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You can really tell that director Rob Zombie felt a complete sense of freedom on his second visit to Haddonfield. His original remake got a little bit weird in the second act as he attempted to stay true to the John Carpenter original while still inserting his own vision of the Myer's saga.
That awkwardness is all gone in HALLOWEEN II as Zombie makes the Myer's story completely his and takes time worn characters in directions that most older fans may find hard to swallow.
Zombie's Haddonfield is a dark, bleak, scummy place filled with foul mouthed skanks and alcoholics. And apparently folks there use the f-bomb like you and I use the word "the".
I don't know that I have ever heard that word used as much as it is used in this film. Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. I enjoy a good profanity littered diatribe as much as the next guy but in this instance it just comes across as silly and quite frankly, lazy.
Lazy writing, I think that sums up the major problem with HALLOWEEN II.
I think Rob Zombie is a great film maker, I really do. Problem is, he's not a very good story teller. HALLOWEEN II looks great. I love the whole visual concept that Zombie has built and there are parts of this film that are as visually stunning as anything else out there right now. Problem is eventually folks have to talk and when they do, well that's when the problems start.
Just horrible interactions between all the major characters that time after time just disintegrate in folks yelling profanities at each other. And then there is the whole white horse thing that is one of the most awkward story arcs I have ever seen on film.
The film does have a couple of well written moments. I liked the scene with Loomis holding a book signing and the father of Linda, one of the characters from the first film, shows up and confronts him. Tense, well acted, touching, it is one of the few moments in the film where some thought was actually put into the dialogue.
I also liked the nightmare sequences that are scattered throughout the film. They are disturbing and bizarre but this time I mean that in a good way.
I also like the way that Zombie has made Myer's scary again. Tyler Mane's version of Michael is a brutal, horrifying killing machine. I even like the way that Micheal makes noises (grunts, groans, he even speaks a word) this time. I found it humanized him and made him more scary. The killing scenes are brutal acts of violence. Zombie doesn't romance or sugar coat what Myer's is and that also makes him scary again.
So see, it isn't all bad. Just mostly bad.
I would really like to see Zombie make a film that someone else has written. He has the film making chops to pull off a truly great film but he keeps insisting on writing his own stuff and has time has proven, that isn't a good thing.
C'mon Rob, take a crack at someone else's words, we'll all be better off for it.
As far as the DVD package goes, it's good. Zombie doesn't short change the fans on special features. There is a full lenth commentary, blooper reel, an immense selection of cut scenes, you know the drill. Overall, the DVD is worth the price of admission and I strongly urge all of you to give the flick a glance. You may not like everything you see or hear but I think you'll find overall you'll be glad you took the time to see a different road taken by a truly iconic horror character.
HALLOWEEN II is available today Jan. 12th just about anywhere you can buy a DVD. It's also available in Blu-ray for those of you so inclined.
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