Review of Halloween (2007) by Dylan D — 08 Sep 2013

Ultimately, Halloween is more of a disappointment than it is a success, particularly considering director Rob Zombie's short but intriguing track record as a filmmaker and the lofty, perhaps unreachable goal of capturing the very essence of the best horror has to offer in John Carpenter's original.

When a film takes on the grandfather of modern horror, perhaps the best it can do is build on it and pay homage in one form or another, and more often than not Zombie's film does just that. Rob Zombie is a fine horror director.

He has an eye for filmmaking, a nose for gore, and ear for dialogue and characterization, and a genuine passion for the genre, and in each of his films, all four merge to breed true horror. Zombie has a unique style that is becoming more apparent through his three films, not only evident in the various characters, settings, and language he employs in his films, but also through a distinct approach to filmmaking that manages to capture the essence of terror.

Halloween isn't his best effort, but all things considered, the film works well enough and makes for a fine supplement to the original film. It offers strong replay value, decent performances from some of the cast, but is a bit short on the gore.

Meanwhile, the film's second half falters, in part because nothing can top the original.