Devil's Rejects (2005) #412

One thing that Rob Zombie is extremely gifted in is the ability to draw so many recognizable names to appear in his films; from Danny Trejo to Kane Hodder, to Ken Foress to even comic Brian Posehn. Sadly, he isn't nearly as gifted at creating a solid horror film. Granted, "The Devil's Rejects" was only his second feature film and is an obvious homage to the grindhouse films of the 1970's but it stands to argue that it is he weakest production, overly violent without a purpose, and it is simply not entertaining for the casual horror film viewer. Besides the fact that the movie stars three of the characters from Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses", "The Devil's Rejects" barely functions as a horror movie in the first place.

Halloween (2007)

Just because you grew up loving a movie doesn’t mean that you should one day make your version because that version is going to turn out to be a horrible piece of crap that insults the original more than anything else. And for god’s sake, do not ruin the magic of the original by creating some insipid and horrible reason as to why a child grows up to be an unstoppable killing machine. This is the crime that Rob Zombie made and is convicted of by legions of horror movie fans across the planet when he made his version of “Halloween”. This film is a perfect example of what happens when a film maker tries to recreate something and he is clearly out of his league….or out of his mind. He takes the simplicity of the Michael Myers mythos and explains everything, that Michael had a horrible childhood with a P.O.S dad, typical bullies at school, and way too much time on his obsession with masks and his mom asking him to take them off. In fact, Zombie takes the first 35 or so minutes of the movie to explore Michaels’ childhood and how Dr. Loomis tried to help him before everything goes horribly wrong.

Once the movie moves forward and introduces the high school aged Laurie Strobe, the film finds its groove and becomes the remake that we (or maybe just myself) were hoping for; an updated version that trades in the slow and steady build of tension for a more deliberate sense of adrenaline and violence. I’m still not sure how I feel about Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis but I think this is because he plays such a prevalent role in the part of the movie that I don’t care for; his part in the later scenes is quite enjoyable. I do approve of the casting choices of Tyler Mane as an adult Michael, Dee Wallace as Cynthia Strobe,  Brad Dourif as the town Sheriff, and a slew of special appearances including Sid Haig, Ken Foree, Udo Kier, Danny Trejo, Bill Moseley. Scout Taylor-Compton did a great job as Laurie considering who she was replacing; the role of Laurie Strobe almost felt like it was written for the young Jamie Lee Curtis so you can’t be too harsh on Scout for giving it her best to fill this legendary role and making it her own. It’s obvious that the character of Laurie Strobe is not meant to be played the same just by the lines of dialogue.

What I didn’t like –

1.       The first 35 minutes.

2.       Michael killing the Strobes.

3.       The actor who played young Michael. Oh, I guess that’s a part of the first 35 minutes…

What I liked –

1.       The scene in which Michael escapes from the mental hospital.

2.       The kids that Laurie babysits.     

3.       Scout’s version of playing Laurie.

Actor Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strobe (in the middle)

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strobe (on the left)

Actor Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis

Actor Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis

Michael Myers 1978

 Michael Myers 2007

Michael Myers 2007

Michael Myers 1978 saying "Hello!"

247°F (2011)

“247°F” is an interesting movie about four friends who go out to an island for a pagan themed holiday. One of them has an uncle who lives on the island and he’s been building new additions to his house. The newest addition is a three friends who become trapped in a sauna while their drunk friend and their uncle watch fireworks and get high. The sauna continues to build heat after the trapped friends break a window for fresh air, making the room to become dangerously hot. They try everything they can to stay cool and find a way out but they are completely trapped. The end result, when the uncle finally finds them, is sad and somber. It’s a decent film in that it builds suspense and shares the big “reveal” at the end, a reveal that is believable and not a shocking twist.

The only thing that I didn’t like about this film was the main character, Jenna. We see that Jenna had a finacee that was killed in a car accident three years earlier and that she’s still pretty torn up about it. She’s taking anxiety pills to deal with her issues but decides to skip them when she is paired up with Ian. Because of her skipped her pills, she becomes the cause for the real problems that occur when she, Ian, and Renee get trapped after Renee’s drunk boyfriend Michael leaves to go get high. I just feel that Jenna’s story is weak and poorly played out. It could have been great but misses the mark.

Favorite moment - Seeing Tyler Mane in a lovable and sympathetic role as Ian's uncle.