Post by Chicago Jake on Oct 30, 2011 0:49:00 GMT -6
John Carpenter's original 1978 version of "Halloween" is of course a classic, and I was skeptical about Rob Zombie's remake when it came out in 2007. So I never saw it until it popped up on SyFy network tonight. It wasn't bad at all!
It starred Malcolm McDowell (in the Donald Pleasence role) and the relatively unknown Scout Taylor-Compton in the Jamie Lee Curtis role. Maybe it's just me, but I thought ST-C was much sexier than JLC ever was.
Other classic genre supporting actors in the film were William Forsythe, Brad Dourif, and the immortal Danny Trejo! Most of the major roles were by unknowns, but they were all worthy. But I still missed PJ Soles. They did include the iconic scene were Michael Myers has the ghost-sheet and glasses on. I would have been pissed if they had left that out!
Anyway, as remakes go, this one was pretty good. The original is still the gold standard, and I wouldn't expect it to be equaled, let alone bested. But even so, this was a worthy update. Rob Zombie is a pretty damn fine horror director, and, being a music dude, he included a lot of great tunes on the soundtrack. I remember hearing "Don't Fear The Reaper" several times, at very appropriate places, and lots of other great, appropriate songs like "Love Hurts" and "Only Women Bleed."
Bottom line: it is not a remake to surpass the original, but it is a worthy addition to the dozens of movies in the franchise. Not a bad choice if you want something more modern than the (admittedly aging) original.
It starred Malcolm McDowell (in the Donald Pleasence role) and the relatively unknown Scout Taylor-Compton in the Jamie Lee Curtis role. Maybe it's just me, but I thought ST-C was much sexier than JLC ever was.
Other classic genre supporting actors in the film were William Forsythe, Brad Dourif, and the immortal Danny Trejo! Most of the major roles were by unknowns, but they were all worthy. But I still missed PJ Soles. They did include the iconic scene were Michael Myers has the ghost-sheet and glasses on. I would have been pissed if they had left that out!
Anyway, as remakes go, this one was pretty good. The original is still the gold standard, and I wouldn't expect it to be equaled, let alone bested. But even so, this was a worthy update. Rob Zombie is a pretty damn fine horror director, and, being a music dude, he included a lot of great tunes on the soundtrack. I remember hearing "Don't Fear The Reaper" several times, at very appropriate places, and lots of other great, appropriate songs like "Love Hurts" and "Only Women Bleed."
Bottom line: it is not a remake to surpass the original, but it is a worthy addition to the dozens of movies in the franchise. Not a bad choice if you want something more modern than the (admittedly aging) original.