Halloween: Original vs Remake

  

I cannot the deny the fact that I am a huge fan of the Halloween franchise. I was hooked the first time I saw it. So to say that I am a little protective over my beloved slasher series, is a very fair statement. So you might be asking if I was excited or angry when I heard that they weren’t making another sequel, rather they were remaking the franchise. Well, I was both actually. I was irate beyond belief at first, and then I heard Rob Zombie would be writing and directing it, and my anger was put to the side. But in the end, how did I feel about the future of this legendary franchise? Well, continue reading to find out. John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of those films that, I believe, will stand the tests of time. It holds such iconic imagery, memorable dialogue, and an outstanding accompanying score. What truly makes this film great, is how simplistic it is. This film was put in the able hands, of young John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Two up-and-coming filmmakers looking to make a suspenseful slasher film. I do not believe they would be making the film that would change the genre forever. But that isn’t what we are here to discuss.

 When you look at Halloween, you are drawn into the world of this withdrawn child, who out of the blue, decides to kill his sister. Sure, in future sequels his need to kill her will be explained, but for now, he comes across as a sociopath, fueled by pure evil. So from the very beginning, audiences were intrigued with where the story might take them. With a film of this nature, you have to be able to look past some minor/major inconsistencies. Such as when Michael Myers kills Bob, the drunken, stoner boyfriend of Linda, most of us are ok to overlook the fact that he just got pinned to the kitchen wall with a kitchen knife, which we all know is impossible. Or the fact that while Dr. Sam Loomis is standing watch over the Myers’ house, awaiting Michaels return, that it isn’t until the end of the film that he notices the stolen car he’s been looking for, just happens to be a few houses down the street from him. It’s the suspension of disbelief that everyone must learn when going into movies.

 The main thing that makes this film so great, is the performance of Donald Pleasence, who plays Dr. Loomis. For young filmmakers to be able to get an actor of this caliber is impressive. He is by far the stand-out performer in this film. So much so, that he was the staple that held the franchise together, by appearing in a total of 5 of the sequels, up until his death. The series would never be the same when he passed away.

 Now let’s talk a little bit about Rob Zombie’s Halloween. We all knew going into this film, that with Zombie’s reputation for taking violence to the extreme, that his was going to amp the violence to the franchise up 100%. Boy did they ever. But I will touch more on that in a little bit. Zombie decided to take his opportunity with the film to dive in young Michael Myers’ life a little deeper. Ok, in fairness, since it’s more than a hour of this film, it a little more than a “little” deeper. This is one of my biggest complaints. I liked the fact that Michael killed his sister for no reason other than he was evil. But Zombie decided to go the “nature vs nurture” route, and make him home life abusive, and that he tortures small animals, and shows early signs of psychopathic behavior. This completely change the way we look at this character. I have to admit, I do enjoy the extreme violence in this opening 20 minutes, because it is just so brutal. But, even though the franchise has evolved quite a bit over the years, it just doesn’t feel like a Halloween film.

 The actors in this film do nothing for me. They aren’t my type of characters, and that isn’t a good thing when these are the people that are going to be driving the film to the finish film. Zombie once again casts his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, as Michael’s mother. Whoosh, how can I put this nicely? I know there are many people that really enjoy her, but she is not a “leading lady” no matter how much Rob Zombie might believe she is. Maybe he just does it to make her feel better about herself. But she makes me want to cut myself from wrist to forearm, and bleed out all over the theater floor. The actor that truly stands out in this movie is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Dr. Sam Loomis in this version. He is a great actor, and gives a great performance in this film, but it isn’t Dr. Loomis. That’s just my opinion, but this is a character that Halloween fans love, and most found wasn’t done justice, no matter how good his performance was. And of course Rob Zombie has his regular cast of familiar actors that he always goes to the well to cast, so I am not going to take the time to name them all. Just know, that they are there.

 The overall story of this film is fairly accurate to the original, and it even plays homage to the original by recreating some of the more memorable scenes. Including Bob getting stuck to the wall, or Linda asking a sheet covered Michael, if he sees anything he likes, while flashing her tits. But this being Zombie, of course he has to bump it up a notch, and we get a full-on, neatly trimmer snatch shot. And who is going to complain about that? Certainly not me. 

 I actually got a chance to see an advanced screening of this about six months before theatrical release, and I have to admit, I hated the movie. Now, this was an early cut of the film, and it just didn’t flow right. It left my feeling defeated and deflated about this franchise that I have grown to love so much. So, I was very hesitant about whether or not I was going to go see this film upon its release. I decided to be the Halloween fan that I am, and support the franchise by seeing it on it’s first showing and my local theater. And I was quite surprised to see the changes that were made. It flowed much better, and was the version that I am reviewing right now. So, when it was released on DVD, I had to add it to my collection, and I picked up the Unrated Director’s Cut, and was yet again pissed, because this was the same cut I had seen the first time. What the hell is going on? Of course, I immediately went out and purchased the theatrical cut, because God forbid if they put both versions on one disc. But, if you’re looking for the theatrical cut on Blu-ray, good luck with that, because I have yet to find it.

 So to wrap this up, which version is better? That is a question that I am not going to answer. I can tell you the only Halloween film for me is the original John Carpenter film from 1978. Rob Zombie’s take on the film has its own following who enjoy it, because they find the original boring, or lack-luster. It shows the generational gap between the viewing audiences. I thank Rob Zombie for the fan-service nods to the original, but I wish it was just a little more Halloween, and a little less Devil’s Rejects. I cannot the deny the fact that I am a huge fan of the Halloween franchise. I was hooked the first time I saw it. So to say that I am a little protective over my beloved slasher series, is a very fair statement. So you might be asking if I was excited or angry when I heard that they weren’t making another sequel, rather they were remaking the franchise. Well, I was both actually. I was irate beyond belief at first, and then I heard Rob Zombie would be writing and directing it, and my anger was put to the side. But in the end, how did I feel about the future of this legendary franchise? Well, continue reading to find out.

 John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of those films that, I believe, will stand the tests of time. It holds such iconic imagery, memorable dialogue, and an outstanding accompanying score. What truly makes this film great, is how simplistic it is. This film was put in the able hands, of young John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Two up-and-coming filmmakers looking to make a suspenseful slasher film. I do not believe they would be making the film that would change the genre forever. But that isn’t what we are here to discuss.

 When you look at Halloween, you are drawn into the world of this withdrawn child, who out of the blue, decides to kill his sister. Sure, in future sequels his need to kill her will be explained, but for now, he comes across as a sociopath, fueled by pure evil. So from the very beginning, audiences were intrigued with where the story might take them. With a film of this nature, you have to be able to look past some minor/major inconsistencies. Such as when Michael Myers kills Bob, the drunken, stoner boyfriend of Linda, most of us are ok to overlook the fact that he just got pinned to the kitchen wall with a kitchen knife, which we all know is impossible. Or the fact that while Dr. Sam Loomis is standing watch over the Myers’ house, awaiting Michaels return, that it isn’t until the end of the film that he notices the stolen car he’s been looking for, just happens to be a few houses down the street from him. It’s the suspension of disbelief that everyone must learn when going into movies.

 The main thing that makes this film so great, is the performance of Donald Pleasence, who plays Dr. Loomis. For young filmmakers to be able to get an actor of this caliber is impressive. He is by far the stand-out performer in this film. So much so, that he was the staple that held the franchise together, by appearing in a total of 5 of the sequels, up until his death. The series would never be the same when he passed away.

 Now let’s talk a little bit about Rob Zombie’s Halloween. We all knew going into this film, that with Zombie’s reputation for taking violence to the extreme, that his was going to amp the violence to the franchise up 100%. Boy did they ever. But I will touch more on that in a little bit. Zombie decided to take his opportunity with the film to dive in young Michael Myers’ life a little deeper. Ok, in fairness, since it’s more than a hour of this film, it a little more than a “little” deeper. This is one of my biggest complaints. I liked the fact that Michael killed his sister for no reason other than he was evil. But Zombie decided to go the “nature vs nurture” route, and make him home life abusive, and that he tortures small animals, and shows early signs of psychopathic behavior. This completely change the way we look at this character. I have to admit, I do enjoy the extreme violence in this opening 20 minutes, because it is just so brutal. But, even though the franchise has evolved quite a bit over the years, it just doesn’t feel like a Halloween film.

 The actors in this film do nothing for me. They aren’t my type of characters, and that isn’t a good thing when these are the people that are going to be driving the film to the finish film. Zombie once again casts his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, as Michael’s mother. Whoosh, how can I put this nicely? I know there are many people that really enjoy her, but she is not a “leading lady” no matter how much Rob Zombie might believe she is. Maybe he just does it to make her feel better about herself. But she makes me want to cut myself from wrist to forearm, and bleed out all over the theater floor. The actor that truly stands out in this movie is Malcolm McDowell, who plays Dr. Sam Loomis in this version. He is a great actor, and gives a great performance in this film, but it isn’t Dr. Loomis. That’s just my opinion, but this is a character that Halloween fans love, and most found wasn’t done justice, no matter how good his performance was. And of course Rob Zombie has his regular cast of familiar actors that he always goes to the well to cast, so I am not going to take the time to name them all. Just know, that they are there.

 The overall story of this film is fairly accurate to the original, and it even plays homage to the original by recreating some of the more memorable scenes. Including Bob getting stuck to the wall, or Linda asking a sheet covered Michael, if he sees anything he likes, while flashing her tits. But this being Zombie, of course he has to bump it up a notch, and we get a full-on, neatly trimmer snatch shot. And who is going to complain about that? Certainly not me. 

 I actually got a chance to see an advanced screening of this about six months before theatrical release, and I have to admit, I hated the movie. Now, this was an early cut of the film, and it just didn’t flow right. It left my feeling defeated and deflated about this franchise that I have grown to love so much. So, I was very hesitant about whether or not I was going to go see this film upon its release. I decided to be the Halloween fan that I am, and support the franchise by seeing it on it’s first showing and my local theater. And I was quite surprised to see the changes that were made. It flowed much better, and was the version that I am reviewing right now. So, when it was released on DVD, I had to add it to my collection, and I picked up the Unrated Director’s Cut, and was yet again pissed, because this was the same cut I had seen the first time. What the hell is going on? Of course, I immediately went out and purchased the theatrical cut, because God forbid if they put both versions on one disc. But, if you’re looking for the theatrical cut on Blu-ray, good luck with that, because I have yet to find it.

 So to wrap this up, which version is better? That is a question that I am not going to answer. I can tell you the only Halloween film for me is the original John Carpenter film from 1978. Rob Zombie’s take on the film has its own following who enjoy it, because they find the original boring, or lack-luster. It shows the generational gap between the viewing audiences. I thank Rob Zombie for the fan-service nods to the original, but I wish it was just a little more Halloween, and a little less Devil’s Rejects. 

Where Will Horror Movies Be In 100 Years?

When you look back at the last 100 hundred years in cinema, it’s easy to see how much the world of horror has already changed. We’ve gone from silent, bloodless films, to sadistic and over the top gorefests. So this had me thinking about the future. What will horror movies be like over the next hundred years?

Well, I think it’s safe to assume that things are only going to get more and more insane. You can’t ramp up the carnage how they’ve done in recent years and backpedal to something more”wholesome”. Granted, I’m a firm believer that less is more, and acknowledge the fact that there hasn’t been a horror movie made that has “scarred” or affected me the way they should, in over twenty years. But I am a gorehound, and have grown so numb to the images put on film, that along with searching for something that actually scares me. I equally could just be looking for the next big thing to shock me.

It’s not that I don’t like the movies that are coming out in the genre over the past few years. I’m just looking for something different. Something original. Not another cookie cutter, found footage film that relies on telegraphed jump scares. As popular as this subgenre has become, I won’t be disappointed when it finally fizzles away into the ether. I’m not saying every one of these films is garbage. Because in every shit pile, there is a diamond in the rough. I personally just get tired of seeing the same old thing, just presented in a shiny new wrapper.

I said earlier that I can’t see things going back in style. That statement comes strictly from a production companies view point. As a viewer I absolutely went it to “go back to the basics”. The films of Alfred Hitchcock got into the minds of the viewer, and more importantly; they still hold up today. We need to get back into the heads of the audiences. Because when you can screw with someone’s psyche, they may be uncomfortable for a little while, but like in the past, they will tell their friends, and they will be back for more.

Till Next Time Kiddies…
-RJ

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978)

For anyone who has ever been interested in diving into the hellish world of becoming a filmmaker; there is always that one film that really pushed you to wanting to purse that field. For me that film was John Carpenter’s Halloween. Now, I had always been a movie buff, and of course a horror fanatic. But I remember seeing Halloween for the first time when I was in the 2nd Grade, and knew there was nothing else I wanted to do. From the simplistic nature that the film had, and the low-budget(for the time), the fact that this film is still noted, and shown yearly in theaters; there is a reason why this film pushed me in the industry I am now entering.

For those of you who don’t know; On Halloween 1963, the small town of Haddonfield is shocked when six-year-old Michael Myers returns from trick-or-treating and for some unknown reason stabs his older sister to death with a big kitchen knife and is found by his parents staring into space with the bloody knife in his hand. Sent to a mental institution, Michael spends the next 15 years just sitting, still staring into space despite the best efforts of his Doctor, Dr. Samuel Loomis. Now, on October 30th 1978, something triggers Michael off and during a storm manages to steal a car from Dr. Loomis and Nurse Marion (who was coming to take Michael to court to keep him locked up) and goes back to Haddonfield where he steals a white mask. There, Laurie Stode, Micheal’s younger sister, finds that Michael is stalking her during the day (at school, at her home etc – but she doesn’t know who he is.) As Dr. Loomis arrives and with the sheriff frantically looks for Michael he doesn’t know that Laurie is baby-sitting Lindsey and Tommy and that Laurie’s friends Annie, Lynda and Bob are disappearing one by one.

As I said, this film has a very simplistic storyline; but it is a premise that everyone could identify with. Every town has their own story of the one person that went crazy, and now they are locked up in a padded room somewhere. But what would happen if that person escaped, and went back to the only place they knew? That is the question John Carpenter answered, and put fear in the nation. In all actuality, this film wasn’t a big success initially. It was slammed by critics, and the box office numbers were sub-par at best. But after one review hit the market, and by the power of word of mouth, the numbers started to grow. And before too long, people were lining up around the blocks to see this film. That was something that didn’t happen for horror films. At this time, you went to the drive-in to see this kind of horror flick. But the success only got bigger, and a generation of fans was born.

For writer/director John Carpenter, this film was the huge success he need to put his name on the map. Before Halloween, Carpenter had only done a handful of shorts, and two features; Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13. Surprisingly, those two films were vastly different than Halloween, or to the horror genre that he would inevitably becoming a staple in. To this day, John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. There is nothing he releases that I don’t see or own. It’s just too bad that he hasn’t released too much as of late; but when he does, you can know that I will be there to see it.

It is a little sad to see Carpenter, sort of, divorce himself from the franchise he started; but to a point, I can understand. Nobody wants to be typecast, and be only known for one thing. So the fact that when he was asked to be apart of a few of the sequels, and he declined; I can respect that. Because even if he wants to separate himself from it; even he can’t deny that he was responsible for one of the biggest horror icons in history. One of the new “modern” Universal Monsters if you; in the character of Michael Myers.

Michael Myers is the character you fear coming to your house every Halloween. The expressionless shape, that can take you out at a moments notice. In this first film, he really didn’t have any motives for his actions. He was just that psychotic killer that killed for one and only reason…because he liked to kill. He was good at it. But, we all know, you can’t do that for too long, and in the later films we learn that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is actually his sister; and the films trend down the line that Michael just isn’t a “family man” and wants all of his family to die. I was honestly fine with all that. It made for interesting story-lines, and some fun sequels. But then they killed off his entire bloodline, and the franchise hit a roadblock. That roadblock would be the reason for the Rob Zombie remake…but that will be a post for an entirely different day.

But this creation, from the mind of John Carpenter and Debra Hill, has spawned many loyal fans, and a mess of imitations. I’ve heard people argue that Jason Vorhees is “way better” than Michael Myers. I’m not going to bite. I love Jason as well. But at least give credit where credit is due. If the was no Michael Myers, there damn sure wouldn’t be a Jason; or even a Freddy for that matter. Now, Halloween wasn’t the first slasher film by any means. Hell, Psycho and Black Christmas came out years before this. But this film solidified the genre, and is truly the reason for the huge slasher boom in the 1980’s. And that is really saying something. The fact that this “little” film, that no one thought would do anything, inspired so many filmmakers to flood the market with imitations, is really a mark in favor of John Carpenter and everyone else attached to this film.

Yes, I am a Halloween fanboy, and proud of that fact. I just love the film and try to get as many people as I possibly can to watch it…if they haven’t of course. This film was one that I held a little tradition with. Every Friday night I would pop up some popcorn, kick back and throw this movie in. I have seen this movie hundreds upon hundreds of times, and it never gets old. That is the staple of a great, iconic film. So do yourself a favor. If you have been living under a rock for nearly 40 years…get out from under that rock, and watch this film. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea…but even the most hardcore haters can admit that it is responsible for so many other films that people love.

-Till Next Time Kiddies…