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!"

Author's Note - Remakes

Remakes are a touchy subject for many people. There are several that feel like they are nothing more than an excuse to cash in on a recognizable title without even trying to make a decent movie. Michael Bay is guilty of this with his attempts to reboot both the “Friday the 13^th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchises.

Some remakes feel like the cast actually respect the original and just want to have fun making their version; these are fine because they feel more like plays whereas nothing new is usually added but some characters are fleshed out more or are played out with a different style. Some of these films actually use the original novel as source material more so than the original film production.

Then there are the very few where the cast, director and actors, are taking the original idea and are adapting their own interpretations. This approach works at times but can easily backfire as well. Just because your passion for the film and your ideas in how to fix it or make it better might not actually be the best for the project or the legacy of the original film.

While preparing for this theme, I’ve noticed that the opinions of people who saw the original versions versus those who are now just old enough see the remakes makes a large difference. Younger viewers are more accustomed to seeing CGI in almost everything, expect more violence and realistic gore than films from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and want to see cast members that they are familiar with. Keeping these notes in mind, I will try to write my reviews as neutral as possible.

À l'intérieur aka Inside (2007)

“Inside” is easily one of the best new horror films I’ve come across this year. It is a brutal, unrelenting film that explores the terror of a defenseless pregnant woman being attacked in her own home by an unknown woman intent on killing her. This movie is violent and gory and doesn’t let the tension settle once it begins to build. Without giving too much away, the movie is about a pregnant girl named Sarah who lost her husband in car accident. A few months later she is scheduled to go on in for induced labor on Christmas Day. Her friend, her mom, and her boss are all concerned about how moody and withdrawn she’s become. In the middle of the night, a woman comes knocking on her door asking to use the phone. Sarah tells the stranger that her husband is sleeping and doesn’t want to risk waking him up, to which the stranger tells Sarah that she knows that her husband is dead. And thus starts the game of cat and mouse and the horror that Sarah will go through as she tries to survive the night.

A rumor exists that Jaume Balaguero (the writer and director of "REC" and "The Nameless") might be involved with a remake.

The Stranger and her weapon of choice

Sarah

Calvaire (2004)

“Calvaire” is a 2004 French/Belgium horror film that has elements that remind me of films like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Hostel” but in a psychological European way. In fact, this film also feels a lot like “Sheitan” and “Fronetier/s” because it’s all about a normal person having to deal with an entire village of people who are just not right. The worst of the group is an old hermit named Bartel who takes in Marc Stevens, a travelling singer/performer who puts on shows in retirement homes. Bartel essentially keeps Marc trapped in the village by destroyer Marc’s van when he claims that his fixing it. Bartel slowly loses his mind and comes to believe that Marc is his wife, a woman who left him years ago…and apparently slept around with the men in the village. The people of the village are rather bizarre and perverse themselves, as Marc discovers when he walks up to a family watching their teenage son having sex with the farm animals. Finally there is Boris, a young man who just wanders around searching for his lost dog Bella. This movie is a “slow burn” that takes is time, almost too much time, to build the suspense and the WTF factor. It’s the kind of movie you keep watching just to see what happens next to poor Marc.

Haute Tension (2003)

“Haute Tension” is a gruesome French horror film from 2003 that has a few major plot holes and a bit too much violence than is necessary. The movie was pretty interesting until the plot twist is revealed at which time the viewer (me!) is left with a feeling of “oh, that’s it?” With its weak story line that makes the movie feel shorter than it is this film is really just a fancy, slick slasher film that has some unique death scenes. This is not a bad thing as the director, Alexandre Aja, shows a lot of promise and has gone on to direct several other horror movies that I intend to see. And for the record, I am never comfortable with scenes that include realistic violence against children; luckily the one that is in the film is quick and the violence is merely implied and not shown graphically as all of the others are.

Marie and Alex, her best friend, are going out to the country to study for the weekend. Alex’s family has a large house which they recently bought and it’s the perfect place to get away and focus for a while. After meeting the family and settling in for the evening, Marie goes out for a smoke. When Marie is preparing to go to sleep, a stranger comes up to the house and begins a violent and brutal attack, killing the family and tying up Alex. Marie is able to hide from the assailant and watches him kill Alex’s mother and brother. She finds Alex and tries to untie her but is unable to. Marie is able to sneak into the stranger’s truck after he throws Alex into the back. The three end up at a gas station where Marie tries to get help but the stranger kills the attendant. The stranger drives off without Marie who then steals a car to follow. The stranger notices Marie and forces her vehicle off the road; now that he knows about her, Marie is forced to run for her life and eventually fight for her life in order to save her friend.

La Horde (2009)

Unlike “Mutants”, “The Horde” takes place in Paris and is teeming with thousands of hungry undead. This movie is filled with action sequences which feature the survivors going one on one with a zombie at various points; these scenes are fine but last too long and feel repetitive. The film is more action than horror and doesn’t try to build suspense, the closest it gets is when a gun jams or they run out of ammo right when a mob of zombies is closing in on them. It’s one of the better zombie movie choices on Netflex at the moment but it doesn’t offer anything new to the genre.

The plot is simple but interesting; a group of rogue cops try to extract revenge on a drug dealer after he kills one of their own. Everything goes downhill pretty damn fast when they realize how poorly thought out their attack plan is and how prepared the drug gang is. While the gang is dealing with the cops, the zombie apocalypse begins and they realize that they should work together in order to survive. The ending is surprising and fulfilling in one respect but makes you slap your head in another.

Favorite moment – When this scene happens!!! (see picture below).

Mutants (2009)

I love movies that take place in snow covered settings. There is an extra level of isolation and unquiet that happens which takes a horror movie’s suspense that much further. Great examples include “The Shining”, “30 Days or Night”, and “Cold Prey”. The French film “Mutants” is another fine example, an otherwise typical zombie outbreak story that happens to take place in a large abandoned building out in the snow covered mountain side. Half of the film focuses on Marco and his slow and painful transformation into a zombie/mutant and Sonia who is trying to ease his pain and find help. The other half of the movie is about Sonia trying to stay alive once other mutants arrive and trying to not find herself in the position where she has to kill her infected lover. There is nothing truly exceptional about this film, in the zombie genre or French style, but I still really enjoy watching this one every few months as it’s simply a solid, entertaining flick.