"Nothing great by far, but Zombie's sequel proves that his vision should have been a one movie deal."
In 2007, Rob Zombie gave us his vision of John Carpenter's Halloween. It was a bad movie. Not because it seemingly "destroyed" what made the film's antagonist, Michael Myers, so unique(by giving him a backstory), but because it was simply a bad horror flick. Period. Zombie had the right idea, but his love affair with blood and profanity matches Michael Bay's love of special effects, ultimately resulting in a well intentioned but failed attempt at reimagining the Halloween mythos.
Now it's 2009. Zombie, after initially denying he'd come back for a sequel, has returned to the franchise he restarted...and it surprisingly doesn't suck. Zombie's Halloween 2 proves that his vision should have been left for one blood soaked entry, allowing another filmmaker to take over the reigns for a sequel. In fact, you don't have to watch Zombie's first installment to watch this(I actually recommend you don't). The first movie could have easily been told in flashbacks. Come to think of it, how awesome would it have been if Zombie told the first movie in THIS movie's opening credits, a la the opening montage of Watchmen? Add in the Halloween theme music while the montage of Michael's origin rolls, and Zombie would have had himself a fitting start to a solid remake.
Instead, Zombie chose to tell his story in two parts, while it could have easily been told in one, 2 hour culmination of psychological terror and gory kills. Since that didn't happen, I'm pleased to report the movie I'm reviewing now was a better experience than the last, albeit not being a great one.
The Good:
-Zombie seems to have a better grip on characterization this time around. While the first movie focused on the psyche of Myers, this one delves more into Laurie's fragile mentality after the events of the first movie. Myers' psyche is still acknowledged as he is guided by the hallucinations of his dead mother. Why didn't Zombie just use that as Michael's motive and mental analysis in the first movie? It would have been enough. Also, the sub-plot of Loomis promoting his book offers some moments in which Zombie shows he can write character development and interaction.
-Characters are actually likeable. Scout-Taylor Compton actually gives a memorable performance in this flick, whereas she seemed like just another victim in the previous one. Halloween has been about Laurie just as much as Michael, and Zombie lost sight of that in the first installment, reducing her to a snot-nosed, foul mouthed brat that I didn't feel anything for. While she still has a potty mouth on her, Laurie's story is built upon. Brad Dourif as Sheriff Brackett was also quite likeable, and the loss of his daughter makes for one of few instances in EITHER film where you actually feel for a character. I wonder if Zombie had a stroke after writing that.
-Zombie goes a little deeper than just sex and violence with the film. He shows quite a bit of symbolism. The opening quote plays a big role throughout the film. During the hospital attack, Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" plays. It serves as an eery tune and the lyrics can coincide with what Laurie's going through. Also, during a dream sequence, a skeleton dons Michael's mask. After the sequence, Laurie wakes up and a cartoon is on TV showing a skeleton holding a knife. I didn't think Zombie had it in him to show symbolism.
-I personally liked Michael's look in this movie. Zombie took a lot of chances with the reimagining, he might as well go all the way and change Michael's famous look as well. The mask is still there, but it's horribly damaged. Michael dons a hooded coat for the flick, so the mask doesn't get spotlighted as much. It's understandable. The film takes place a year after the first one, and Michael is believed to be dead. The hood serves as a kind of "disguise" because if people saw the mask, they'd instantly know who it was.
The Bad:
-Sherri Moon Zombie as Deborah Myers and Chase Vanek as young Michael suck. Sherri was actually better in the first movie and the kid who played Michael before was also better.
-What is Michael? The Hulk? Zombie has done a fairly good job of setting up his vision as realistic, but Michael flips over a car in this movie. That scene looks like it was taken directly from the old Hulk TV show.
-Zombie still needs to tone down on the profanity. It's not as bad the last film, but characters say "fuck" when it doesn't need to be said. It takes up the majority of the dialogue.
-The ending feels rushed. One minute Loomis is watching his interview, the next he's at the scene where cops have surrounded Michael. The whole thing just happens way too quickly and if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean.
Verdict: Zombie improves his writing with this installment, but as I said, his vision would have been better as one film. We have one bad movie, and one average movie. If he had combined them, we might have had one great movie, as much as that might not make sense. Oh well.
Sequel predictions: With Zombie's vision complete, the studio has already jumped on the chance for a third installment, possibly making it 3D. Ugh. It's been reported that a director with experience in horror has been approached, and that may or may not be it's saving grace. We'll see. With the ending of this movie, a new director would have to flesh out Laurie's psych, because Zombie really left her fucked up. Hell, they may not even bring back Michael at all, and do what the last Halloween 3 did...abandon the Myers mythos completely. We'll have to see.
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