Halloween (Rob Zombie, 2007)
Rating: 6.9
After only three feature films, Rob Zombie has established himself as a unique visionary auteur. "White trash" characters, clown iconography, harsh language, and graphic violence populate his films which are capable of brilliant moments of insanity and originality, yet not without their share of flaws. The biggest complaint I had with the reimagining of Halloween was the acting. Let's face it Rob, you're wife can't act, and not much can be said for the rest of the cast, aside from Malcolm Mcdowell, the silently ominous Tyler Mane as Michael Meyers, and perhaps the child actors. The 45 minute preamble following the killer as a child and explaining the origins of Michael Meyer's insanity was hit and miss with me. I felt it could have been shortened and I was really turned off by the sequence where "Love Hurts" plays in the background. In fact most of the classic rock inclusions didn't work for me. I was however happy to see the inclusions of the original Dracula and Frankenstein films in the background of several scenes. Overall though I think the exposition serves as the most important element in making Zombie's Halloween an improvement on Carpenter's 1978 film. Zombie molds Michael Meyer's into a three dimensional character rather than a faceless inhuman psycho. Meyer's escape from the asylum and ensuing massacre during the second half however is the most entertaining part of the film. The chaotic killing spree is intense and despite the generic contrivances that comes along as baggage with any type of genre film no matter who is directing, Zombie still manages to sneak in a few unexpected moments of brilliance especially within the last 30 minutes. At times it even seems as if Zombie is mocking genre conventions by using them in part, but then spitting in their face.
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