...obviously, any review of Rob Zombie's "Halloween" is invariably going to be compared to John Carpenter's original, and I suppose this will be no different...
Being a devoted fan of both Carpenter's and Zombie's work, yet more so, as far as the original "Halloween", I went into the remake with neutral expectations...and in the long run, I wasn't disappointed...
Overall, in a bit irony, and despite having concentrated much more on Michael Myers' troubled (...an understatement) past, I felt that Rob did so very little with so much; he obviously had to have spent an ungodly amount of money to put out his 'vision', and yet what did we REALLY have, in the end??? A brutal and volatile study of the birth and development of a psychopathic killer, which never really completely follows through dramatically, at moments recalls similar boyhood images in "Freddy's Dead", and by giving Michael a distincty human past, it virtually eliminates the ever-so-slight underlining supernatural element, that made the original film so much more sinister. The reciprocating irony about the situation comes about when one realizes that Carpenter did so much more with so little, with regards to the original film; the uncomfortable tension...the standout characterizations...the pop culture novelty...and the virtual unstoppability of 'The Shape' itself...it all clicked in the right place, and at a reported budget, if I recall correctly, of $100,000 plus, right???
Just about all of the characters in Carpenter's "Halloween" stood out, in some way, shape or form...from the chain-smoking nurse, who accompanied Dr. Loomis to the sanitarium, at the beginning of the film...through P.J. Soles' delightfully obnoxious 'valley girl' performance...and let's not forget ol' Michael's little quirks, nods and head knocks...
In comparision, Zombie's presents us with a film that focuses solely on Micheal Myers, and Michael Myers only; all of the other characters were just a couple of points above secondary...including Laurie Strodes, and (most disappointingly) including Malcolm McDowell's take on Dr. Loomis. There was not a single obsessed and uncomfortably chilling moment with the redone Loomis' character, in the remake...as compared to Donald Pleasence's chill-to-the-bone portrayal; I have seen the original "Halloween" dozens of times, and the one moment in the film, which quite literally gets me shaking, right to the bone, every time, is Dr. Loomis' speech, regarding Michael Myers possessing 'the devil's eyes'...
Instead of stand-out characterizations, Zombie repeatedly distracts us with his entourage of easily recognized horror and cult film stars, many from his previous films, and performing the varied characters most "Halloween" fans are more than familiar with...
In the end, Zombie DID give us a twisted and nightmarish vision for this age of horror films, much like Carpenter's original film was a nightmarish vision for the age it was originally released; also, due credit to the film for being far and above better than the past couple of entries in the 'Halloween' saga...
...though a most recognizable signature style and attitude of Zombie, this was film was oh-so much more (and unecessarily) brutal, savage and viceral; in the final analysis, he has given us viewers a respectable take on the original story, but ultimately the film must resign itself to be hollow, generic and negligible...
2007-09-12 04:19:34
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answer #1
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answered by Fright Film Fan 7
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I find it interesting that most people that loved the original Halloween had their problems with the new version. I come from the opposite of having never really cared that much for the original Halloween. Don't get me wrong I am a big horror movie fan, but Carpenter's Halloween never really did it for me.(My favorite Carpenter film is either They Live or Big Trouble in Little China; so maybe that says something) I thought the new version was amazingly awesome. It seemed to me to have all the bits that I thought the original was lacking in namely action and gore. I appreciate the need for slow pacing to build suspense but I am definitely from the school that wants to see the horror and not have it left to my imagination. So I can see why people that absolutely love the original might have a problem with he new version but if they view it on it's own I think they will see that it is truly an awesome Rob Zombie flick(I still think Devil's Rejects is his best)
2007-09-12 04:36:20
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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Wow...I totally agree with everything you said. I enjoyed the beginning part also, but i was really bored with the rest of the movie. Someday people will learn not to mess with an original. They're always the best :-)
2007-09-12 03:54:48
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answer #4
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answered by Angelbunny17 7
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