As is the case with the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street series, the original 1978 John Carpenter classic Halloween has spawned seven sequels. In 2007, rock musician turned screenwriter/film director Rob Zombie remade the original Halloween in hopes of reviving the franchise which has been plagued with a series of lackluster sequels (in my opinion, with the exception of Halloween: Resurrection, each film in series has its charm yet none compare to the original film). Rob Zombie's "re-imagining" of the original Michael Myers tale proved to be a revamped version of the original, adding a twisted look into Michael Myers' childhood, his life in the mental institution after murdering his older sister, and his eventual escape to relive his grisly crime in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois.
The film, starring Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob's wife), Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris (fans may know her best as Michael's niece Jamie Lloyd from Halloween 4 & 5), and newcomer Scout-Taylor Compton, who plays Michael's baby sister Laurie Strode previously played by the now-famous Jamie Lee Curtis, received mix critical reviews upon its release. While some called it a great companion piece to the original just as David Cronenberg's The Fly was to its 1958 predecessor, others called it "trashy" and over-all "a mess of a film." After repeated viewings, the film has since grown on me and I consider it one of the better entries in the franchise (still you cannot beat John Carpenter's masterpiece).
Since the film was a huge success (it broke box-office records a Labor Day weekend opening), a sequel was inevitable. Over the course of a year, many writers and directors were considered for the project since Rob Zombie wasn't too interested in making a sequel. Though as time passed, with no one at the helm of the film, Rob Zombie made up his mind and gained interest in continuing his vision on the story.
Rob Zombie on set of HALLOWEEN 2007.
Zombie has already proven himself as a competent horror director. His second film, House of 1000 Corpses follow-up The Devil's Rejects became a huge cult favorite which lead him to write and direct his highly successful Halloween remake. With a clean slate, Rob took this opportunity to deliver an all new Halloween movie experience. How did it pan out?
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The film opens against black with this definition:
WHITE HORSE - linked to instinct, purity and the drive of the physical body to release powerful and emotional forces, like rage with ensuing chaos and destruction.
-- excerpt from The Subconscious Psychosis of Dreams
Then it cuts to Deborah Myers, Michael Myers' mother, visiting him in the sanitarium as a young boy. It's Christmas time and she brings a him a statue of a white horse. Michael proceeds to tell his mother that it reminds him of a dream he had where she was dressed in all white and was walking with a white horse, preparing to take Michael away with her. So far, we are given an interesting look at Michael's yearning to escape the asylum and return home. The film suddenly shifts to 15 years later where we pick up where the last film left off. It's Halloween night. After having shot Michael in the face, a bloodied Laurie Strode wanders aimlessly in shock through the streets of Haddonfield. Sheriff Brackett (played to perfection by Brad Dourif. I actually favor him more than Brackett in the original films) finds her and takes her to Haddonfield General Hospital to be treated for her wounds. In a nice nod to the original 1981 Halloween II, the first fifteen minutes or so takes place in the deserted hospital where Michael carves through a few members of the hospital staff in pursuit of Laurie.
As Laurie is ambushed and almost brained with an axe, in typical slasher film fashion, we cut to the present (3 more days 'til Halloween, Silver Shamrock!)where we discover that the hospital attack was all a dream. We discover that Laurie is now a disturbed youth in revolt, struggling to cope with her past trauma. She lives with Sheriff Brackett and his daughter, Laurie's former best friend/Halloween I survivor, Annie - all of whom are trying to leave the memory of Michael Myers behind them. The home life of this returning trio is quite charming and a highlight of the film. Brackett is very loving yet overprotective of his only daughter and Laurie. His situation actually creates empathy for the character as he takes it upon himself to deal with Annie - now a homebody who cooks and cleans for everyone - and Laurie who has taken upon a facade as a wild and rambunctious punk who is a really a very damaged person.
It seems like Laurie is having disturbing nightmares and visions (including one where young Michael and Mama Myers fawn over as she is sprawled along a long table where a group of people with pumpkins for heads are having a Halloween feast - very weird shit but at the same time, very cool).
On a positive note, the dreams and vision are beautifully shot and wildly imaginative while a few don't make any sense. If Laurie had no idea that she is a member of the Myers clan, then why is she having visions of Deborah and Young Michael? And how was she able to recreate the death of Ronnie White (Deborah's boyfriend from the previous film) in her dream, using Annie as a substitute, when she most likely knew none of the details of his murder?
Laurie also has two new best friends, Mya and Harley. Now, I would have really given two shits about these characters if they had more than 10 minutes of screen time. With the exception of Laurie, Annie, and Brackett, almost all of the characters in this film serve no purpose at all and are extremely underdeveloped --- even Dr. Loomis who is supposed to be the hero of the film. I don't mind the major character shift of Dr. Loomis. It's actually quite a breath of fresh air to have Loomis be this money hungry, fame seeking celebrity who gains profit off the misery of others by writing a controversial book about Michael's bloody rampage last Halloween - the polar opposite of Donald Pleasence's Captain Ahab-esque portrayal of the character from the original films. The most satisfying thing would be for Loomis to slowly realize what he did was wrong and he will be able to redeem himself by saving the day. It adds layers to the character. This never happens. Loomis spends most of the movie in a fancy hotel, depressed about the bad press and negative reviews he is receiving. It's only at the last minute when Loomis sees a news report of Michael taking Laurie hostage where he decides to take action --- and he is immediately killed when he intervenes! Really, if Loomis wasn't in this film, it really wouldn't be any different. They should have just left him dead in the first film (if you didn't see the first film, Michael nearly flattened his head towards the end) rather then retcon him into the second. He would have at least been remembered as a hero.
Anyway, Michael has apparently been hauled up in the a shack in the middle of the woods recovering from the bullet wound where he gets visits from the ghostly wraith of his own mother, Deborah, and himself as a child. Deborah tells Michael that Halloween is approaching and he must find "Angel" so they can all "be a family again." What is really cool about this scene is that we discover that young Michael speaks for adult Michael when his mother speaks to him; though I do have some complaints about this new element to the story which I will address later.
After this scene, we get some unnecessary filler scenes which really do not need to be in the film. The first one I'm going to talk about, I can excuse, because it lent a little bit to the characterization of Michael Myers. He is caught trespassing and stealing from some rednecks who decided to ambush him. Michael, of course, slaughters them all and *eek* guts and eats their dog which is actually a nod to the original 1978 film where Loomis and Brackett find the dead dog in the abandoned Myers house to which Loomis explains "he got hungry." However, there is another scene in which Michael attacks the strip club where his mother was once employed. He smashes a bartenders head in with his foot, breaks the club owner's arm and bashes his head into a wall, and repeatedly smashes a stripper's face into a mirror. This scene really didn't have nothing to do with the plot and the overall theme of the film. What exactly did this have to do with Michael's "mission"? Did Michael slaughter the club owner out of vengeance because he made Michael's mother flash her titties to a bunch of horny drunks for a fistful of singles? Does this really mean Michael kills people because he was traumatized by the fact his mother danced around naked for a living? Really, this nothing more than a showcase of grisly special effects and overt violence brought onto disposable characters. The time spent on these scenes could have been further developing the main characters.
Then, Halloween arrives. Loomis' book is out in stores. Michael has arrived in Haddonfield with Deborah and young Michael at his side, cheering him on. Laurie finds out from Loomis' book that she is Angel Myers, Michael Myers' sister. She freaks out, runs away from Brackett's, and goes in party with Mya and Harley at the Haddonfield Phantom Jam - an elaborate set piece that really didn't contribute much to the advancement of the story which was quite a shame because it did set the right mood for the holiday. All that happens is Michael shows up, and kills Harley and some guy she is fucking in the back of a van parked outside. Then he leaves! What?! Why didn't he make his move on Laurie when she was at that same party? Why randomly kill Harley?
Anyway, Michael walks all the way back to the Brackett house (how did he know where it was and how did he know Laurie lived there?) and *cries* kills Annie. A few minutes later, Laurie and Mya arrive and discover Annie almost-dead in the bathroom. I would like to point out really how powerful this scene was. Annie's death is off-screen though we do hear screaming and slashing behind closed doors, leaving it up to our imagination of how brutal it was - especially when we discover Annie, naked and slashed up, lying in the middle of blood soaked bathroom. Mya is killed downstairs when calling 911. Laurie cradles Annie in her arms as she dies, and when she finally passes on, the performances of Scout-Taylor Compton and Danielle Harris are genuine and amazing. The music, shots, and acting in this particular scene hit all the right marks to evoke an emotional reaction out of the audience (at least for me). It also didn't hurt having the presence of Danielle Harris who was already a fan favorite for playing Jamie in Halloween 4 & 5. It's no surprise that she is able to act in such an intense seen since she has been battling masked killers and triumphing through carnage since the age of 10.
Danielle Harris made a splatter as little Jamie Lloyd in HALLOWEEN 4 back in 1988.
Who wants to make a bet that Annie will be back for H3?
Then Michael bursts through the door and chases Laurie through the rural landscape. Meanwhile, in perhaps the saddest and, in my opinion, the most well-acted scene in a horror film, is Brackett's discovery and reaction to his daughter's death. Brad Dourif is an amazing actor and his scenes are played so perfectly that his performance enough to recommend this film to the general movie buff whether they like horror films or not.
Anyways, Laurie flags down a car and is picked up. Though before they are able to make their escape, Michael kills the driver and flips the car over with his bare hands (No kidding. It was actually pretty cool albeit a little unrealistic). Then, Michael carries the unconscious Laurie to a shack where they have a nice little family reunion. Laurie now is able to see Deborah and young Michael just as Michael does. Young Michael holds Laurie down to where Deborah forces Laurie to say "I love you, mommy." This is where Loomis comes in to try and save the day only to be slashed to death. Brackett ends up shooting Michael with a sniper rifle. Michael falls from the impact of the bullets and is impaled by old farming equipment. Laurie goes over to Michael, crying "I love you brother." Then she snaps and stabs him repeatedly with his own knife. She then walks out of the shed, wearing Michael's mask (The theater burst into laughter at this part. She looked like a Bobblehead Myers) much to the dismay of Brackett and the other police officers.
The film ends with Laurie in a white room with Deborah and the white horse walking towards her (with a creepy rendition of "Laurie's Theme" from the original 1978 film playing). Laurie looks into the camera and an evil little grin spreads across her face (perhaps an homage to the end of Psycho).
Then the end credits roll inter-cut with stills from the previous film accompanied by the infamous "Halloween theme" (the first and only times the theme is played by the way. A ballsy move for any director of a Halloween sequel).
*END SPOILERS*
I will start off by stating the PROS of the film:
- Michael's new look was fresh yet still retained some of that Boogeyman like quality. I didn't notice that half of the mask was missing, much, showing Michael's face - it reminded me of something out of Phantom of the Opera.
- The cinematography. This film had a mood and tone that perfectly matched the fall landscape of mid-western town with a domineering gloom over it. The mist, the moonlight, the jack o-lanterns, and trick or treaters all lent themselves to the setting of the film and definitely made it feel like it actually took place on Halloween and was indeed much better than the look of the last three films. Kudos to director of photography Brandon Trost.
- The acting of the main players. Compton, Harris, and Dourif played the roles to perfection. They were all underused and underdeveloped in the previous film that it was a relief to see that they had a good amount of screen time. McDowell was good with what he had. He really does know how to play an egotistical scumbag very well. Tyler Mane as Michael Myers was indeed a much different take on the character yet Mane still managed to give a terrifying performance.
- The idea (not the execution) of Deborah Myers and young Michael reaching out to Michael from behind the grave. It actually shows a good link between the film and the actually mythology of Halloween which is said to be the night where the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved and the dead are free to roam the earth and wreak havoc on the living.
- The cameos from genre veterans such as Margot "Lois Lane" Kidder - who also starred in '70s horror classics earlier in her career such as Brian DePalma's Sisters, Black Christmas and The Amityville Horror, Caroline Williams (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Stepfather 2), and Betsy Rue (My Bloody Valentine remake).
Now, the bad stuff - THE CONS:
- *The execution of the visions of Deborah Myers and young Michael. I thought Sheri Moon Zombie did a really great job in the last film as Michael's tormented mother (except for the white trash stripper side), but her acting in this film was simply not good. Daeg Faerch's (who played young Michael in the last film) replacement, Chase Vanek. Faerch as young Michael Myers was chilling. He was perfectly cast in the previous film. This new kid was very bland and his performance seemed forced. Was he reading his lines off a cue card?
Daeg Faerch, who played young Michael Myers in the previous film, delivered an amazing performance as a child-killer.
- The character development was lacking once again like the previous film. There were probably about ten characters in the film that were killed off without even knowing their names. The Harley character seemed to be there just to be that slutty girl cliché in all slasher films who we all know is going to be knocked off faster than when she was introduced. Mya had potential to be a very important character to the film - almost like a support system for Laurie since she seemed to be her only "normal" friend. But she was as useless as Harley.
- There was absolutely no suspense in this film. I was not scared at all. Even the cheap "jump scenes" didn't get a reaction out of me.
OVERALL:
An interesting take on the Michael Myers story but a disappointing film going experience. There are some tender, well-acted moments that definitely make the film a little deeper than most horror films but most times these are overshadowed by a lack of a narrative structure, some really bad acting, too many clichés and plot holes, unnecessary death scenes, and an anticlimactic ending. The promise of the premise was that this film would be an intense psychological horror film that would focus on the mental breakdown of our main character and her battle with evil that will ultimately reveal her fate. Really this just as a typical slasher film, no better or worse than the most mediocre Halloween sequel with poorly executed ideas, zero character development, and more emphasis on violence and gore. If you're a Rob Zombie fan or an open-minded Halloween fan, go see it, but you'd probably get the same reaction from this film as you would from watching a Friday the 13th sequel.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (worst to best), I'll give it a 5.
NEWS FLASH: Even though Halloween II came in third place behind The Final Destination and Inglorious Basterds only making a mere $16 million during the Labor Day Weekend, it still made $2 million more than it's budget which guarantees a sequel. According to numerous entertainment magazines and websites, the Weinstein Company who own the rights to the Halloween films are currently in development with a Halloween 3D (probably since The Final Destination beat Halloween II out of ticket sales with the appeal of the 3D gimmick).
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