Halloween (2007)

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon Zombie, William Forsythe, Danielle Harris, Danny Trejo, Kristina Klebe
Directed by: Rob Zombie
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) escapes from a mental institute and travels home to Haddonfield to murder.

Review:

Tim: I generally don't like horror remakes, especially when the movie being remade is one of the classics of the genre, like the original Halloween. That movie is one of my favorite horror movies, and I wasn't convinced it needed a remake. Rob Zombie is one of the few directors that makes you slightly excited to see his vision, but it's clear he's no John Carpenter. This movie features a few flashes of real quality, but ultimately represents a huge drop in quality from the original. I didn't care for this movie at all.

I should stress that I watched the Director's Cut, so the movie I watched is a bit different from the theatrical version. The most controversial and interesting aspect of this film is the time devoted to Michael Myers before he kills his family. I was surprised how much time Zombie spent focusing on this aspect of the story. We all know Myers kills his family at a young age, but we actually get to see the family dynamic all around him. I felt like we were getting a glimpse behind the mask- it was interesting, but I'm not completely convinced I wanted to see that. Part of what I love about Myers is that he is just a brutal killing machine- but he does have some purpose. He doesn't crack jokes like Freddy Krueger, but he also just doesn't randomly kill anyone in his path like Jason Voorhees. He is a murderer, but he's focused primarily on his family. We all know Myers is a murderer because he's pure evil. In this film, though, we see him as a young boy and get some idea of why he became what he became. Again, I loved this unqiue aspect of the film, but I'm not convinced it was a good idea.

I love that Malcolm McDowell was cast as Samuel Loomis. There's not too many people I would want to see step in Donald Pleasence's shoes, but McDowell is a good choice. I loved seeing the early stages of the Loomis-Myers relationship. Even though I don't totally believe it was a good idea, I have to admit the scenes of young Myers and the scenes in the mental institution were the best parts of the film. When the movie shifts from this focus to one on Laurie Strode, the movie takes a massive dive.

This is probably because of the awful, pathetic performance of Scout Taylor-Compton. I admit that whomever stepped in Jamie Lee Curtis' shoes as Laurie Strode faced a huge challenge. However, I can't believe this is the best that they could do. Taylor-Compton gives a weak, annoying performance throughout the entire film. I hated her character in this film. She is just so stupid- whether that's inappropriately joking around with her parents or coming across as the lamest, most fake person with her friends. When Myers and Laurie finally meet up, Taylor-Compton is at her worst. Her sniveling, crying performance made me want to slap her. She ruined the character of Laurie Strode. I actually enjoyed the movie until she showed up. This spoiled the entire film.

While I appreciate the insight Zombie gives us into Michael Myers, once the film gets back on the typical remake track, it just sees so redundant and pointless. We watch meaningless deaths occur, waiting with boredom until the inevitable showdown. It all just seemed like we've seen it dozens of times already and I couldn't care about anything that was happening.

I didn't like the remake of Halloween. I still am not convinced this movie should have been made. It's yet another disappointing film in this tiring franchise. This isn't a horrible movie, but it doesn't do enough to convince us its existence was warrented. I was disappointed with what I saw here. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Halloween II, Halloween (1978)