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My Review Of Halloween Ii
I think Rob Zombie is a severely underrated director. People give him a lot of flack for his directorial skills, but I believe that while he is not everyone’s cup of tea, he must still be applauded for the skills he displays behind the camera. Although I can see WHY a lot of people don’t like him as a director (he tends to incorporate a “white trash element” into all of his movies) he still has a flair for atmosphere that rivals almost any other horror movie director I know. The way he can film a movie and truly make you feel like it was filmed in the 70′s goes to show you that the man has talent.Now let’s look back at some of Rob Zombie’s movies. His directorial debut was 2003′s House of 1000 Corpses, which he also wrote.
This film was very much an exploitation film, and I absolutely hated it. Kind of ironic that one of my favorite directors working today also created one of my most hated movies. I felt the movie was excessively violent with absolutely no point. It was vulgar, disgusting, grating and completely unwatchable. I have never given this movie a second viewing.
Surprisingly, even with the bad taste still lingering on my palate, I was oddly curious about Zombie’s follow-up to Corpses – 2005′s The Devil’s Rejects. Rejects was like a film straight from the era of 70′s filmmaking – it was gritty, raw, disturbing, and hard to watch. Unlike with Corpses, I was extremely impressed by Zombie’s ability to transport back in time and make you feel as if this movie was from a different century. It was also a completely different movie than its predecessor. Zombie took the film on a different tangent, and while I will admit, Rejects is not a movie I care to watch over and over (nor do I own on DVD), I walked away from it with a new respect for Zombie. While it wasn’t my type of movie, I had to give Zombie heavy praise for his vision.
I knew exactly what he was going for with the movie, and he succeeded. I could also see his growth as a director since Corpses. They have been showing Rejects frequently on the IFC on Dish Network, so I’ve managed to catch pieces of it here and there and I’m reminded why Zombie is such a good director.A year or so later, Dimension hired Rob Zombie to helm a remake of the original Halloween. When I heard the news I was excited, because I knew that Zombie would bring a unique take on the dying series, something that could have easily faltered in someone else’s hands. I followed the movie closely through the stages of production, and lucky for me Rob Zombie is very hands-on with his fans.
He constantly updates his MySpace/Twitter/Facebook accounts with news and tidbits about his experiences on the film, how things are progressing, etc. Not many directors are this interactive, and you get the feeling that Zombie thinks about EVERY little detail in his films. He doesn’t simply film a scene, he focuses on every little detail in the background, even things you don’t see in the final film. His unique touch is everywhere.As for his 2007 take on Halloween, I loved it, and it quickly became one of my favorite all-time movies. Many people absolutely hated the movie, and the critics were not very kind either. I don’t care what anyone says – I will defend this movie until the end. Hence why I was overjoyed when Dimension Studios announced Zombie would be back to pen and direct the sequel.
I couldn’t have asked for better news.I waited about six months for this movie, and thankfully I was not disappointed. I was able to catch Rob Zombie’s Halloween II in theaters this past weekend, and while it took me awhile to become accustomed to the direction Zombie was taking the movie in, I will say now that it is raw, hopeless, gritty, and completely depressing, and I loved every second of it.In Halloween II, which is set one year after the original, all of the returning characters have been severely affected his Michael Myers’ rampage in the first film. Rightfully so, after what they went through. All to often in horror movie sequels, the characters tend to gloss over things from their past (the exception being Sidney Prescott as played by Neve Campbell in the Scream trilogy).
Laurie Strode, played fantastically by Scout Taylor-Compton, lost her friends and her parents in the first movie. No way that girl could ever possibly be okay. Not to mention psychotic tendencies run in her bloodstream (she is the long lost sister of Michael Myers). Zombie’s take on Laurie is that of a bipolar, nightmare-plagued, puddle of emotions who is hysterically crying one moment and then throwing herself into reckless partying jags the next. She is completely unhinged, and you can almost feel the desperation she displays. She lashes out at everyone around her, and her trippy, intricate nightmares add a surreal, unsettling vibe to the proceedings. She now lives with her best friend Annie (Danielle Harris), who also survived Myers’ attack, and Annie’s father sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif, excellent in his role). I really enjoyed the surrogate family aspect with these three, and Harris (who is beloved by Halloween fans for her original turn as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and 5) takes on the motherly role in Laurie’s life.
There is obvious strife between the two girls, once best friends who have been so obviously scarred by the earlier events. Though Taylor-Compton is the central focus here, I really felt that Harris was the heart of the film. SPOILER ALERT: I knew Annie was going to die in this movie, but I didn’t expect it to be as sad as it was. She dies in Laurie’s arms, and the image of the two girls crying as Annie lay naked on the bathroom floor, was absolutely heartbreaking. Not many horror movies have moved me as this scene did. Bravo to Rob Zombie for his directing during this touching scene. It could have easily been another throwaway slasher death but he raised the bar here.As far as the rest of the cast, Tyler Mane is back as the imposing Michael Myers. Malcom McDowell also returns as Dr. Samuel Loomis, and he has also been changed by the events.
Loomis is now a vain, pompous jerk, looking to capitalize on the massacre with a new tell-all book. Only in the final reel does he have a flash of conscience and resort to his old Loomis-like behavior. Laurie also has two new friends (or should I say Myers’ fodder), played by Brea Grant and Angela Trimbur, and neither one of them is overly annoying or unrealistic. It rings true that Laurie would befriend girls such as these given her reckless personality. She is no longer the straight edge she was in the first movie, and instead of hanging out with cheerleaders she is now spending time with the punk rock girls. Completely fitting. There are a few cameos sprinkled throughout the movie, but none of them are distracting.As I mentioned earlier, it took me awhile to fall into the stride of this movie. Once I realized Zombie was going in a completely different direction as the last movie, I embraced it. The two Halloweens can be compared to House of 100 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects in terms of the tonal shift.
I left the theater feeling somewhat drained and depressed, and trust me, as a horror movie fan who enjoys spending weekends watching horror flicks through Netflix and on SyFy, it takes a lot for one movie to affect me in such a way. I applaud Zombie for doing what he did here, and I know many fans are going to be split on this one. Many are going to absolutely hate the direction he took this one, while others, like myself, will embrace the change. After all, with a series like Halloween that had gotten stale after eight films, they needed someone who was going to step in and completely change the dynamic. Zombie did that, and while I highly doubt he will be back for more (Halloween 3-D was just announced as being on the fast track for summer 2010), I would be completely open to him returning once more. Hopefully whoever fills in the director’s chair for the next one is up to the challenge.
By: Frank Bilotta
About the Author
Frank helps people learn about Dish Network Satellite TV, and how they can save money every month with popular Dish Network Packages. Dish has advanced, award winning, Dish DVR and Dish HD receivers, there is a lot of good news to share. Frank and his team also help people determine if satellite internet is right for them and, if so, helps explain the offers from WildBlue and Hughesnet
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