The Unseen Movie Review: Halloween

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By Robert Dixter Aug 31, 2007, 5:57 GMT

Stop the remakes! I can’t take it anymore! Most film magazine articles this past summer were pointing out the lack of originality on Hollywood due to the high number of sequel movies. I’d rather have a sequel film than a remake film any day. At least sequels are a new story. I already know the story when they remake a film.

This Friday the new Halloween film is opening. Remaking Halloween is like telling Paul McCartney, “Hey, I liked your little Sgt. Pepper album but I want to add more cowbell to it”. The original Halloween is considered by many, myself included, to be a classic. Usually the horror genre doesn’t get its due, but start to finish, Halloween grabs the viewer and holds them, scares them and keeps them wanting more. It’s kind of like marrying Tawny Kitaen. Some will tell you that Psycho or Peeping Tom gave birth to the modern day slasher film, but it was really John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween. While those two older films are both fine films they pull their punches with the audience. Halloween is never afraid to scare the audience. Without Halloween there would be no Friday the 13th and no Frederick Krueger. Michael Myers is personally responsible for the rash of eighties slasher flicks and in some ways (since they needed to build on something) the so called splatter films of today. (And I’m not referring to Rob Lowe’s home movies.)When Halloween was originally released Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars and sang its praises. Now most of you are probably saying Roger Ebert should take that golden thumb and stick it somewhere uncomfortable, but the man used to carry a lot of weight (figuratively) and still does (literally). What’s next? Gus Van Sant already tackled Psycho. Where do these remakes stop? Can you imagine if someone walked into Disney and said they were remaking Citizen Kane, mark my words it’s coming.The original Halloween was a cheap little film that Carpenter shot on a shoe string budget (why do they call it shoe string?) and exploded in its popularity. Watch the original again and see how Johnny moves his camera and plays the audience as though they were a marionette and he was controlling the strings. He creates a fantastic amount of suspense from something as simple as walking home from school. By the time the killing starts he has played you like a well oiled guitar, which is weird because guitars don’t need oil. Mikey Myers pops up and then disappears. He’s there, but did I really see him? Carpenter holds the audience in his hand with that film, and it feels like he was just eating a load of gummi bears on a very hot day. When he adds the perfect soundtrack (who can forget that key music) the audience sits up on the edge of their seats or grabs their date or mother (whoever you happened to bring) and holds on for dear life.I find it kind of confusing why they would remake a classic that spawned sequels. The sequels were doing just fine. They were cheap horror films that always brought in a return. Why the need to remake the original? Just make another crappy cheap sequel, don’t mess with the master. And why hire Rob Zombie to do it? Until a few years ago this guy was a quasi rock star. Now he’s printed up new business cards and calls himself a director. What qualifies him to be a director? The fact that he’s watched a ton of horror films? If that was the criteria, every geek living with his mom that has Aint It Cool as his homepage should be given a development deal. Zombie has made two horror films; neither has scored big with audiences. But the Weinstein brothers feel that he’s the right guy to redo a classic. Even weirder is that John Carpenter is listed as a producer on the film, which I think is in name only. John probably has his eye on a new boat or Sub Zero refrigerator and figured this was the easiest way to get it, since he really doesn’t have to do any work on this version.Getting back to my original point, stop the remakes. Come up with an original idea, and then run that into the ground with sequels, TV spin offs and Broadway shows. That’s the real Hollywood way. If you must proceed with the remakes then don’t remake a classic. It’s already a classic, that means it’s really good and doesn’t need you messing it up. I’ve said this before in previous columns, if you feel the need to remake a film then find a really bad movie and remake it into a good one. Anyone can take a great movie and turn it into crap.

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Beverly SchriderAug 31st, 2007 - 14:43:15

I agree totally with this article.

I watched 'House of 1000 Corspes' last night and I thought it was awful. What a mish-mash of perverted satan-loving garbage. I saw the first Halloween movie in a drivin-in in 1978 when I was 15 and it was terrifying. Not because there were blood and guts and 'artistic creativity' (and I'm saying that sarcastically) but because John Carpenter captured what 'scary' was. It's in our own imaginations. He didn't have to be violent or gross. He used the right music at the right time and created the right setting to bring out what was scary to all of us.

I love the original Halloween movies and I'm part of a generation that grew up watching these movies. Rob Zombie can either make this a respectable remake that we will all love or he can turn it into some perverted, violent ...grossness....and he will pay the price. I for one have no intention of giving him any credit unless he earns it. This is a classic movie that we watch over and over for a reason....if he changes it too much it won't be part of our collection.

Thanks

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CharlieAug 31st, 2007 - 18:06:59

I too agree with this article.

Holloween totally defines horror. Years after its release, it still sends chills up teenagers spines. It didn't need to be remade.
To address the the ridculos 'direction' of Rob zombie, his movies are about the same quality as porn. I was grossed out and seen way to much body.
Plus, the original has the Queen of Horror in it, none other the the great Jamie Lee Curtis.

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MovieManAug 31st, 2007 - 18:12:45

Actually, surprisingly, unbelievably, Mr. Zombie has filmed a well-crafted twist on the original. Yes, let's take some chances, Hollywood. However, this remake did not insult the original classic-of-all-classic horror films and everyone had fun. Pleasantly surprising.

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joeAug 31st, 2007 - 19:06:59

Friday the 13th came out before Holloween...

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CarlAug 31st, 2007 - 21:09:58

Joe, Holloween came out in 1978. Friday the 13th came out in 1980.

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warrenSep 1st, 2007 - 12:23:23

lindsey you are so beutifall i want your phone number
my name is warren i like you so much

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ktronSep 1st, 2007 - 13:35:43

Rob Zombie is a genius.He is the present and future of horror.Anybody who is endorsed by the great Tobe Hooper,director of the greatest horror film of all time,is destined to be great.Zombie knows how to make quality horror that the fans want to see.He is a welcome addition to the genre.This is the man who made the greatest(drum roll:1000 corpses)horror film since Evil Dead.John Carpenters film is a classic in it's on right but i was never overly impressed by it.Zombies film walked all over it.Horrors new name is Rob Zombie.

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halloween boy who loves candySep 5th, 2007 - 05:48:58

ok rob zombie has good movies there different from wat we seen and iam glad he did a remake cause it giving the youth to see wat kind of classic horror movies there r. for me i loved the movie but the older one r still better they scared the crap outta me even today. but giving him a chance maybe he can do great things (lol)

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667Sep 6th, 2007 - 23:48:47

Rob Zombie could have remade Halloween 3 and made it fresh!And anyone who thinks 1000 Corpses is bad is probably a frickin christian woman.
P.S. Halloween is the first remake that did not suck balls.

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ZOMBO THE GREATSep 8th, 2007 - 20:15:32

Rob Zombie is coming along quite well. His directing skills are improving vastly. There are scenes in his films that are so graphic that after he did these films he changed his eating habits. He know what makes us sick.
Rape, young women being mutilated in the nude. Remember in Rejects when Otis put his thing in Prisilla Barnes mouth with a gun to her head?
His brand of horror hits hard on the brain. Listen to the commentaries on Devils rejects during that particular scene. Art for the sake of art that's what Rob says.

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JMaxxSep 10th, 2007 - 05:38:47

I really did enjoy this movie, and I am a true fan of the original. Well done, Rob!

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Ray email dirrthouse@yahoo.comOct 17th, 2008 - 00:37:24

I totally agree with that statement 'dont remake a Classic' Holloween is one of my all time favorite movies and it was screwed big time. The story was off the original, Laurie Strode looked like she was mixed with mexican, and in the New version he was not after laurie to kill her but to remember him as her brother. Also he suppose to have fits of rage, still unknown to this day of why thoes fits happened. my quote, Use the unknown to spawn a new sequel to the holloween movie series, give the people more understanding about the fits of rage, and bring your viewers into the relm that makes Michael Myers who he is. Should be a gorish movie...think about it.

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