Hot on the heels of the 30th anniversary of the original Halloween. Coming into a time where Hollywood felt the need to remake just about every franchise. It was only a matter of time before we were coming back to the little town of Haddonfield.
Writer/ director, Rob Zombie, crafts a tale of Michael Myers that is in one breath new territory but familiar as well. This version of Halloween does a better job at creating more of a backstory for Michael. Coming from a broken home with parents on the brink of divorce. Not to mention a habit for killing small animals. Actual statistics boast that these are early warning signs for murderers. The origin portion of the film is both a blessing and a curse.
Blessing is a sense that we get to know the man behind the mask a bit better. You get to experience what drove him down this dark path. Yet, it's also a curse because it takes away the original terror of what makes Michael scary. Ask anyone the unknown is a scary thing. That's part of the reason he was so scary in his original version. It's also a curse in the sense, the film spends more time here than it has too. Some of the scenes drag on a bit. Cutting the portion down by 20 to 30 minutes still creates an effective origin. It eliminates the fat that Zombie & company left in.
When the film enters into familar territory though, it's almost welcome. By this point, you wanna meet Laurie Strode and see how the film progresses and differs. Scout Taylor Compton, does an impressive job at taking the mantle from Jamie Lee Curtis. Crafting a sassy, caring and sarcastic version that stands on her own but also up to her predecessor. Compton serves as the film's stand out. Yes, that even includes the veteran talents of Malcolm McDowell & Brad Dourif.
Overall, Halloween (2007), stands up nicely against its source material but misses the mark of masterpiece. Fleshing out the film's antagonist brings the franchise into new territory but also takes away its terror of the unknown. The film does drag in parts but it's made up by solid performances by Scout Taylor Compton and Malcolm McDowell.
FINAL SCORE: 3/5
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