As I geeked in earlier posts, my buddy Kev and I went to check out Rob Zombie's take on 'Halloween' on opening night last Friday. Considering that I don't actually got out to the movies that often, when I do get out to the movies they aren't usually horror movies (Mrs. Famous hates them), I hadn't gone to a movie w/ Kev in a bazillion years, in our High School/College years we rented 3/4 of the entire Horror section in Hometown Video AND the original film is still one of my favorites of all time...I had kind of built the whole experience up quite bit in me head.
Luckily, this modern spin on a classic was in no way disappointing and worth every penny of admission price. Not a true 're-make', the film includes a huge section of back story on Michael Myers we never saw in the original...an 'origins' piece as they'd call it the comic book world. This front half of the film was every bit as disturbing, intense, creepy and frightening as it could and should have been. Said section was also the stronger part of the film, but the new take on the fateful night in Haddonfield, IL was creepy good too.
It was a telling sign that the crowd seemed to be set for standard, schlocky horror movie fare...only to have the catcalls and laughter turn to dead silence after the first 10 minutes. If you've seen his previous two films, it is the same dark, gritty 'straight-outta-1970' aesthetic applied here that seals the deal. Not as scary or good as the original...but a great time in and of itself.
As a bonus, I think Kev and I were the only two people in the theatre who recognized the cavalcade of horror B-movie all-stars that Zombie leverages in the film...Clint Howard, Sybil Danning, Udo Kier, Richard Lynch and more all turn up on film.
Bottom line...Rob done good and, as one could challenge, resurrected the story from the shitty franchise it became after 'Halloween II'. Let's hope Hollywood doesn't use this as an opportunity to re-make all the sequels as well...that would be truly scary.
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