Halloween: 5 Things Rob Zombie’s Remake Does Well (& 5 It Did Wrong) – Screen Rant

For both good and bad reasons, Rob Zombie's Halloween remake is drastically different from John Carpenter's classic.

When Rob Zombie was announced to direct a remake of John Carpenters Halloween, there was skepticism from all sides of the front. Fans just didnt feel a remake of the 1978 classic was neededsinceit was perfect as is. They were also hesitant as they didnt feel like Zombies hellbilly subgenre of horror was the right fit for a Halloween movie.

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Looking back on the 2007 remake, it isnt the worst thing to come out of the Halloween franchise (that would beResurrection). It also isnt even close to being one of the best. There are some things Zombie brought to the table that moviegoers can appreciate but unfortunately, there are just as many awful aspects that fans want to forget.

Despite being criticized for always being included in her husbands films, Sheri Moon Zombie does show she has some acting chops from time to time. Such is the case with her role as Michaels mother, Deborah Myers.

Sheri Moon ends up holding her own in the films first act. Shes able to convey the utter heartbreak Deborah is experiencing from Michaels murderous rampage. Most notably, her facial expressions show the tragic reality that she's lost her son. Some fans would argue thatHalloweenis her best role so far, and they wouldn't be wrong in saying so.

Within the first five minutes, audiences immediately know that this Halloweenisa Rob Zombie film. Theres excessive f-bombs, crude sexual dialogue, and constant shouting. While it is meant to show Michaels rough upbringing, it just comes off as annoying as it drags on.

A large portion of the film just feels dirty and grimy, but not in an authentic way. This is the kind of aesthetic that fits perfectly in the deliberately trashyFirefly Trilogy but not in a Halloween film. Theres also a ton of nudity that Zombie loves to put in his films that just comes off as juvenile, especially during one scene that will be brought up in its own entry on this list.

For all the flak Rob Zombie gets, theres no denying that he knows what hes doing behind thecamera. Halloween (2007), despite all of its flaws in the script, is filmed with exceptional camera work and haunting visuals.

This is very evident in the films second half. There are some really memorable shots of Michael lurking in the background and showing up at the last second but not relying on any cheap jump scares. When some of the action starts, Zombie is still able to keep it all in focus despite the intensity of the situation.

In a film that is already too long, too much screen time was given to Michaels dysfunctional family life. Since the point already comes across in the first five minutes, there shouldve been less time on his family life and more on his relationship with Dr. Loomis.

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Once Michael is institutionalized, Halloweenbasically glosses over his sessions with Dr. Loomis to get to the murder as soon as possible. The thing is, their dynamic was way more intriguingthan the ensuing carnage.Giving more time to Smith's Grove wouldve allowed legendary Malcolm McDowell to add more to the film. Instead, he just repeats most of Donald Pleasence's dialogue in the remake's second half.

There are many inconsistencies in the Halloween franchise, especially the masks. Michael Myers's mask goes from terrifying to silly between films. Case in point, things started out well with the classic mask and then devolved into whatever that plastic surgery-lookingface was in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.

Thankfully, the mask in the remake stands out as one of the best since the original. While the emotionless nature of the masks always added to the creepiness, the mask in Zombies version has a sinister look to it. Once it's put on, actor Tyler Mane is able to show his violent intentions just through his eyes.

Technically this one is a problem only known to those who saw the directors cut. However, when Halloweenwas released on home video, Zombie put thisuncut version on most of the DVDs, meaning the actual theatrical cut is harder to obtain. Even renting Halloweenon Amazon Video will show the directors cut without saying so.

The scene in question is Michaels escape. It sees two depraved guards sexually assaulting a catatonic female patient in front of Michael, eventually angering him enough to kill them both and escape. Its just distasteful to the point where it's unwatchable. When a mass-murdering Michael is not the vilest character in a Halloween film, something's obviously wrong.

Aside from all the Rob Zombie-ness that hinder this remake, the brutal violence is actually something that works and allows this version to form its own identity. Yes, the 1978 original was mostly bloodless and focused more on suspense, which is why it's still superior.This remake, on the other hand, makes the violence horrifying to watch.

Michael attacks his victims with such ferocity. The kills may not be all that creative for a slasher flick but its the visceral nature of it all that makes it bone-chilling. Zombies follow-up sequel took things even further, making it the goriest entry in the franchise.

This isn't meant to disrespect Scout Taylor-Compton as shes actually quite good in the remake. The problem is that once Michael shows up, all she gets to do is scream helplessly and run away. In the original film, Jamie Lee Curtiss version of Laurie Strode is able to somehow hold her own against Michael Myers while being (understandably) dead scared.

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Taylor-Comptons take is just running away constantly, asking for help, and never fighting back. Once again, this is taking aim at the character and not the actress herself. Taylor-Compton can be quite the scream queen, and its just a shame audiences didnt see more fight in her until the very last minute.

As the years went by,Michael Myerss scare-factor really started to diminish. This remake version of Michael, though, is downright terrifying and is perhaps the scariest hes ever been. It helps that hes being played by the 6 8 Tyler Mane.

It isnt just his size, though. Mane adds a ton of physicality to the titular role where he just seems relentless in all of his kills. As the Halloween series went on, the slow-walking Michael started to look silly as he was basically teleporting across Haddonfield. Mane, meanwhile, moves at a fast pace. Seeing this behemoth of a man quickly move towards you is more frightening overall.

It goes without saying thatremakes of classic films need to justify their existence. They need to add something new to the table by putting a different spin on the story. To his credit, Rob Zombie does this in the first half of hisHalloween by exploring Michaels childhood.

Once Michael escapes the sanitarium, however, the rest of the film essentially becomes a shot-for-shot remake of the original. It would be one thing to pay homage to certain scenes but instead, they just do the exact same scenes. These include Michael stalking Laurie outside her school as well as Lyndas death scene, with the only difference being the time setting and the fact that some characters now have cell phones.

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Halloween: 5 Things Rob Zombie's Remake Does Well (& 5 It Did Wrong) - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero