The 1978 classic horror flick Halloween gets a make over from none other than Rob Zombie. I am not a big Rob Zombie fan. I just don’t quite have the stomach for his films. However he does spend a lot more time on building a suspenseful movie here, holding on to some of Carpenter’s style and engaging the audience in a somewhat interesting storyline with less gore than usual.
This Halloween spends a lot of time with Michael Myers as a 10 year old, and while he is still obsessed with masks, we do get to see his face. We watch him unravel into a murderous serial killer and get committed into a mental institution. He escapes 17 years later and goes on a killing rampage.
This story was definitely more personal and disturbing than the original. Zombie is pretty good as a director however he seems a tad obsessed with close ups. I’m pretty sure we saw up the nose of every actor in the film. The acting was convincing, however some of these “teenagers” are in their thirties. Daeg Faerch was chilling as the young Michael Myers and Sheri Moon-Zombie did a believable Deborah Myers.
Michael Myers dies. I think. Well, he got shot at least four times, fell from a balcony (of course), and was stabbed. There could be more as I started to lose track. The young and pure Laurie Strode survives, but she’s a bloody mess by the end.
I have to be honest; this is probably my last horror movie for awhile. I think I’ve developed a more “tender” soul and it was really hard to objectively watch this movie without feeling ill and sad. Overall it delivered what it set out to do, and Zombie created a film that paid homage to some memorable scenes from the classic without making a carbon copy. I give it 3 out of 5.
