Halloween

Rob Zombie has shown in past films like The Devil's Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses that he is a keen observer of what makes horror really work; and as a director he always impresses with his command of the medium. That still doesn't make it a very good idea to redo John Carpenter's 1978 classic Halloween, which has already spawned at least eight sequels and rehashes. Now that the tale of the seriously deranged Michael Myers has run it's course, we get to go right back to the beginning to start all over again. And this film rips out the heart of the original with much bigger helpings of slice-and-dice gore. Zombie spends the first third of the film focusing on a 10-year-old Michael, drumming up sympathy for his pathetic family situation and showing the roots of the future serial murderer. Young Mike always liked hiding behind a mask. In this case it's a clown getup, for which he is constantly teased. This leads him to start killing kids in the neighborhood. It isn't long before he is locked up for 17 years in a mental institution, from which he finally manages to escape. He heads directly for Haddonfield, slashing his way through the city while hunting for his beloved baby sister, Laurie, the only member of his immediate family he allowed to live. At this point, Zombie's stylistic touches and graphic treatment of the murders just aren't enough to keep your interest in a story that's been told at least four times too many already. Expect this Labor Day weekend release to be on its way to your local Blockbuster by October 31!