Geekshow

To Make Or Remake: Halloween

“Was that the Boogeyman?”

“Yes, I do believe it was.”

Halloween is my all time favourite horror movie. I know the remake by Rob Zombie has been reviewed on GSE before by Scott but I’ve finally gotten the chance to see it and thought I would throw my 2 cents in for what they’re worth (probably less than 2 cents). Not to mention the fact that H2, Zombie’s remake of the second Halloween film, is due to be released very very soon, if not already for some of you, so I reckon some discussion of his first remake is very timely.

Well, being that the original Halloween movie is high in my esteem, I was greatly sceptical and frankly very resistant to the idea of a remake. I mean, you don’t mess with a classic. Leave my fave slasher alone, Rob Zombie! Having said that, I have stuck with the franchise thru all the misguided and poorly presented sequels and so, felt compelled beyond reason to see this movie. For sure it couldn’t be worse than Halloween 3, 4, 5 or 6 right?

But despite my scepticism, I have to admit that Rob Zombie does a fairly decent job at remaking the film. Let me explain. I don’t think I overly like his film, but it is clear that he understands how to successfully do a remake – by doing something different that builds on what has already been done, staying true to the essence of the original, without corrupting it and changing it too much. Whether you love or hate a remake, this is ultimately what a good one should do. It should make you fall in love with the characters all over again and/or let you see different sides of them or the situations they are in.

The most apparent and successful addition to Rob Zombie’s version of Halloween is the beginning act of the film where the audience is introduced to a 10 year old Michael Myers. There is very little “young Michael” in the original film so it is very captivating to see this young man, even for a brief glimpse, before he commits the savage murders that set him on his course for the rest of the movie.

In a way, Zombie has made Michael more relatable and more human in his retelling by presenting the audience with this sweet little misunderstood guy from a bad family background. Sure Michael sometimes does bad things, but that’s not his fault considering what he goes thru on a day to day basis in neglect and torment… No. It doesn’t really fly for very long as an excuse for his actions, but still, the fact that as a viewer you can question Michael’s guilt in all of it, even for a moment, is a testimony to Zombie’s careful and deliberate retelling of the tale.

The modern Michael Myers is a man with a past, a man with emotions (even if they are seriously screwed up) and is just as worthy of our attention as any other character in the story. In short, he is no longer just a soulless hulking shape bent on killing everything blocking his goals. He is the result of several events and factors gone horribly and devastatingly wrong.

Another thing I did like about the remake was Malcolm MacDowell’s portrayal of Dr Samuel Loomis, Myers’ doctor. Donald Pleasance was so definitive and powerful in that role so it is quite pleasing to have another actor take up the character and truly make it their own. It’s also nice in this film to have some expansion of the character. Act 2 is really where he gets his chance to be thrust to the forefront in a big way and the audience gets to learn a little more about Loomis as a person and the relationship he has with Myers over the many years between the first killings and the night Michael goes after his baby sister.

This relationship between Michael and Loomis is compelling to watch; especially as it goes from one of (supposedly) innocent intrigue of one another, to a strange bond or friendship of sorts (albeit very short lived), to one of complete estrangement. To some degree this helps cement the idea that Michael has human attributes as you watch MacDowell’s portrayal of a torn and fighting with himself between his fear of his patient and his deep desire to help him. This is in stark contrast to Donald Pleasance’s representation of Loomis who feels little if anything for Michael on a personal level.

Before I discuss the “new” Laurie Strode, however, a brief note on the more minor characters in the story. The first and most intriguing is Michael’s mother. The whole casting of her as a struggling single parent with a deadbeat boyfriend and an exploitative job is very well done. This addition to the story adds a new layer of meaning to all that happens. Again it’s that human element that gets underscored but I quite liked it. Her reactions to things plays well against those of Michael, and like Loomis, she is someone who genuinely cares for Michael on that personal level despite the atrocities he committed against their family. That said; I cannot believe after the wonderful job Zombie did in putting her into the story in that way, that he’s bringing her back for the sequel as some sort of stupid spirit. Massive sigh. Stop putting your wife in your films just because you can!

Also worthy of note are Laurie’s two gal pals and the two kids who play Tommy and Lindsey. Thank goodness Danielle Harris has grown up a bit since her last forays into the Halloween franchise. I think she did a good job with what she was given, although the purist in me believes she should have died during the film. O well. Leave it for the sequel I guess. Likewise I think the other actress did okay with what she had to do. The kids were great, especially the little girl who played Lindsey. To me they just seemed very real kids that you would find in the suburbs.

So finally, I turn my attention to Scout Taylor-Compton – the “new” Laurie Strode. Groan. So close Rob Zombie and yet so far. Looks-wise I think she was a very good choice. I know this is a more modern retelling but I found her a bit too sassy for innocent Laurie. Not that I expected or even wanted the extreme that Jamie Lee Curtis did in the original (that portrayal certainly wouldn’t fly these days), but just the way she spoke with her girlfriends, it was sometimes hard to distinguish her from them, as well as her interactions with her mother in the morning before school was too far out there for my tastes in terms of that character. I did feel like she was a good victim and to a certain degree okay at being the heroine but really, I kinda expected her to die by the end of the film, just because she didn’t seem to have enough of that fire in her stomach to stand up to Michael and fight back. Then again, she did shoot him at point blank range in the head.

Despite my best efforts, I just didn’t overly like this film insofar as much as it was a remake of one of my favourites. In and of itself, it’s not that bad. The fact that it is a remake works against it. Honestly though, if the original film didn’t exist and it just came out as a release then I probably wouldn’t have too much interest in seeing it. While done well in a visceral sense, it’s not my usual preference for horror films. I much rather suspense done well without the need for lots of violence and blood. I think less is more with these types of films. Just my humble opinion.

In any case, I think Zombie’s original Halloween remake is going to be loads better than his new attempt at remaking the second one. Judging by the trailer he has swung too far in that bad direction and mucked up the story so much that it is no longer good. Must reserve judgement until I see it, but as there is currently no release date for it here in Australia, I don’t really mind so much that I will have to wait. Would love to hear people’s thoughts for those who live in a place where it is about to be released.

Coming Soon: To Make Or Remake Stargate SG-1 – Children Of The Gods