Rob Zombie's Halloween - An Appreciation

Almost forgot this was coming out today!

Capitalizing on the holiday season (like a good horror DVD should) is a THREE disc Unrated Collector's Edition DVD of the Halloween re-imagining, out today.
If you're going to buy the set, I ask that you help support Halloween Addict by purchasing through the Amazon link below.

Though I'm not a fan of the re-make, I think it's got some interesting choices that Rob Zombie as a filmmaker has made. And because of that, I'm very interested in this set for the Director's commentary and the FOUR HOUR Making-of documentary (not available on any other version of this movie) to get some insight.

Below is my original take on the theatrical release of the film. There's been plenty written on what's WRONG with the movie... I'm going to try an dwell on what worked. An appreciation, at least.


As our friend "Spoiler Pirate" warns:
"ARRRR! HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!"

ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN... An Appreciation...

Love it or hate it, Rob Zombie's take on Halloween exists.
As you've heard me say on Halloween Addict in the past, I have a treasured, special attachment to John Carpenter's Halloween. I knew it was to be re-made eventually and when it was announced with Rob Zombie at the helm, I had some faith.

It was only a matter of time, in the constant Hollywood desire to make what is classic "new" again, but the 1978 classic thriller Halloween has been remade, or "reimagined" as the marketing spin doctors would have you believe.
Sort of a holy grail in the canon of horror remakes, this reimagining has been helmed by horror rocker Rob Zombie.

To start right off, I would rather Mr. Zombie helm it than have a no-name director who's made a few commercials look pretty. Rob Zombie is no stranger to directing, this being his third feature, and as he amasses his work a pattern is becoming apparent: what Zombie SHOULD have directed was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.

Zombie is a fan of the gritty 70's horror movies that TCM falls into along with the more disturbing grindhouse entries of I Spit on Your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust and we can see this in his work in House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects.
No film is more apparent an influence, though, than Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Zombie has created homage shots throughout the new Halloween. From mimicking Leatherface's door slam (Michael sliding a door open: similar high angle, stoic figure, and thunderous door); to the screaming hillbilly family dynamic at the beginning of the film; to our lone heroine screaming with a hard cut to black like the end of TCM.
Halloween pays homage to Psyco. Halloween is not the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a different style and pace of film. I'm sorry he missed out on his opportunity on the TCM remake, but this is not where those homages belong.

The first hour is spent on the child Michael. This could have been cut to 20 minutes. I do enjoy the additional footage shot for the TV version of the original Halloween. For those who don't know, Carpenter shot additional footage to pad out the TV version of Halloween. Loomis with Michael in the asylum. Loomis meeting with the bureaucrats about Michael's release.
To make the first hour all about the child Michael is too much. Especially when it removes the mystique of "the boogeyman" that the original did so well.

Zombie DOES have some great stuff happen. To see the young Michael looking out the window complete with clown mask gave me a chill that I haven't had since seeing the real Halloween.
In my opinion, once Michael kills the family in the house wearing the mask, that should be the last time we hear him speak. There's just something creepier about what was human about Michael shutting down... that light going out and the darkness taking over.
In a perfect world, I don't ever need to see Michael's face. Either as a child or as an adult. THAT would make him creepy.

As we lose an hour to the child version of Michael, the second half of the film seems like a rushed, "Cliffs Notes" version of the original film. But Rob HAS taken time to include the iconic moments that fans of the original have come to dwell on, and reinvent the imagery.

For instance: instead of Michael carrying the body of a dead girl into the house while the music of Forbidden Planet plays, we now have Michael exiting the bldg carrying the unconscious but alive Laurie (his sister).

The killing of the boyfriend and wearing the ghost sheet: is much more violent, but Zombie still keeps the winks to the original like the head tilt that Michael gives the pinned corpse.

Zombie has also taken liberties to update the attitudes of the characters. Laurie Strode is no longer the prudish "implied-virgin" of the first film. In fact the first words out of Laurie’s mouth are a sex joke to her parents. Later she admits jokingly to her friend that she needs to get laid.

John Carpenter’s music is still intact and thankfully used liberally. The main them has a steel drum/tinnier sound to make it "grittier" but again, hearing the tracks play through the film was a welcome listen.

As for other music, Zombie has loaded the soundtrack up with various cuts from the 70s. "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult does appear in the film, but too often. Once would have been the nod we fans needed. Not three times.
"Love Hurts" by Nazareth, is used almost comically as a young Michael sits on a curb. The scene provides a laugh that I don’t believe was intended.

As for adult Michael, played by Tyler Mane, he really is a force to be reckoned with. Because of Tyler's sheer size, Michael's attacks are juggernaut of force. He's bursting through walls, and driving that knife down with hate. I was genuinely uncomfortable when he was on screen.

I do also have to admit that I'm a 'The Shape mask' snob. Some of the Halloween sequels have been judged by myself on how well the mask looks in the film. No matter how good the film is, my opinion is definitely swayed by how good the mask looks. It, like the music, is as iconic and representative of the series as one can get. Zombie's take on it has a moldy dry-rot look that is justified as age, but definitely ads a creepiness that I enjoyed.

As for the cast, the Rob Zombie players are in full effect: Sid Haig, Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Mosely, Danny Trejo, William Forsythe, Leslie Easterbrook, Ken Foree, etc. all make an appearance and a contribution to who Michael becomes.

He's also gone to lengths to cast B-horror actors: Cybill Danning, Brad Dourif, Dee Wallace, Udo Kier and Richard Lynch among others. Their faces harken back to 80s horror films I enjoyed watching in my youth like Bad Dreams and they were a welcome sight in a film that is mirroring a '78 original.

In fact much has been done to appease fans of the series: The casting of Danielle Harris (a fan favorite from previous installments)... using clips from "The Thing from Another World" on the television... the Strode Realty car parked out front... the Red Rabbit club makes a larger appearance than the vague red matchbook from the original... even the Copperplate Gothic font of the titles is there.

Overall the slow-burn pacing and build found in the original film has been ramped up. The title fade ins and fade to blacks that Carpenter used to build tension, are replaced by hard cuts to keep his film moving.

What I'm dancing around is: Do I think it's good? No. But I don't think it's terrible. I can see what he was doing. I appreciate what he tried to do.
I understand the need to reboot the series: Donald Pleasance is dead, and Jamie Lee Curtis is done with the series. But to restart the series means you can restart the actors and continue storylines like you can't with a series past 7 sequels.

I saw this in August of 2007 and was excited to go see a Halloween movie in the theater. In the end, like most remakes, it doesn't affect the original. No one goes out and burns the original film once it's been remade. I watched it. I liked some of it. I'll probably watch it again on DVD. And then I'll probably be done with it.

Personally: I think an interesting experiment would be to give the original Halloween to a different director every year. How would Gore Verbinski or Alexandre Aja remake Halloween?
Release each version each October. And I have a new way to appreciate one of my favorite films in its season. Are you listening Akkads?