Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Halloween (2007) – a review


I went on Friday with my friend Amy to see the new Halloween remake. Oh, I was so excited! I love scary movies, and the original Halloween is my all-time favorite. I had high hopes for this one. I had read several craptastic reviews, but there were a few good ones out there.

Amy and I got there 45 minutes early to get popcorn and milk duds and stake out the best seats. Then the movie began. The first half hour follows 10-year-old Michael Myers and gives you a glimpse into his disturbed childhood. I really liked this set-up. It doesn’t actually explain why Michael turned out how he did, but it shows you a very disturbed child, and follows his descent into complete insanity.

Now, I am not a big fan of gore. I love the first Halloween for the scares. The new one being a Rob Zombie film – well, this one definitely contained much more than the implied violence of the first one.

I did like that this movie made you care about the characters more than your normal slasher flick. I truly felt a sense of dread when Michael went after Laurie’s adopted parents. Plus, this movie added a whole new level since you actually cared about Michael Myers.

However, I did have a few problems with it. Like how did Michael Myers acquire super-human strength while doing nothing but sit in a mental institution for 17 years? And how the hell did he figure out who adopted his baby sister? And how is it that someone can empty a clip into his chest at close range and not even slow him down?

Aside from those questions, I still liked it. I will say that I think you have to be a fan of the Halloween series to appreciate it. Anyone going in cold, just wanting a slasher flick probably won’t appreciate the whole character study aspect of the movie.

Is it is as good as the original? Well, heck no! The original is a classic. But this one was thought-provoking, and definitely provided a few good scares. In fact, there were two instances when Amy and I were practically in each other’s laps. Then again, the guy who played Michael Myers was 6’8”. If you play that creepy-ass music, and a 6’8” guy in a Michael Myer’s mask is coming at me, I will pretty much defecate in my pants right there.

Just a sidenote – one of our scariest moments came after the movie. In the movie Michael had such long hair that hung in front of his face, so when he did take off his mask, you couldn’t see his face.

Well, when the movie was over, Amy and I stayed for the closing credits. When we stood up to leave, there was only one person left in the theatre. A big guy with really long hair was sitting in the row in front of us. He was staring straight ahead and he looked really creepy. We high-tailed it out of there as fast as we could. Amy and I chatted in the parking lot for a little bit, and when I got in my car, my phone rang. Amy said, “He is right behind you!” I looked in my rearview mirror, and sure enough, the Michael Myers look-alike was parked right behind me, and was getting into his car.

Dude! That is sooooo not cool!!! Needless to say, I have slept with my bedroom door locked and my nightlight on the last two nights!!

4 comments:

Sandee said...

I'm so not wanting to see this for the last paragraph here. No way!

Leeann said...

ROFL! Your post about the Halloween movie totally had me laughing.
Glad you got to go!
Leeann

Crazy Working Mom said...

Holy crap! I would've probably screamed when I saw him behind me! That is freaky, dude!!!

Mo and The Purries said...

The original was so spooky, I loved it that is wasn't a "gore-fest"
and yeah, that whole thing with the freak in the parking lot would have gotten to me.
Did I ever tell you after I saw the first Nightmare on Elm Street? Driving home in a blinding snow storm, suddenly a bloody german shepherd bounds out in front of my car. I almost wet my jeans.