Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

They’ve gotta be pretty much finished test-screening this one, and they should be getting it ready for release soon. How’s it looking right now? This spy’s going to be back next week with another review, so let’s see how he handles this first review:

Tonight I was able to attend a test screening of Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween." I figure I'd run down my thoughts of the film for fellow AICN readers.

Naturally, before the screening the representatives told us it was a "work in progress," and such technical aspects as color, etc., are not finished. As far as I can tell though, this was a cut that is pretty locked down as being final. Everything looked and sounded complete. We were also "one of the first audiences...anywhere" to see this film. Yeah, whatever. Let's go.

I've only seen the original "Halloween" once and honestly wasn't a huge fan. I even feel asleep during it...So I figure I'll write my thoughts based on a movie-goer seeing a new film, not comparing it to the original as I don't remember too much.

For those looking for a brief summary: There were certain aspects I liked, but overall I felt the film brought nothing new to the "horror" film genre and that I had seen all this stuff before.

Spoilers lurk below, so tread with caution.

Let's move on to what I did like:

The physical presence and prowess of adult Michael Myers on screen is impressive and adds a different kind of violent side to him. He doesn't just kill with a knife...he will pick you up and slam you against the wall until you stop twitching, or he'll burst through a wall to chase you. It's a nice change from just your typical weapon-wielding killer.

The cinematography of the film is great. Zombie employs a now-common "shaky-cam" technique, adding a layer of liveliness and a constant feeling of movement. A downside, however, is that during some intense action scenes things can get confusing and overly hectic. The colors are also quite vibrant, complementing the camera movement.

In general, having a slasher-film appear on the scene is a refreshing change of pace from the "torture-porn" or Japanese knock-off horror movies. It's something I bet you haven't seen on screen for awhile.

The music is pretty damn good, I must say. The essential theme is used, though only two or three times, so it doesn't reach the stage of overkill. The other bits of music also fit.

Now, here's what I didn't like:

The Michael Myers as a kid stuff. I know there's been a lot of controversy over this. Generally, I didn't like it. Many things bothered me about it. It was too long, with 35 out of the total 105 minutes being Myers as a kid. I also didn't really like the kid, though maybe that's just me. Most importantly, though, is it didn't really connect with the rest of the movie, and the "reasons" for Michael Myers being who he is are kinda lame and typical. Ok, his step-dad is abusive and a drunken slob. His mom is a stripper. He likes to kill dead animals. He likes wearing masks. *yawn* It does also show a more child-like, sensitive side to him, which disappears when he decides to start killing everyone in sight, starting with the ridiculous sanatarium janitor played by Danny Trejo who thought he was pals with the psycho. We also get origin stuff: his famous mask is from...*drumroll*...his sister's boyfriend, who decided to wear it on the fateful night Myers killed him, his older sister and his step-dad. (That night also happened to be Halloween night, har har har.) And his jump-suit like outfit? He gets it off a trucker he kills in a bathroom. Interesting.

Something that does not help the preceding is the way the film deals with Myers and his relationship with his younger sister, Laurie. Now, like I said I cannot adequately compare this movie to the original, but at least in this one, she never finds out that this crazy killer is, in fact, her brother. Loomis doesn't tell her, the cops don't tell her. The fact that the movie ends uncomfortably abrupt (don't want to spell it out, but imagine this: *gunshot*, *copious screaming*, *roll credits*...) aids in this feeling. A possible layer of complexity for Myers and his sister is completely lost due to this fact. It helps negate anything achieved in the first half hour.

The killing/action in the main part is ridiculously repetitive. Myers appears out of the darkness, kills some people, then instantly appears in the next scene, peering in some window or hiding in some shadow. Soon enough he'll be killing again. He even kills your staple teenagers having sex....three times(!). Apparently Zombie had a quota on the number of tits that needed to be in the movie...not that there's anything wrong with that. (Gore fans, don't worry: even though the kills are done in a repetitive process, they are bloody as ever and sometimes a touch creative). The climatic fight is also pretty boring and horror-movie standard.

Laurie, played by someone you've probably never heard of, really isn't likable. Neither are her typical high school slut friends. I really don't feel for her as much as other characters in other horror movies. Maybe it's just me.

The script is hit and miss. There are some genuinely funny lines, but also some unintentionally funny lines, such as Loomis trying to convince a cop that Myers is indeed dangerous and in the area: "It must be nice living in denial. I wish I could try it sometime."

That's really all I got regarding the film. OK at best, definitely not exceptional or amazing. Maybe "Halloween" fans will enjoy it more, perhaps Rob Zombie fans will as well. Who knows. I will say that after the screening and after we filled out the comment cards I was invited to be in a group of 20-25 people to participate in a more detailed live questionnaire session. Of all those people, I seemed to like the film the least, while many seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. (Everyone except for me labeled the film as, the new buzzword, a "re-imagining" rather than a "remake"...take from that what you will). Maybe I'm completely off... but that's my take.

- cbebop007