Halloween 2007 Remake: I went from Appalled
to Believer in 90 minutes
When the
announcement came that Halloween 2007, the remake of the John
Carpenter classic of the 70s was to be made, I was appalled. Who can do
justice to such a classic? Rob Zombie can.
Release: August
31, 2007 Written (screenplay) and Directed by: Rob Zombie Written by (1978 screenplay): John Carpenter and
Debra Hill
Starring:
Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Samuel Loomis Brad Dourif as Sheriff Lee Brackett Tyler Mane as Michael Myers Daeg Faerch as Michael Myers, age 10 Sheri Moon Zombie as Deborah Myers Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode Dee Wallace as Cynthia Strode
Halloween, the original from 1978, is one
of my all-time favorite horror movies. When I found out that there was
a possible remake brewing it was difficult to maintain my composure.
Why?? How could anyone take a genre classic, possibly the best horror
movie of all time, and make a mockery of it for a few easy box office
bucks? It’s sacrilege!
The project was on, then off, then on again…and then the
word came out that Rob Zombie (House of 1000 corpses, The
Devil’s Rejects) would write and direct the Halloween
2007 remake. Intriguing to be sure –
Zombie’s work is intense, bloody and scary, but Halloween?
To say I was skeptical is a gross understatement. I'll tell you one thing though; I don't think anyone other
than Rob Zombie could have taken the helm without causing riots in the
streets...led by yours truly. Zombie has an interesting take on horror,
so he’s got that going for him (which is nice).
I
now proclaim, for all to see, that somehow Rob Zombie pulled off a work
of horror movie genius.
“Genius” is a pretty strong word, but think about
it. If one were to take a beloved horror classic and change it around,
die-hard fans wouldn’t accept it. He didn’t. If one
were to retell the same story in the same way with different actors and
different effects, then the remake would be pointless and meaningless.
He didn’t. If one were to tell a completely different story
and ride the coattails of a famous title and a few little plot elements
then this would be yet another example of lame exploitation of a
profitable franchise. He didn’t.
What Rob Zombie did with Halloween 2007 is tell the
story from a different and so-far unaddressed point of view; the
perspective of Michael Myers himself.
The original Halloween was, effectively, a story
about Laurie Strode, with Dr. Loomis acting in a supporting role.
Michael was merely the villain, the terrible
“Shape” that threatened her life and sanity. The
back-story was addressed as far as it needed to be; Michael snapped and
killed his sister as a child, went to an asylum for 15 years, returned
to kill the previously unknown-about other sister Laurie. The rest of
the movie is Laurie’s show.
In Halloween 2007 we see what happened about a week
before Michael snapped. We see the terrible childhood that spawned a
psychopath, we see Michael’s first months in the asylum, his
growing into adulthood as the embodiment of evil itself.
Where did he get the knife? It’s in there. Why does he wear a
mask? It’s in there. Where did he get THAT mask? IT IS IN
THERE.
And the gore! Halloween 2007 is gory, intense, and
extremely scary. Laurie is still part of the show, and she is still
being terrorized…and is she ever terrorized. The acting is
incredible (Sheri Moon Zombie, much to my surprise, is compelling as
Michael’s stripper mom), the sets are perfectly familiar
(with the exception of Michael’s now white-trash beginnings)
and the themes are consistent with what we know, yet are seen from a
different perspective.
It is clear to me that Rob
Zombie loves and respects the original Halloween.
Great care was taken to honor the original, and the entire story was
handled with the loving hands of a psychotic horror freak.
I
have always liked Rob Zombie’s work, but it seemed to be a
bit random. His stories are twisted and inconsistent, his scenes transition from
believable to impossible to strange to “where did that come
from?” In fact I have accused Zombie of being under the
influence of “herbal assistance” while writing House
of 1000 Corpses in particular.
Halloween 2007 shows us all just what Rob Zombie is
capable of when a fantastic story that he cares about is involved.
Combine a highly passionate, creative and talented Horror Freak (with
lots of budget money) with the best tale of horror ever told, and Halloween
2007 is the result.
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one thing though; I don't think anyone other
than Rob Zombie could have taken the helm without causing riots in the
streets...led by yours truly. Zombie has an interesting take on horror,
so he’s got that going for him (which is nice).
What Rob Zombie did with Halloween 2007 is tell the
story from a different and so-far unaddressed point of view; the
perspective of 
and inconsistent, his scenes transition from
believable to impossible to strange to “where did that come
from?” In fact I have accused Zombie of being under the
influence of “herbal assistance” while writing House
of 1000 Corpses in particular.
