captain howdy

When I watch House of 1000 Corpses I see several other directors in his work. With The Devils Rejects he went a little more maverick but you can still see others work in there. That's not a bad thing though. Like I said he steals from the best just like Tarantino. I can't think of one single original Tarantino idea but it's the way he strings everyone else’s stuff together and puts his twist on it that makes it his own. Look no further than Kill Bill to see like 50 other directors’ ideas, scenes, camera angles, sound cues, music, and lines in one of his movies. It makes a fun little challenge picking out things he has lifted from others.

captain howdy

Less than 4 hours until I see it. I need to start watching the original so I can fit it in twice before the remake.

captain howdy

Only one more hour...........

captain howdy

I'm out! :twothumbs

captain howdy

It was F'n awesome! The new Michael is larger and much more intimidating but far more human. The death toll is way higher but Zombie Eli Rothed* me quite a few times. I was actually kind of disappointed with Zombies camera work this time around. There were way too many shaky out of focus extreme close ups, especially during action shots. The film was also a tad too long IMO. It is clearly defined in two chapters with a Small transition period in between. The second chapter was the remake which stayed pretty true in terms of the story but Dr. Loomis didn't seem to play as large of a roll, Zombie switched a few scenes around, he omitted some scenes, and the ending is massively different. He pretty much trimmed all the fat from the original and centered on the main plot. The first chapter shows a troubled adolescent Michael's family life, the early signs of a serial killer, his first murder, the introduction of Sam Loomis, how he came to kill his older sister on Halloween, and the events that transpired leading up to his incarceration.

About the only things that I saw Zombie lift from Carpenter other than the story itself and the characters is a few shots mirrored the original especially the upward pan on young Michael when he was sitting on the steps outside after the initial Halloween murders (notice I didn't say murder) and the pan on the neighborhood when they introduce where the babysitter murders take place (It was shot in the same neighborhood). He also borrowed a few sound cues, the original theme song, and used the songs Don't Fear The Reaper and Mr. Sandman but Zombie used them in different places. He did use Mr. Sandman in the correct spot playing over the end credits but he had also used it previously in the film. The scene where Carpenter used Don't Fear The Reaper isn't in Zombie's remake and Zombie used the song twice in his film. Maybe it's an odd coincidence that both of the songs from the original Halloween soundtrack are used twice in the film. One of the most noticeable things about the audio is that Zombie doesn't reprise the Halloween theme when Michael attacks.

Like Zombie's previous works Halloween includes several iconic actors that only gorehounds, B-movie, and cult film fans like myself would recognize including Brad Dourif, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Udo Kier, Bill Moseley, Ken Foree, and Sid Haig. Malcolm McDowell is awesome as Sam Loomis even though Caligula ruined him for me. The kid that played young Michael was convincing and Tyler Mane as adult Michael is incredible. He brought Michael Myers to life! I kind of look at him as reviving the character and fleshing him out just like Kane Hodder did for Jason Voorhees. He has all the classic Michael mannerisms down like c o c king his head in thought or the way he studies objects and people but he is just so damn big, powerful, and menacing. Sherri Moon Zombie wasn't as hot as usual in a lot of the scenes but she wasn't supposed to be.

In all it was a very enjoyable film set aside my gripe with the camera work. I would suggest checking it out if you dig horror films especially slashers, love the original, or are a die hard Rob Zombie fan. I wouldn't call it a perfect film because it has it's share of flaws but with every film Zombie makes he has me craving more as he sharpens his skills. It's kind of weird how IMHO Zombie kind of came into his own as a director with a remake. Zombie's Halloween is not nearly as suspenseful and tense as the original Halloween nor is it as hardcore as Zombie's last feature length The Devils Rejects but I will say it's the best mainstream horror film I've seen in a while. Don't expect it to be better than the original because it's kind of hard to beat the master but if you look at it for what it is you'll enjoy it as much as I did.









*Eli Rothing is what I call it when a director draws you in with some brutal violence and pans or cuts away at the point of impact. Nothing pisses me off more! There are many directors over the years to do it but Eli Roth of Hostel fame stands out the most in my mind.

captain howdy

Oh yeah.......Michael's mask looks better than it ever has! It even has a little back story for it along with Michael's trademark butcher knife. They sat in waiting for 15 years waiting for him to reclaim them.

Harpozep

Thanks Cap. Been waiting up for your review. I know I'll be seeing it alone since it is not for my wife and daughter of course.

Glad you liked it and Rob is honing his skills. Perhaps his DVD release will have a couple of versions. They make it so a director can store multiple versions of the same movie with the DVD streaming feature encoded correctly. Nice when it works so you can pick out which version you want to watch, etc.
I always wanted so much more from House of 1000 Corpses. I figured he's do a real extra bag of goodies on THAT DVD run, but he did not.
This time 'round, here's hoping a lot of that "Work Print " stuff can come home for us in the later DVD.

Back to the movie, decent sound? You know, directional noises coming from the correct corners and the usual low frequency ambiance?

How was the opening night crowd? Are Friday nights still filling the theater with fans. I used to go out on Friday nights in the '80's and the local multiplex was packed.

So he's 'Rothing it" , Eh? Too bad. Heck Hostel II fared poorly in the theater, maybe folks are tiering of his shortcomings.? Of course the DVD is coming out, in its "Unrated" version. That alone could have an impact on ticket sales for horror films. Since we all know a different version is likely in the pipeline a few months off for home consumption......

Again thanks for review. Sleep well

captain howdy

I heard thats Universal Pictures fault. They lost the original work prints when they shelved the film before they sold it to Lions Gate. The only version of the film known at this point is the theatrical cut and there isn't any source material for Zombie to do a directors cut. Who knows........someday maybe they'll turn up in the Universal film vaults.

Surprisingly no. I wasn't impressed by the audio that much with Halloween. But for some reason the theater I saw it at stuck it in one of their crappy screening rooms so the theater might have played a large role in that.

There was a pretty large crowd there. I was surprised by the number of small children there brought by there parents. But I guess I can't say much because I used to make my mom take me to films like it. For some reason the crowd kept laughing at inappropriate times. There were three annoying guys in front of me that were being respectful in not talking out loud but they had their cells out the whole time texting each other. Nothing like being in a dark theater with three really bright screens glowing right in front of you.

I wanted to see Hostel II from the teaser trailers but I was let down by the first that I am purposly waiting for an unedited version to come to DVD. Even though I was let down with the first I'm not one of the people that jumped on the hate on Eli Roth bandwagon. I love Cabin Fever! I just think that Hostel could have been a better film and the eye gag is one of the ugliest prostetic piece I've ever scene. But as a bonus you do get the little Miike cameo.........Be Careful.....You could spend all your money in there.

Harpozep

Yeah, that eye prosthetic just shines of low budget!

I can take a Rubber Gorn fighting Kirk in Star Trek because I have suspended my reality and substituted theirs. But when we are supposed to be in OUR reality and something ugly like like a fake rubber piece jolts me into being a spectator and no longer being involved.

I never really paid attention to children going to inappropriate movies prior to me having one.
Now when I see seven year olds going to chunk blowing movies I feel a like talking to their parents who are bringing them in. Makes you wonder what is played in their living rooms.

SO far I've been pretty cool with what I have shown little Katy, who is seven. Poltergeist was the big one and she still comments on it to this day. She knows a lot of people like to watch horro movies, but I'm not sure she understands the attraction.

Katy love High School Musicals and Hannah Montanna. We watch them as a family. I think a lot of that teen Disney stuff is helping to rush the children who watch it into early teenhood I guess there has always been these pressures, but I was blissfully unaware as it were.

Over a decade ago I met Cannibal girl. She was thirteen and knew as much as anyone about European horror cinema I was getting her Eastern Block movies Like kingdom I & II. Her mother and grandmother would drive her to our store from sixty miles away since we had everything know to man on tape. I would sell them to the parents , but they were for Cannibal girl and they all watched the movies in her household. They just left it up to CG to pick them.

Then she really went into soundtracks and accumulated hundreds. She got me my Cannibal Holocaust one

I got her one of her prized Tee shirts . It had the impaled woman from Cannibal Holocaust in all its glory. I think she may have pushed the envelope in her school wearing that one
She was young and into movies that her parents encouraged her to collect if she wished. She was smarter than smart and graduated high in her class, though her taste in Boyfriends could have been better.

I have not seen her in a few years, but I'm sure she's blogging about cannibal films on somewhere the internet.


So some of these kids grow up reasonably sane like she did and I think you did

That text messaging in the theater needs a Nun with ruler if you know what I mean!

betterof2evils4

I seen Halloween the first night it was out here... It was as good as expected.. It seemed funny to me that everytime he went on a slaying there was somebody having intercourse , but I didn't laugh out too loud..

The ending... was confusing..