Inside every one us, there exists a dark side. Most people rise above it, but some are consumed by it. Until there is nothing left, but pure evil. These words are used to describe ten year old Michael Myers by his psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. As a boy Michael was raised in an abusive household, although he was loved by his mother Michael was tormented by not only his school peers, but also by his own sister and degenerate step father.

For years Michael kept the darkness in him bottled up, but on Halloween night the darkness and rage could no longer be contained and Michael brutally murdered most of his family.

Now fifteen years later on the anniversary of his crime, Michael Myers has escaped from the care of Dr. Loomis and has headed back home to the small town of Haddonfield to finish the job he started nearly twenty years ago.

I have never been afraid of Michael Myers, that is until now.

Based on the original, landmark, 1978 John Carpenter film, new director and screen writer Rob Zombie takes on the job of re-imagining a horror movie classic, that many felt should never have been touched. But not only is Zombie up to the challenge, he exceeds the original in every way. Say what you want about remakes and their pros or cons, Halloween 2007 is an incredible achievement in the horror genre as it brutally takes the viewer though and into the creation of one of horror's modern icons Michael Myers.

Zombie and his screenplay not only go to the roots of the character's origin, but it puts such a personal and malicious twist on the character that this film has done what so many other remakes have failed to do, it truly reinvents the character.

Zombie's Myers is a machine fueled on rage and anger. But the film also gives you another side of the character, the tragic and painful side that pushes Michael to do what he does. The opening half of the film is dedicated to this chilling aspect of the character's beginning, you simply feel bad for the kid. The Myers family is dysfunctional and broken to say the least, and Michael gets the brunt of it all.

Child actor Daeg Faerch does an amazing job as young Michael. Faerch has the humble misfit part of the character down to a T, but when the role calls for the dark side of Michael's personality, Faerch truly shines and gives an incredible performance, that will send chills down your spine at times. After the halfway point in the film Myers is played by actor Tyler Mane, who was in The Devil's Rejects, but is perhaps more famous for his role in X-Men as Sabertooth. Once and even before Mane dons the famous Shatner mask, he owns the role body and soul.

Mane's performance is simply beastly. His Myers is a relentless, pitiless killing machine. The violence in this film is high, but not over the top. It's very realistic, which is what makes it that much more brutal and harsh. Ever scene with Mane in the mask is a hold your breath moment of carnage and destruction.

The rest of the cast was also top notch and all performances were very close to the original film's portrayals. Kristen Klebe, Danielle Harris and Scout Taylor-Compton are cast to perfection, although Compton's Laurie Strode is a little short of Jamie Lee's Laurie, the character is still a strong and demanding presence. Taking over for the late Donald Pleasance, Malcolm Mcdowell slips on the trench coat and plays the caring, yet determined Dr. Loomis. Zombie did a great job in showing how Michael and Loomis bonded and eventually separated from his early days in the mental hospital, something I felt the other films in the franchise really failed to show. There are also tons of cameos in this film, I mean you have Dee Wallace Stone, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Sid Haig, Danny Trejo, Sybil Danning, Leslie Easterbrooke, Clint Howard and William Forsythe just to name a few, and all are perfect in their roles and performances. Once again Zombie does and amazing job with his casting choices.

The score and soundtrack are also top notch as well, and don't fret the classic Carpenter Halloween theme is in the film and the moment it is broken out is timed to perfection. Halloween 2007 is a great film and surpasses the original in all ways in my opinion, not only is it a great horror movie, but the first half of the film is an excellent psychological thriller as well. I know a lot of folks are going to bash this one from start to finish and not give it a fair chance, but I think it is truly an amazing film and Rob Zombie continues to impress me with each of his movies. The only thing I think was bad about this film is that they didn't wait until Halloween to release it and that is a true shame, but other than that this is a great flick.

9 of 10

After a year of controversy that has polarized horror film fanatics like no other project before, Rob Zombie’s “re-imagining” of the John Carpenter classic Halloween has finally arrived to stalk movie theaters worldwide. The irony is, after all of the concern over the segment of the film revealing the back story of young Michael Myers, this is the very element which works the best. It is also the same aspect of Zombie’s vision that somewhat undermines the latter half of the movie.

We meet Michael early on, a quiet child living in a white trash household circa the mid to late 1970’s. From the very beginning we are shown that the boy is already dangerously disturbed, demonstrated by his a twisted way with small animals. To say this household is dysfunctional is an understatement. If Michael and his sisters were sent to live with the Manson Family, it would be an upgrade. In the midst of this nightmarish domestic horror there is one bright spot- Michael adores his baby sister, whom he affectionately knows as “Boo.” Enjoy these sweet moments with the infant, because that’s about as the warm as Halloween gets.

Soon enough, psychosis turns into blinding rage and a horrible series of events unfolds over the course of Halloween day and eve. Then Michael is incarcerated, introduced to up and coming psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis and we watch in discomfort as the boy’s rage builds and what few connections he has with humanity are severed.

Fast forward to fifteen years later when, during a transfer, a now mammoth Michael executes am extremely violent escape and heads back home . Loomis is alerted by sanitarium staffers and the hunt is on.From here the film touches upon classic territory fans of the original know and love. Michael dons his expressionless mask, picks up one mother of a butcher knife and gets to work.

That ends any synopsis I’m going to give (Believe me, when you’ve seen the movie you’ll realize how much wasn’t revealed here).

Now to the quality of the finished product. Where Zombie gets it right is the treatment of the material leading up to Michael's imprisonment and eventual escape as an adult. Sheri Moon Zombie is dead on as Michael‘s mother and Malcolm McDowell truly does make the role of Sam Loomis his own.

Loomis is an interesting character in this movie as he is portrayed as sort of an arrogant prick. He has book sales and an entire, profitable history with Myers to his credit, and he knows it. The thing is, egomaniac or not, he’s also correct about Michael , as was the original incarnation of the character. As the film progresses, the veneer of his celebrity is cracked and we see that Loomis actually does care for Michael, having established some odd familial connection with his notorious patient.

Michael’s rages as a child are spooky and believable., and by the time we reach that segue to fifteen years later, there’s no doubt that the kid is definitely host to some serious issues. I was surprised at the amount of empathy generated by Michael’s mother as we watch the family victimized and ultimately destroyed by the chaos raging inside of him

Then we get to the stalk and slash and that’s where the film becomes a mixed bag.

Some of this works. Michael is a total bad ass. He’s cold blooded, remorseless and unstoppable. He also demonstrates the trademark cat-like strategy that made the original Myers so creepy.

It helps that he’s surrounded by actors and actresses who give solid performances, the standouts being Danielle Harris as Annie Brackett and Scout Taylor Compton as Laurie Strode, Michael’s baby sister. Both women make the characters their own, and in the case of Danielle Harris it’s a testament to her that I liked her interpretation of the character a hell of a lot more than the original. Zombie strews little cameos by his usual players like Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Danny Trejo throughout and everybody gives it their all.

Also, the murders in the film are far more intense than the usual slasher film material. At times, this movie plays less like a horror flick and more like a true crime drama, with a feel as if we’re witnessing a graphic recreation of the real life exploits of a serial killer. I didn’t feel the urge to cheer at anytime during the film because someone got killed. Every murder was brutal and sickening. That’s meant as a compliment.

However, that’s also the problem. When we get to those moments where The Shape does his thing, the level of humanity that has been established in this character works against the film. What made Myers so creepy originally was that no one was really sure exactly what his problem was, save for Loomis. Myers was an almost wraithlike specter who loomed out of the night to commit brutal acts of murder with no apparent motivation other than the fact that he was, as a great man so eloquently remarked, “purely and simply evil.”

Yes, Michael’s second act rampage is hideous and oft times scary as hell. Yes, there is gore aplenty. However that ghoulish chill that underscored Carpenter’s version is gone. Instead we have Halloween not as suspense terror, but as blunt force trauma. The film shocks, terrifies and discomforts, but I didn’t think it was chilling. Despite a unique style, some great performances and a terrific updated back story, Zombie seems to have missed one important lesson: There’s a vast difference between rage and pure evil. Ultimately, that divide accentuates the differences between this film and the superior classic that inspired it.

Rob Zombie’s Halloween: As an homage to a classic and a stylish horror film earns Eight out of Ten Times it’s scary that someone isn’t even slowed down after being clocked by Ken "I'm Joe Grizzly, Bitch" Foree.

As a remake of the Carpenter Classic: Six out of Ten final shots of a movie resembling leftovers from The Devil's Rejects which illuminate how much more appropriate Carpenter’s approach was for this material.

I've grown to respect Rob Zombie as a filmmaker. I felt that House of 1000 Corpses was a train wreck, but The Devil's Rejects was really, really good. I was anticipating his take on perhaps the most classic slasher movie of all time. Do I feel that he did a good job? Well, yes and no.

The beginning was amazing. I loved his origin, and quite frankly I wanted the entire movie to keep that entire pace and atmosphere. It would have been nice to see some more of Michael's damaged psyche, but the dead cat sums it up pretty good. I also liked the beating in the woods.

The acting was done really well by almost everybody. I say this because Scout Taylor-Compton is far from Jamie Lee Curtis, and while Malcolm McDowell does a fantastic job in just about anything, he pales in comparison to Donald Pleasence. The stand out performance for me was William Forsythe. I didn't even recognize him as the white trash low-life boyfriend.

I was truly saddened at the compassion that Mrs. Myers had for Michael. Sure, he came from a dysfunctional family but she did honestly care about her kids. I felt that she was a very tragic character and that Sheri Moon Zombie played the part very well.

I agree with Splat that the level of humanity that was developed for Michael completely works against the character when he goes on his killing spree. I don't think the movie handled the transition from boy to killing juggernaut very well. There were also parts in the movie that were very dark, which takes some points away.

Ultimately I did enjoy the movie, but not as much as I wanted to. I feel that it was a very worthy effort and I'll commend Rob Zombie on attempting to remake a classic, but the movie is still inferior to the original. I don't know if I could watch it again, just because of the weight the original movie has.

6 out of 10

I was very disappointed to hear that Rob Zombie's said he won't be doing any more remakes, because watching this film made me realize how much I like it when he does.

There was a time when Myers was my favorite slasher, but years of talking to The Prime, who worships at the altar of Jason, bent me toward the F13 series. This movie did a whole lot to push me back. Besides removing the main flaws of the original (like an explanation as to his motives), Zombie's story was just better. On top of this, the brutality factor was up to ten. Michael Myers is again someone to be feared and respected.

Sherri Moon Zombie is an actor who got her main roles because she's sleeping with the director. My point is, why the hell is she so good? Always a high point as Baby Firefly, but in this film she was as heartwrenching as her troubled children. The childhood scenes were a horrible look into a world most of us are lucky enough not to live in, but it's out there and you could see it in her eyes.

I did love this movie, I'll be buying it when it's released and I'll not miss another of Zombie's flicks. I liked his music, but it was crap compared to his filmmaking.

9 out of 10 topless scenes that were in no way sexy despite how hot Danielle Harris is.

Disclaimer: I am prejudiced against remakes, and the original is one of my favorite movies of any genre. I was actually pretty excited about this when I heard of it, but seeing the trailer and reading the terrible reviews it got made me wait until now to finally see it.

This movie just did not need to be remade. And now that it is, the biggest new aspects of it (the blood and Myers’ backstory) didn’t add anything to the story. The backstory actually detracted from it. I don’t understand Zombie’s desire to make the villains sympathetic, because it never works for me. You just cannot justify what they do, and it ends up being a waste of time. But getting into Myers’ human side at all totally misses the point of what Michael Myers is.

It was more bloody than the original. But the kills weren’t creative, and they were monotonous and sometimes pointless. It was just slash. No need to put it under the Halloween mark.

And the dialogue and music choices smacked of something I would write. I wrote a short story a while back that was filled with foul language because I insisted that “people really talk like that!” That may be true, but after some feed back and a re-read, I realized how obnoxious it becomes. And for a musician, a fan of classic rock, I wish Zombie would choose something I can’t hear once a week on the radio.

What I did like:
- the cast, not so much his regulars, but the old faces and surprisingly big names Zombie manages to acquire.
- that a lot more took place in and around the old Myers’ house.
- the lighting, especially in the house
- nods to the original, like the bedsheet, The Thing From Another World, and “totally.”

But basically, this should have been just a slasher movie. Change the title and put a different mask on Kane. It just doesn’t work.

Zombie has not yet made it into the status of a great director. The only thing great was the leap in quality between 1000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects. In every film I see as much potential as I do execution. He badly needed to hone his skills and get some new faces before trying something like this.

5 out of 10 dead relatives