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You got your gorno in my pure slasher film!

Kim Hollis: Does The Final Destination's triumph over Halloween II show that audiences are looking for something different in horror these days?

Josh Spiegel: If anything, I think it may show that Rob Zombie's style of horror may never fully become a mainstream hit. Obviously, his film didn't do poorly, but more people flocked to the typical horror movie, where pretty teenagers spout get killed; from the previews, Halloween II seemed like it would not only offer that, but seem a bit more garish, more gritty, outlandish. Also, the Final Destination series, while a newer franchise, may be more familiar to younger folks, as opposed to the 30-year old Halloween franchise.

Max Braden: I'd accuse Halloween II of being the same old gore, but that didn't stop audiences from flocking to see Friday the 13th earlier this year. I do think though that put side by side, audiences are going to choose the horror film with the more unique hook (so to speak). You know people are going to get slaughtered in Halloween, but you're far more curious about how they're going to die in Final Destination. I think that's what also helped the Saw series. Plus there's more of a personal connection with Final Destination if you're troubled by a sense of karma or fate - you come out of the theater paranoid and thinking how am I going to die?






Sean Collier: I just don't think there's much trust in Zombie, and his involvement has really been the defining characteristic of this reboot. The Friday the 13th restart opened fine, as did the Texas Chainsaw remake. Zombie has very few fans, and to those who haven't seen his previous "films," he doesn't exactly seem like Alfred Hitchcock. There's no reason for audiences to trust him. (Caveat to this rampant Zombie bashing: Rob Zombie's first two solo albums are awesome.)

Reagen Sulewski: I think novelty is always going to win out in a disposable genre like horror. As for Zombie himself, I'd say he's proven himself to be quite a commercially successful director, and with a better distribution company at his back (ad time was way down for this in my perception, and you're telling me no one saw this clash coming?), we'd be talking about him as the new Eli Roth.

David Mumpower: I completely agree with Reagen that Zombie is the rare director who positively impacts box office through his name alone. His fanbase is probably not that large in numbers, but they are zealous and devout in their support. He also creates interest from those who would otherwise ignore a generic horror project. This is why Halloween with Robb Zombie opened to almost as much as Halloween: H20 (1998) and Halloween: Resurrection (2002) combined. Even as we criticize the result for Halloween II, we should keep in mind that it is the second best in the storied history of the franchise. Sure, the series has never been about huge opening weekends, but this is still a win. As long as its final box office tally is north of $35 million against its $15 million budget, I'm certain The Weinstein Co. is pleased with the result.

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