How do you improve on a classic? The original “Halloween” is arguably the best horror film ever made, and it is certainly the best slasher flick. Perhaps judging this remake by Rob Zombie against the same standards set by John Carpenter’s original film is unfair, and maybe Zombie should be congratulated for taking some chances, thereby giving this newer version an updated spin while trying to clarify the murky back-story of Michael Myers.
But with all of the newly introduced story elements that work, there are just as many that don’t work in this adaptation. Overall, the film will likely entertain its new, younger audience, but it lacks the sheer terror and social commentary the original had – it just can’t match up to its predecessor.
In the new retelling of “Halloween,” more focus is spent on what caused a young Michael Myers to kill his older sister as a child. The young Michael Myers is played rather well by the chosen kid actor, revealing Myers to be a troubled child from a severely dysfunctional family. Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, TV’s “Heroes”) is introduced much earlier than in the original, working with Michael after he is sentenced to a mental hospital. The surviving family member’s connection to Michael is more obvious in this retelling, partially explaining his escape from the hospital as a young man.
Michael goes on a killing spree from the hospital all the way to the town of Haddonfield, Ill. There, a young girl named Laurie Strode who’s babysitting two children in the sleepy suburb is unaware of the death and destruction headed her way.
Zombie decided to spend half the movie telling the prequel story of Michael Myers, which is actually the better half of the film. The young actor chosen to play Myers is creepy in his clown mask and behavior, but you can still see a spark of humanity. The director goes too far in depicting the family as vile, dysfunctional dirt bags, almost excusing Michael for what he later becomes - their behavior is portrayed as so bad and unsavory, it becomes more comical than sad.
Everyone in the film uses so much profanity that it loses any emphasis or context. The added layer of Michael’s fascination with making masks and hiding behind them is an interesting plot inclusion, and Michael’s relationship with Dr. Loomis, his mother (Sheri Moon Zombie, “The Devils Rejects”) and an elderly guard (Danny Trejo, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”) while in the mental hospital is also remarkable.
The story of Laurie Strode - which began the original Halloween - doesn’t start until halfway in this version. Portraying the role of Strode as spunky and outgoing, the actress chosen is a pale comparison to Jamie Lee Curtis, and there’s essentially no difference between Laurie and her sluttish friends, which was important to the original story. Also, this new Laurie does not have the heart of a fighter.
The portrayal of Loomis by McDowell is spot on, making for the best casting in the story. Unfortunately, though, the goriness seems to be a replacement for the suspense building in the original, making this Halloween not as scary. While the film does get intense near the end, “Halloween” purists may be frustrated by one too many liberties taken with the plot.
I appreciate what Zombie tried to do with this remake - and greatly prefer it to another uninspired sequel – but he may have unintentionally channeled the “Friday the 13th” series and missed what was the soul of the Halloween franchise.
Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence and terror throughout, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
