Skip to main content

Halloween 2 (2009) - Rob Zombie


I had been very critical of the first movie. I trusted that Rob Zombie would treat this franchise well. I just didn't know where he was going with it. The first remake was monumental, or at least it felt that way. It had a new found brutality that was added into the mix. It was different to say the least. This one however, felt egregious right from the get-go. 


Michael Myers looks like Zakk Wylde in this sequel to the Rob Zombie remake. Myers is still on the loose continuing his rampage from the first movie. He brutally massacres anyone in his way. His sister, Laurie, has been admitted to the local hospital after suffering from her wounds earlier as seen in the first movie. Doctor Loomis returns as well as the Sheriff from the first film, Brad Douriff. 

This film has no problem of revealing Michael Myers much more than the any other movie had done in the franchise. He speaks, he grunts, he has a beard. The beard must be the source of his power. Zombie also explores deep psychological elements with a tinge of supernatural mixed in for good effort. It's a virtual smorgasbord of horror. Sometimes it's a bit too much for it's own good. 


This must have been slated to be the final Halloween movie helmed by Rob Zombie, and it appears he just went balls to the wall for it. Unfortunately he has to sacrifice certain things like a linear plot, in order to do that. 

This movie is ridiculous! Dream sequences and horrid excuses for a flimsy storyline are on full display. Who said that this franchise needed to be remade to this extent. Hopefully the ending of this film marked the ending of the Halloween remakes. Rob Zombie should of left it alone, what a bad idea.

On the good side this movie is really decent camera work and pretty interesting characters, they would of all fared a lot better if this was not a Halloween movie though. It has the ability to be a really strong independent slasher that would benefit from not being limited by the franchise. The killings are pretty brutal although they are really bland, all we have is multiple stabbings and not anything very creative. Michael has a variety of different powers in this movie including regeneration and teleportation, in one scene he kills two people at a rave. Then he teleports to the front of Laurie, I'm sorry Angel's house and kills a cop. That is a pretty useful power to have when your an unstoppable killing machine.


I would recommend this movie as a good ending to the first movie. If you had seen Rob Zombie's original Halloween, then you would appreciate the closure that you get in this one. If you can stomach the cliches and odd story-lines. I wouldn't recommend this unless you had already seen that one though. It's okay, but not that okay.

Director: Rob Zombie
Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, and Malcolm McDowell
Country: USA
Style: Brutal Re-visioned Slasher - Michael Myers
Studio: Dimension Films

Did ya know...
Rob Zombie was against a sequel until he heard that the studio was going to make it regardless. Then he signed on and ruined it himself.
John Carpenter was offered a cameo in the film by Rob Zombie, but he turned it down. Smart.
Yes, Halloween III is in the works. Although last time I checked it was in production hell.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »