John Carpenter isn’t a fan of Rob Zombie or his Halloween remake

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Many fans of the HALLOWEEN franchise weren't particularly fond of Rob Zombie's 2007 HALLOWEEN remake, and as it turns out the creator of the original film shares the same negative opinion of Zombie's approach to the material as a lot of fans do.

During a recent Q&A at the New York Film Academy, HALLOWEEN director John Carpenter was asked for his opinion on the remake, and he replied,

I thought that (Zombie) took away the mystique of the story by explaining too much about the guy (slasher icon Michael Myers). I don't care about that. He's supposed to be a force of nature, he's supposed to be almost supernatural … and he was too big, it wasn't normal."

I've seen those same complaints all over the internet, and have to agree that a Michael Myers origin story was not something I ever needed or wanted to watch play out, especially not in the way Zombie presented it.

Carpenter admitted that his opinion of the remake is at least somewhat tainted by his less-than-favorable opinion of Zombie himself. He explained to the audience that his issues with Zombie stem from an interview he gave for the documentary Halloween: The Inside Story, which aired on A&E's Biography Channel back in 2010. As the documentary nears its conclusion, the subject of the remake comes up, and Zombie re-enacts an awkward exchange he says he had with Carpenter when he called him up to tell him he would be remaking the 1978 classic.

Zombie's claim that he got a chilly reception is something Carpenter strongly denies.

He lied about me. He said that I was very cold to him when he told me he was going to make it. Nothing could be further from the truth. I said, 'Make it your own movie, man. You know, this is yours now. Don't worry about me.' I was incredibly supportive. Why that piece of shit lied, I don't know! He had no reason to. Why did he do it?"

As of this writing, Zombie has made no comment about the interview or how he feels about being called a piece of shit by "The Horror Master".

To hear these quotes come directly from Carpenter's mouth, jump to around the 16:45 point of the video below.