Halloween Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
When darkness fell, he arrived
After being committed for 15 years, Michael Myers, now a 21-year-old man and still very dangerous, escapes from the mental institution (where he was committed as a 6 year old) and immediately returns to Haddonfield, where he wants to find his baby sister. Anyone who crosses his path is in mortal danger.
| Malcolm McDowell | Dr. Loomis |
| Brad Dourif | Sheriff Leigh Brackett |
| Daeg Faerch | Young Michael Myers |
| Tyler Mane | Adult Michael Myers |
| Scout Taylor-Compton | Laurie Strode |
| Sheri Moon | Deborah Myers |
| William Forsythe | Ronnie White |
| Danielle Harris | Annie Brackett |
| Kristina Klebe | Lynda van der Klok |
| Udo Kier | Morgan Walker |
| Danny Trejo | Ismael Cruz |
| Lew Temple | Nole Kluggs |
| Skyler Gisondo | Tommy Doyle |
| Jenny Gregg Stewart | Lindsey Wallace |
| Hanna Hall | Judith Myers |
| Rob Zombie |
6.00 out of 10 (17095 votes)
Visitor Reviews
My review of Halloween....BOO!
posted on 30 Aug 2009It was a time waster but not a money spender, but of course it depends on the audience. I recommend that most people who choose to watch it, shouldn't take it serious, the plot is weak. I felt Rob Zombie was trying to symbolize the mania inside Michale's mind more than having a well scripted movie. There was unique cinematography but no crazy killing. Movie got boring in parts, too much lame acting and not enough nakedness and sex, Hah. I found the captions hard to read and lately its been in a few movies I've seen. They should make them a color so they don't blend into the background. Besides that, I did have a nightmare last night about the movie, I forget what but it wasn't good, so I guess it was alright after all.
Even Better Than Rest Of The Serise
posted on 28 Aug 2009Wow I Loved This Film Its The Best Won Since The 1978 Original I Don No Why There's A lot Of Hate Towards This Film Its More Horrific More Killings.The First Film Was More Based On Fear & Paranoia Rob Zombie Delivers Quite The Masterpiece Of A Film.Its Shows Micheal As A Little Kid And How He Gets All Screwed Up.Then It Showes Him When Hes All Grown Up The New Michael Its Much Bigger Stronger & More Scary To Me This Micheal Does Deserve A Soul For True Horror Fans Watch This Its Not A Disappointment.The Original Was Great I Give It A Solid 8/10 The Second one i'd Give 7/10 And Well The Third Won Was Like A Insult It Didn't Even Have Micheal In It Id Give It A 2/10 It Was Just Plain AwfulIt Was Called Sason Of The Witch.The Fourth Was Pretty Good About Micheal Recovering From The Fire In The Second Film And Then He Goes After His Niece Jamie Lloyd Hoo Is Daniel Harris Who Also Was In The Fourth Film The Fifth & Rob Zombies New Prequel The Rest Of The Halloween Films Weren't All That Great.But Halloween 2007 Was Just Awesome.Great Cast Great Music.
Bad trash.
posted on 26 Aug 2009"Halloween: White Trash" is one of the biggest horror turds of the year so far. While I'll give Rob Zombie some credit for "re-imagining" the popular 1978 horror classic (he spends half the film on Michael Myers' childhood and lock-up time) instead of merely remaking it, the end result is unfortunately an incohesive mess. It is also spastic, obnoxious, and worst of all, not scary. The dialogue is really awful--it makes the dialogue in Eli Roth's films sound like Shakespeare. Most people I know drop f-bombs here and there, but nearly every character in this movie uses it in every other sentence! Michael is the only main character in the film, which is actually a neat reversal, but Zombie's poor writing skills just can't pull it off. Boo-hoo, his mom was a stripper and kids picked on him for it. This is why horror remakes should not try to give horror legends like Leatherface or Michael Myers or whoever a new back-story. It's usually a half-assed attempt to make the character sympathetic. Unless they can come up with something truly fascinating or bizarre (which they never do), then it's not going to be effective. Worse, it takes away any mystery or suspense the film could potentially have, as in the sad case of Halloween'07. Laurie Strode's role serves a completely different purpose in this film than in the original. While that is inherently interesting, it isn't enough to keep this one afloat. As with "The Devil's Rejects," Zomb gets kudos for casting genre vets in most of the supporting roles, but it almost comes across like a joke at times. At one point, Udo Kier pops up, spouts an Udo-ism in his Udo accent, and then is never seen again.
Halloween the way it should have been
posted on 24 Aug 2009Oh wow! Where oh where to start? First and foremost it's no surprise that I'm not a big fan of remakes, or spin off remakes, if you will. To date there has been only one movie remade that I felt was better then its predecessor. And that film was THE HILLS HAVE EYES. Well it seems I've been taken aback. Having understood his direction and enjoyed House of 1000 Corpses but despising The Devils Rejects I was in between on whether or not to like Zombies directing style. He was one for two in my opinion. But now! Now this; a remake of Halloween, are you serious?…It seems they were. They've gone and taken one of the best films in American cinematic history and remade it. And Rob Zombie of all people!! Well I can be man enough to admit when I'm wrong. Mr Zombie. You should be proud of yourself. You sire have created something I feel will be one of the talked about greats for many years to come. Let me skip to the explanation and just explain it! The major difference in this version as compared to the original is that instead of having Michael standing out on the sidewalk with the butcher knife then fast forwarding to 15 years later. Rob Zombie does just what I've always wondered why they never did. He's shown "WHY" Michael was so messed up. As a young boy Michael didn't really have a chance. Coming up in a sub level family with the siblings; mother and a typical bad step dad. From experience we can all pretty much say it's safe to agree this is a perfect formula for chaos in any household such as this. He gets picked on at school and at home so what did they expect would happen?? On Halloween 1963, in the town of Haddenfield, 6-year-old Michael Myers played miraculously by newcomer Daeg Farch, snaps killing his step dad by tying him to the couch with duct tape while asleep then cuts his throat. After a baseball bat to a victims head and the infamous butcher knife slashing he picks his baby sister, Laurie, up and sits on the stoop waiting for his mother to return home. Estranged and mentally unstable, Michael is imprisoned in Smith's Grove Sanitarium under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) for the murders he's committed.As Dr. Loomis tries to befriend Michael he seems to get through to him for the better part but that soon diminishes and Michael refuses to talk from this point on. Several years go by and Michael is now a grown adult. From what seems to be the turning point in this story is when Dr. Loomis speaks to Michael telling him he's moving on that there's nothing left for him to do. Since Dr. Loomis departure things at Smith's Grove Sanitarium have gone to crap. They've since accumulated orderlies just seeking that paycheck with no care of patients. One dumb ass even goes so far as to pick on Michael and brings in one of the new women patients and violates her with help of another orderly in Michaels' room. Killing the orderlies and from this point on we see what we once new as the only Halloween there was…..I could go on and on about how much of a brilliant movie this was but if you don't want to watch this movie from what you've just read then I don't know how to persuade you into doing so. As previously stated Rob zombie took a brilliant movie in its time and added what I feel a lot of people wish they could have seen, or known. He added a face to what we've seen. He's added a conscience. Michael wasn't just a straight up pussy ass slasher he was a young boy who never had the chance, so he took it! The acting herein was excellent and spot on but props need to go out to young Daeg Farch. His performance was better then the majority of adult actors I've watched. He was creepy and his demeanor from the get go makes you keep one eye open while watching him. Zombie must be very pleased he had such an excellent actor at his disposal. Now don't get me wrong this baby was laden full with excellent actors from Danielle Harris to Malcom McDowell to the man himself, Tyler Mane or X-men fame as Michael Myers. And for all those die hard Carpenter fans, don't worry, there are plenty of nods to him from Zombie here and once it gets to Michael arriving in Haddonfield it does follow pretty good with the original, just sped up with a little more bite by our killer at hand. By that I mean that instead of him just walking around with a stupid freaking knife in his hand stabbing people, he actually picks them up and slings their asses around like rag dolls. This was a much appreciated addition. In my opinion it gives Michale some backbone and adds a little more fear. Anyone can stab you. But can they pick you up, swing you around and then stab you???? If you only take my word on one film review you read, please let this one be the one. Rob Zombie's Halloween is one hell of a good movie, one that will go on my shelf as my favorite films of all time. Thank you Mr Zombie for giving us something different and keeping with that odd gritty style you do so well….
A True Fan of 70's Horror and Zombie will not be Disappointed
posted on 24 Aug 2009I usually don't post on message boards but felt I had something to say. I have read a lot of the posts here and I can honestly say that I really enjoyed RZ's remake/prequel.I am a huge fan of the original and I enjoy Halloween 2,3,4,5,6: The Producer's Cut, H20 was OK (kind of feels like a Scream rip-off)and Resurrection had flaws but I did have fun with it.At this point it should be done with but I had to keep the faith that RZ would do the franchise justice and I feel that he has done a very admirable job of re-inventing something that us true horror fans know like the back of our hands.Let's face it there have been some terrible remakes like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas but I won't even go there. But we seem to forget that some horror classics are remakes of films that people hold dear. Carpenter himself remade The Thing by adding gore and effects and it worked, it's a classic in it's own right. The Fly by Cronenberg is another example of a gross out fest but most of us horror fanatics love that film as well. So if you look at it like that Halloween 2007 is a welcome addition to the genre by one of the best new horror filmmakers out there.Like I said the original is great but let's face facts here most modern audiences would rip Carpenter's vision apart. They would find the acting sub-par at best and would laugh at all the dialogue supplied by PJ Soles and friends. Much like the Carpenter fanatics are trashing Zombie's acting and directing choices.I will admit that I was lucky enough to see the unfinished work-print and I think some of the new changes feel like they were done solely to impress modern audiences. Then again maybe Rob really wanted those changes made, this is something that no one but Rob himself really knows.Overall, I loved it. I really don't feel that explaining Michael ruins his creepiness, I think it actually makes him scarier. Well I think I've rambled enough. Just be happy that Michael Bay didn't remake Halloween.
More white trash from Zombie
posted on 24 Aug 2009Okay, I really like Rob Zombie. But enough is enough already. The white trash angle he does in all of his movies is beat now, & the basic core of actors he works with in all of his films is getting old.I love Sheri, Bill, Sid, etc. The trash and cast worked great with House Of a Thousand Corpses. (I really liked that movie) Devils rejects fine. But it didn't work for me in Halloween & the cast took me out of the movie repeatedly.Hey, there's Captain Spaulding, oh look it's Sheriff Wydell!! Anyhoo, You can break this movie up into two parts.The first half tries to explain why Michael Myers kills. The young, abused Myers if you will. The crazy family doesn't love me spin we've seen countless times before.The second half is basically the original Halloween revamped for guys who like hip mtv style visuals, blood, boobs & wrestling. With characters so unlikeable and annoying you really can't wait till they die.As far as scares go, this movie has none. Gone are the stealthy, creative kills we got from the original. That boogeyman could be anywhere vibe which made Michael so scary doesn't show up here.Instead, we get a gigantic member of Slipknot slashing his way through people we could care less about because all we really know about them is that they like to have sex.Terrible Halloween movie aside, I would love to see Rob do a movie minus the trash and usual cast.You could say it's his style, but it's getting old & predictable in my book. Halloween would have been the perfect opportunity to break away from this.
A decent Remake.
posted on 24 Aug 2009Halloween 2007 is a decent remake.Different in many points than the Original, far more violent and gory, however not scary at all.The movie is divided in two parts. The first part, the most interesting and the difference with the original, present the childhood of Michael Myers. His family nest is purely evil (while in the original, nothing is said about his family, which seems to be normal). Zombie is showing us actually young Michael as a victim : being born and growing up in a very dysfunctional and unbalanced family, and a victim of nasty bullying at school. The result : an evil child with an angel face.The second part is - more or less - the revamp and proper remake of the original. Lots of similarities, nearly the same story. Except the end.While we could have some compassion regarding Michael's state, we lost it when, as a young adult, he managed to escape from his prison, killing everyone, including the nice staff of the institution he stayed for 15 years, and the people who had been nice to him. Now Zombie show us the truth : Michael is... a machine. A killing machine, a Terminator. No brain, no emotion, no mercy.Another difference is that the Psy who is trying to heal Michael died at the end. And also Michael himself, as he received a shot straight to his face.In a whole, this movie is not disappointing. However, Zombie's notorious reputation as a director is there : Abuse of the F word. Long hair - hard-rock type - characters. This movie lacks of fine good acting indeed. In particular Mac Dowell's performance, which is far to be impressive.Use of the original Carpenter's score also reminds us of the original, and is a good asset to the film.In a time when horror films remakes are common in Hollywood and generally very disappointing and purely commercial ("The Omen", "The Fog", and many others), Zombie's Halloween managed to deliver a decent remake, different from the original and worth a viewing for the fans.
A brutal re imagining
posted on 24 Aug 2009A lot of people dislike this film solely based on the fact that they are die-hard fans of the original and nothing was ever going to be able to match it. Therefore you get a lot of people saying this is a bad film and taking cheap shots at Rob Zombie. A lot of individuals fail to grasp the fact that this is more of a re imagining than a remake. It takes the characters and original plot and improves upon on it.This is a much more brutal and fast paced version of the original. In many ways it is a completely different film from the first. The original relied more on what you didn't know, and a slow ominous pace that built up into vicious killings. While the original remains a classic and legend among horror films, the new film, in my opinion, is just more fun to watch.Since the first half of the film examines Michaels childhood, it condenses the material from the first film down dramatically, therefore making it all move a lot faster. The new Halloween can't be described as more than a fast paced, brutal, fun movie. If you want to be scared watch the first film, if you want to be entertained watch Rob Zombies Halloween.
Flawed, but a worthy successor to the original.
posted on 22 Aug 2009Caution-Major Spoilers.Well Rob Zombie was in an unenviable position. Staying true to his vision, while also doing justice to one of the all time classic Horror films. I'm pleased to say he succeeded. Halloween 2007 is a very worthy successor to John Carpenter's original and miles ahead of most of it's sequels. Now that isn't to say it's perfect, because it's not. Yes, it has it's flaws. It's a step down in quality from The Devil's Rejects and nowhere as fun as House of 1,000 Corpses. But if you go into with an open mind, you will be rewarded.The first hour is a revisionist expansion on the first 15 or so minutes of the original. In this film we get the home life of Michael Myers, his back story, and it is not pleasant. His older sister is a slut, his stepfather (a sinisterly sleazy Bill Forsythe) is an abusive, foul mouthed drunk. His loving Mom (Sherri Moon Zombie) is nice enough, but can only find work as a stripper, and baby sister is living in a crib where a finger slashing pop top is one of her playthings. Here we have a collision between the white trash world of Zombie's earlier features and Carpenter's original. Young Michael (Daeg Faerch) likes to kill his pet rats and other animals, step dad lays on some nasty verbal abuse, and his academic life is troubled by a bully who viciously makes fun of his stripping Mom. The school calls in a shrink, Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) and he will soon have his hands full. Michael takes his first steps towards human victims when he nearly beats the bully to death (and trust me, this punk was deserving). On Halloween night, his Mom has to work and Older Sister is to take him trick or treating. But Sis would rather have sex with her boyfriend, while Step Dad gets drunk and passes out. He never wakes up as Michael slits his throat (and again, this was someone who deserved what they got), but the next victims are undeserving. Boyfriend is brained by a baseball bat and Big Sis is slashed. Michael then cradles his baby sister, wishes her Happy Halloween and takes her to the porch away from the carnage. Mom comes home to the scene and in no short order, Micheal is off to the loony bin to be treated by Dr. Loomis.At first it seems like progress is being made. Michael and Loomis talk a lot, Mom comes to visit every week and a nice orderly (Danny Trejo) reaches out in friendship. But young Micheal refuses to admit to anything, still thinks things are fine back home and prefers to hide behind paper masks he has crafted. But coming home is out of the question. Then one day he snaps and kills a nurse. The day after wards he falls silent, never to speak again, Loomis fails to reach him in any way and Mom kills herself. 15 years later, Michael is now a silent hulk of a man who makes his escape from the asylum and heads back home to find baby sister, who was adopted by the Strode family. He is now no longer human, but the Boogeyman. The second half of the film is basically the actual remake part, with even a few nods to Halloween 2 tossed in for good measure (The Michael/Laurie family relationship and "Mister Sandman" playing on the soundtrack).It helps if you are familiar with the first film and how it unfolds. Because the original film's main events are squeezed into the second half of the new version, we don't have too much time for characterization. If you are intimately familiar with the first film and it's characters, then you will be okay. If not, you may feel a little cheated and the characters might come off as less then fully developed to you. But it's an exciting ride to be sure. Old fans will love seeing how Zombie reinterprets the main set pieces of the first film, old and new fans will love the action and Michael's rampage. Anyone worried about Tyler Mayne as the new Michael need not worry, he's the best since Nick Castle in the original. If you don't have a shiver going up and down your spine when he first puts on the iconic mask and the equally iconic Halloween theme tune plays, then you have no soul.Zombie does well in most of his re-staging of the original's big moments. Michael has come home to reunite with his Sister, not to kill her. But the happy family reunion is tossed out the window of course. The redux of the Lynda kill is good and the re-staging of the climactic balcony scene in inspired. Also nice is the glimpse into Laurie's family life, barely glimpsed in the first version. Unfortunately, the inevitable "Was that the Boogeyman?-I'm afraid it was" dialog does not have the same impact as in the first film and it might have been better to have left it out rather than give into the fans who were expecting this. Also the end is a big disappointment. It's far too abrupt and leaves you saying "That's it?" It's somewhat saved by a House of 1,000 Corpses style end credit sequence that flashes us back to Michael's childhood, but a better ending would have been nice.The new Halloween does stumble a bit at times, but Zombie pulled it off. I was entertained for two hours, and left feeling that something finally got remade with a modicum of respect, little warts and all. I feel Halloween 2007 is a film that will get better with repeated viewings and I for one can't wait to see it again.
I really enjoyed it
posted on 22 Aug 2009When Rob Zombie was offered the chance to remake Halloween, he went to John Carpenter to gain his blessing. Carpenter's response was, "Make it your own." Zombie has achieved something few filmmakers do in remaking a classic. He has taken the original version and added more meat to it.Meyers's character development is very interesting. We first see him as a subdued boy who (allegedly) kills small animals to feel superior, then follow him as he progresses into a repressed, zombie-like murderer who kills everybody he comes across. When comparing the 1978 Meyers with the 2007 Meyers, the latter version is much more frightening (though, Tyler Mane deserves much credit for that). Carpenter's Meyers is a robot; Zombie's Meyers is a monster.Zombie's ensemble of supporting actors is one of the film's strongest aspects. Most of the Devil's Rejects cast returns, all portraying much different characters. Danny Trejo and William Forsythe give particularly memorable performances.In light of today's Hostel/Saw horror violence, Halloween is rather tame. While it certainly surpasses Carpenter's version in both content and intensity, Zombie practices some restraint in how much violence is shown, leaving much of the horror to sound effects and imagination.I honestly don't understand why people are so hard on this movie. The ending drags on for a bit, but otherwise it's a pretty solid film. Remakes have become regular ventures. You can either resist them and be unhappy with half of the movies released, or welcome them and hope for a good ride every now and then. Halloween is a great popcorn flick! Just sit back and enjoy yourself.
Did he even watch the REAL Halloween?
posted on 20 Aug 2009Why must Hollywood continue to churn out these worthless remakes? I'll be honest and say I wanted to like this movie, but I went in with low expectations. But, really, has Rob Zombie ever actually seen Halloween? Michael Myers was a normal 6 year old boy from a normal family who, suddenly, for no reason at all, put on a halloween mask, grabbed a knife, and murdered his sister. Zombie's Michael is supposed to be 11, his mother is a stripper, his dad is AWOL, and everybody, EVERYBODY, cusses worse than a sailor. As a fan of Mr Zombies music, these plot elements don't seem very new or fresh. After 10 minutes or so, I knew this was going to be just like his first 2 movies, bloody, violent, and boring. The only thing he didn't ruin was the music, and I was surprised he didn't find some way slip a hooker and a f-bomb in there. And then there was the cast. The girl paying Lourie was too short,too young, and lets be honest, too annoying. By the end, I just wanted her to shut up and go away. When I heard who was playing Dr Loomis, I was relieved. But he totally phoned it in on this one. All in all, this is Mr Zombies worst effort yet.
The New Halloween Movie...
posted on 18 Aug 2009is a total stinking pile and had I instead used that ten dollar bill to wipe my own rear end it would have definitely served a higher purpose.This is coming from someone who saw the original in the theater at the time of release in 1978, someone who gets it, like I thought was the case with Rob Zombie.Not only did the derivative, lackluster plot changes leave a stain on Carpenter's masterpiece but Zombie desperately needs to stop putting the same old tired troop of actors in every single movie he makes by way of gratuitous cameos and grossly blind miscasting. Michael Myers never did come from white trash nor was he ever a street-roaming wrestler.
9 as a horror movie, 5 as a film
posted on 18 Aug 2009Rarely have films made me cringe this much. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Alien," and "Devil's Rejects" are the only films I can mention as being capable of keeping me as terrified as this film did. Zombie made Myers more intimidating than Carpenter ever did, though Rob had a much higher budget to work with. I dare not give away anything but say that this movie works so well because it tells such an intriguing, full backstory before the truly suspenseful portion of the film begins. "Halloween's" only drawback is its series of vain attempts at recreating lines from the original, though on account of this, other referenced points have a powerful effect when they play out differently. You won't see these moments coming despite being forewarned, and if you haven't seen a Halloween movie before, this is the only one other than the first that wasn't awful, and also the only remake of an old horror film other than "The Thing" that wasn't terrible. Zombie is a master of his craft.
The best horror remake ever
posted on 18 Aug 2009I just hit the midnight screening, and let me go ahead and say it, this is the best horror remake ever. Now,for every fan of the original expecting the same movie you saw last time around, don't. This is that plus way more. Rob Zombie finally did something in a remake that most remakes either do wrong or don't do at all, he actually RE-MADE it. A hell of a lot of things are different (notably the ending). He really made it his own, which I thought was refreshing and pretty cool. It's also pretty funny. All in all, I thought it was pretty good, especially for a remake, it had numerous scares, and a good amount of comedy, and enough things were different to actually have me guessing. It's not the original, but it's pretty damn good.
Two Different Views
posted on 18 Aug 2009Okay, I just got out of the movie, and I decided I wanted to give my input on the movie from two different perspectives; from a fan view, and from a stand alone view. Here it goes Fan: I have been a huge Halloween fan for years now. It was the first horror movie I ever saw, I remember watching it with my father. I must admit, after reading bad reviews and hearing about the working print, I went into the theater terrified that they destroyed a classic. The movie is different, indefinitely, and they changed a few key elements. Michael's back story removes a lot of his mystery and honestly his fear, it was creepy not knowing why he did what he did, he just does it. They also changed a couple of the personalities of the the main characters, Lynda and Laurie mostly. Dr. Loomis is also different, he isn't so much, terrified of Michael like Pleasance was, he sort of, feels sad with him in this one. Like, I said, its different. Those who came into the theater expecting either an exact copy of Carpenter's master, came in without any expectations, or most commonly, came in already hating it, might have been a bit if not very disappointed. Everyone remembers what the original was and this is something that is, again, different, and there for to a lot of people, its bad. All in all, compared to the original, I'd say about a 6/10, only because they changed a lot.Stand Alone: For those who have never seen the original, or those who don't mind that they remade it, or those that were happy they remade it, go see this movie. In a world where the horror genre has been mutilated to the point of Saw and Hostel, this is a great refresher for those who, actually want to be SCARED. As a stand alone movie, it creates a fantastic killer, one who is merciless and pretty much unstoppable, a 6'10'' monster. Michael still stalks, though not as much, and he is still pretty much Michael. He waits, and plans his killings, and pops out in great moments that definitely had me and my 45 year old father jumping and screaming in the seats. When this movie isn't compared to the original, though it is fast paced and kinda crammed, to me, is simply amazing. The best horror film in a very long time. 10/10 Overall: Was it as good as the original. Some say yes, some say no, some say they were equal. Personally, I have to say they are very evenly matched. Despite the master piece that was the original, this movie scarred me, and I haven't been scarred in a long time. For those die hard fans who never wanted a remake, who hate it already, don't see it, you will probably be disappointed with how much they changed. For die hard fans that never want Halloween to end, and always wanted answers to Michael, like myself, this movie was incredible. Overall, 8-9/10 for me.
Rob Zombie is America's Worse Movie Maker
posted on 18 Aug 2009Leave it to Rob Zombie to completely destroy an American classic. Zombie's take on Halloween is a complete waste of time and energy. Every character is poorly portrayed, the script is horribly written and the directing is more frightening than the movie itself. The constant cussing and tossing of the F-bomb gets old--and this is a staple of Rob Zombie movies. The man knows nothing about making a well intelligent script that defines characters and their behaviors. The acting is rock bottom, with his pin-up wife once more playing another trashy woman. There is absolutely nothing worth while in this version of Halloween. I just want to know what Hollywood idiots keep tossing money at Rob Zombie to make another piece of garbage. This DVD should be used as a beverage coaster and not put into your DVD player.
Very ambitious interpretation of the Michael Myers legend
posted on 16 Aug 2009Rob Zombie basically looks at the Michael Myers character as if it all really happened. This very imaginative interpretation goes much deeper than the original version and shows how the abused and neglected Michael winds up going on a murderous rampage at age 10, first beating the school bully to death with a stick and casually walking away to get ready for trick or treat. Following more verbal abuse from his mother's boyfriend, his step (?) sister and her boyfriend he puts on his clown mask and does away with them in a graphic bloodbath. The first of many. So the film struck me as being even more violent than Devil's Rejects although with no "special" moments like the motel scene in Rejects. At some point I realized my jaw had been dropped for about 20 minutes straight as when MM escapes from the asylum it's one violent death after another. Things calm down just a bit while MM makes his way back to Haddonfield, then the bloodbath starts all over again. I firmly believe that Rob Zombie does his best to portray such characters as Michael Myers, Capt Spaulding, Otis etc as if they really existed. So my final analysis was if the Haddonfield massacre really did happen, and there really was a Michael Myers etc, then this would have been the film they made based on the true story.
A Disappointing Miss
posted on 16 Aug 2009I was a big fan of 'Devil's Rejects'. Rob Zombie displayed a genuine understanding of the psychological (and sociological) foundations of the grindhouse exploitation movies of the 70s and created a far more authentic homage to the genre than either Tarantino or Rodriguez' contribution to 'Grindhouse'. The original 'Halloween', by comparison, was a slow and deliberate exercise in suspense. It was never intended to shock or appall in the calculated way of grindhouse, but to build up an unbearable sense of atmospheric dread.It's interesting, therefore, that Zombie should remake 'Halloween' rather than, say, 'Last House on the Left'. Perhaps that was the point - to inject some of that dark and ugly nihilism in to what is, let's be honest, a spooky boogeyman movie. There was hope for celebration, but unfortunately, the results are decidedly hit and miss.When Zombie has the chance to create something original, the movie really shines. In the first half, acting as a kind of prologue, Sheri Moon gives her best performance yet, managing to be sympathetic even while resigning herself to her abusive boyfriend, and while this back story never offers a real reason for Michael's psychosis, young Faerch's performance is so intense as to be consistently interesting to watch. The sequences within the sanatorium are suitably cold and sterile, and it's refreshing to see a vision of a modern criminal psychiatric unit that rejects the genre clichés of dripping ceilings, flickering lights and decaying walls. McDowell is suitably over-the-top as Dr. Loomis, but never descends to the gleeful scenery-chewing theatrics of Donald Pleasance. But it is here that the screenplay starts to falter. At no point, despite copious interviews, does Loomis ever come close to making any diagnosis, however tentative, or seem able to offer the viewer any understanding of Michael's particular psychosis. This lack of explanation makes the entire prologue, and Zombie's claims of making Michael more real, redundant. After a full hour of exposition, we are still no closer to understanding Michael than we were in the opening scenes of the original movie.Once 'Halloween' switches to 're-imaging' mode, Zombie seems to be bored by his obligation to shoot a scene-for-scene remake. The originals slow-build suspense is replaced with one hysterical chase sequence after another, but none have that dirty, ugly, sadistic quality that Zombie brought to 'The Devil's Rejects'. There's little real violence or gore, or even the cringing suggestion of it, and the movie quickly becomes dull. Despite a last act that, departing from the original, allows Zombie some level of creativity and kicks things up into top gear again, it's too little too late.The narrative is tight, and several of the performances are better than is to be expected from the genre. Tyler Mane is great as the adult Michael Myers, and brings the most physical and intimidating version of 'The Shape' to date. But Zombie, for all his developing talent, seems hampered by his own creative conceit, and despite several genuinely affecting scenes, the movie is nowhere near as good as it could, and should, have been.
Great Movie,
posted on 16 Aug 2009I don't see why people keep complaining about Rob Zombie. Most celebrities who move on over to different things (ie: Hillary Duff from actress to singer, Jennifer Lopez from singer to actress) are completely horrid! But Rob Zombie is not. He made great music and is now making great movies. Get over it.This movie was definitely not the worst remake ever. Go watch The Grudge and all those other Japanese remakes. Broaden your horizons. Your mind will change.Rob Zombie is trying new things that others haven't. He makes things far more dark and far more disturbing. People either don't like it because they're not used to it or they don't like it because they don't understand it.This movie was not been than the original (most remakes aren't), but it certainly was worth it! I can't wait for it to be out on DVD.
Gets good when imitating Carpenter
posted on 30 Aug 2009Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid Mr Zombie. The first half of this film that goes into great detail about Michael Myers terrible childhood is so graphically violent that it makes you squirm and feel nauseous during some scenes. Mind you, this feeling is not to be mistaken for being on the edge of your seat, like any good horror movie should do.The reality is, who really cares about the background of a slasher monster? Although, I quite liked the idea of describing Michael as the "perfect storm", a human that has just the right combination of natural inclination, coaxed along by their environment to become a killing machine such as Mr Myers.The second half of the film that copies the original feel of Carpenter's version is when things start to get interesting. The use of the original music score and Carpenter's tricks of the trade combined with the knowledge of how vicious and dangerous Michael Myers is was quite effective I thought. That was 'edge of your seat' stuff.Anyhow, hats off to Zombie for doing a pretty good job overall.