After the surprising decency of Halloween (2007), we can honestly say Halloween II is the first Rob Zombie-directed pic we have ever had any real interest in prior to it’s release. After the hideous House of 1000 Corpses (2003), we didn’t think that would ever be the case, but here we are, wondering how H2 is going to turn out – despite the fact it doesn’t come out until August.

The fact that it is coming out during the peak summer season suggest how much the studio is staking on this sequel. Either that, or they are hoping a continuation of Zombie’s re-imagining of the story of Michael Myers may be just what the viewer wants in between the recent remake of Friday the 13th and the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) remake (scheduled for 2010 – and sadly lacking Robert Englund).

It seems like Zombie is learning from his mistakes as he goes. Since he isn’t exactly a consumate director as of yet, this is a good thing, since it shows he’s willing to learn and grow from his previous errors. Since Halloween (2007) was at it’s best prior to the appearance of Myers’ recognizable mask, there are rumors about this new film that the mask will be barely seen at all. If this is the case, one can only hope that the longer pre-mask section will be just as good – or better – than Halloween (2007).

While we haven’t gained enough confidence in Zombie the director to see his new film, Halloween II, we’ll probably still going to wait to see this one in theaters, since we haven’t quite gotten past the debacle that was House of 1000 Corpses (2003).