Haloween 2

Haloween 2

Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) returns to his home town of Haddonfield, bringing death in his wake, to bring "closure to the secrets of his [...] past". An unlikely individual steps up to put an end to Michael.

Development
"'Don't feel hindered by any of the rules we've had in the past. I want this to be your vision and I want you to express that vision."
— Producer Malek Akkad speaking to writer/director Rob Zombie.

In 2008, at the 30 Years of Terror Convention, Halloween producer Malek Akkad confirmed that a sequel to Rob Zombie's 2007 film was in the works. French filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Muary were in negotiations to direct the sequel back in November 2008, but on December 15, 2008, Variety reported that Rob Zombie had officially signed on to write and direct the Halloween sequel. Zombie has stated that the film will take place directly after the end of his remake, but will be presented through the eyes of Laurie Strode. In an interview, Zombie expressed how the exhaustion of creating the first Halloween made him not want to come back for a sequel, but after a year of cooling down he was more open to the idea. The writer/director explains that with the sequel, he is no longer bound by a sense of needing to retain any "John Carpenter-ness", as he can now do "whatever [he] wants to do".Producer Malek Akkad said that the original intention, when they believed that Zombie was not returning, was to create a "normal sequel". Akkad and his Trancus producing company hired various writers to come up drafts for a new film, but none of them worked. Akkad and the Weinstein brothers then turned to Bustillo and Muary, whose film Inside had recently been bought for distribution by the Weinstein Company. According to Akkad, the producers really wanted Rob to return, as Akkad felt that there was something "lost in the translation" when the French filmmakers took over the project. After his work on the 2007 remake, Zombie had earned the trust of Akkad, who informed him to ignore any rules they had set for him in the previous film. Akkad suggests that he wanted Zombie to move the franchise away from some of its established rules.

Casting

Zombie confirmed through his official website that Tyler Mane would be returning as Michael Myers, as well as Malcolm McDowell in the role of Dr. Loomis, and Scout Taylor-Compton and Danielle Harris returning as Laurie Strode and Annie Brackett, respectively. Halloween II will also see the return of Sheri Moon Zombie as Deborah Myers, Michael's mother, and Brad Dourif as Sheriff Brackett, Annie's father. Zombie has confirmed through his official website the casting of Ezra Buzzington, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips and Mark Christopher Lawrence, who will portray new characters in the sequel. Daeg Faerch, who portrayed a young Michael Myers in the 2007 remake, was set to reprise his role for Halloween II. Between the end of production for the 2007 film and the beginning of production for the sequel, Faerch had grown too big for the part. According to Zombie, the director had to recast the role, much to his own dismay, because Faerch's physical maturity did not fit what was in the script. Zombie does note that the first trailer for Halloween II does contain images of Faerch, but is quick to point out that they were test shots done and were not intended to be in either the trailer or the film.
"And as Laurie is Michael’s sister, I’m playing like he’s clearly insane and so is she, but her insanity doesn’t manifest itself in the same way. In the first movie, Michael Myers was clearly insane by age 10, so I figured, ‘Well, maybe hers comes at age 19.’ So that’s pretty much what it is: She’s slipping into insanity throughout the whole movie."
— Zombie describing Laurie's psychological state.

The two main characters, Michael and Laurie, go through their own changes in the sequel. Taylor-Compton describes her characters as having "these bipolar moments", where her emotions are spontaneously changing from points of happiness to agitation. The actress states that Zombie wanted to see the character of Laurie Strode travel into "these really dark places". Taylor-Compton clarifies that when the film starts Laurie is still not aware that Michael is her older brother, and as the film progresses more and more pieces of information will be given to her, that she does not know how to deal with. The actress explains that the darkness brewing inside Laurie is manifested externally, generally through her physical appearance and the clothes she chooses to wear—Zombie characterizes the look as "grungy". Zombie clarifies that after the events of Halloween, all of the characters have changed, but the sequel depicts the emerging "insanity" from within Laurie. As the writer/director describes it, Laurie and Michael are not that different psychologically, Laurie's "insanity" just manifests itself later and to a different degree than Michael's.[2] As for Michael Myers, the character is given almost an entirely new look for the film, which is being used, according to Taylor-Compton, as a means to illustrate a new emotion for the character as he spends much of his time trying to hide himself.

Writing

Zombie describes the new film as being very realistic and very violent. The writer/director has said that he is trying to create almost the exact opposite of what people will expect. Instead of focusing on Michael, Zombie says that the film will look more at the psychological consequences on Laurie after the events of the first film. As Zombie explains, two years after Michael murdered her friends and family, Laurie is a "wreck", who continually sinks lower as the film moves forward.

Filming

Production began on February 23, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. Zombie acknowledged that filming in Georgia provided certain tax breaks for the company, but the real reason he chose that location because at that time of year the other locations he was planning to use were still experiencing snowy weather. For him, Georgia's landscapes and locations provided the look that he wanted for his film.

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