cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted September 3, 2007 Okay, I think some people here are overreacting. Look, it's not as though the Halloween series overall is any good since Michael has never been a particularly interesting killer and the series becomes rehash after rehash of the same plot (Michael escapes and is after his sister, niece, etc.). While the original Halloween is obviously a better movie than Friday the 13th, I actually think the Jason series is much better at doing different things and bringing new wrinkles (his mom is in the first one, Jason shows up in part 2, gets the mask in 3, and so on). The main problem I had with Zombie's film is that it didn't know what it wanted to be. If it had stayed with the crazy white trash vibe of the first half and done something different for the whole movie, then it would have been better. Flat out remaking the first film in the 2nd half hurt it, since most people have seen the first one and know how much better those scenes were done. Therein lies the problem with remaking Halloween as opposed to TCM. The original TCM has very little plot, just these people getting killed by Leatherface and a bunch of weird shit with the family. There's no real concrete plot that has to be adhered to, so you can do a remake and add the crazy R. Lee Ermey character, do some different things. Halloween has much more of a rigid plot that must be adhered to, more characters like Laurie and Loomis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary Floyd 0 Report post Posted September 3, 2007 And what's with the hate of the TCM remake? I didn't think it was awful for being a somewhat faithful version. Because I thought it was fucking terrible. A generic Hollywooded-up version of what felt so creepily different in the original. Also, faithful? It retained "Leatherface, cannibal family, teenagers dying, Texas" and then pretty much made it up as it went along, especially that godawful ending. For that matter, what's with the love for Halloween 2? I thought it completely lacked everything that made the first movie so great, and was basically a Friday the 13th flick with a different mask. Especially the ridiculous finale, where they went so over the top in Wile Coyote-ing Michael to death that I never once bought that he could've lived through it. Speaking of "Friday the 13th", there's going to be a remake of that as well in the future. Michael Bay is producing it, and the director of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" will be directing it. I didn't like the TCM remake, or it's prequal. I would however, dare to say the prequal is better than the remake because it 1.) actually brought in the family dynamic that the remake was lacking, 2.) reminds you that the family are cannibals (something the remake forgot to do), and 3.) contained some dark humor reminiscent of the original and the first sequal. It still got a lot wrong (the Vietnam subplot feels pointless, R.Lee Ermey is the main villain instead of Leatherface, Leatherface becomes another deformed serial killer who was bullied as a kid, among other things) but it's still better than the remake IMO. There are actually horror movies that I would like to see remade ("Squirm", "Hell of the Living Dead", and a few others) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ravenbomb 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 original Michael got stabbed in the neck, poked in the eye, stabbed in the stomach, shot in the heart six times, fell off a two story building stabbed in the neck: with a knitting needle in a not-aimed shot. I dunno how sharp those things are, but depending on where it hit, this is survivable poked in the eye: his eyes look fine for the couple secons the mask is off of him. Probably didn't actually hit his eye Stabbed in the stomach: not necessarily fatal shot in the heart six times, fell out a two story window: Yeah, these are harder to explain, but mostly because of Halloween 2. Taken as a standalone movie, which was supposed to be the case, it's not out of the question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 It's actually a lot harder to kill somebody in real life than it looks. Besides direct brain trauma, and having your throat slit, people can take a lot. That was one of many plotholes in this new Halloween (none of which made it less enjoyable). Have you tried to actually beat somebody to death? That is hard. Even with a weapon. I just don't think a kid could do it. And oh man, stabbing somebody to death? That's even harder. Unless you can pierce the skull or the neck, you have to do it like 20 times. Even if you get them right in the heart, it takes them like 15 minutes to die. Young Michael probably could have stabbed his sister to death, but when Laurie grabs the knife and goes after him, there's just no possible way she could think that would work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coffin Surfer 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 Michael surviving most of the Lauria induced traumas in the first film was intentionally plausible, it is not until his body disappears outside the window that it becomes clear he's much more than another pyscho; a cool spooky twist on Carpenter's part. You can throw logic out the window in the second film because it's already clear Michael is of the supernatural. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haws bah gawd 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 Well, the Michael storyline was meant to end with Halloween 2. That's why Loomis shot out both his eyes, then blew him up. It wasn't until Pt. 4 that they decide hes just been in a coma for 10 years or so, and his eyes are magically OK. Plus both Michael and Dr. Loomis are severely burned from the explosion at the end of Pt. 2 but the scars gradually heal to the point of being non-existent by the time Curse takes place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
In Credible 0 Report post Posted September 5, 2007 I just watched the workprint of the Halloween, and frankly I just got bored. I think he focused way too much on Michael as a kid and it took away from the The Shape aspect. The freaky thing about Michael was the fact that you had no idea what his motivation was for killing. He was just a cold, relentless, killing machine that never stopped. Zombie basically made Myers into just a boring serial killer with a mask on. What he should have done was focused on Loomis more. How Loomis' professional career and personal life suffered from dealing with a person, that after all of the breakthroughs in modern psychology, could only be described as pure evil. Also I think they should have maybe showed how Michael visualized his escape for 15 years at least once. It would have shown more of his motivation for escaping in the first place (rather than young Michael suddenly demanding to be released and then not talking anymore). It should have shown that he felt what he started on Halloween night wasn't finished and he had to wait for the right time to finish it. Flat out I think Zombie is a weak writer/director, he doesn't get even close to the amount of emotion he needs from most of his actors to make the audience care. Then he tries to make up for it with ultra violence that comes off as compensation for a lack of character development. I was actually pleasantly surprised with performances of Sherri Moon and Danny Trejo. I think she has actually begun to grow into an actress in this film and Trejo's performance was more kind and caring than most of his previous roles. I think he did a great job and showed more range. Also Brad Dourif and Malcolm McDowell did well with what they had to work with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrVenkman PhD 0 Report post Posted September 5, 2007 Our Tuesday movies last night were Halloween and Balls of Fury (I guess we wanted to make this week as mediocre as possible) and the funniest thing I saw all night was Mini Michael (the kid wearing the iconic mask). That just looked so damned funny. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TSA09 0 Report post Posted September 5, 2007 What made that even more funny is the camera effects and the music. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted September 5, 2007 I saw this on Monday, solely because Superbad was sold out and the only other options were Chuck and Larry, Rush Hour 3, and Hairspray (Damn small town movie theaters!). I've never seen any of the Halloweens (I'll probably NetFlix the first two soon) so I can't say anything about whether it was accurate or not. I don't think it's the outright disaster some are saying but it's no great shakes either. The dialogue in the movie just flat out sucks for the most part and the first half was crap. But on the positive side, the second half was decent generic slasher flick fodder and there were some decent performances. I liked Danny Trejo but I can't think of any movie where I didn't like Danny Trejo, Malcolm McDowell and Brad Dourff did pretty well with the little they were given, and Sherri Moon-Zombie was half decent. She's no great actress but isn't all that terrible. And Ken Foree's cameo cracked me up although it didn't really make much sense and we really didn't need to hear him beating off. Overall, I'll give it **. More likely than not, it'll be one of those movies I forget about in a month or two. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedJed 0 Report post Posted September 6, 2007 He was beating off? I thought he was taking a shit, although he was checking out an issue of Swank, but still.......I didnt hear any "beating off" noise or anything. "I'm Joe Grizzly, Bitch!" - loved that line..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King Kamala 0 Report post Posted September 6, 2007 He was beating off? I thought he was taking a shit, although he was checking out an issue of Swank, but still.......I didnt hear any "beating off" noise or anything. "I'm Joe Grizzly, Bitch!" - loved that line..... Coulda swore I heard slapping noises. Ya know what I don't want to debate online on whether Ken Foree was beating off. I haven't stooped that low in nerdom...yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted September 6, 2007 So I saw it for a second time. It wasn't a matter of just having nothing to do, either, I actively wanted to see it again. I called up my friends and said "Hey, I'm seeing Halloween again tonight. You can come if you want, but I'm going either way, by myself is fine. Just letting you know." One guy actually did come watch it with me again, too. We riffed the hell out of it, like always, but it was much easier when you know what's coming. Line of the night this time: Laurie Strode: "Was that the boogey man?" Me: "Shut up you idiot." Got a laugh out of the this time much less crowded theater. "I'm Joe Grizzley, bitch!" is totally the line of the movie, and the line of the year. It's become something of a running gag with me, and I have demanded that people refer to me as Big Joe Grizzley. In fact, "I'm Joe Grizzley, bitch!" is my myspace display name. Close second is William Forsythe saying "That is some deep ass serious faggoty ass shit." Very quotable movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Epic Reine 0 Report post Posted September 7, 2007 On a funny note, I remember whispering to my friend during the movie "Wouldn't it be so cheesy if they played Halloween by the Misfits during one of the scenes?". This was after we heard "God of Thunder" and "Tom Sawyer" and sure enough it actually did happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted September 7, 2007 Wasn't it during the older sister's sex scene too? What an odd song to get busy to, lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Buzz 0 Report post Posted September 13, 2007 I have to say I just saw Halloween, and think it was better than the original. I like the first half as I think it added a new dimension to Michael, and made him seem very ruthless and cold blooded moreso than the original. I was wanting him to show compassion several times, and felt like it made him all the more scary then just being a "disturbed kid locked away who escapes and is somehow immortal." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lil' Bitch 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2007 Well, I got the Unrated Director's Cut of Halloween. The only differences I've noticed, besides some extra dialogue here and there, are unfortunately the rape scene escape has been put back into the movie replacing the armed escort massacre escape (a truly pointless change IMO since the theatrical version of Michael's escape was so much better) and Dr. Loomis is alive! The ending is the same as the theatrical, but the alternate ending seen in the workprint is an extra on the 2nd disc along with a bunch of deleted scenes. A 3rd bonus disc comes with the DC of Halloween is you buy it at Circuit City, that's their exclusive offer and Best Buy is offering a sweet 3D slipcase cover featuring the movie poster. For some reason, I'm having trouble finding the theatrical version of the film on DVD. None of the stores around me seem to have it. Having watched the film again, and I'm going to get flamed for this, I think the remake is better than the original, which is a rare case for me since I usually feel the other way most of the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2007 I've had the dvd since the day it came out, naturally. I'm going to have to agree that the escape was better in the theatrical version, although it didn't bother me too much... the new version is probably a little more realistic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
In Credible 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2007 Well, I got the Unrated Director's Cut of Halloween. The only differences I've noticed, besides some extra dialogue here and there, are unfortunately the rape scene escape has been put back into the movie replacing the armed escort massacre escape (a truly pointless change IMO since the theatrical version of Michael's escape was so much better) and Dr. Loomis is alive! The ending is the same as the theatrical, but the alternate ending seen in the workprint is an extra on the 2nd disc along with a bunch of deleted scenes. A 3rd bonus disc comes with the DC of Halloween is you buy it at Circuit City, that's their exclusive offer and Best Buy is offering a sweet 3D slipcase cover featuring the movie poster. For some reason, I'm having trouble finding the theatrical version of the film on DVD. None of the stores around me seem to have it. Having watched the film again, and I'm going to get flamed for this, I think the remake is better than the original, which is a rare case for me since I usually feel the other way most of the time. That's because you have horrible taste in movies. I wanted this movie to be good, but it was a big pile of shit. I've officially given up on Zombie making a good movie, he is garbage through and through. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2007 I agree that it's better than the original, and I have good taste in movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2007 I agree that you remake > original people are fucking nuts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tominator89 0 Report post Posted December 27, 2007 And what's with the hate of the TCM remake? I didn't think it was awful for being a somewhat faithful version. Because I thought it was fucking terrible. A generic Hollywooded-up version of what felt so creepily different in the original. Also, faithful? It retained "Leatherface, cannibal family, teenagers dying, Texas" and then pretty much made it up as it went along, especially that godawful ending. For that matter, what's with the love for Halloween 2? I thought it completely lacked everything that made the first movie so great, and was basically a Friday the 13th flick with a different mask. Especially the ridiculous finale, where they went so over the top in Wile Coyote-ing Michael to death that I never once bought that he could've lived through it. Speaking of "Friday the 13th", there's going to be a remake of that as well in the future. Michael Bay is producing it, and the director of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" will be directing it. I think Friday the 13th is a much better choice to re-make than Halloween. It took until Part IV for the Jason character to really hit its stride, anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dubq 0 Report post Posted December 27, 2007 And what's with the hate of the TCM remake? I didn't think it was awful for being a somewhat faithful version. Because I thought it was fucking terrible. A generic Hollywooded-up version of what felt so creepily different in the original. Also, faithful? It retained "Leatherface, cannibal family, teenagers dying, Texas" and then pretty much made it up as it went along, especially that godawful ending. For that matter, what's with the love for Halloween 2? I thought it completely lacked everything that made the first movie so great, and was basically a Friday the 13th flick with a different mask. Especially the ridiculous finale, where they went so over the top in Wile Coyote-ing Michael to death that I never once bought that he could've lived through it. Speaking of "Friday the 13th", there's going to be a remake of that as well in the future. Michael Bay is producing it, and the director of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" will be directing it. I think Friday the 13th is a much better choice to re-make than Halloween. It took until Part IV for the Jason character to really hit its stride, anyway. Nevermind. Part IV should've been the end of that series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coffin Surfer 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 Yeah, this sucked. Terrible dialouge, pathetic acting (the best actors didn't have dick to do), horrible death scenes, no suspense, stupid white trash bullshit that is suppose to be character development, and terrible pacing as Rob tried to cram the entire original movie into a few minutes. I actually didn't believe the "Love Hurts" scene was real...wow. Malcom had an interesting bit about Michael becoming his life and I wish the movie expanded more on the always interesting Loomis character instead of the piss poor sprint the movie became. And Michael did show sympathy unforunately when he spared his babysister and later tried to...I don't know connect with her by killing her friends and showing her a picture. Fuck this stupid shit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary Floyd 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 Apparently, Rob is thinking about making "Werewolf Women of the SS" his next movie. That's something I could actually get behind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Buzz 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 I agree with the remake being the best of the series. It was just a better movie. I still like the original, but there is always going to be people who have to like the novel better than a movie based on the novel no matter how good it was, and there will always be the people who like the original move better than a remake because that's what they saw or read first. Sometimes it's true but in this case I think Rob Zombie finally made a pretty good horror movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ravenbomb 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 I don't like the original better because it's what I saw first, I like it better because it's a better movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nighthawk 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 This is one of those cases where both sides are going to have to realize that no argument is going to be even slightly convincing to the other side. Like Christians and Atheists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ravenbomb 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 Tyler Mane was in X-Men, and Nick Castle went on to direct The Last Starfighter. On those grounds, Original > Remake. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Buzz 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2007 Well, I can't fight that so I suppose I concede. Doesn't matter to be honest one way or the other, I own both versions and like both anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites