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I’m not
sure what the big deal is these days with
remaking some of the newer classic horror
films and re-inventing iconic villains.
I know remakes have been on the rise over
the last couple of decades, as writers get
less and less creative. Even Rob Zombie,
who made the move from rock star to director
with the decent “House of a 1,000
Corpses” and the superlative “The
Devils Rejects” opted to take what
he had learned from those two films and
re-create Michael Myers in an all new remake
of “Halloween.”
Granted, I am not a fan of most remakes.
They rarely surpass the work that had come
before, which is a reason why I think it
would be much smarter for filmmakers to
remake lesser movies and make better versions
rather than choosing classic films from
any era. But I understand that it is more
often the suits at the studio wanting to
make a buck off of a familiar title’s
name.
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So sad… and usually too bad for us. In
regards to Zombie’s remake of “Halloween”,
it wasn’t a bad flick on its own merits,
but it did nothing to improve on the original.
Ultimately it was a little more than a rehash
with a little torture porn thrown in.
Fortunately, Zombie promised that it was going
to be a standalone feature and not a reboot of
the franchise. Unfortunately, the studio stepped
in and Zombie changed his mind when presented
with enough cashola. Hence… we have “Halloween
II.” Tyler Mane returns as Michael Myers,
and he is probably the one thing about the movie
as a whole that really works. He is a frightening
figure, a fact that I can attest to from having
met him last year. Really nice guy, but his size
is very intimidating. I love the way he delivers
the iconic character, making him seem less supernatural
and more hulking monster. His is a much more brutal
and aggressive Myers.
Also back are Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis,
Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Brad
Dourif as Sheriff Brackett. “Halloween II”
picks right up from where the first film ended
with Myers presumed dead at Laurie’s hand.
The survivors end up at the hospital, Myers is
quite dead, and a few shocking moments later…
the real movie begins. For the most part, it continues
to be a cat and mouse game between Michael and
Laurie with a few kills to keep things spicy.
The deaths are brutal and uncomfortably visceral.
And here we come to the second part, after it
being a pseudo-remake, that doesn’t quite
work for me. Zombie, as well as way too many horror
film director’s these days, decides the
way to make a scary movie is to make the deaths
as tortuous as possible. And while this qualifies
it as a horror film, being horrible and all, it
just isn’t scary. Intimidating maybe, but
not scary. Again I have to mention the whole torture
porn thing. With little exception however, we
don’t feel too badly for those he kills
as they are all culled from the dregs of humanity.
From Laurie on down, not one single character
(cops aside) have a single redeeming quality.
Even Dr. Loomis has been turned into a media whore
for the book he wrote about Michael. You can’t
count the decent people in the hospital because…
oops… spoiler… can’t say anymore.
I realize also that there is an audience out
there for this, and yes I can appreciate and enjoy
the special effects involved with this type of
visceral style. However, I don’t watch movies
like that for this alone. I really, really need
the plot to work alongside it. Not just killing,
blah blah, killing, weird flashback, blah blah,
killing, blah blah, creepy visions, blah blah,
killing. Speaking of creepy visions, “Halloween
II” is full of them…and they nearly
ruin what is good about the movie. Myers, then
Laurie start seeing their dead mother, a white
horse, and the little kid version of Michael.
For Myers, they lead him forward on his never
ending quest to find his sister. For Zombie,I
think it was just a reason to get his wife Sheri
all over the movie (since presumably no one else
will hire her as an actress). If it were her alone,
it MIGHT not have been so bad, but the horse was
a bit much. Oh, and there is an odd “Alice
in Blunderland” dinner dream sequence that
made me wonder just how many different drugs Zombie
was on when he wrote this script.
All of these things aside, there are a handful
of moments that did work for me. The death of
one character brought on flashes of memory of
a little girl lost to this monster for her father.
This was a brief sequence that really did get
me a little verklempt. The site of Michael Myers,
sans mask, standing before a crapload of cops
was also very powerful. I did find the scenes
of a shadowy Michael walking across fields and
along streets in order to get to Haddonfield rather
interesting, but I could not help but hear the
sad theme from the Incredible Hulk TV series in
my head during most of them. (Note to self…
consider re-cutting for YouTube!) Oh, and not
to forget… the cameo by my favorite musical
parody artist definitely made my list of good
things about the movie!
Sony has put out a decent bluray package for
“Halloween II”, complete with several
deleted and alternate scenes, some audition footage,
make-up test footage and a blooper reel. I do
appreciate the fact that Zombie recorded a commentary
track as it does offer some insight into what
he was going for. He’s also rather fun to
listen to being a bit opinionated and willing
to share and all. There’s also a couple
of weird features involving the ‘band’
featured in the movie and Uncle Seymour Coffin.
“Halloween II” is not a straight
remake as was the first one, but more of a continuation
of Zombie’s re-invention of the character.
There is a finality to the film, which will hopefully
keep us from having a “Halloween III.”
Though who knows, with enough money thrown around,
maybe Zombie will decide to give us some mind
controlling masks. Personally I think he should
stick to music, unless he is going to give us
something fresh and original, like he did before
sinking his fangs into a remake.
Directed by: Rob Zombie
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri
Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Scott
Taylor-Compton
Extras: Deleted and Alternate Scenes; Audition
Footage, Make-up Test Footage; Blooper Reel; Captain
Clegg and the Night Creatures Music Videos; Commentary
by Writer/Director Rob Zombie; Uncle Seymour Coffins’
Stand-up Routines
Specification: 1080p (1.85:1); DTS HD Master Audio
5.1
Studio: Sony
Release Date: 01/12/2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
http://www.sonypictures.com/bluray
We'll give Halloween II (Bluray) a C+.
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