H2 but no O..thank goodness
Last week the trailer for Rob Zombie’s “H2” a sequel to his 2007 remake of “Halloween” hit the internets over at yahoo. I’m excited about it, but my parade is always rained on by people hating on the “Halloween” remake. That film came out two years ago so I don’t want to give it a full review, but I want to talk to you about it. Bring some ideas up, see what you think about them. Think of this as an invitation. This is your invitation to re-watch Rob Zombie’s “Halloween”. If you like the movie, don’t feel bad, you’re not betraying John Carpenter. He’s done a remake too.
rob tells the kid how to score drugs.
Rob Zombie is an amazing film maker. “House of a thousand corpses” (which in many ways seemed like a “Texas chainsaw” remake) was colorful, fast, inventive, and charming. “The Devil’s rejects” was an opus. Zombie used none of his own music for the soundtrack which brought some instant credibility, and he crafted a dark sadistic travel story that reeked with anarchy. Also in “rejects” Rob seemed to find a mise-en-scene that really works from him. His camera is loose, handheld, he likes his close ups, he goes for a sort of verte – esq style. Where what we perceive seems somehow to be really happening. This style he brought with him to “Halloween.” Now what can I say about “Halloween?” I absolutely loved it. I am a lover of the originals too. So Rob Zombie haters put down your shaking angry fists for just a moment. I’m going to even admit something to you guys that I’ve barely told anyone. Before Film school, before high school. Before I ever wrote my own concepts down on paper. I…I wrote “Halloween” Fan fiction. Please don’t judge me. I was young….My point is, I love “Halloween” to an obsessive degree. But I refuse to look at a superior film like Rob Zombie’s and turn my nose up at it. I have to be truthful; Zombie’s “Halloween” is better than the original.
teenagers. hot.
The cinematography on the original “Halloween” is very flat. We never get close to anything. The same goes for the story. Michael escapes from the hospital, then we slowly (if it’s been a while re-watch it and be amazed at it’s snails pace) slowly watch Laure Strode and her friends no basically nothing for minutes, until finally the killing starts. People tend to misplace “Halloween” in looking back at it. “Halloween” sort of began the “slasher” genre yet the film itself has very little blood or gore. It’s not really a “slasher” film. The cinematography in the new “Halloween” is intense, deep, and dynamic. Zombie doesn’t want us at the arms length Carpenter put us; he wants us inside the action, really observing life in the Myers house. His camera is personal and captures everything there is to see. When young Michael is getting ready to kill his older sister, we don’t see the entire thing through Michael Myers’s POV through his clown mask; we see what she’s doing. What she’s saying to her boyfriend. Zombie’s film is more the story of a family, not a single person. Rob Zombie is known at this point for his cheesy dialogue, but in “Halloween” it’s very toned down, and a lot of the “teen” talk we hear from the young characters rings true. At least more true than the teen character in the original “Halloween” who said the word “Totally” after every statement. The characters in Zombie’s “Halloween” are better drawn. His Dr. Loomis is less crazy and more greedy which is an interesting take on the character, it lends more to the idea that Loomis is just another person who failed young Michael in life. Michael Myers is interesting and sympathetic. Rob Zombie was able to achieve what George Lucas couldn’t, he took the bad guy and showed you his wounds, showed you his youth and sadness and this made the character work even better when he became the madman we knew. Rob Zombie’s young Michael Myers is disturbing, the kind of kid you wouldn’t want around your kids, yet you’d still give him candy on Halloween. Twisted and strange yet you feel for him. Zombie’s vision of Michael Myers mother is so wonderful and well played it really makes you wish critics and award shows actually looked at horror films. His mother is a stripper, in an abusive relationship, working hard and trying to do the right thing for her kids.
Rob zombies hot and talented wife.
Zombie’s “Halloween” had a better ending too. Laurie NOT Loomis kills Michael at the end. It’s poetic and beautifully macabre. I also liked how unlike the original “Halloween” there isn’t a cliff-hanger ending. Michael is dead. He’s not coming back….until now. FML…Look at the new trailer.
Okay, let’s talk about this trailer. I hate the name and hope someone is smart enough to change it. Why are we still doing this? “Terminator 2” decided to call itself “T2” like 20 years ago and marketing execs still think this shit is brilliant?! This title reminds me of “Halloween: H20” and that is not a good thing. It looks even grittier than the last “Halloween”. That can be good. One question about this whole movie that begs to be asked is: Is this a remake of the sequel or a sequel to the remake? The original “Halloween 2” isn’t all that great. Our lead character is in a hospital bed for most of the film, and a lot of the action takes place in the hospital. We see a lot of hospital scenarios in the trailer, but I hope this isn’t the route Zombie went. Also I’m a little scared at the mother angle. As I said above I love the mother character from the first Zombie film, I hope he doesn’t just shove her in here to appease his wife who plays the character. The ghostly white thing, I don’t know… looks kind of dumb, kind of like the relationship between Jason and his mother. Also there seems to be a “Halloween 6” vibe in this trailer, what’s with the “Learn the origins of his evil” angle? Was it the man in black again? Remember that non-sense? I like the lack of the Carpenter score. I hope the film itself is also this bold. It would really show a new direction and that this film is all Rob’s. As for now I’m just going to cross my fingers and trust the fact that no Rob Zombie film has ever had a good trailer but always turned out to rock. Hopefully this will turn out the same…what do you think?
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