"Halloween" Movie Review

From August 2007....


After about two weeks without hitting the theaters, I finally went today to see "Halloween." I am a huge fan of the original "Halloween," a huge fan. I am also a fan of Rob Zombie movies. If you are not a fan or do not know which movies Rob Zombie made, check out "The House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects." Pretty damn good movies.

I like Mr. Zombie's remake for a lot of reasons. The first reason I like the movie is because Zombie pays homage and gives mad props to the original and John Carpenter. (John Carpenter made the original "Halloween"). That scary ass mask is there, the music is there, and Michael Myers is definitely out of control in this movie. There is nothing more disturbing than seeing a young Michael Myers (age 10) in the mask that was made famous by the Halloween movies. I especially like that Zombie used the song, "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult in this film.

The second reason I like this movies is because of the actors. There is a shared screen magical moment between two acting heavyweights: Malcolm McDowell and Brad Dourif. You also have guest appearances by Leslie Easterbrook (who is still hot after all these years), Clint Howard, William Forsythe, Danny Trejo, and a very precocious looking Danielle Harris. I absolutely love the idea of casting Malcolm McDowell in the part of Dr. Loomis. For those of you who do not know, McDowell plays one of the most sadistic, rapist - killers to grace the silver screen in my Top 20 fave: "A Clockwork Orange." Also, I was real happy to see Sid Haig in this movie. Sid Haig is great in both of Zombie's earlier films.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy the originality of showing what young Michael Myers was like as a boy. As a boy Michael Myers was completely out of control and ridiculously scary. It's just scary to think that there are 10-year-olds like him out in the real world.

What I didn't like about this movie is some of the liberties Zombie took with the source material. Not a lot, but some of which was a bit too much. And the movie was a bit too fast-paced. The pacing of the movie did not allow the buildup of suspense like the original had. These are minor annoyances which do not take away from this movie. I point them out because I am a die-hard fan of the original.

Overall, I give this movie a favorable review and worth the money spent to see. It's just a fun, update of one of the original slasher films of my youth.

TRIVIA: Due to the shoestring budget of the original "Halloween," the prop department had to use the cheapest mask it could find - the original mask is a mask of what famous TV actor spray-painted white???

Hit me up with any questions, comments, or trivia....Cheers!!!

Also, if you need any recommendations of a film or want to know if a particular film on DVD is worth watching, hit me up...I'll review it...