween is a wonderful thing. And once I arrived early that Sunday, I was given a terrific treat. Sean had suggested that I ask Sybil Danning to be a part of the next panel. She was in one of my dad’s favorite movies, a little flick entitled MALIBU EXPRESS, a classic little T and A flick. She is also an incredibly beautiful and charming lady. She was joined by Lew Temple, Chris Nielson, Rawn Hutchinson and Tom Towles. We had a very short time for this group and sadly, it ended much too soon. Basically, the panel was mostly about stunts and the challenges that Rawn and Chris had to deal with during the shoot. There was a whole lot of respect put out there for these wonderful stuntmen who make it all look so good, and the audience showed their support.
Finally, the last panel for me was an absolute dream come true. There is nothing more exciting than being on stage with some of the loveliest ladies in cinema. It was time for the “current years” of Zombie’s Halloween, with Scout Taylor-Compton, Danielle Harris, Kristina Klebe and Dee Wallace. Joining them was one of the coolest little girls ever, Jenny Gregg Stewart who played Lindsey. It was her first panel and she was really funny and handled herself like a pro. Good job Jenny! And of course, you can’t get any lovelier than Ken Foree… okay, maybe lovely isn’t the right word. He is however one of the most entertaining, hilarious and sincerest dudes on the planet. I was a fan all the way back to the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, and I am happy to continually see him in the horror genre. This was an exciting group that talked openly about the amount of nudity in the film, and when the actress with the most nudity has no problem doing it, you have to wonder why anyone else would. Both Danielle and Kristina had absolute trust in the film and had no issue with any of it. With that, the one thing that every single actor from the film made clear, is their respect for Rob. Whether you liked the film or you didn’t, this was a fantastic hour where all of these fine folk entertained and enthralled the eager audience.
While I wasn’t able to see many of the other panels that I wasn’t moderating, it was incredibly exciting to see many of the actors and crew from the original Halloween sitting up on stage. Or to see the cast of HALLOWEEN 3: THE SEASON OF THE WITCH, including the ultra cool Tom Atkins. For Halloween fans, there was only one place to be this past weekend, and I’m happy to say that it was a fantastic experience. And I’d really like to thank Sean Clark and of course, all those involved in the convention for making some of my favorite movies. It was the night that everybody came home… Halloween: 30 Years of Terror. And I look forward to many more. I even got the chance to expand my world of Michael Myers thanks to Seth Hutchinson and his crew who showed love for Arrow In The Head, and introduced me to the wonderful world of Michael Myers via comics. I love “The First Death of Laurie Strode” Part 1 and I look forward to parts 2 and 3. Every day should be Halloween.
Let me know what you think. Send questions and/or comments to
JimmyO@JoBlo.com