Cool News
A Spy Reports In From The HALLOWEEN Premiere!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I have no doubt that this reviewer is sincere. After talking back and forth with him in e-mail, it's obvious he's a guy who really does love what he saw in this film.
I also have no doubt that his reaction will not be the same reaction that many people have. I spent some time last night talking to a trusted friend who’s seen this one and who absolutely loathed every second of it, and based on what I’m hearing, even the hardcore horror press online had a tough time swallowing what Zombie’s cooked up.
Will there be an audience for this one? I’m sure. Will it work for everyone? Well, I guess it depends how close you are to this guy’s POV:
First of all, the movie. Rob Zombie, yet again, has created another horror film that pays constant homage to the original film while still making it his own. Before I continue, I have to get this out of the way: Halloween is not as "great a film" as The Devil's Rejects; nor is it as "fun" as House of 1000 Corpses. With that said and done, Halloween is probably the greatest "slasher" movie ever made and without a doubt the best horror remake ever.
Rob Zombie has really matured through his brief filmmaker career and Halloween only continues that. Zombie is able to lose some of the over-the-top ridiculous dialogue to bring more natural comedic lines to the screen. He also decides to just stick (mostly) to one film stock and one "look" for the entire movie. None of the Oliver Stone-like cuts with 6 film types like Zombie used in Corpses. Just like Rejects, Halloween features solid performances throughout by all the main stars, including young Daeg Faerch (young Michael Myers), Sherri Moon Zombie (as always), Scout Taylor-Compton (playing Laurie Strode) and of course Malcolm McDowell (Dr. Loomis). While I enjoyed all the frequent cameos by Zombie regulars, they did start to get a little "kitschy" after awhile, but that just might have been because I recognized them all.
Okay, it's time to talk about Michael. Here's the thing, I've seen a lot of horror movies in my young life, but I have never seen a "monster" come to life in the way that Michael Myers does in this movie. The only way I can describe him is that Rob Zombie gives a two-dimension onscreen object real "weight" through incredible camera work and some of the best sound effects I've ever heard. Zombie keeps Michael Myers (and the entire movie) grounded very solidly in reality without taking away the size, strength and presence of the main character.
This probably goes without saying, but Halloween definitely squeezed by with an 'R' rating and is not for women who are pregnant or nursing, those with high blood plessure or the faint of heart. The kills might not be the most creative murders in the Shatner-masked killer's film history, but I guarantee that they are the most brutal.
Like I mentioned, I don't consider Halloween to be quite the movie that Rejects is, but I'm completely fine with that. Zombie's remake is funny, intense and really, at times, quite scary, which seems to be a rare commodity in horror films these days. He's remade a classic without either ripping off or abandoning the source material, yet still managed to stay honest to the original while making it his own.
Sincerely,
teh.horrorgeek
-
+ Expand All
-
The original is one of my top 5 favorite films of all time, and while I enjoyed The Devil's Rejects, I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach about this one. This is going to be one weird filmgoing experience for me.
-
Can I just say, still not looking forward to this.
-
I had hope before I read the same draft of the script that Quint read, but that totally blew (for all the reasons he stated). I understand that the final film is somewhat different, but Zombie is radically changing the single greatest film monster of all time. That's what really worries me. As shitty as most of the sequels were, they were harmless in the long run. They didn't fuck up the series (some might argue that about the Thorn storyline). We'll see soon enough.
-
I really hope it doesn't suck. From what I've seen so far, it could go either way. I'm remaining optimistic though.
-
Not as "fun" as House of a 1000 Corpses, and not as "great" as Devil's Rejects? This sounds like a goddamned winner for sure.
-
I just don't see the point of paying $10 to see a remake when the original still holds up fine.
-
This guy gives no context on which to compare Halloween. I liked "House" but thought "Rejects" was pretty average. (I kept waiting for a "Thelma & Louise" ending) And the soundtrack for "Reject" was annoying. There needs to be more detail. I realise that is an opinion piece but there's just not a lot to go on.
-
I miss William Castle and Sam Arkoff! Those guys knew how to throw an ad campaign!
-
...PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
Then I'll watch it. Who in their right mind thought of releasing it in August?
-
the bullshit that's riddled all over this review? "best horror remake ever" my ass, nothing will ever take that title away from the thing. and not only does he say that, but that every film he's made is better than friday the 13th, elm street, AND the original halloween. i have to agree that this isn't a plant, because even plants are smart enough not to claim that stuff.
-
The younger (mostly) short attention span horror geeks who grew up with lesbians making out on MTV reality shows, internet porn pop-ups, email spam for viagra, rated-M video games and who are accustomed to high quality sfx and who never experienced the classics of horror on the big screen (but instead saw them for the first time on DVD or worse, cable) aren't going to have the same experience or taste as us older folks who grew up in the 60/70/80s and witnessed the birth of Jason, Kruger and Meyers in an era when horror played to a slightly different crowd. Not saying one is better than the other though.
-
Since it'll be the 10th, I guess they can call it HALLOWEEN X-TREME if they continue on with Zombie's version. Ug. Michael Myers is HARDCORE TO THE MAX! Fuck yeah!
-
This isn't a plant, it is a bind devotee...
-
doesnt make it a classic. geez who cares? next we'll be talking about how Critters II or Friday 13th part 5 were epic fucking horror tales...
-
Another pointless remake. Lets hope it bombs so Hollywood finally gets over its pointless fixation with raping the past.
-
What the hell does he mean by the sound effects and camera angles really make Michael Myers a 3 dimensional character? That's probably the dumbest statement I heard since Lloyd thought his bird's head fell off...
-
This movie will bomb critically and financially. Mark my word, no one cares.
-
Heaven forbid!!!! Every director has their actors that they use over and over again. The Coens do it, and a million others.
-
La Sexorcisto and having my ass kicked for 3 straight hours. The first 10 minutes of House of 1000 Corpses had the same level of "kickassedness" with the rest of the movie playing out nicely. I know Mr. Zombie has it in him. I hope this is indeed a great film, we shall see.
-
It's his goddamn opinion. If he thinks this is the best slasher film ever made then so the fuck what? It doesn't mean it's now the top one for everyone. It is for he and he alone judging by the consensus. I THINK it will be a great film. Corpses had some great stuff in it, but it was uneven. Zombie was experimenting and some of it worked and some of it did. Rejects was brilliant, and if some of you out there don't like that or disagree then too fucking bad. It was a hardcore movie, the likes of which you don't see much these days. It seemed genuine and not simply a 70s revival cash-in. Hopefully, this Halloween remake doesn't go softball and offer up a less hardcore experience simply b/c of the subject matter or b/c Zombie has foreknowledge that a larger potential audience is going to attend; thus listening to any suits that might be stroking his damn dirty ears.
-
Can anyone answer this?
-
They think it's a big enough movie to release in the summer (even though the end of August is typically when the studios release the dregs of the year) and the DVD will probably be out in time for Halloween.
-
Uhhh Devils Rejects and 1000 corpses were fucking terrible!!!! I love Rob Zombie but god those movies weren't scary. The Hitcher Remake, was GOOD. The Hills Have Eyes remake (the first one), was GOOD.
Zombie better have dropped that non scary bullshit for this one or it is going to tank. -
It's not coming out on Halloween because the studio knows Saw 4 will destroy it at the box office, so they moved it to the end of August because that's where studios dump their crap.
-
why release it at the end of August...its still a good two months before Halloween!! Is there a virtual treasure trove of shitty scary movies coming out over the next two months that the studio folks didn't want to compete with too many similar movies?? Rob Zombie, somehow, has got a lot of respect in the horror community and should be granted a release AT Halloween, not 60 days ahead of time!
-
So this remake isn't as 'fun' as Corpses and not as 'great' as Devil's Rejects? Oh fuck, it's gonna be fucking awful. So Corpses had a killer dressed as a clown, is that what made it 'fun'? If so, then Killer Clowns From Outer Space is a million times more fun than that piece of shit. The reviewer is way too excitable, best slasher movie ever my hairy nutsack! Best horror remake? Not when The Thing's around pal! I like a couple of Zombie songs, but his films so far have fucking sucked. Even his Grindhouse trailer was shit, only marginally saved by Cage. He's gonna have to do a lot to impress with Halloween, but I don't think he has it in him.
-
...than the dozens of "I just saw it and it sucked"-reviews on imdb.
-
While I totally agree that age does not a great movie make, I don't know a single person who calls Halloween great simply because it came out a a few decades ago.It is the quintessential slasher film. Who knows what horror would look like today without Halloween? Jason and Freddy owe their cinematic existence to Michael. Not to mention that it has a certain level of critical acclaim and enough financial success to warrant seven sequels and one 'reimagining'. And let's not forget that it was completely original. Shall I go on listing reasons this movie is great apart from its age?Listen, you may not like this movie, and that's fine. But don't think that the rest of us who like, nay, love this movie, do so only because it was a movie "made decades ago."
-
thought it would be a good idea to release this in August. The only reason I can think of is that they didn't want to release the movie against Saw 4. All I know is that when Oct 31 comes around, I want to go see a scary movie. Aug 31, not so much.
-
...or anybody else thought about an early draft of Zombie's HALLOWEEN. A draft is just that - a draft, and not the finished product. As for remaking a horror classic, I have known people who thought it was sacrilege for John Carpenter to remake THE THING, and look how wonderful that movie turned out. I don't want to suggest Zombie's HALLOWEEN will be quite that great. But I do think, based on the quality of his last film, that he's earned the right to have his work seen, as a final product, before judged. I'm looking forward to seeing Zombie's take on this bogeyman classic. It could be fun.
-
Rob Zombie said on the Adam Carolla radio show that if a movie called "Halloween" were to be released on Halloween weekend, once the Halloween holiday had passed there wouldn't be much more demand to see it. By releasing the movie earlier there would still be people wanting to see it come Halloween. He cited "The Santa Clause" as an example of a movie that had been released way before Christmas yet remained popular through the Christmas holidays. Personally I agree with madmunky, and I think Dimension is just dumping the movie by releasing it at the end of August. If they were to release it near the beginning of October, they might be able to sustain a decent run through Halloween. As it is, I predict a big opening weekend followed by a huge drop the second weekend. Aside from midnight showings and the occasional second-run theater, I don't see this movie being in theaters October 31.
-
Notice all the quotes? "great a film", "fun", "slasher", "monster", "weight"Maybe he's trying to tell us that he thought the opposite of those things.And I never thought of Michael Myers as a monster, for me, it was the fact that it was just a guy in a mask that made him scarier than a monster. For I have never met a monster, but I have seen person or two in masks.
-
Okay, so Mr. Zombie has made another "brutal" film for all your semi retarded fans to jack off too every night. Big surprise.
-
It was on cable the other night, and I was watching it and was struck by how little gore there was in the movie. Almost none. Its all anticipation and suspense, with that creepy score. Adding more blood and guts, I think , actually makes horror movies less frightening and shocking. As exhibit A, I give you "Any Movie Directed by Eli Roth".
-
Only by porn movie standards. That statement alone shows it is a plant.
-
Will be going to see Death Sentence.If Mor believes the guy is not a plant that's good enough for me.God forbid somebody actually like a movie on this site the asshole's come out in droves
-
I agree w/the poster who said, and I'm paraphrasing, "..Come Halloween I want to see a scary flick, end of August, not so much.." That's pretty much how I feel about it. Yeah I'm going to go watch it, but I'm not excited about it like I would be on Halloween. As to why the studio did this, I'll leave that to those "in the know." Looks like I'll be seeing Saw 2352312 instead, oh joy.. =/
-
...and this reviewer is either:
a. Rob Zombie himself
b. Rob Zombies mom
c. being held by gunpoint by Rob Zombie
d. 12 years old
e. all of the above -
I'm seeing this at a press screening Thursday night and I'm conflicted. I echo what Quint said months back when he said it could be a great horror movie...but it just doesn't seem to fit the "Halloween" series.
I'm conflicted because, first off, I don't like the idea of "Halloween" being remade. The original is a classic. Suspenseful, original and still very scary, it started off the trend (for better or worse) of slasher movies...which quickly ended up being gory and silly and stupid, although some fun.
But there's a part of me that thinks "maybe better that there's a 're-imagining' than another crappy sequel." I mean, at least Zombie's a somewhat competent director...unlike EVERY SINGLE DIRECTOR OF THE HALLOWEEN SEQUELS. So I have no doubts that it will be better than those, I just don't have any hopes of it holding a candle to the original.
If Zombie wanted to re-imagine a movie monster, by the way, why not go back to a series that was mediocre from the start and explore it's possibilities? Wouldn't he be the perfect candidate to remake a 'Friday the 13th' movie? And would anyone be upset with the tampering of that 'gem'? (I don't care if you love it. It IS fun, but simply because it's so bad.) -
I don't think this is a plant, more just a dude who really likes Rob Zombie and gushes about everything he's involved in.
-
People need to get off Zombie's back. This film was going to be made with or without him. I honestly can't think of anyone that would have been better. What's more, if John Carpenter can give it his blessing so can all you fanboys. It's a MOVIE, so get over it. You don't have to watch it, and it's existance won't erase your precious little original.
-
Nobody liked it. I saw Harvey Weinstein getting loaded on Saki afterwards at the party. THE FILM MAKES NO SENSE. The young Michael is just a fat loser. Michael actually attacks Laurie in this one. And Malcolm McDowell gives the worst performance of his career. This film doesn't make ANY money I promise.
-
I just had to get some anger out before I read this... Rob Zombie is a waste of space.. I can't believe this guy gets to make movies and real film makers have to wait tables and work in video stores... Life isn't fair I know but this is rediculous. I'm going to read this now. Be back soon.
-
Aug 26, 2007 6:17:59 PM CDT
You Want Proof That Zombie Fucked This Up Sideways?
by fartgod the irstard
Mr. "Rock Star" actually uses DON'T FEAR THE REAPER by Blue Oyster Cult TWICE in the film. That was a groaner a hundred years ago in THE STAND. His entire musical choices are retarded.
-
...does it mean that it's NOT a pile of shit, unlike both of those "films"?
-
...they'll re-release this the weekend before Halloween, and it'll be bigger than E.T. Maybe not.
-
maybe this is a blessing in disguise... Maybe, just maybe, Zombie raping and murdering a film classic, will finally ruin him... Maybe studios won't give him any more than a fucking snickers bar comercial to direct.. What's next after this people???? Bret Ratner's "JAWS" remake?? Fuck!
-
...I was at a screening once, and there was this fat slob across the aisle from me in the VIP section eating his popcorn in the most vulgar, and obnoxious manner. It was like he was molesting the popcorn, ya know? It was obscene. By the way the guy was eating the popcorn, I could tell that whomever he was, he was a major sleaze. The lights came up, and it was one of the Weinsteins (I don't know which is which).
-
come on now you all have serious problems. Wait and go see it yourselves cause this web site is obviously bias towards Zombie. And it all started with a script review....wtf is that. Why the uproar on remaking this film when the`ve redone The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
-
And Gringostar. Why release it on August 31st if the studio didn't think the final cut sucked? 'Surviving Christmas' was release on Oct 22nd. Probably because test audiences said they'd rather see a video tape of their own families being murdered.
-
This is almost as bad as the Transformers talkbacks. For months on end whiney fuckers pissed and moaned about childhoods being raped, how the new isn't doing the orignal justice, etc. And then the movie made big bank, kicked ass, and you loved it. Go see it yourself & make your own opinions.
-
They are releasing this now so they can have it out on DVD by Halloween. Mark my words.
-
PLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
"Jesus" "Fucking" "Christ"
-
so what a lot of people are saying is that this is a HINO? .. Jesus wept.. I don't know of anyone who loved TINO btw, I saw it opening night, it was ok, but not 1/2 of what it could've been. This HINO will probably end up the same way, 1/2 of what ya wanted.
-
Big bank does not equal quality. I don't know that many people that saw Transformers, and I don't know anyone that loved it. I'm sure there are kids that like it, but it isn't a beloved movie. If I think something is going to suck, why should I waste my time and money proving it? I have every intention of seeing both Transformers and Halloween on my TV for free(well, on a channel I already pay for) in about a year. If they're good, then I'll be happy, if they suck, I can change the channel. I'm certainly not going to contribute to the box office success fo something I probably won't like and don't want to see more of, just so I can have the most fully informed opinion on how much it sucks.
-
I mean, how this guy didnt even see how Zombies entire concept is wrong is beyond me....I mean fair enough, if you need to re-imagine something you might as well go all out, but when your basic idea fucks up the re-imagining of something that didnt need it....I mean my God....
-
but I cant count the original as a "slasher" due to the lack of slashing/blood...I know, I know...it'll always go down in history as that but there really is little to suggest that...there are a few slashes but....
-
no one liked it though. No one liked titanic either. Everyone will love Halloween but it will suffer a grindhouse fate. But, everyone will love Halloween...
Cmon
-
Probably.
-
Two words: Busta Rhymes.I think this movie will be the third best of all the Halloween movie, behind the first two of course. And, to anyone who thinks that this is going to suck, well, to each there own.
-
It's a plant, even if it's unintentional...Like, I doubt the Zombie people knew about this or have any connection to it, but this guy has waaay too much love for this film to be real. I say plant by default.
-
to support musicians making movies. I m a musician filmmaker so there you go. If i like it I'll be man enough to say I made a mistake is shitting on it
-
that however, doesn't stop them from being total shit.
-
however, i am happy that he is directing this film. i laughed so hard when i watched 1000 corpses. captain spaulding is classic. trash zombie all you want, but i can't wait until i am sitting the theater watching rob zombie's hot wife being chased around by a tall guy in a kirk mask. if you don't like the idea of this remake, then here is an idea for you; go find a thread that interests you.
-
My hope is that Michael Myers escapes from a mental institution and comes back for everyone associated with this movie. The things I loved about the origianl Halloween won't be present in this movie. First, I loved the first movie because the kills were realistic (strangulations, stabbings - no throwing people thorugh three walls crap). Second, Michael just is. I didn't need to see or hear about how horrible his childhood was - I readily accepted the fact that he was inherently evil and that's what made him so special in my black heart. He didn't need no damn excuse to kill.
-
i love the silver shamrock masks. i want the skull one.
-
Count me out.
-
"Best 'slasher' movie ever made." Seriously, dude? What are you, 12? Have you NOT seen any horror movie from the 1970's? 'Cause they all probably topped this one...
-
it must be good" excuse. Carpenter hasn't made anything worth mentioning in over a decade. He simply accepted his check and told them to do whatever they wanted. Accepting a check is not saying "This is a good movie!".
-
Ugh, she's such a horrible, grating actress. Her horrible line delivery nearly ruined The Devil's Rejects for me.
-
part 3 was pretty cool-great idea, well done with a few flaws...I would have rather they remade that and just called it "Season Of The Witch"....
-
So I'm interested in seeing his take on it.
Have tried to like the first one many times but I just can't, just bores me to tears. Turned off number 2 half way through. -
I say bring on a decent remake like this one....the last several Halloween movies have sucked ass! I, II, and IV were the only decent ones! And i am glad they arent doing a scene for scene remake ala gus van sant's boring-ass remake of Psycho!
-
that no one talks about this thing, so maybe it'll go away and they'll stop making crap remakes-full stop. Disregard my other comments in that case....
-
And yeah the "Carpenter blessing" excuse is BULLSHIT, John has said he will greenlight anything they want to do with his work for the money and doesn't give a shit.
Halloween 5, 6, 8, are all FUCKING BAD but this movie outright rapes Halloween, there's no excuse for it, and Zombie is a goddamned hack who doesn't do anything but criticize the original film for not being the RAW DOG LOOK AT AMERICAN SERIAL KILLERS that HE wanted to see. His whole mythology is all about him talking about how much he knows about Gacy or Ted Bundy. THE SHAPE IS NOT TED BUNDY. -
I think that most of the comments I've read on here all say the same thing, "I LOVE ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN!" at least that's the impression I get. Y'all loved Devil's Rejects and you'll be all over his dockle after seeing Halloween. ;)
-
- in The Frighteners. At least it was funny there and groanworthy for the right reason!
-
Mori, I respect you as a writer and a critic. But come on, you can't tell me that upon reading this you didn't think this guy was from marketing. Maybe he's just really enthusiastic; I'm sure if this wasn't called "Halloween", Harry'd be giving it a big sloppy blowjob as is his wont. But reading this, the writer comes off like one green and leafy motherfucker.
-
"Halloween...is not for women who are pregnant or nursing, those with high blood plessure or the faint of heart." God, this is the same sort of disclaimer that was written for 42nd Street quickies. I learned nothing from the review. I did hear, from attendants of the preview, that the HALLOWEEN remake seriously blows. It's likely that it will be eclipsed by HATCHET (the "jawbreaker" scene prompted the audience to scream/wince).
-
is the new Nancy Allen (her husband pledges a plum role for his spouse). The significant difference: Ms. Allen is a good actress. Whenever Ms. Zombie squeaks a line, cats--within listening distance of my DVD--jump to their deaths.
-
this just means that rob decided to throw something in from the original. don't fear the reaper was playing in the car when laurie and her friend stopped outside the hardware store (where they sold masks?) and talked to the sheriff.
either way i've grown up watching all the 70's horror flicks and even though there have been all these remakes of some of the movies i've loved i've actually enjoyed them. mainly cuz i don't take them as seriously as a lot of people on this talkback, they're just movies for jesus fucking christ. if it's not your thing then don't watch it. -
Just thought I'd mention that I read somewhere (maybe here) in an interview with Rob Z. that they're releasing the film in August so that it can build steam up until the actual holiday. Releasing the film on or just before it they said people would be already "Halloweened out".
I'll see this for the comparison and to make my own opinions of it. Bought the soundtrack today to hear the new version of the score and to also get Mr. Sandman onto my ipod. lol -
They are using his mask after all.
-
That kinda makes sense, look at how Black Christmas tanked 'cause they actually released on Christmas, but not b/c the fact that it (supposedly, since I haven't seen it) blew. Saw the orginal and thought it was so-so, and I finally understood what the beginning of Blowout was referencing, and Friday the 13th ripped it off, and run-on sentence....I dunno, most movie these days don't last more than a month in most theaters, so I don't expect this to be around for All Hallow's Eve.
-
Don't make me fucking laugh.
-
This review sounds like something I should ignore -and I will.
-
You nailed it.. From everything ive read and heard on this, its almost depressing... "House" and "Devils" we 2 of the worst movies I have ever seen and now he's ruined Michael Myers.. See thats it people, he hasnt just made a shitty remake. he's ruined the one character in horror cinema history that had real mystery. everyone else was the formula, Jason, Freddy but not Michael. he was the ignima. You never knew him, or his motivation and his sole purpose in life was to kill you, end of story... How fucking scary is that.. Sometimes too much information on your villian makes him human, and we all loved Halloween because Michael was never humanized, making him "The Boogy Man." you fucking idiot Zombie.... This movie has a $4MM weekend, you heard it here first.
-
sorry, spelled the handle wrong.
-
...for a mere ten bucks or so, you will find a ticket to see Zombie's version inside. Not quite a "golden" ticket, more black and orange, but you get the idea. Personally, I think that's pretty cool; much as I love the original (and none of those that followed), it HAS been nearly 30 years, folks. Body Snatchers gets remade every ten years or so, and no one is upset by it; why NOT try re-doing Halloween? As beloved as the film is, there are several hokey things about it, and they were hokey back in 1978--Pleasance's delivery of the line "He's gone from here, the evil is gone"; the ridiculous tableau of Michael's mother, father and the boy himself just standing there on the sidewalk once the dad has unmasked the kid: the kid's holding a bloody butcher knife and nobody moves, except when the mother actually PUTS HER HANDS IN HER COAT POCKETS, as if watching something incredibly boring. Hopefully, Zombie got rid of some of that; and kept what did work so well: the use of the score, the way the film was shot, and a female lead we can actually believe in and root for as opposed to some cardboard cutout bimbo. I know nothing of "Scout" Whatsername, but I hope she has at least half the talent of Jamie Lee Curtis, who was truly the heart of Halloween. This, to me, is the only real potential weak spot of Zombie's version...well, that and Malcolm McDowell, who will always be the great Alex DeLarge to me, but speaks his lines in such a way as to make Donald Pleasance sound like Laurence Olivier.
-
himself. You criticize the original almost as much as he does.
He's never made a good film. And never will. -
Don't misunderstand...I LOVE the original. "Hokey" is certainly understandable, after all, if you're shooting a film in 3 weeks for $300,000! And it certainly says a whole lotta something about any movie, let alone a horror flick, that has stood the test of time for three decades. All I'm sayin is: this isn't like remaking Hitch's Psycho; or Willy Wonka; or Casablanca, or something else that should never be touched. Rob dropped the ball with House of 1000 Corpses (great title, nifty visuals, Haig and Mosely were great but the movie was a mess); then turned around and made one of the grittiest and raw films I've yet seen--to me, everything about Devil's Rejects worked. Certainly I'd say it beats the stuffing out of any of the "Saw" films--now that, right there, puts me in a very different camp from a lot of the folks on this site. After all, some think San Diego means "a whale's vagina". Agree to disagree.
-
Seriously, I have to see this. Its not in the movie, I know Quint was just making a joke, but I really wanna see the GOTTA TAKE A SHIT MASK. I really do.
-
Carpenters The Thing and Cronenbergs The Fly.
Even though I have love for Chuck Rusells The Blob everything else shouldnt be done. -
See: The Wizard of Oz and The Maltese Falcon, and if time permits... The Last House on the Left, wait, scratch the last one and see the orginal.
-
... I'll be giving this one a wide berth when it hits the cinemas and dvd stores. What utter shite!!
-
...Miracle grow clearly helped this plant grow, wow! Sorry, but how did Zombie get to go near this Carpenter masterpiece? Couldn't he have remade squirm or gone back to making music and leaving us true fan boys alone.
I am sad. -
but if you read enough RZ interviews, he'd have you believe that is you who sucks.
-
I saw Polar Express on Good Friday.
-
It was written by Zombie himself, this hack thinks we are all as dumb as he is!
-
. . . it would still be an unnecessary suckfest. What's w/ you people bitching about the release date?
-
Don't forget the 70's Body Snatchers. And The Dum Guy, you don't see that we're only talking about horror remakes?
-
I just can't believe this will even come close to the original. And all that hogwash about 'updating' and 'reimagining' movies for the 'next generation' is just that. Hogwash. I was only 8 when the first Halloween came out. Didn't actually see it until I was in my tweens, so the movie really wasn't 'my generation,' so to speak. But guess what? It was a great film, regardless of whether it was six years old by the time I saw it. My point is, a great movie is a great movie. You don't need to do an 'X-treme' remake for the 'next generation,' even if the latest generation appear to be a pack of ADHD short attention span jacknobs.
-
Yes, Michael was the 'ignima.' And an enigma, to boot.
-
Why would I see this when I have DEATH SENTENCE? Seriously, why?
-
there is still BALLS OF FURY. Maggie Q. + Christopher Walken. Again, why would I see this? And for the record, I've never been that enamored with the original to begin with. How is considered his masterpiece against ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, THE THING or ESCAPE FORM NEW YORK?
-
...never in the history of this site has a review so obviously been a plant, what is it with this site that wants Rob fucking Zombie to succeed (not including Quint, to his credit). Zombie is entirely whats wrong with Hollywood these days, a director so fucking inept at his craft, that he chooses the horror film genre as his medium, knowing that severe brutality and lots of blood and guts on screen is enough to pass as horror these days. Fuck me, the origional Halloween was way down on the blood count, but is still today one of the scariest films anyone is likely to see, creating suspense with clever camera work, solid script, a superbly chilling score and most importantly a director with a degree of skill that Rob Zombie could only dream of possessing. So he creates the most violent, disgusting thing his shitty little brain can muster and sticks the Halloween name on it. And as for this so called review, the line 'Halloween is not as "great a film" as The Devil's Rejects; nor is it as "fun" as House of 1000 Corpses' says all you need to know. Hollywood burn in hell you fucking shit box.
-
can't wait till some real reviews come out..
-
'Halloween is not as "great a film" as The Devil's Rejects; nor is it as "fun" as House of 1000 Corpses'
Is like damning it to hell with praise. Both those movies were embarassingly self conscious turds, amateurly executed and not even vaguely scarey for even the most intellectually challenged 2 second under 18 'attention span'.
Hell i dont even mind the man's music and he always appears to be a decent and moderately modest chap.
But that DOESN'T mean he can make films. There are thousands of students out there who cannot trade on their goth rock fame or love of horror who could direct Zombie under the table in milliseconds.
Let's not pretend this is some generational misunderstanding.
Shitty fuckin 70's spaghetti zombie movies eat his films for breakfast. -
Now with extra cock 'n balls.
-
She was the weakest member of the Devil's Rejects cast. Who in the hell thinks she's a good actress? Well, besides this "reviewer", I mean.
-
Juvenile dialogue(sounding like it was written by a 12 year old),shaky cam(a trick he has to rely on since he has no idea how to create onscreen tension),Bad pacing, fucking stupid characters,rotten editing, cliche cheesy slomo ending to a hail of bullets(to Freebird, how imaginative) = HACK. Rob Zombie was given a license to direct because he had a ready made MTV poser crowd fanbase to work with (Jesus Christ, Fred Durst had a film premiere at Tribeca this year). "Homage to exploitation" is just a convenient way to excuse making shit. Zombie is a brainless douche. His fans are poser numetal buttmunches. I hope this bombs.
-
Who said amateur looking? yeh so he had a budget for a DOP, whoop dee fuckin...the script, 'humour' and excecution was an embarassingly lame tribute to grindhouse and b-grade horror (which we know at times can actually be a hoot).
Check your own standards. -
Worst part of the whole movie.
-
I wasnt talking about directors who have done videos. Lots of great directors have done video, commercial, tv work.I was talking about the fact that MTV pretty much made this guy by playing his shitty videos on rotation.
-
It's now whiter on the outside, and dry and cracked. The smell is a little less repulsive, too. And yet - it's still shit.
-
No I dont like most of the "lame ass hack slasher movies" made these days either.Long live Leslie Vernon.
-
. . . was the only shitty one. My friends accused me of hating it just because it was Zombie's but that aint the case. I hate Eli Roth's work as much as Zombie's but Roth's Thanksgiving trailer was spectacular. Zombie missed the boat w/ his trailer and it took me right out of the whole experience.
-
the movie has leaked. Its out there for those interested in getting it.
-
Was an extremely well-made film. I can certainly understand people not liking it for its tone or brutality (neither which bothered me), but it's ridiculous to call Zombie a hack. I didn't like House of 1000 Corpses - it had a couple moments, but was way too MTV-ish. But again, Devil's Rejects really won me over. You're not going to see a hack put together a film like that. I'm hoping Halloween is solid, too.
-
seeing as that doesn't describe either of those films I stopped reading. Asshole.
-
with this plant
-
'nuff said.
-
I saw Halloween on UHD about two weeks, it really was great. Even without PJ Soles maguppies there. I liked 1000 and Rejects- but I don't know about remakes. The 70's Body Snatchers and the 80's Thing were notable exceptions-- and even the 80's Thing really is not a remake because it's more faithful to Campbell's story than the 50's version.
-
WTF?
-
"With that said and done, Halloween is probably the greatest "slasher" movie ever made and without a doubt the best horror remake ever." At that point, my good sir, you have completely written yourself off as a totally unreliable abuser of hyperbole. Even if the film is truly excellent, I'm gonna need a serious comparison to Cronenberg's THE FLY and Carpenter's THE THING as a *starting point* before I could even buy such an absurd statement. If you're not a plant, then you're going to browncoat the whole film for us.
-
Yeah right. It's going to build up for 8 weeks? Anyone shoveling that shit at the production company is either a liar, completely naive or incompetent (and I won't rule any of those out). Sure, there are tons of movies out there that really hit box office gold after two months. Wait, no there aren't. Had they released it 2 or 3 weeks out, they might have had a chance, it would still be fresh in people's minds and they might just get a bounce right before the holiday, but I'm sure that it'll be down to only one screen and limited showings at most theaters by the time the holiday hits. It's a soft weekend for a release, what are the other wide release films? Balls of Fury and Death Sentence? Last weekend was Mr. Bean, Nanny Diaries, and WAR and next the following weekend is 3:10 to Yuma and Hatchet (limited release). Not alot of competition for the gorehound viewers. They may get a decent first weekend (#1 at the box office doesn't fool me when you're appealing to rabid fans and have weak competition) but I'm sure it'll get bumped pretty quick after that and start that box office slide.
-
Many folks believe House of a Thousand Corpses had alot in common with Texas Chainsaw Massacre - And if you watch the sequel to Texas Chainsaw, you might notice the family left home, and are now being chased down by a crazy sheriff... but maybe that's all coincidence too right?
-
and certain AICN staff will always give a lot of horseshit a pass. Throwing around terms like "70s horror" and "low-budget" means nothing anymore when everybody's doing it and doing it badly. Rob Zombie's films are not 70s horror, they are lame reprocessed echoes with ridiculous parodies of characters. And YES I know what hack means, and the man is a hack. All he knows how to do is tell the same story of crazy rednecks with kitsch and carnival fetishes over and over again in a slightly different setting.
-
My guess is it's probably already sitting on DVD in some warehouse waiting to be released in time to take advantage of Halloween renters and buyers.
Maybe it will even include our own "Gotta Take a Shit" mask.
I keed, I keed. I bet it's a good mask...for me to poop on! -
Jesus fucking christ, I waited for years to see House or 1000 corpses, and Devil's reject. They both sucked ASS! I nearly walked out of Corpses and stopped the DVD 3/4 through rejects. Who keeps funding this guys movies? Stick to music man, you're much better at it.
-
WTF was that? There was nothing about the actual movie. No real reasoning given why it is the best slasher movie ever(Something I seriously doubt). Even if Moriarty thought this reviewer was real,which I also doubt, what is the point of posting it?
-
I can't believe that you have compared rob zombie with david fincher and ridley scott! what are you taking and where can i get some from?
-
spelling and grammar are helpfull if you want to taken seriously :)
-
Aug 27, 2007 4:17:10 PM CDT
'not as "great a film" as The Devil's Rejects' HA HA HA
by daddylonghead
That tells me everything I need to know right there.
"Uwe Boll's latest is not as 'great a film' as Bloodrayne, nor as fun as House of the Dead." -
If you consider making yourself unwatchable eventhough you are hot and wear tight or skimping outfits as solid performance, yes she does give solid performances. It isn't a coincidence that virtually her entire acting career consists of working in her husband's movies. No other director would direct her.
-
Lick my greasy, kinky-furred taint. That is all.
-
"Halloween is probably the greatest "slasher" movie ever" Ok, maybe this movie will be better than some of us think, but the greatest slasher movie ever? Better than the original? Better than about two dozen classic slasher movies during the golden era of slasher movies in the 70s and 80s including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th (although I find it a bit overrated), My Bloody Valentine, Scream (ok, that was the 90s), the original Black Christmas, the first two original Hills Have Eyes Movie, the Last House on the Left, etc.?
If this isn't a plant (like I think Memories of Murder is since he/she only shows up for Halloween TBs to defend Zombie), this person has an extreme bias towards Zombie. Most of the reviews so far have been lukewarm at best. This one calls it the best slasher movie ever. -
You're point about the characters of Jason and Michael being different in their sequels is scraping the barrel at best. In each instance, the differences can be chalked up to a lack of a clear direction for the 'character' in the first place.Apart from flashbacks, Jason isn't in Friday the 13th, so any differences from parts 1 and 2 can be ignored. The differences between parts 2 and 3 can be attributed to a different actor playing the part, and apart from the fact that Jason v1.0 was a little more about running than any other incarnation, I see very few differences. And no major ones. None of the differences are caused by a director 'reimagining' the franchise.As for Halloween 2, I see no differences and welcome any explanation of your claim.ALL of that being said, shitty movies made in the past doesn't make it right for them to make shitty movies now. And most of us were kids when those movies came out, AND there was no AICN OR Internet to complain on. You sound just like one of those people who defend president Bush by pointing out president Clinton's shortcomings. People doing bad things and making shitty decisions in the past is no reason for us to put up with that shit in the present!
-
I spend all that time making sure my spelling was okay, and I make a rookie mistake by putting YOU'RE when I meant YOUR, dammit!
-
in future, just use UR in every case and you'll never go wrong. Plus it will make you seem more youthful.
-
Anyone? Let's see em! That's the only reason I'd ever shell out bucks for this crap.
-
UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE
-
the workprint is online, and probably how this guy and your "boy" saw it. you fool no one.
-
I wouldn't watch the movie for free; I genuinely do not want to see it. But when a movie shows up online pre-release these days, in decent quality, there's usually a reason for that.
What I mean is, look at "Sicko," that was leaked as an attempt to sabotage Moore. Or did anyone else notice that the OJ Simpson book showed up complete online THE VERY SAME DAY that a judge decided the Goldman family were entilted to the profits of its eventual sale?
Maybe I'm just on crack, but I wonder if Zombie pissed off someone, for his shitmask of a flick to show up as a workprint online four full days ahead of release...
-
didn't diminish the original's power or reputation. I like the idea of a remake even more because it doesn't even have to adhere to anything from the original it doesn't want to! No inherited plot points about Runes, Men in Black, Josh Harnett or LL Busta Kool Rhymes B Real or some shit. It's a good idea, I'll be happy to see how it turns out.
Bottom line: People just like to complain. -
its because people ARE pissed off and dont like the people they worked for. same thing happened with shitty ass hostel 2, and there were ALOT of people who worked under roth who hated his guts.
-
could we get some reviews for Death Sentence? Surely someone has seen it...
-
I dont see why everyone holds the original halloween on such a high pedestal..its boooooooorrrring!!! I can count 3 really cool things about it and all the rest is a borefest..Donald Pleasence , the michael myers mask , and the theme song..thats all this movie has..The story line idea isnt bad but its done in such a somber and uninteresting way, its hard to rewatch,even the kill scenes are a bore .. the sequels all get progressively worse. I really hope Rob zombie pulls it off and reinvigorates Halloween, Im liking what I hear so far in how brutal M. Myers is in this, I will no doubt shell out 10$ to see this like the sucker I am...after 8 sequels I never learn!
-
and the released version in this case? I remember Roth raised hell about the Hostel 2 workprint.
-
well I'm watching it now, so far it's ok I spose. I don't have any set expectations really, so I'm keeping an open mind as I dive into this film. I'll report back my impressions when it's finished. As to whether it's different or not I have no idea, it probably is not the final cut, but it's a Monday night and there's not much else to do but watch a movie and that movie might as well be this one! ;) K, well my parrot is hungry, my pegleg sore and my eye patch is itchy, so it's back to the flick!
-
But it really is online already. "Halloween.WORKPRINT.XViD-mVs - mvs-hwp.par2"... Hah! I might actually grab it out of morbid curiosity.
-
Rob Zombie should be ashamed of this film...and this is coming from someone who loves Devil's Rejects and isnt a big Holloween fan in the first place...he actually managed to disappoint me even as a non fan...the kills were fucking lame and mostly happen offscreen...the stuff with micheal as a child is predictable and boring...and the plot holes, dear LORD!!!! HOW THE SHIT DID MM GET FROM THE TRUCK STOP TO LAURIE'S HOUSE THAT FUCKING FAST?!?! did he drive? if so, how does Micheal know how to drive? much less drive a fucking manual transmision semi truck considering he's been locked up since he was fucking 10?! and how does he know where Laurie lives and goes to school? how does he know where all her friends live? why does he kill her friends at all? the film makes it seem like we shouod feel sorry for micheal and that all he wants it to see his baby sis again...well if thats the fucking case why does he go out of his way to kill her fucking friends when they are nowhere near her and...HE KNOWS WHERE SHE'S BABYSITTING ALONE THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME!!! dont even get me started on the ending or how fucking horrid the acting is. Zombie managed to take a lot of fine actors and make them revert themselves into high school drama dropouts. DO NOT SEE THIS FUCKING MOVIE!!!!
-
the way Micheal escapes from the asylum is without a doubt the DUMBEST most over the top BULLSHIT i have ever witnessed...and yes i did see the workprint and im telling you no matte what they change this film will still suck ultimate balls...sorry Rob, but this film was a fucking WASTE
-
Will they continue with Zombie's Myers or will they do an H20 and semi-reboot the franchise? Only time and money will tell.
-
You know this to be true.
-
He shows up in other talkbacks. Such as the infamous Indiana Jones talkbacks.......that people who have no sense of humor seem to hate.......
-
so far it's not very good.. the film has style, it's somewhat like devils rejects in that dept., but it's also a lot like other horror flicks that I found to be quite cheesy (wrong turn, texas chainsaw remake, wax house, that sorta feel.. I'm not 1/2 way through tho, so to be fair it could improve. I think the Michael Meyers flashback scenes are pretty lacking. Reminds me of the Transformers flashbacks to Cybertron. But they turn MM into a mentally unstable serial killer type, not a freak killer in the vain of Jason (and that's how I always viewed MM growing up, a Jason type character). I'm not that impressed overall. I would have to say if ya liked Saw, Texas Chainsaw remake and Devils Rejects, and you're not looking for a "Psycho" type remake, you'll like this flick. If you're a fan of the original, you probably won't.
-
I never saw it. But when I first saw the title in the post above I thought for a minute dudemandude was talking about "Joy Ride," from back in 2001, and I was going to post and say, you know, that was actually a good flick in my opinion.
But then I realized that he was talking about some other movie that I'd never seen, the one where Harry made the now-famous "dead raped deer" comment in his review of it. So it would be pointless to post just to say that I thought "Joy Ride" was a cool movie. -
Like a retarded inbren cousing to TCM, the killers where hilarious.
-
Far, far superior to that painfully boring double bill that came out earlier this year, GRINDHOUSE.
-
I'm not ripping on Wrong Turn or any of the other films I listed, just that Halloween reminds me of those films. I might add with more nudity, there's plenty of T n A in this flick! lol.. I'd have to say that I liked Devil's Rejects more than Halloween as far as quality of work by Mr. Zombie. Halloween is darker though, at least in quite a few of the scenes, both in tone and actual lighting. There is a good amount of humor in this flick as well, the dark type, like Devil's Rejects, the sorta stuff you probably shouldn't laugh at because it's disturbing but you find yourself laughing anyway. I haven't given out any spoilers because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. As I said earlier the film follows a familiar formula, ie Saw, Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw, etc. Oh I will say Meyers doesn't seem like the same character really at all. I'd have to say Leatherface was definitely closer to the original Leatherface in the remake than Michael is like the original Michael, if that makes any sense. I guess I'm trying to say there's some radical departures from the original as it pertains to the character, for better or worse. He's bigger, meaner, and more sadistic in this film I think.
-
The workprint is far superior to the version being released in theaters. I will have a full list of the changes on Friday. I don't condone downloading, but I don't condone studio re-editing either (which this obviously was). So I am at a loss. Suffice to say that I would give the WP a B- and the theatrical a D-. For record I love Halloween more than any other film, and I thought TDR was one of 2005's best horror films.
-
I am not going to see either cut, but I will admit I am curious to hear what the studio did to it.
-
Lots of brief character beats, particularly Loomis', are gone. A line here, an extended look on someone's face there... they seem minor but they add up to a lot. Udo Kier, once a fairly significant character in the middle part of the film (sanitarium), is reduced to ONE shot/line in the theatrical. The original ending is much better, the new one drags and makes no sense (and has cinema's worst continuity error), whereas the original really sells the whole michael and loomis relationship that is totally absent from the theatrical. also, Bobs death in the original is just another death, but in the theatrical he dies the EXACT SAME WAY he does in the original, and it just comes off as cheap and phony and makes Rob look like a hack.
-
Almost makes me feel bad for Rob Zo.... naw, still can't stand him
-
But if THE DEVIL'S REJECTS was crap, it was highly inspired crap - refreshingly audacious filmmaking that managed to be both terrifying and humorous.
-
What a complete piece of shit. Zombie has exceeded even my expectations. Fuckin terrible.
-
did people really hate Planet Terror? Because I thought it was awesome. Yes, granted, Death Proof was unwatchable, but to say "Grindhouse was poop" seems a little broad...
-
2 questions...does MM still escape the sanitarium in the same manner? i.e. REDICULOUSLY over the top rape scene...and 2. explain the ending in detail...just make sure to put a giant SPOILER ALERT, haha....fuck i hated this movie
-
Y'know, like, Halloween, but all, Rock-n-Roll....
-
The man should have a role in everything.
-
SPOILER
1. The rape is gone. This scene is replaced with the one called ESCAPE which is on Bloody Disgusting and the other horror sites.
2. The new ending (I assume you watched the workprint). After the police car scene, Michael and Loomis face off after Michael puts Laurie down. She runs into the house. Michael then crushes Loomis' head and drags the body inside. He then begins looking for Laurie. This takes what seems like forever as he smashes walls and the ceiling. Finally he finds her and they scuffle a bit before she runs away again. She finds Loomis' gun and then Michael rushes her. They go out the window (seen in tv spots). Then Laurie pulls trigger twice at Michael (who appears to be unconscious) but nothing happens. He starts to come to, and then she pulls again and this time the gun goes off. We don't see its impact but it's assumed she more or less blows half his head off. Then she screams, Sally in original TCM style, and the movie ends.
END SPOILER -
still sounds like the same bullshit...thanks for saving me $10, bro :)
-
Let's move the story forward. Yeah, Michael is getting older, but can't he come back to Haddonfield and kick some ass in a well-made sequel? This is kind of like Halloween 3. Where does it fit in in the series? I guess this series is finally dead and buried.
-
It can't be worse than BUSTA FOOKING RHYMES SPIN KICKING MICHAEL MYERS. I changed the channel when I seen that.
-
I would actually watch HALLOWE'EN RESURRECTION again rather than sit through yet another Rob Zombie redneck psycho hillbilly shit fest such as HALLOWE'EN. Yep, I hated his first two movies that fucking much. For there to be other movies out there that can't get seen - I mean, I can't see THE SIGNAL, I can't see FIDO, but on my local shitplex, I bet fucking HALLOWE'EN will be up there. Originality is dewad, RIP.
Rob Zombie simultaneously sucks and blows. What a fucking no-talent. -
Holy crap is that a terrible ending. Nice way to reboot and simultaneously cut off and end this branch of the franchise all at the same time.
-
At least you watched it before reviewing it. I'm expecting it to suck, but will probably catch it on DVD (or some rip from somewhere) and can then get to grips with what SPECIFICALLY sucks.
Does anyone else think it's a fucking shame when you have to talk about a movie in terms of "it's okay, well made movie but should be thought of as fan fiction or an alternative universe comic", rather than "stone cold horror classic" which is how I describe the first. -
I assume you meant "shifts", but in this case, both are probably true.
-
so I am not making fun, but I did find "a series of shits, which fly around him" to be pretty darn humorous
-
A Halloween remake, how putrid. What's next? An Escape to Witch Mountain remake?
-
Yeah, that pretty much sums up Zombie...and your spelling skills.
-
you are saying that Training Day was "incompetently mediocre," at best? Mm-hmm. And you thought fucking Devil's Rejects was a much better movie. Mmm-hmm. Just making sure I've got it straight, here.
-
You know why? The reviewer makes a point of mentioning his "young life". Who mentions their age in a review if not to try and influence young people into going to see this film?
Besides Zombie doesn't have half the talent for making horror that Carpenter has. -
Zombie is a hack
-
and Devils rejects was complete shite.
-
You know why? The reviewer makes a point of mentioning his "young life". Who mentions their age in a review if not to try and influence young people into going to see this film? Besides Zombie doesn't have half the talent for making horror that Carpenter has.
He's been on the downhill slide for ages. He should stop. -
Could be the Citizen Kane of horror films and people would still hate it. It didn't have a chance from the start. At least WATCH the damn thing before you trash it. You're going to trash it anyway, but at least have a legitimate reason to.
-
If you think I'm going to pay ten dollars to see a nu-metal total-request-live teen-audience remake of an all-time horror classic, remade by a dreadlocked, ICP-face-painted novelty rocker who has already made two bad films... then you are wrong. I'll damn well trash it without seeing it.
-
The best that can be said about Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake is that he makes it his own, though the considerable alterations only flatter John Carpenter's 1978 slasher-pic template. In contrast to that spare, suggestive genre classic, this bloodier, higher-body-count version leaves nothing to the imagination: Michael Myers is always right there in plain sight, committing mayhem sans suspenseful buildup or mystique. Brand recognition should initially help combat a recent downturn in horror B.O., but pic might as well cash in its DVD chips by the time actual All Hallow's Eve comes around.
The original leaned not so much on graphic horror as on the terrible waiting for something bad to happen. Carpenter's hypnotically fraught atmosphere let one suspend disbelief toward the unstoppable-killing-machine nature of "the Shape," less man than supernatural force.
Here, however, literal-mindedness rules. The brief, eerie 1978 version prologue, which left 10-year-old Michael's homicidal motivations disturbingly blank, is now a half-hour-plus wallow in the kind of dysfunctional white-trash family theatrics Zombie seemed to be at least partly parodying in "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects."
Little Michael (Daeg Faerch) lives in the one dump on an otherwise pleasant small-town Illinois lane. A scraggly-haired, plump-faced junior headbanger, he gets nothing but abuse from trampy big sis (Hanna Hall) and their leering, drunken stepdad (William Forsythe).
Mom (the lovely Sheri Moon-Zombie, the helmer's wife) is nice, but she's also a stripper, providing another reason for school bullies to torment Michael. When it's discovered Michael's been torturing and killing animals, the kid decides to go for broke, taking down enemies at home and elsewhere on Halloween. (He spares ma and a baby sis.)
Michael is sent to a maximum-security sanitarium under the care of child psychologist Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). But Michael doesn't make progress -- or even acknowledge his crimes.
Fifteen years later -- during which period Michael hasn't spoken a word -- the authorities are dumb enough to try moving him on Halloween, just after Dr. Loomis says their relationship is over.
Natch, the perp escapes, leaving the halls strewn with dead hospital staffers. After a gratuitous interlude at a truck wash, he heads straight back to the family home, now a shuttered ruin. He somehow figures out in no time that baby sis Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) has been adopted, then sets to stalking, then killing her best high school friends Annie (Danielle Harris) and Lynda (Kristina Klebe), their boyfriends and anybody else nearby. Meanwhile, Loomis and Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) search for the fugitive.
Beyond predictably ramped-up violence, T&A and editorial testosterone, what scenarist-helmer Zombie brings to the revamped tale is a penchant for pointlessly crass "Jerry Springer Uncensored!"-type dialogue (even after the lowlife prologue, most characters talk like drunken sailors), high energy but few real scares, and a disinterest in character and credibility.
Virtually every non-teen in the supporting cast will ring a horror-fan recognition bell, though many make blink-and-you'll-miss-'em appearances. Actual adult parts, however, range from naturalistic (Moon-Zombie, Danny Trejo as a sympathetic guard) to broad caricature to blandly undemanding of usually colorful thesps.
Donald Pleasance was stuck with all the worst lines in the original; his successor, McDowell, has it even worse. Where the 1978 juveniles had real personality, here they're barely distinguishable from each other: Taylor-Compton sure can scream; Klebe is the regulatory blonde slut; Harris is, er, the one with dark hair.
Despite variations on scenes from Carpenter's film (as well as heavy use of his creepy music theme in Tyler Bates' score), it's all sound and fury with little kick. The literal-mindedness not only demystifies the destructive force, it leaves one questioning logic that didn't matter before (like, how did he get so massively strong sitting 15 years in a padded cell?).
End result is a hectic, professionally assembled pic that just about cancels itself out on every level by the end. Surely this is not the end of Michael Myers -- but let's hope the franchise picks up next where it left off last time, rather than sequelizing this lame new "beginning."
Pic is dedicated to the memory of Moustapha Akkad, producer of all prior "Halloween" entries (his son Malek inherits that role here), and whose death in 2005 somewhat delayed production on this latest chapter. -
If this is the final cut and all... who knows. The first half is really well done. Nicely paced, nicely shot, bloody, boobies, all that. The second half seems exactly like the original. Remakes should try something a LITTLE different. Especially when the source material is such a classic.
-
rough stuff.
-
i knew from the first scene it was gonna be stupid. mom cooking scrambled eggs, pours the eggs in the pan...then proceeds to argue with dad for 2 min and son comes in and blah blah blah YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE EGGS YOU DUMB BITCH! the lack of attention to detail in this flick really annoyed me. people do things for absolutely no reason at all. all of the kid stuff? should be turned into a james bond type intro. all of the early kills? everyone was MEAN to him,it was so black and white too. sigh. stupid stupid movie. please dont waste your money. PURE CRAP!
-
SPOILER
Are you kidding? They kill Loomis? I really wanted to give the movie the benefit of the doubt-since I love the original. But, fuck, they kill off Loomis??? Fuck that... -
...SPOILER
It's left vague but Michael basically crushes his head (and then all the wounds disappear a minute later). So I am guessing that, like part 5, they can go either way for the sequel.
END SPOILER
Also I just counted, there are 23 scenes re-edited or removed entirely from the workprint. 9 other scenes are re-edited or added. and then 9 others, including the infamous rape scene and the ending, were reshot entirely.
And NO, no version has the 'take a shit' mask :) -
the one movie i looked forward to the most this year was the biggest let down. and from a guy i had come to trust as a filmmaker after, "the devil's rejects."
the first fifty minutes were watchable, and then the film just loses track and falls flat.
why oh why did rob zombie make yet another, bad HALLOWEEN film? don't we have enough, and wasn't busta rhymes enough? -
...than this "film". Having fast-forwarded through "Corpses" already, and having suffered through the first 90 seconds of its sequel, I decided to take a look at the workprint. Watched the first 15 seconds. Fast-forwarded through the rest, occasionally stopping and staring in disbelief for a few more seconds. And now I have to give my apologies to Uwe Boll and Paul WS Anderson: gentlemen, compared to the cockroach that calls itself "zombie", you are competent directors. And I will take any bet that both Boll and Anderson would have made a better remake of Halloween than "zombie" did. Because it sure as hell could not be any worse.
Why do fun directors like George P. Cosmatos go away, but shit like "zombie" is still alive? -
but if it's possible to pick up the pieces, I would do just what Variety suggests: Pick up from the ORIGINAL series, ignore the remake, and get a damn good, eerie director, preferably one of the J-horror guys, for something totally different. Scoff at J-horror and its endless American iterations as you will, but they UNDERSTAND a concept like John Carpenter's Shape.
-
In the interest of not getting bleated at later by guys like Memories-of-Murder who will surely accuse me of "not experiencing Rob's original vision" after seeing the theatrical version, I WILL be watching the workprint and his original cut before the theatrical, so I might properly critique "the Zombie aesthetic"!
-
I went to the Halloween "Premiere" (in my home theater) and here are my thoughts. First, let me say that the original Halloween is my favorite horror movie. Let me also say that I attended the "Premiere" of the work print version of this film. That being said, I thought this was one of the best of the recent horror remakes. Now that I've made that clear I'd also like to say that this remake doesn't hold a candle (in a pumpkin) to the original film. If Rob Zombie had not based this on John Carpenter's original film, it would have been a pretty good modern horror movie. However, compared to the original Halloween it simply fails. In fact, in retrospect, the use of John Carpenter's original music is a highlight and really holds the film together for me. It's hard to say what I would have thought of the film without it. The music and the mask are really the only things that tie it to the original, aside from character names. As people have said ad nausem, the success of the original film was based primarily on suspense. I'm sad to say that suspense is completely lacking in the remake. What Zombie does is make a more linear and logical movie than the original, but for me it makes the film less than the original. I'm trying to stay away from spoilers, but I'll say that the rape scene didn't bother me that much and I thought that the original ending was actually quite good. Zombie should have stuck to his guns and kept them both in the film, because the strength of this movie is what's different from the original, not what is similar (besides the music). I think Rob Zombie had pretty good instincts with this film, he just made the mistake of basing it on Halloween. In today's "Hollywood Climate" it was inevitable that Halloween would be re-made. At least the studio put the project in the hands of a very promising horror director who at least had a somewhat original take on the source material. Howeever, unfortunately for Zombie, the original film remains far superior to the remake.
-
and still have people consider you "promising"? Seriously. I want a number.
-
...because this is the only Rob Zombie film I have seen as yet. That said, I do plan to see his previous work in the near future.
-
I have been saying this for a while. Zombie seems to be intrigued by the psychopath who kills without reason. He seems to have his own story and tried to fit it into the Halloween legacy. Now this film will never be judged on it's own merits, but how it stacks up to the original and what it does to the Halloween legacy. I just don't get his motivation. He loves the original, but has seemed to abandoned most of what made the original special. He seems to have another story to tell, but is bound by some of the limitations of the studio wanting certain elements of the original that he did not want.
I think he made a mistake. Yes, the diehard Zombie fans will run out and see this (but based on the grosses of his first two films, that isn't huge). Die hard Halloween fans are offended by this movie even more so than the sequels because this movie is trying change the vision original while sequels were for the most part just cheap carbon copies of the original. I just can't see how he can win. Well, if has a $30 million opening weekend, I guess he wins. But I got a strange feeling Balls of Fury may crush this at the box office this weekend as the biggest opener and Superbad could emerge from the weekend #1 yet again. -
He says the original's "mistake" was that it focused on the hunted characters and not Michael and didn't explore Michael's psychology, and btw did you know that Rob has carefully studied Gacy, Dahmer, Bundy, blah blah blah.... What Rob fails to understand is Halloween as it was was never about those guys. It was about a ghost of a man. That's what made Michael Myers better and more elegant than Freddy and Jason for a long time even after some bad sequels. I am tired of desperate disappointed horror critics in the mags and on websites who saw the same films as Rob when they were a kid and wring their hands trying to polish the turd that is his resume by saying "at least he truly loves the horror genre!" The man can't write, can't really direct and like Variety says, his only ideas for characterization are honky-tonk, OTT parodies from bad grindhouse films. No matter what he's making, whether it's Corpses, Rejects or Halloween, they all act and sound like cracked out sailors. JUST ADMIT IT HORROR FANDOM. Rob Zombie is a failure.
-
I think you've hit the nail on the head. It does seem that he was trying to shoehorn in ideas that simply don't fit the Halloween mold. When viewing the film, I thought his love of the original was obvious. But perversely, his movie lacked what made the original so unique. Zombie created somewhat of an homage to Carpenter's film but, to his credit, he wanted to give the audience something that was also a bit different. It was just too different from the source material. Zombie had some creative ideas and I really do believe that this film would have been successful if developed as an original project. Just as you say though, it will always be compared to what has come before. Quite honestly, I thought the remake was better than the sequels (except for, perhaps, Halloween II), but I'm afraid that Rob Zombie was mistaken in thinking that he could improve upon the original film.
-
Oh, you little baby! Fuck you.You know, you must not read anybody else's posts on AICN but your own. My contributions are all over this site and have been for quite sometime. Maybe you should seek them out at some point instead of running your mouth like an ill-informed jackass. In the meantime, I'm gonna let you know my thoughts on you and your "opinions". That's why they call it TALKBACK. If you can't handle it, you're gonna be in a world of hurt.
-
The kid was actually pretty good. Talk about running out of steam on the second half though.
-
I'm just going to keep calling it that, because it's NOT Halloween. Anyway, I am through about half of it and I'm not sure I can stomach much more, sweet titties or not. It really IS awful. There is zero suspense, and what's surprising, not really an attempt to create any at all! The sequels may have failed, but they at least tried to. There is no mystery behind Michael; he's an inexplicably troubled kid from a bad household. He kills animals and carries dead cats in his backpack. No one catches the "warning signs" until it's too late. The backstory is a tad interesting once it gets to the asylum, but that's mostly due to poor Malcolm McDowell as Loomis, who does the best he can with what little he's given.
Zombie also has some weird affinity towards hillbillies. The movie is littered with white-trash characters who serve no purpose other than spew vulgarities. There is also a rape scene (I'm wondering if this makes it into the final cut) at the insane asylum that may rival the rape in Showgirls as worst and most unnecessary rape scene ever in a film. -
It's exactly the same in tone as the original. And you know what? The original wasn't fucking great cinema to begin with. It's a slasher movie. I love horror movies and I like Halloween, but as far as villains go Michael Myers is as generic as they come. To the people who are saying shit like "Zombie is radically changing the single greatest film monster of all time", you are fucking retarded. He's exactly the same. A big generic serial killer who walks around silently in a jumpsuit and a mask stabbing people. And you know what? Your precious original version is still on DVD for you to enjopy for years to come. Grow the fuck up.
-
NO U
-
Well.... the fact that you can easily throw the word "nazi" at me proves that you are clearly a stupid and ignorant wanker! so fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck yoooooooooooooooooooooou! :)
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 383 total posts 380 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 111 total posts 111 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 75 total posts 73 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 71 total posts 68 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 77 total posts 55 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 54 total posts 48 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 165 total posts 41 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 41 total posts 41 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 500 total posts 35 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 28 total posts 28 posts