I think today’s comic illustrates fairly effectively my gripe with the release of Rob Zombie’s “reimagining” of Halloween. One would like to think the studio releasing it has some kind of strategy. But to avoid releasing the film on the holiday it shares a name with seems like a glaring oversight to me.

Maybe they’ve deluded themselves into thinking that the American movie-going public has an attention span longer than one week and they’ll continue to get repeat business on this film until said holiday. Maybe they don’t think they can compete against Saw IV – the upstart horror franchise has pretty much laid claim to the Halloween weekend since the first film came out. Maybe the movie is a big steaming turd that they want to bury in late August while kids are going back to school. Or maybe they don’t care when they release it since most horror movies are critic-proof and fans will come out to see them regardless of their quality.

However you slice it, it seems the studio could be doing a lot better for themselves if they had decided to release Halloween on Halloween. I mean, the original movie is a classic – no doubt about it. So, right there, you’ve got John Carpenter fans coming out of the woodwork to show respect. Of course, there’s always the aforementioned die-hard horror fans that will show up no matter what and I’m sure there will be a few stranglers who were fans of White Zombies throwing in their support behind the director.

But what about the rest of us who maybe aren’t into horror movies all that much? Take… well, ME, for example. I can sit and watch a horror movie if I’m in the right mood for it. But I’m really not a fan of the bogeyman style of horror films where things jump out at you. That, and excessive gore I can do without. So I’m not going to be the first in line to see Halloween when it’s released on August 31.

But let’s fast forward two months, pretend the studio was a little wiser and released Halloween on October 31. Instead of going on a haunted hay rack ride, I might give the movie a shot. I’m down for a scare, but darn it if that hay isn’t itchy. Isn’t there another option.

BLAMMO! There’s another eight bucks in your pocket you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Multiply that by whatever number of similar-minded people there are in the country. Seems like Marketing 101 to me.

Of course, the timeliness of when the movie is released really says nothing about the quality of the film itself. Even though I don’t like horror, I do like the original Halloween because it’s so damn suspenseful. In my mind, it doesn’t really need to be re-imagined. But then again, multiple sequels have pretty much watered down the legacy of the original anyway, so re-imagine away.

All things being equal, I don’t think the movie could have landed in more capable hands than Rob Zombie’s. I know he only has a few films under his belt, but the guy has a very specific visual style. He has a gift for it, frankly. And not only that, he brings a lot of passion to the material. He appreciates horror movies as a fan, has seen almost all of them and probably has encyclopedic knowledge of what works in horror and what doesn’t. A good guy to have behind the lens. I wish him the best.

I guess all I’m saying is that, if I were him, I would be giving the head of his studio’s marketing department a swift kick in the ass for overlooking the most obvious leg-up in movie release history.

Incidentally, we’ll be talking about Halloween on next Monday’s Triple Feature talkcast at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe. Horror movies will be the topic of discussion in honor of it’s release, so you’ll want to check that out.

We’ve had some success asking listeners to send in questions for us and I think we’d like to continue that tradition. So if you want to know what our panel thinks is the best movie monster ever or what makes a good horror film, send your questions to me in advance at theaterhopper@hotmail.com and we will do our best to answer them on-air.

Something else really quick about The Triple Feature talkcast. It came to my attention this week that The Triple Feature was among the Top 100 talkcasts for live participation as well as downloads at TalkShoe for the week of August 25. We ranked 51st and 67th, respectively.

Saying you ranked 51st and 67th on the list of a Top 100 is kind of a suspect thing to claim. But when you think there are literally thousands of talkcasts over at TalkShoe, things come into focus.

So thanks to everyone who has made The Triple Feature one of the most popular shows on TalkShoe! We appreciate your support!

That about does it for me. Cami’s 30th birthday is tomorrow and we’re celebrating by seeing a movie, having a steak and going gambling. Don’t worry. We’re leaving Henry in the loving arms of Cami’s parents for the evening.

Although I’m pretty sure Cami doesn’t want me telling the world that she’s turning 30, my aim is to strip the gravitas from the occasion and just have fun with it. People assign this great importance to turning 30 because you’re leaving your 20’s behind and – let’s face it – being in your 20’s is pretty much being like a teenager.

I say bollocks. Enjoy your birthday! Celebrate it! Own it! Because every year you’re here on this Earth is another opportunity to prove ’em wrong – know what I’m sayin’?

Have a good one, folks! See you on Monday!