Hey folks, Harry here... Quint announces he's headed to London and they decide to test screen Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN. This can't be mere chance... or is it? Heh. Well, I know a positive review of Zombie's HALLOWEEN is going to cause many cries of plant - but reading Johnny Vendeta's review makes a lot of sense. For one - he's got the details right, based off the script I read. AND - the criticism for a lack of suspense due to the extreme focus on Michael's character... rings very true, but the reaction to the film shifting from an atmospheric suspense horror slasher film to a more brutal action horror film - feels like what Rob Zombie was intending from the direction the script went in. I'm just glad that it seems to be on a good track - although personally... I wish Zombie had created his own slasher character and left remakes alone. He can generate amazing original material, and I hope after this, that that's the direction he goes in. Here's Johnny's review...
Hello Harry, This is the first time that I have ever written a review for your site. Hopefully your review of my review won't be harsh, but here it goes.... Last night, I had the pleasure of being invited to see one of the first screenings of Rob Zombie's 'Halloween' last night on 34th Street in NYC. First, let me start off by saying that I LOVED John Carpenter's original 'Halloween'. The original is a classic and each following sequel had exponentially decreased in quality. But the character is a classic. Freddy is too humorous. Jason is a rip-off of Michael. Chucky is just ridiculous. Michael is the only horror villain whom, if I was in his line of sight, I would probably be paralyzed in terror. Onto the movie. It was a rough cut. They said the sound and picture would be a bit off. The picture was great. They used John Carpenter's original score and Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don't Fear The Reaper'. (Minor Spoilers Ahead) The film opens with Michael as a young boy living with his family. He had already begun torturing and killing several pets. This doesn't jar his family. After the school's principal finds photo's of dead animals in Michael's desk, questions directed towards Michael's mother regarding this issue ensue. The solution of psychiatric help is brought up. Enter Dr. Loomis, brilliantly played by Malcolm McDowell. Michael then begins to up his game and seek revenge out on a school boy, who had previously tormented the hell out of him. Michael then stays home on the night of Halloween and goes on a murderous rampage in his house. That's right, not just his sister Judith (played by the grown up 'Jenny' from Forrest Gump) meets her demise. The result is brutal. Michael is then sent off to an asylum receiving several visits from the child psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. Fifteen years later, Michael breaks out of the asylum and heads 100 miles toward Haddonfield to go on another killing rampage on Halloween again to find his younger sister, Laurie. The actress who plays Laurie is pretty good (Jamie Lee Curtis is a tough act to follow), but not enough time is really spent with her character. I felt as though Rob Zombie wanted to cut to the chase and bring us Michael in top form on Halloween night. The fate of some characters are different. The scene at the very end of the teaser trailer IS in the movie, sans the girls top clothing. I won't give much more away. The Pros: - The beginning. The brutality of what young Michael unleashes is pretty damn brutally effective. - Adult Michael KICKS ASS. He beats the living sh*t out of people...literally. He's back and he's more brutal than before. - When Michael finally confronts Laurie, it is INTENSE. - Supporting characters: Malcolm McDowell is very good. He's humorous and just so damn real. Brad Dourif is great as Chief Brackett. Danny Trejo and his sideburns...has a nice cameo. - The first introduction of the mask is really CREEPY. The Cons: - Lack of suspense. A huge element of what made the original 'Halloween' work was it's suspense. In the remake, Michael is on screen for a majority of the film. You know where he is in almost every scene and you can guess at what he is about to do. What else is he gonna do? Bake a cake? - In some scenes when Michael is attacking a character, the camera shakes like hell. I felt like I was watching the Bourne Supremacy. - The rape of a character. Enough said. - The very ending. After the film was over, I wasn't terrified like the original. Brief flashbacks to when Michael and Laurie were kids contribute to that lack of terror. As a huge fan of the original, I did enjoy the movie. It never dragged. It was shocking and there are many surprises. The dialog is just what you'd expect from a Rob Zombie film. This is Rob Zombie's 'Halloween'. He took away most of the suspense, but brought us more relentless action. Bring us another one, Rob. 7 out of 10 Johnny Vendeta
