Halloween (2007)
It was Labor Day weekend, which meant it was time for another “Halloween” movie. Yes, that sentence should sound a little strange. Once again, the masked psychopath, Michael Myers, has returned to the neighborhood of Haddonfield with a bitter taste in his mouth. With his unique vision of terror, musician turned director, Rob Zombie, pledged to deliver a updated take on a legendary tale conceived back in 1978. Therein lies one of the most common mistakes in the history of cinema.
When the original horror classic, “Halloween,” was made, director John Carpenter did it for a mere 300,000 dollars. It quickly went from being an unknown film to one of the most successful low budget films ever made. John Carpenter’s “Halloween” instilled a fear in audiences with its skilled and inventive camera use as well as its proper sense of what truly creates tension and terror.” Carpenter’s “Halloween” has always been known for single-handedly revolutionizing the horror genre.
Here enters Rob Zombie. To update the already perfect “Halloween,” Zombie insisted on telling a back story to the infamous masked killer, Michael Myers. In the original “Halloween,” not knowing what makes Michael Myers tick is what made the story so frightening. In Zombie’s updated version, knowing that Michael had an abusive step-father, a mother who worked as a stripper, and a pet rat named Elvis made it laughable in places it used to be scary. Additionally, by mistaking sex scenes for character development and gore for scaring an audience, Zombie’s “Halloween” is nothing more than a foul mouthed and distasteful trailer trash representation of what used to be a sophisticated masterpiece.
What was thought to be an interesting idea turned out to be a disaster. It happened when Gus Van Sant remade Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” You don’t remake the Godfather just like you don’t even consider a remake to “Citizen Kane.” For what “Halloween” meant to the horror genre, this is one of the truest examples of a slaughtering to the classic moments of cinema history.
Halloween (2007)
Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence and terror throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity and language
Runtime: 109 min.
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, and Scout Taylor-Compton
Directed by Rob Zombie
