Halloween [2007]

See Larger Image	List Price: £19.99 Our Price: £5.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Starring: Danielle Harris, Sheri Moon, Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Tyler Mane Directed By: Rob Zombie Average Customer Rating:


Audience Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Binding: DVD EAN: 5014437952639 Format: PAL Label: Paramount Home Entertainment Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Paramount Home Entertainment Region Code: 2 Release Date: 2008-04-28 Running Time: 106 Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
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Editorial Reviews: More of a supercharged revamp than a remake, Rob Zombie's take on John Carpenter's Halloween expands the back story of masked killer Michael Myers in an attempt to examine the motivation for his first deadly attack, as well as some reasons for his longevity as a horror icon. Zombie's Myers is a blank-eyed teen (played by Daeg Faerch) whose burgeoning mental problems are left unchecked in a horrific home environment; harassed by schoolmates, a randy sister, and his mother's deadbeat boyfriend (William Forsythe, terrific as usual), Myers' homicidal explosion seems inevitable, and intervention by Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, who offers a fast-talking, hippiefied version of the Donald Pleasance character) does little to impede his development into a mute, unstoppable killing machine (Tyler Mane) bent on finishing off the only survivor of his family's massacre--his sister, now grown into teenaged Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton). Opening up the psychological motivation of a cipher like Michael Myers is an interesting approach, but Zombie's script possesses neither a depth of character nor dialogue to offer more than a clichéd thumbnail character sketch. Zombie's Halloween isn't terribly suspenseful, either; he has a keen eye for visuals and the details of chaotic environments, but his scares are nothing more than brutal showcases for his special effects team. The end result barely surpasses the original film's numerous sequels, though the Who's Who of cult and character actors in the cast (including Zombie regulars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Ken Foree, as well as Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, Clint Howard, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Dee Wallace, and Danielle Harris) adds a touch of late-night monster movie charm. However, the film's best performance belongs to the director's spouse, Sheri Moon Zombie, who brings unexpected pathos to the role of Myers' downtrodden mother.-- Paul Gaita
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Did it have to be made! Comment: As a huge fan of the Halloween series I wasn't looking forward to this remake but I wanted to give it a chance, but I wish I hadn't bothered. It was a mess, more a psychological drama in parts than a horror movie, a very dissapointing opening far to long and when the horror does finally begin it isn't scary because you don't care about the stars when there beeing threatened or killed. The films main problem is that is centres to much on Micheal Myres as a character and not as the bogeyman as he was intended. A sequal to the remake may be done also I only hope that it isn't a remake of the 1981 sequal and a original idea. Customer Rating: Summary: "Was That The Boogeyman...?" Comment: "Halloween" is a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 stalk-and-slash horror classic. This 2007 "re-imagining" is written and directed by American rock star Rob Zombie, starring Tyler Mane as Michael Myers, and Scout Taylor Compton as Laurie Strode. First of all, this remake of Carpenter's classic horror tale is not simply a re-telling of the original story. In fact, the first half of the movie is a chilling new introduction to the character of Michael Myers, giving him far more back-story than ever before. We first meet Myers as a sweet-faced, straggly-haired boy in his early teens, suffering at the hands of cruel school bullies and an obnoxious step-father. Frustrated and angry, he takes his rage out on his family in a brutal Halloween night massacre -- killing his sister, her boyfriend, and his step-father, but leaving his baby sister unharmed. Fifteen years later, he is still incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital under the care of Dr. Sam Loomis (played by Malcolm McDowell), and has slipped further into insanity and isolation. He hasn't spoken in years, and has undergone a freakish growth spurt -- transforming him into a mute, lumbering giant, face hidden behind home-made paper masks and a mop of greasy dark hair. One night, he decides to escape, killing several hospital orderlies in the process and immediately begins making his way back to his hometown, leaving a bloody trail behind him. Meanwhile, in Haddonfield, Illinois, fifteen-year-old Laurie Strode has no idea that this year, her big brother is coming home for Halloween and it will be a night she never forgets... Writer and director Rob Zombie unleashes a truly original take on the story and the character of Michael Myers -- transforming the previously creepy, ghost-like Myers into a super-charged, rampaging monster and giving us more insight into the warped mind of the character. Actor Tyler Mane does a great job of playing Myers. Even from behind a mask, and with no dialogue, he manages to give the character a real sense of brooding menace and psychotic rage, using only his body language. Scout Taylor Compton does a fine job as Laurie, proving to be a perfectly adequate scream queen and giving her character a realistic vulnerability. After the initial slow-burning build-up throughout Myers's childhood and incarceration, events begin to unfold at a breakneck pace as he escapes and embarks upon a blood-spattered stab-fest in his hometown on Halloween night, and the scares never let up until the film's shocking climax. With "Halloween," Rob Zombie breathes new life into one of film history's most terrifying tales and, in my opinion, does a pretty good job of it. You can tell that he is a true fan of the original, as he retains all of the 1978 version's ideas while providing a healthy dose of his own. In my view, he has created one of the better horror remakes to come out of the U.S. in recent years, and it is well worth adding to your DVD collection. Customer Rating: Summary: absolutely awful Comment: I was very disappointed by this film, especially since I do have high regard for Rob Zombie's directorial skills. The story was based around Michael Myer's early childhood and the horrendous carnage that falls around him. I did feel there was no obvious hint as to why Michael goes crazy which was a downside for me. I did like Sheri Moon Zombie's performance however as the grief stricken and long suffering mother of Michael but that is the only thing I can really credit. Customer Rating: Summary: Classic with a new twist! Comment: This film seems to be one that people love or hate? Generally I dislike remakes as pointless exercises that are pale imitations of the (often better) originals e.g. The Grudge, Assault On Precinct 13, Gone In 60 Seconds. However if they add something to the original they can be worthwhile. The original Halloween is an absolute classic horror film and the grandfather of the slasher genre. What Rob Zombie does with his version is to give us an insight into Michael Myers, that is absent in the original. The therapeutic relationship between Dr Loomis and Michael is emphasised and the obsession with masks that facilitates his withdrawal from reality. This relationship doesn't cloud Lumis' perception of Myers; he knows that he is evil incarnate, but he has an understanding of him. The violence in this film is extreme, as you would expect from Rob Zombie, but it is in context. Could the rape scene have been left out? Maybe, but it does serve to illustrate that cruelty and inhumanity doesn't always come from seven foot psychos! I tend to rent films these days before commiting to buy. Will I go on to buy this film? Definitely. I feel that this is a worthy addition to any horror fans collection and my favourite Rob Zombie film so far. Customer Rating: Summary: 3.5--Yes, I'm a fan of the original yet this has also gotten my attention Comment: The opening of the film is clever and deals with the events leading up to Michael's first murder. I was very happy with the back story of Michael Myers & how brutal his life was & you could almost see day by day how he was driven to kill almost his entire family. Minor details that were simply Rob Zombie's way of putting his mark on the film include a white trash family that Michael allegedly comes from (even though in the original his mother and father seem to be pretty straight-laced, almost nerdy, people) and the fact that his mother is a stripper. Dr. Loomis is introduced early on, in the film, at Michael's school after some questionable things he done. I just feel that there was enough of a set up in the original John Carpenter film for Zombie to build off of, without going and adding the trashy nature of Michael's family and sympathy we are supposed to feel for him. On top of that it was great to see inside Smith Grove as well - Dr Loomis was far better in this version - although the original is a classic this version had a lot more depth & rather intense ending. Now, even though the film begins in 1963 and then flashes forward 15 years to the night Michael escapes and returns to Haddonfield. Why, then, do the characters have cell phones and are there 1993 Ford Mustangs along the streets of Haddonfield? To me, this just makes the film seem sloppy and badly imagined. If you are going to take the time to "re-imagine" a film that is as iconic and famous as Halloween, these should be obvious things to deal with. The "chase" scenes are well staged and Zombie throws in some decent scenarios not found in the original. The climax is an entertaining combination of classic 80's style horror where you are screaming at the female lead for being so dense and modern horror grisliness where you feel sick to your stomach after enduring it. This film did go well with me and my biggest complaint, however, is with the sloppiness of the time difference in events. Aside from that Zombie's "Halloween" is a calculated gamble to add to these sequels, and it does pay off in the end, "Halloween" is perfectly watchable for any horror buffs so if you haven't seen it yet take the time to see it this month. More Reviews