Malcolm McDowell, Scout-Taylor Compton, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Danielle Harris, Dee Wallace, Brad Dourif, Danny Trejo

None of us wanted it - not when the original holds up so darn well – but thankfully rocker turned filmmaker Zombie (“House of 1000 Corpses”, “The Devil’s Rejects”) didn’t just ‘Van Sant’ John Carpenter’s classic slasher film - he extended it, deepened it, shook it up. For the first hour anyway. You see, part 1 of the film is a prequel - the back-story we were never shown – in the original, or any of the umpteen sequels, strangely enough - of movie icon Myer’s pre-asylum years. We watch as the blonde haired-moppet goes from slaughtering rats in his bedroom to ultimately taking out the whole family – sans baby Laurie and his mother (Sheri Moon Zombie – and earning himself a spot in the local mental hospital, under the watchful eye of local psychologist, Dr Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell).

The second half of the film – which kicks in once the now grown-up Myers escapes the slammer - is the original film revisited/redone/reworked. That's when things become a little tired. If only Zombie had kept his film in the past he literally would've been giving us something we hadn’t seen before. Or maybe the first part of the film is just so stylish, intriguing and well performed that anything else was going to see proceedings dip? Whatever the case the second half doesn’t grab as much as the first. Its almost as if it were forced onto the filmmaker by the studio – keen to include at least an hour of what we know as ‘Halloween’ – because it seems very much tacked-on and redundant.

Having said that, this “Halloween” semi-redo could’ve been much, much worse and for the most part, it’s a success. It’s visually stunning, audibly – they’ve reused Carpenter’s classic theme, thank god! – perfect, well performed (Zombie’s casting choices are inspired – McDowell makes a good Loomis; Scout Taylor-Compton makes for a nice little plucky heroine; and Daeg Faerch is terrific as young Michael; plus its great to see genre veterans like Brad Dourif, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris and Dee Wallace used effectively in supporting roles) and aside from the bits that seem “all too familiar”, mostly engaging. Its quite simply a remake that’s a cut above the rest. Just a pity it got lazy in the third act.

Not only has Rob Zombie won me back – even got me keen to revisit “Corpses” and “Devils Rejects”; which I didn't enjoy on first viewing – with his “Halloween”, but he gets a pat on the back for his DVD commentary too. Whilst some filmmakers simply sit there and explain to the audience what's 'on the screen' (we've seen the movie! Don't tell us what's happening... we know!), Zombie serves up a track that's informative, frank and also proves him quite a smart and savvy man. Once you hear his reasons for 'doing this' or 'doing that' with “Halloween”... you'll swear you like the film even more.

Other extras on the 2-Disc DVD include casting sessions; bloopers (oh Malcolm McDowell, you clown, you!); a bit on the many masks of Michael Myers and a behind-the-scenes making of – that's rather comprehensive.

Rating :
Reviewer : Halloween