Veteran filmmaker John Carpenter has slammed Rob Zombie, calling him a “piece of shit” during an interview with film students.
Zombie directed a remake of Carpenter’s 1978 horror movie Halloween in 2007 – but Carpenter says claims the shock rocker made in documentary Halloween: The Inside Story that he was “very cold” towards the singer simply aren’t true.
In a video clip which has now been deleted, Carpenter says (via The Guardian): “He lied about me. He said that I was very cold to him when he told me that he was going to make Halloween. 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. He had no reason to. Why did he do it?”
Despite insisting he was never cold to Zombie, Carpenter does go on to dismiss Zombie’s take on central character Michael Myers. He says: “I thought that he took away the mystique of the story by explaining too much about 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.”
Zombie was also behind the camera for the 2009 remake of Halloween II, while his latest horror flick 31 has just been launched in the UK, with a US release set for October 21.
Carpenter will head out on a UK tour next month where he’ll showcase pieces of music from films including Halloween, Escape From New York, Assault On Precinct 13, The Fog and more.
"I was so high my doll started talking to me": The confessions of Rob Zombie
John Carpenter in Escape From New York live studio video
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
