Michael Myers is back, it's that time of year again and he has some unfinished family business to return to. Unleashing a trail of terror, Myers will stop at nothing to bring closure to the secrets of his twisted past.

After the tragic events she faced in the first film, Laurie is now an active, complex young woman with diminishing control over her own sanity. At the film's press day, actress Scout Taylor Compton talked about how grateful she was for the growth and development of her character, as well as how much she enjoyed filming her next movie, The Runaways, in which she plays Lita Ford opposite Kristen Stewart's (Twilight) Joan Jett.

Q: How hard was it to stay in the terrified zone for this character? Do you take that intensity home at night?

Scout: Oh, no. If I took it home, I'd be the most oppressive person ever. I'm really easy with just going with it, and then cutting it off. But, there was an incident with Danielle Harris, when we were doing this really emotional scene and I couldn't get out of it. I ran downstairs and I was crying. I was bawling and I couldn't get out of it. That was the first time that's ever happened to me. I ran up to Tyler Mane, and I was crying in front of him. I was like, "I can't do this. I can't do this with her. It's so hard. Oh, my God, I can't get out of it! Help me, help me!" He just looked down at me and was like, "I need a van. I need to get out of here," just to help me. It was funny. But, that was the only time I couldn't get out of it. It was hard.

Q: This is such a relentless film. Did you have any reservations about coming back and doing it again?

Scout: No, because the first experience was wonderful. It was great and I was comfortable. Rob never pushed me further than I could handle. With this one, we were in the rain for like eight hours, with 10 rain machines, at midnight, and it was freezing cold. I was just wearing a nightgown and I had to go up to him at like 7 o'clock in the morning and go, "I can't do it anymore, Rob. My body is so numb. I just can't." And, he said, "Okay, dude, we're done." It's good that you can go up to a director and tell him that you're not comfortable.

Q: What are the weaknesses and strengths of the modern Laurie Strode?

Scout: She's completely different from the original Laurie Strode, and I think that shows in this film. In this one, she's tougher and more vulnerable, and messed up. I guess that's a weakness. She's fallen apart. She's still strong and definitely a survivor, but you can see that it's taken a toll on her, in the way she acts, looks and portrays herself.

Q: What was it about her that really resonated with you?

Scout: I guess where it led to. I know that, with the original Halloween franchise, Laurie just stayed the same throughout the whole entire thing. That's why I loved Rob's take on it. She realistically changed the way someone would. And, it's something that I created. She's my Laurie. It was all in my hands.

Q: Did you get to spend any time hanging out with Danielle Harris and Brea Grant, since you play friends with them in the film?

Scout: I knew Danielle from the first film. We hung out all the time then. She's like my older sister because she's been through a lot in this business, so I can go to her for advice. With Brea and Angela, we had to hang out in Georgia, on the set, to create that bond. We went vintage shopping and did as much as we could in Georgia. We were in Walmart a lot. We got looks there. I was like, "Am I that different? You've had Rob and Malcolm in this store." I heard that Malcolm went on his first Walmart trip in Georgia. He was like, "I bloody hated it!," and I said, "I go to Walmart all the time, Malcolm. It's not that bad."
Q: What was working with Rob Zombie like?

Scout: I honestly can't describe him in one word. He's an amazing director, and an amazing person. I just felt so comfortable being around him and working with him, especially in the emotional scenes. I felt like I could voice my opinion, and he would actually listen to me rather than most directors. I'm 20. He's been in this world longer than me. Most directors would be like, "I know what I'm talking about, little girl, step aside." Not Rob.

I felt equal to him. We just get each other, we really do. And, there's a trust that we have for each other. That's very rare to find, between an actor and a director. Usually, actors think they're above directors, and directors think they're above actors. It's not like that at all between me and Rob. On the set, especially doing the emotional stuff, he was very understanding. He would make sure that I was comfortable with what I was doing, and he would leave me alone. Because he worked with me in the first film, he knew, "Oh, you're going to be in the corner crying before we roll? I get that. Scout, you're preparing? I'm used to that." We were used to each other, so it was good.

Q: Was there a scene that looks absolutely horrific, but was actually fun to shoot?

Scout: Oh, a lot of it was just really fun. I know it's supposed to be scary, but we laughed a lot on set. When we were doing something really intense, Rob had his iPhone and he'd be blasting The Runaways. That was when I was auditioning for the film, so he was setting the mood. Or, he'd be blasting old-school rap. It was nice. I was screaming and crying, but when it was done, there was some rap to listen to, over by video village.

Q: Were you hurt making this film?

Scout: I got a lot of bruises during this one. All those bruises on my leg, in the ending scene where we were in the ward, were real. It was awful. My body was aching so much, but hey, that's what you get for wearing a dress and running away from a mass murderer.

Q: What is Tyler Mane really like?

Scout: He's very intimidating and makes you feel really small. No, he's a teddy bear. He's a really gentle person. I roomed with him and his wife and kids for the last week of filming, and I felt like his daughter. It was like, "Hi dad, good morning. How are you? You're grumpy? Okay. Are you ready for work? I'll see you on set." It was good. We would see each other in the morning, at night and in between.

Q: Why do you think teens and 20-somethings just flock to horror films?

Scout: Everybody loves to be scared. Everybody likes to rebel against their parents, especially me. My parents were totally for it, but a lot of my friends' parents were like, "No! You cannot see that. It has nudity. It has killing. It's a really bad movie, but it makes you feel so good." You feel like you're rebelling. Plus, I like to get scared. That's always fun.

Q: So, you liked horror films, as a kid?

Scout: I really loved them. My dad is a mortician, so I grew up in the real scene. Forget horror movies. But, my mom loves horror movies, so I was raised watching them. And, I have a bunch of skulls, and a Chucky doll and a Freddie Krueger doll. Seriously, if you were to see my house, you would probably get freaked out.

Q: What was your favorite horror film, when you were growing up?

Scout: Honestly, I was a fan of Chucky. I am obsessed.

Q: How was it for you to work with Brad Dourif, who was the voice of Chucky?

Scout: I know. How awful is it that I didn't know Brad did the voice of Chucky, while filming the first Halloween. Then, someone told me at the premiere and I was like, "No way!" I was goo-goo eyed. He said that he would sign a Chucky doll of mine, which is great.

Q: Did he do the voice for you?

Scout: No. I cannot hear that. That doll scares me. You have no idea. I'm terrified by it.
Q: How was the experience of making The Runaways?

Scout: It was great. It was a fun experience. I auditioned for Joan Jett a year ago, and then they offered it to Kristen Stewart. She's an amazing girl, all-around. Then, I went out for the drummer because I play drums, but that just didn't fit. I tried my hardest to get it, and then they offered me the bass player, and I don't play bass, so I had to pick that up. Then, they came up to me and said, "You look like Lita Ford. You act like Lita Ford. Will you be Lita Ford?" And, I was like, "Are you serious? You want me to be the lead guitarist in two weeks? Okay, cool!"

I wasn't gonna turn that down, so I just worked really, really hard. All of us girls worked really, really hard. We had band practice. We hung out after set and just worked the scenes. It was really nice because I felt like I was in a real band. I really do miss it because I miss performing and getting with my girls.

Q: What is Lita like?

Scout: Lita is very wild. She's a very determined girl. She was the one who was really focused on the work rather than the fans and the praise. And, she was very stubborn. She had a tough side, and all the girls knew that. It was pretty interesting. Playing the tough girl that was in control was totally opposite from Laurie Strode. Lita was definitely a fun character to play.

Q: Are you doing your own music? Would you like to do an album?

Scout: Yeah. I've been thinking about that a lot lately, especially because I learned guitar. I love writing, I love the whole music scene and I just love having band practice. So, yeah, I've actually been thinking about forming a band.

Q: What music are you into personally?

Scout: I like Alkaline Trio. I love soft rock, hard rock and old rock. I love Blondie. Rob actually gave me a couple of Blondie records. I like Madonna. On The Runaways set, my best friend Michael and I were obsessed with Miley Cyrus', "Party in the USA." It's good dance stuff. Me, Kristen, Dakota and my best friend were obsessed with that song. That's my little downfall. But, I mostly listen to rock.

HALLOWEEN 2 opens this Friday, August 28th

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