Now I know that I have been debating whether or not I wanted to do this final entry for my series on the Halloween Collection Box set since when the remake first came out is when I was starting in movie reviewing and because of this and my association and friendship with many in the Horror community I was sent to an early screening of the film in 2007 and my review was posted.
I admit that I am a loyalist to the original and Eric’s roommate at the time was with us and she openly mentioned my state of mind at the time.
Needless to say I was pretty upset at the time. Now I admit that the film has slightly grown me.
I have become friends with many in the cast and I have shot many interviews with them.
Now as for the complete collection of the Halloween franchise this is where I have to complain. There are in fact two different cuts of both of the Rob Zombie Halloween films with the director’s cut as well as the theatrical cut of both films and in the box set there are just the directors cuts of the films.
Personally I prefer the theatrical cut of the 2007 film and the director’s cut of the 2009 sequel.
Halloween 2007 has become typical Rob Zombie Fare with the use of Horror actors in small roles as well as a classic rock soundtrack.
I agree with many about the low class aspect of the opening of the film and I have to agree as my personal preference with the film isn't knowing Michael’s origin. I felt that the movie made Michael Myers into the primary victim and protagonist and all other characters as the antagonist in particularly Dr Loomis.
Now I feel that Rob Zombie has some sort of obsession with Charles Manson as he makes references to him in all of his films and he stated in interviews that he based the character on Vincent Bugliosi who was the prosecutor of the Manson family at the time of the murders and had written many books based on the trial with movie deals before the book was even published and after cashing in on the trial became a media personality.
Dr. Loomis takes this direction in the films in the first film he is viewed as after leaving as Michael’s doctor he writes a book about the murders however he does pursue his former patient like his 1978 counterpart. In Halloween II Loomis is portrayed as a narcissistic ego maniac who cashes in once again on the murders of the previous film and denies that Myers is still alive.
Laurie Strode is shown differently in these films as well as she isn't the mousy virgin as in the original film where in this film she is shown rubbing Bagels over herself in front of her mother and dry humping her best friend before realizing that the children that she is babysitting are watching. Laurie is also depicted as a more modern teenager going as far to act annoyed at the children and wearing more rock and roll fashions.
In the sequel that takes place soon after the previous film Laurie is depicted as far more of a wreck suffering from PTSD and seeing a shrink. Her behavior is also far more self-destructive as her relationship with Annie has deteriorated and become more antagonistic with her one time BFF.
These films also mark the return of Danielle Harris to the franchise after her departure from the series in Halloween 6’s pre-production. Originally Zombie didn’t want to cast Harris due to the fact that she was in Halloween 4 and 5 but fans wanted her to be in the film and unlike her 1978 counterpart she did survive to be in the second film.
Danielle Harris also goes through a major change in between both films as in the first film she is more focused on sex with her boyfriend than any impending Danger where Laurie is more the responsible one and in the sequel she has reversed roles with Scout and is now the maternal character.
The remakes also focus much needed attention on Sheriff Brackett who is barely explored in the previous eras of the franchise as he departs early in part 2. Brackett is played in these films by Chucky himself Brad Douriff and has a far more disliking of Dr. Loomis.
Tyler Mane is a friend of mine as he and I have hung out at a couple of conventions as well as his wife and I actually liked his performance as Michael Myers. Tyler is a former professional wrestler and is best known for the role of Sabretooth in the 2000 X-Men Movie and he briefly took on the role of Rufus in The Devil’s Rejects and has also become a quite accomplished filmmaker in his own right.
He did bring a new dimension to the famous killer and in the second film did much without the mask which is a first for the franchise.
As I mentioned earlier there are two cuts of both films. The Director’s cut of the 2007 film features the main difference is the scene where Michael escapes and in theatrical cut Michael is scheduled to be transferred and the guards that are transferring him include many Devil’s Rejects Alumni Bill Moseley and Leslie Easterbrook who are dispatched after Michael breaks free of his chains.
The Director’s cut features a scene that I took issue with in place of this scene where Lou Temple and Courtney Gains are the guards and choose to sexually assault a new inmate in front of Michael who then attacks and kills the guards. The issue that I had with this scene is again Michael becomes a protagonist in the film.
Both Films have an increased emphasis on Michael's mother which naturally is played by Rob Zombie's Wife Sherri Moon Zombie, Shown as a stripper in the first film Deborah Myers is still shown to be the loving mother to her son despite the murders but unable to cope with the evil that her son she commits suicide.
She is featured again in the sequel as a ghost with a more sinister side as she talks to Michael giving him instructions and orders to make them a "Family" again. Michael is able to talk to her in the image of himself as a child.
The Sequel definitely features a different cut than the theatrical with a different ending where Laurie fully embraces her family heritage and has to be taken down by the cops.
Given the fact that Zombie is a Musician I am not surprised by the use of music in these flicks. I admit that I have often wondered what the significance of the song Love Hurts which is featured significantly in both films is.
The use of the Soundtrack in the Remake is my favorite for the film.
I still recommend checking out the films and they do bring their own contributions to the franchise and I look forward to more entries in the future.
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