Among all the horror movies he has ever made, two of Rob Zombie‘s most successful films are his Halloween movies (making roughly $119 million dollars combined). That said, making that first Halloween movie was quite rough for Zombie; in regard to both movies, he once shared on social media that “My experience with making my films was so insane it really burnt me out on Halloween.”
Zombie actually had such a bad time making the first Halloween movie that he initially refused to make the sequel, and that disinterest was very much because of his experience working with Harvey and Bob Weinstein (who were producers on the first Halloween).
During an interview with Howie Mandel Does Stuff, Zombie talked about how brutal it was to work with the Weinsteins (he says he mostly worked with Bob). In that interview, he talked about how he was bombarded with notes and aggressive energy, and how working with the brothers was brutal. He also shared that he had to deal with a plethora of “crazy ideas” and that he and Bob would get into “big fights” where they would “scream at each other.”
Upon seeing Halloween, Zombie said Bob called him and said “I hate every single fucking frame of this movie.”
After three years of working with the Weinsteins, Zombie said he felt “insane.” That said, the film ultimately ended up making a ton of money, and Zombie was eventually tapped to make a sequel.
However, Zombie initially refused to make the Halloween sequel due to how brutal it was working with the Weinsteins. So even though it sucked so much to work with them, why did Zombie decide to make the Halloween sequel? Well, per the director (as transcribed by The Pit):
“I go to make the sequel, which I refused to do at first ’cause I just want out of my contract, cause I wanted to kill myself. I had a three-picture deal with them, which I said – I left to do nothing. A couple of years later, they fired 12 different directors for Halloween 2, so I came back. I go, ‘I’ll direct it if you let me out of the third picture.’ So I don’t have to do the three pictures. I go ‘Let me out of the deal and I’ll do it.'”
Upon making this agreement, Zombie went on to film his Halloween sequel; and of course, while making this movie, he ended up having to deal with more bullshit from Bob.
That honestly does sound like a nightmarish experience – Rob Zombie clearly has some saintly-like patience. If you are interested in hearing more details from Zombie himself, head to the 25-minute mark in the video below.
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Upcoming Rob Zombie 2023 tour dates
- 08/24 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
08/26 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/27 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
08/29 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
08/30 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
09/01 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
09/02 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
09/05 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
09/06 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
09/08 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
09/09 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
09/10 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre
09/12 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
09/16 – Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
09/19 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
09/20 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
09/22 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
09/23 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
09/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre