I remember the days when any talk of another entry into the “Halloween” franchise would conjure up all manner of anticipation and thrill in me.
Then after numerous disasters (“Halloween 5”, “Halloween 6”, the entertaining but ultimately insufficient “H20” and especially the appalling “Halloween: Resurrection”) I had lost almost every grain of hope in the series redeeming itself.
Then Rob Zombie came along and not only did he reinvent the “Halloween” universe, he injected something very simple but essential back into that universe.
He made Michael Myers scary again.
Not in the same way that Carpenters’ Myers was Scary. Carpenters’ Myers was a cunning killer. He was the shadow on the wall that moved when you looked away. He was the very essence of the Bogeyman.
I believe a cocktail of familiarity, audience sophistication and pure greed facilitated the demise of Michael Myers’ capacity to frighten us.
By the time “Halloween: Resurrection” came around, the producers had consented to scenes involving Michael Myers in a Kung Fu battle with Rapper, Busta Rhymes.
Thankfully however Rob Zombies’ Michael Myers is fear provoking. He is the epitome of the very real serial killer. The kind we all know exists out there in our increasingly hostile world. He might just live up the street from you. He might sit next to you on the bus someday. Then sooner or later he just snaps. Composed and resolute, he follows you home. Determined to slaughter, he invades your home where you find him blocking your doorway, making any escape impossible.
In a world where every other day some teenager picks up a gun and annihilates the kids at school or where another human being is found butchered in their home, this Michael Myers suddenly becomes a lot more frightening than the ghostlike Myers of 1978.
Don’t get me wrong; I adore Carpenters vision of Myers. “Halloween” was the film that, at five years old, made me fall in love with the genre.
Nevertheless Zombies’ Myers doesn’t try to be or want to be Carpenters’ Myers and this is why I love his vision. Unlike the other sequels that were basically genetic copies of the original, Zombie took the fundamental but flawed idea of the masked bogeyman and launched him into the 21st century where it isn’t such a stretch anymore to imagine the little boy that once sat beside you in the classroom growing into the next incarnation of Ed Gein and that to me my friends, is chilling.
dude that is some deep for real shit…thats my thoughts exactly…it really comes down to if you like realistic michael or more of old sort of super natural mikes
good post spooky! im am still completely baffled at how much rz Halloweens get bashed. i used to defend it but it does no good. if a person didnt like RZ halloween then i cant make them like it by giving them my point of view, so anymore i just scratch my head and think wow! there are people that actually like H5, H6, H20, or resurrection better than the remake?!!!
to me that makes as much sence as someone saying “i prefer a pinto over a ferrari”. i understand different opinions is what makes the world go around but…i just cant see that one.
all you said is true spooky, Rob indeed made Michael scary again for the first time since 1981 so yeah we were long over do. when i seen the previews for the remake i was thinking oh shit! this looks like the Halloween ive been waiting to see for along time, and it didnt disappoint me.
even with all the reasons ive heard that people didnt like it, “cursing doesnt belong in a Halloween movie”, “frankenmyers hes too big”, “scouts laurie is nothing like jamie’s laurie”,
with all of those elements into consideration i’ll still take rob zombies Halloweens over H3-H8 everyday of the week.
the original H1, H2, then RZ H1 and H2, those are my favorites in order and just happen to be the order they were released. all the rest of them, dont care if i ever see them again.
I love the Halloween series. All of it. Even the shitty ones. That being said I love both of Zombies Halloween’s. They are better then 5 6 7 and 8 in the original series by a long shot!!! People may not agree with me and that’s ok. I like the gritty realism. I like the brutal kills. I love Michael Myers and in Zombie’s movies…you don’t f@ck with Michael Myers!!! By Reserrection the series had become a joke, and it was even directed by the original sequals directed and it was still safe pc bullsh@t. Now there is risk taking brutal entries. Like any good horror movie should be. They stand out. To me, that’s awsome.
wow dude where were you guys when H2 came out! great points!..dude i cant get over how intimidating tyler is he is truely a perfect modern day michael myers…he MAKES these movies for me most the time
Tyler is an amazing Myers! Warlock, Castle, and he are my all time favourite incarnations of the Shape. So intimidating. Just awsome. And yes I’m at Walmart as we speak waiting for midnight. It’s a big Myers day for me brotherman!
I too am one who is #1 Baffled by the Hate for the Zombie entries. I love just how seriously are approached, I love how Perfect Tylers Myers is played. I love the girls as they feel like they are all actually friends, Scouts Laurie is great as she feels like a real teenager. I love the direction, the look of the film. I certainly have a few issues with it, but it is truly one of my favorite movies of all time now, That didnt used to be the case and it was just one of my favorite in the series behind #1,2. But now its taken on its own life. Part 2 is a bit mucked up, but There IS a good movie in there, i wonder if the rushed schedule ruined what could have been truly special. With a bit more time to write and direct it could have been great but overall i just love how vicious they are and how Rob respects what he does and doesnt JUST do it for a paycheck, sure that helped in the case of 2 especially im sure, but when you listen to him talk about it all and how much goes into them and his thought process i definitely respect him and everyone else involved. One thing about Rob Zombie, people LOVE to work for him and really buy into his visions, Scout, Brad, Malcolm, And anyone else who has, really respect his vision and get excited to work with him.
As a fan I also respect his vision… Or should I say love?
Sometimes I just sit down and thoughts like “What if I would do a remake of RZ Halloween, how should it be?” I never come up with something good but hey some things are suppose to never change. And IF, and now I’m talking about a big BIG IF that day comes, somebody makes another remake I can only hope its completely diffrent, like the Carpenter movie and Zombie was. Thats the key when it comes to remakes, give us something new and refreshing. We don’t want to see the same move and Zombie… He just did that with his vision. All do respect to Carpenter.
Rob Zombie is a great director. I can’t stress that enough. The things he has done with Halloween is further evidence of that.
He doesn’t take the typical "slasher film"approach like most directors. There is an emotional engagement here that
hasn’t been seen since Carpenter’s original. Rob takes a familiar face and sets him in a new place, reality.
There were countless times where I cried watching the mayhem on screen. It feels so real that it could very well be a true story.
It’s certainly inspired by real life horror stories. Everything presented here is based in reality. That’s what makes it terrifying
and relative.