When Rob Zombie’s Halloween reimagining came out a few years ago, many critics panned the film. This included a small group of people whom Zombie considered his friends in the business, and ones that call themselves true horror fans. I did not find the film to be a masterpiece, but found that it was worthy of a second viewing, and went on to give the film what I thought was a fair rating. I could not in my right mind pan the film as being one of the worst horror films in the past decade. That is not only ridiculous, but also unfair compared to the crap that is pushed on us each year. With that said, while I have enjoyed many of Rob Zombie’s previous efforts, Halloween II I did not.
The plot for the film is not only easy to put down on paper in a few sentences, but I almost want to say there really is no plot to the film at all. Honestly, the first part of the film is promising, but the majority of it is spent with Michael Myers walking back to Haddonfield and on his journey killing anyone in his way. His little sister, Laurie, suffers from all kinds of psychical and mental problems and fears that her brother will return to kill her, which we all know he will. Add all to this Michael’s seeing images of his mother and a white horse and you have the plot of this film. Simply put, this film does not have a plot, and is simply thrown together in a lackluster attempt to scare the masses of teenage kids that plague movie theaters for the next horror film every week.
Now, in all fairness the Director’s Cut is a lot better than the theatrically-released version, therefore I cannot put all the blame on Mr. Zombie for the way this film turned out. The cut did spend a little bit more time on giving the audience some more details, but the film and the story were rushed into production without the proper amount of rewrites and developing. There are some scenes that have a lot of suspense and tension, and Michael Meyers still holds that appeal that inflicts terror in the audience, but I simply could not get past the undeveloped plot.
One thing that many pointed out (which I am sick of tired of people complaining about) is that Mr. Zombie will only cast people in his films with whom he is comfortable working, but who have been in horror films that he found worthy of rewarding by giving a so-called actor an appearance in his film. Listen: If you worked with a great cast and crew that helped you put your vision on celluloid, you, too, would want to work with the same people. It is irrelevant to whether or not the film will be good, yet I think in this case, even though I did not care for the film, the acting is reasonably good. The film has many familiar faces from not only the first film, but from other well-noted horror films. All of the surviving (and some of the dead) cast return, including Brad Dourif, Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Danielle Harris, Sheri Moon Zombie, and Tyler Mane as Michael Myers. The film includes cameo appearances from actors such as Caroline Williams of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Richard Riehle, Richard Brake, Octavia Spencer and Margot Kidder.
The film’s strong points are in its sets and effects. As always, Rob Zombie has more of an eye for the way a picture should be painted and, as with his previous films, he is able to present his sets on film as creepy and uncomfortable as possible. The use of colors and dark lighting help deliver that uneasy feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when watching a horror film– that feeling that something is not right. While brutal and unforgiving in the nature of all that is Michael Meyers, Zombie holds back nothing when it comes to make-up and visual effects. If you’re one of those fans that need to see all the brutality and mayhem in the horror films you watch, you will not be disappointed.
The Blu-ray disc has many special features, including audio commentary with writer/director Rob Zombie, deleted and alternate scenes, audition footage, make-up test footage, and bloopers reel. There is also the Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures music video and Uncle Seymour Coffins’ Stand-up Routines. There is also BD Live features which include the movieIQ features, and you can connect to real-time information about almost everything to do with the film.
Overall I cannot say that I enjoyed this film as much as I would have liked. The Blu-ray director’s cut is better than the version that was released in theaters in some respects, however, it still did not sway my opinion of the film as a whole. I simply see this film as a killing machine. It is one kill scene after another, and the plot seems to take a back seat to all the mayhem and violence. If you are a horror fan who thrives on one kill scene after another, knock yourself out with this one. I prefer a solid story over gratuitous violence any day.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
