Rob Zombie settles differences with John Carpenter

Rob Zombie and John Carpenter
Move on: Zombie and Carpenter (Image credit: Getty)

Movie director and musician John Carpenter says he’s settled his differences with counterpart Rob Zombie following a public war of words over their separate Halloween films.

Carpenter created the original in 1978 and Zombie oversaw a 2007 remake, then later said that Carpenter had been “very cold” to him when they discussed the project.

Speaking to film students recently, Carpenter said: “Nothing could be further from the truth. I said, ‘Make it your own movie, man. This is yours now. Don’t worry about me.’ I was incredibly supportive.

“Why that piece of shit lied, I don’t know.”

Yesterday Carpenter tweeted: “To everyone fascinated with the JC/RZ feud, old news. We spoke Sunday. We buried the hatchet. Let’s move on.”

The veteran director had also criticised Zombie’s take on Halloween, saying there was too much backstory on lead character Michael Myers.

But Zombie told Classic Rock in 2014: “You have a lead character who doesn’t speak, you don’t see his face and he’s always hiding in the shadows. That’s kind of limiting.

“That’s why I decided to have so much backstory – so that when he didn’t talk you could kind of project how he was feeling from what you saw before.”

Zombie’s latest film 31 just launched in the UK and arrives in the US in October. Carpenter tours the UK next month, performing music from the soundtracks to his movies.

See more

John Carpenter tour 2016

Oct 20: Brighton Dome, UK
Oct 22: Edinburgh Usher Hall, UK
Oct 23: Bristol Simple Things Festival, UK
Oct 25: Dublin Vicar Street, Ireland
Oct 28: Liverpool Olympia, UK
Oct 29: Manchester Victoria Warehouse, UK
Oct 31: London Troxy, UK
Nov 01: London Troxy, UK

The Prog Interview: John Carpenter on stage fright and Ennio Morricone

Freelance Online News Contributor

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.