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When you look at Halloween, you are drawn into the world of this withdrawn child, who out of the blue, decides to kill his sister.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.
The Movie Pit 