Sheri Moon Zombie Interview, Halloween 2

Sheri Moon Zombie has brought the role of Deborah Myers to life (and death) in the box office smash Halloween (2007) and in the forthcoming much-anticipated sequel, Halloween II. The character, which never appeared in the classic John Carpenter films, gave a depth and history to the sociopath Michael Myers that audiences had never before seen.

It is that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business. Halloween II picks up at the exact moment the first movie stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode.

Here’s what Sheri Moon Zombie had to tell us about Halloween II and resuming the role of Deborah Myers:
 
Q: Can you describe your character, in your own words?

Sheri: I play Deborah Myers, Michael Myers’ mother. In this film, you see her through the eyes of Michael Myers. I think he’s mentally and emotionally stunted at around 10 or 11, and that’s how you see her. It’s how he remembers her.
 
Q: How was it to be so ethereal in a movie, where the rest of it is nothing like that? Did you feel like you were in another movie at all?

Sheri: Actually, when I first read the script, I was like, “I’m gonna get cut out of this!” It seemed so separate from the movie. I just couldn’t picture it. I didn’t see how it was going to work. I guess I did feel a little different filming this because no one else could see me. When I was in the scenes, I was invisible, so when I was working with other actors, it was just Tyler and Chase that could see me, and sometimes Scout. It was a little strange for me.
 
Q: You didn’t expect to be in the second movie because your character was killed in the first film, right?

Sheri: She killed herself, in the first movie, and I said I would never do a second one because I didn’t think Rob would have anything to do with a second one. And then, it just happened that he did.
 
Q: Why did he not want anything to do with a second film?

Sheri: He felt done with the first one, at the time. And then, times change.
 
Q: Do you think Deborah felt responsible for her son turning into a killer?

Sheri: I think that’s why Deborah killed herself. She had a lot of guilt and did feel a modicum of responsibility, I would imagine.
 
Q: What’s it like on the set of a film like this?

Sheri: When we’re filming, it’s so procedural. You go there and you block and you chat and you wait. Actually, for some of my scenes, I would be there before the killing, see it and then go back to my trailer and wait. But, it’s funny because I know how it works and still, when I see the film, I have to block my eyes. It’s crazy. It’s so silly, but I do. I guess that’s a testament to how good the film is. Being so close to it, I still can suspend my disbelief and sit there and be mortified.
 
Q: Do you like the final product and how all of your scenes fit into the story?

Sheri: I actually haven’t seen the final cut, but I did see a cut about a month and a half ago, which was pretty close to it. I think it works great. I think Rob did a really great job with it.
 
Q: Growing up, you weren’t a horror movie fan?

Sheri: I watched horror movies, but I liked all types of movies, growing up.

Q: What was one that you remember?

Sheri: Amityville Horror scared me. I still won’t watch that by myself. And, I won’t watch The Shining by myself. That really scared me. And, the black and white Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I saw that when I was in Florida, and that freaked me out because it just seemed swampy and part of the whole pod thing.
 
Q: What’s going on with Total Skull? Do you have any new plans for that?

Sheri: No, I don’t have any new plans, as of right now. I’m still selling online, and I have a bunch of boutiques across America, Australia and London that are selling the stuff, and it’s doing well.
 
Q: What kind of clothes do you sell?

Sheri: It’s for guys and girls. It’s rock and roll t-shirts, hoodies, scarves and hats.
 
Q: What’s it like, working with Rob?

Sheri: It’s great. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t work with him. We’ve been working together for so many years now. I just like it. I don’t know why people are so shocked. I guess couples don’t generally like to work with each other, but we have a lot of fun.
 
Q: Do you disagree often?

Sheri: We do disagree, and that’s okay. But, Rob works like that with all actors. God knows, all the actors are gonna have ideas, so it’s all good.
 
Q: Did you give any advice to any of the actors who were coming into the horror genre with this film?

Sheri: For Chase [Wright Vanek], who plays young Michael Myers, it was his first horror film, and I think his first real feature that he’d done. We had a lot of fun together. I didn’t give him any acting advice, but I would make sure to tell him, “If you need some tea or hot chocolate, you let somebody know. And, if you have to use the bathroom, let somebody know.” I just wanted to make sure that he didn’t get taken advantage of because that can easily happen on a set, even though he had his teacher and his mom there.
 
Q: Did he know what his character would grow up to be? Was he aware of the franchise and who he was playing?

Sheri: I think he was slightly aware of it. He’s never seen the original. He’s really excited and he’s a cute kid. We bonded.
 
Q: Was he aware of the actor that he was replacing? Did you talk to him about that?

Sheri: He was aware of it. It was funny because he looked online and was like, “These people are mad that I’m replacing him.” Daeg [Faerch] did a wonderful job, but he just grew and got too big. He’s going to be a big kid. We actually did a film test and Daeg was down in Atlanta. They were trying to cheat furniture, and it just didn’t work. He was okay with it. We did try to make it work. Daeg was fine with it. He understood. He took it like a man, even though he’s a little kid. And, Chase was a wonderful replacement, as the young Michael Myers. He did a great job.

Q: They say that you should never work with children or animals, but that’s mostly what you worked with in this. How was the horse to work with?

Sheri: The horse was great. Cavalier was so beautiful. I got along swimmingly with him. Chase, on the other hand, was petting him and touching his mouth, and Cavalier tried to eat his hand and he had teeth marks on it. But, the horse was majestic.
 
Q: Is anything ever going to happen with Werewolf Women of the S.S.?

Sheri: That was fun. I don’t know. Every now and then, we talk about how fun it would be. And, Rob is like, “If I do it, I really want to do it for just a million dollars and shoot it in 10 days.” But, we’ll see. I don’t know.
 
Q: Since Rob was so adamant about not doing another film, when he finished the first one, is he definitely done with the franchise now?

Sheri: I know that whatever we say now doesn’t really mean anything because we did two films, but he feels like he concluded it. He wanted to do another one because there were other writers involved and another director attached, and there were a lot of problems. The Weinsteins asked him if he would do Halloween 2, and Rob really wanted to continue it. He didn’t want it to go straight to video and be a crappy movie. He just wanted to finish what he started, and I think he feels that he did that now.
 
Q: Do you think Rob would be upset, if the franchise were to continue without him?

Sheri: No. I think he has a sense of finality with it now.
 
Q: Who do you play in The Haunted World of El Superbeasto?

Sheri: I play Suzi X in the film. I did my voice for that three years ago now, and it’s finally coming out, but animation takes forever. It’s such a cute animated film. It’s for adults. It’s sexy, raunchy, nasty, dirty and cute. My character is very cute.
 
Q: Who is Suzi X?

Sheri: Suzi X is El Superbeasto’s sister. She’s a crime-fighter, and she’s always cleaning up after Beasto because he’s a drunk and always hanging out with the ladies, and he’s a mess-up. So, she always has to go in and clean up his business for him. She’s a spark.
 
Q: Is that the first animated film you’ve ever done?

Sheri: Yes.
 
Q: How was that for you?

Sheri: When I was in the room doing my voice, I was acting like a maniac, without concern of how I look or what people are thinking, or blocking or lighting, or anything. It’s really a freeing experience.
 
Q: Did you know what the character looked like beforehand? Had you seen a drawing?

Sheri: Yeah. And, they had renderings of scenes, and things like that.

Q: What’s your take on the horror genre? And, how do you feel about this film opening on the same day as The Final Destination?

Sheri: I think the Weinstein’s thought they were going to scare them away, but whatever. I think it will be okay. There’s enough room out there for everyone. I think people like to go see horror movies because they’re like going to an amusement park. You get a thrill, you get an adrenalin rush, you hug your date and you scream. You have that anticipation of something, and then something happens. It’s like an amusement park.
 
Q: Did you have any fun in Georgia, where you filmed this?

Sheri: I did not like Georgia at all. We stayed in this town called Covington and, whenever I had a day off, it was Walmart or fast food. I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t eat fast food. And, I said, “If I go into Walmart again, I’m going to shoot myself.” And, it rained a lot. We had a lot of storms down there, and I liked that. But, I was happy to get out of there.
 
Q: Do you have any pet projects that you’re hoping to someday get out there?

Sheri: There’s one thing that I can’t talk about, but we’ll see. It might happen next year.
 
Q: Would you and Rob like to do a different kind of movie?

Sheri: He has two or three other scripts written right now that are not horror related, and we’d love to make a different type of movie.
 
Q: What genre are those projects in?

Sheri: Not horror. There’s one that’s sort of sci-fi, and there’s one that’s just a drama.
 
Q: Is Rob a good actor’s director?

Sheri: He really is. He loves to rehearse with the actors, but we didn’t have time to rehearse this film because of the production schedule. He loves all the actors to get together. On set, he really listens to everyone. All the actors are different, just like we’re all different people. He’s a listener, but if he disagrees with what the actor is saying, then he’ll maybe do it their way and then go back and do it his way. He has the vision for the final product. I thought I would be cut out of the film, but it works, from beginning to end. I think it really works.

“Halloween II” opens in theaters on August 28th.