Halloween 2007

Super

Rob Zombie has done a cover version, not a remake, of John Carpenter’s Halloween. This version of Halloween is interesting because it extends scenes and themes from the original while being faithful to the previous characters. With each film Rob Zombie has made, he becomes a different and better director. House of 1,000 Corpses, his first film, was made by a music video director who used every editing trick he could think of. The Devil’s Rejects, his second, was made by a calmer filmmaker, aiming for a documentary style that borders between art and exploitation. I knew this Halloween would be appealing to watch because Rob Zombie takes the horror genre seriously.

This cover version of Halloween develops the psychology of Michael Myers. The audience is introduced to Michael Myers as a child stuck in an abusive household. Michael Myers is given back story to explain why he is going to become a psychopath and commit a violent murder on Halloween night. Critics argue over the redneck/trailer trash dialogue Rob Zombie has the actors speak. It does get annoying, especially if you have seen his other movies, but the dialogue gets better when he moves away from that type in other scenes.

I don’t think I am spoiling the movie if I say what happens in the first act because this is the reason why I did not give Rob Zombie’s version a Huge rating. As a child, Michael Myers is picked on by an angry bully, played by Daryl Sabaraof Spy Kids fame. Myers takes out his anger on the bully and kills him in the forest. Then that is the last thing we hear about the bully. If Myers was consciously aware he was going to kill the bully, it was also a conscious choice to kill his sister and stepfather. Young Michael Myers later on says he does not remember killing anyone in the institution but the statement does not work because of this scene.

The scenes at the institution though are the interesting parts of the movie because of the relationship between Doctor Loomis and young Michael Myers. Doctor Loomis, played by Malcolm McDowell, is now a rock and roll star in the field of psychology. Malcolm McDowell does a nice job imitating the original Doctor Loomis, Donald Pleasance, through mannerisms and vocal accents. This is where Rob Zombies’ cover version sparks of originality and excellent casting choice by hiring a British actor to replace another British actor.

In the institution, Michael Myers is locked up for the next 15 years. The physicality of the adult Michael Myers is another issue I had in the movie. Tyler Mane plays the quarterback Michael Myers in the adult years. The size and bulk of Tyler Mane works as Sabertooth in X-men but not in Halloween. You mean to tell me; Michael Myers has been pumping iron for 15 years and no one is suspicious of him breaking out of the institution?

After the escape from the institution, the audience is given a cliff notes version of the female characters Michael Myers is stalking. Laurie Strode, played by Scout Taylor Compton, is still the same person from the original. I see no difference between her acting and Jamie Lee Curtis from the original. Lynda though who was more outspoken by P.J. Soles is now given less screen time and dialogue. Annie is played by Danielle Harris, a returning actress from Halloween parts 4 and 5. Again I see no difference between her acting and Nancy Loomis from the original. For me this is where the movie drags a little but picks up again once Michael finally goes after Laurie Strode.

I do not believe in the Michael Myers-Only-Kills-The-Girls-Who-Have-Sex issue and neither does Rob Zombie. Rob Zombie even plays around with the notion but he does not take the idea seriously. What Rob Zombie more importantly focuses on is the fact that Michael Myers is an unstoppable killing machine with no sense of mercy.

You will also note that the ensemble cast is filled with actors and actresses from B-movies. You have Clint Howard, Udo Kier, Brad Dourif, Sid Haig, Dee Wallace, Ken Foree and Sybil Danning. Rob Zombie does a nice job of giving each one a serious role and letting them act seriously. The one scene I liked best was the dialogue between Malcolm McDowell, Clint Howard, and Udo Kier outside of the institution after the escape.

Speaking as a fan of the horror genre, I still prefer John Carpenter’s Halloween than Rob Zombie’s. Even though I could see flaws in editing and writing, Rob Zombie in the end made an attention-grabbing horror movie filled with nudity and gore. MGM and Dimension Films paid a lot of money to revive the Halloween franchise just like Paramount is paying a lot of money to revive its own Star Trek franchise through J.J. Abrams. It did not surprise me though that Rob Zombie left story lines open-ended for a sequel. I do hope MGM and Dimension Films continue the franchise because I am a fan of the Halloween movies including the underrated Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. I just hope they hire a director who will take the horror genre seriously like Rob Zombie did.