Adeptly packaged in all facets of production, Halloween is nicely cast with a combination of Zombie regulars, familiar faces and compelling newcomers and satisfyingly constructed with camerawork that heightens the suspense on the page.
Halloween (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:99
Fresh:26
Rotten:73
Average Rating:4.1/10
Consensus: Rob Zombie doesn't bring many new ideas to the table in Halloween, making it another bloody disappointment for fans of the franchise.
Theatrical Release:Aug 31, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $58,192,545
Synopsis: The early 2000s have seen a string of big-budget remakes of classic horror films. In addition to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES, John Carpenter's benchmark slasher flick... The early 2000s have seen a string of big-budget remakes of classic horror films. In addition to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES, John Carpenter's benchmark slasher flick HALLOWEEN has been given a new-millennial overhaul. At the helm of the project sits rocker Rob Zombie, whose previous films, HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, brought a fan's touch and an auteur's vision to the director's chair. While Zombie's HALLOWEEN is faithful to Carpenter's vision, there are some obvious changes, the most pronounced of these being the substantial focus on Michael Myers's childhood. The film posits Michael (played by a creepily vacant Daeg Faerch) as a troubled child made all the worse by a horrible home life--wonderfully illustrated via William Forsythe's performance as Deborah Myers's boyfriend--and constant abuse at school. Zombie paints Michael's pain with palpable grit and sleaze, but he isn't out to put our culture on the couch--he simply wants to show Michael killing his family. With the exception of Michael's therapy sessions while incarcerated, the film, post-massacre, stays loyal to the original. Zombie's film is clearly the work of a filmmaker who knows and loves the genre. The director's signature is stamped all over HALLOWEEN (most notably in the use of grainy home movie footage and a smokin' classic rock soundtrack), although remnants of Carpenter's brilliant original still remain. When it comes to remakes, it's hard to ask for much more. [More]
Starring: Daeg Faerch, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon, Scout Taylor-Compton
Starring: Daeg Faerch, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon, Scout Taylor-Compton, William Forsythe, Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris
Director: Rob Zombie
Director: Rob Zombie
Screenwriter: Rob Zombie
Producer: Malek Akkad, Andy Gould, Rob Zombie
Composer: Tyler Bates
Studio: Dimension Films
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Reviews for Halloween
It’s inanely-scripted exploitation, sure, but this ‘Halloween’ doesn’t trivialise; it even returns with sympathy to one victim minutes after the attack that has left her bleeding on the floor.
The original and the remake need to stand alone and apart, and Zombie's film has merits of its own that should be appreciated.
Halloween has everything you could want in an updated slasher movie, as long as you're not a homicidally slavish purist.
A scrappy, semi-brilliant reawakening of a fabulous horror icon, and the best part about it? No Busta Rhymes.
I was hoping for greatness from Rob Zombie's Halloween, but got pretty-goodness, instead.
Zombie may not be able to match the stalk 'n' menace of Carpenter's steadicam original, but when the Big Z's knife hits the right groove, he cuts to the dark heart of the Myers legend.
Instead of trampling over the original, he builds on it and creates an homage that should motivate the new generation of horror fans to seek out John Carpenter's original with the respect and excitement it still deserves.
Zombie's morally dubious earlier films showcased fun-loving, homicidal anti-heroes; but there's nothing jokey or campy about his approach to Myers, whose long hair and mask obsession suggest he may be a worst-case-scenario incarnation of Zombie himself.
An kai hameno den tha ebgaine apo ligo psalidisma se arketes basikes skines, to pantrema ton palion kommation toy mythoy me ta kainoyria toy backstory, ektos toy oti dinei taytotita (esto kai shizoeidi) stin tainia, tin kanei na ksehorizei ap' ta gnosta r
[It] will come as a welcome relief to fans who've diligently sat through seven Halloween sequels in hopes of one day recapturing some of the terrifying magic of the original.
... Rob Zombie's Halloween shines as a tribute to the slasher genre instead of proof of its passing.
The Batman Begins of slasher movies, and one of the more frightening stabathons of recent years.
Save the first two Halloween films, Zombie's take is the best film of the franchise. That's not saying much, I know, but it is a compliment that Rob deserves.
The original Halloween was about Jamie Lee Curtis in danger up to her knee socks. And for socks, that was a remarkably high threshold of danger.
Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot isn't bad as remakes go, but the prequel scenes are better than the remake scenes.
Zombie is still learning and I'm sure in time will deliver a true horror classic of his own. Until then, enjoy his latest effort.
I won't make the case that Halloween is anything other than a well-crafted slasher film. That's all it wants to be, and that's what it achieves. But I will say that the movie does the horror genre a big favor by reclaiming a legendary character.
Latest News for Halloween
January 05, 2009:
First Shots of Michael Myers' H2 Mask Posted ![]()
Eager to get a glimpse of what Michael Myers' face will look like in Rob Zombie's sequel to his "Halloween" reboot? Bloody Disgusting has what you're looking for. More...
December 22, 2008:
Rob Zombie Drops Halloween Sequel Hint ![]()
What's Scout Taylor-Compton doing next Halloween? Judging from a cryptic update posted at Rob Zombie's MySpace page, she could be reprising her role as Laurie Strode in his... More...
December 16, 2008:
Zombie Confirmed for Halloween Sequel ![]()
Confirming an earlier report from Shock Till You Drop, Dimension has announced that Rob Zombie is on board to write and direct a sequel to his "Halloween" reboot. More...
December 02, 2008:
It's Still Halloween for Rob Zombie ![]()
In news that should provoke shrieks of actual terror from a very vocal group of RT commenters, Shock Till You Drop is announcing that Rob Zombie will return to direct the sequel... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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