Review of Halloween (2007) by Timothy B — 16 Apr 2012

This is a frustrating film. Rob Zombie made the abrasive and nauseating House of 1,000 Corpses and the brilliant The Devil's Rejects, and no matter what you think of those films, they were exactly what he wanted to make. They were his movies through and through, his ideas and visions. Halloween is his version of another man's vision; however, the central aspects of this film are the aspects of John Carpenter's story that he put in place for a paycheck. Essentially, this is a brilliant and near-fully realized Rob Zombie picture; it's also a terrible remake, one which ignores the elements of the original that make it a classic - the worst thing a remake can do.

This is a good movie. I'll recommend it whole-heartedly to horror fans. But it's also a shame that such a talented filmmaker was forced by the studio system to make a film that compromises originality in such a way. The disturbing Rob Zombie original first half of the film is a masterpiece; the remainder is simply a well-made but unnecessary update that makes me want to pop in my Halloween DVD and forget what I'd just seen.