2008 Woodie Awards
'Halloween' remake fails to frighten
Josh Snyder
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: Entertainment
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When I first learned that rock-musician-turned-director Rob Zombie ("The Devil's Rejects") would be directing the remake of John Carpenter's classic 1978 slasher flick "Halloween," I was thrilled. It was a franchise that had seen far too many boring, formulaic, cash-in sequels, turning the films into parodies of the original self. And after witnessing Zombie's distinctly vulgar, hyper-violent style, one could see why he was chosen to breathe new life back into this dying horror franchise. Unfortunately, Zombie's take on the story does nothing to enhance the original and, in some cases, takes the series a few steps back.
The film opens with the extremely dysfunctional Meyers family. Michael Meyers (Daeg Faerch) is a 10-year-old boy living with two sisters and his stripper mother Deborah (Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie). Complicating matters, his mom's abusive, wheelchair -bound boyfriend Ronnie White (William Forsythe) lives with them. Between dealing with problems at home and at school, Michael suffers a mental breakdown and, on the night of Halloween, goes on a murderous rampage. As a result, he is sent to Smith's Grove Sanitarium under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). Meyers' condition never improves and after 15 years, Loomis gives up and moves on, leaving Meyers alone. During an attempt to escort Meyers to another institution, he escapes and heads back to his hometown of Haddonfield. Here he hopes to track down his teenage sister in an attempt to reunite with the only family he has left.
What is bothersome about this version of the story is Zombie has dedicated half of the movie to explaining the origins of Meyers. By showing his past, there is no mystery left to the character. As a result, Meyer's on-screen presence becomes seriously deflated.
Part of what makes villains in slasher films so scary is their lack of identity. It's the fact that a knife-wielding psychopath who you know nothing about is coming after you in the dark and trying to kill you for no apparent reason. That lack of knowledge instills fear, but it is missing in Zombie's version. When you take out the tension in a horror film, you have basically taken out the sole purpose of seeing it in the first place.
The film opens with the extremely dysfunctional Meyers family. Michael Meyers (Daeg Faerch) is a 10-year-old boy living with two sisters and his stripper mother Deborah (Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie). Complicating matters, his mom's abusive, wheelchair -bound boyfriend Ronnie White (William Forsythe) lives with them. Between dealing with problems at home and at school, Michael suffers a mental breakdown and, on the night of Halloween, goes on a murderous rampage. As a result, he is sent to Smith's Grove Sanitarium under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). Meyers' condition never improves and after 15 years, Loomis gives up and moves on, leaving Meyers alone. During an attempt to escort Meyers to another institution, he escapes and heads back to his hometown of Haddonfield. Here he hopes to track down his teenage sister in an attempt to reunite with the only family he has left.
What is bothersome about this version of the story is Zombie has dedicated half of the movie to explaining the origins of Meyers. By showing his past, there is no mystery left to the character. As a result, Meyer's on-screen presence becomes seriously deflated.
Part of what makes villains in slasher films so scary is their lack of identity. It's the fact that a knife-wielding psychopath who you know nothing about is coming after you in the dark and trying to kill you for no apparent reason. That lack of knowledge instills fear, but it is missing in Zombie's version. When you take out the tension in a horror film, you have basically taken out the sole purpose of seeing it in the first place.
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