by Thomas Ferguson

Shock rocker turned movie director Rob Zombie has directed two of the most disturbing films in past years. House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects were both very shocking and very disturbing. In theaters now is his re-telling of one of the most influential horror classics ever, John Carpenter’s Halloween.

In the original 1978 version, Michael Myers is a psychotic child who brutally murderers his older sister in his family home. He is thrown into a mental institution and closely evaluated until he breaks out on Halloween to look for his younger sister Laurie. He stalks Laurie and her friends and gives birth to one of the most successful horror franchises in box office history.

In Zombie’s new vision, we get to the root of Michael’s demented mind. We see Michael at the age of ten. He is an introverted child who happens to torture and mutilate small animals and has a fascination with wearing masks. His family life is very volatile. His mother is loving; but has a lifestyle that takes her away from the home at nights. His older sister bullies him and the only father figure in the household verbally abuses him.

Michael’s principal and the school’s child psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis are very concerned about his strange behavior, but his mother refuses to believe her child has a problem … until that fateful Halloween when Michael finally snaps.

A majority of the story focuses on this time in Michael’s life — his arrest and his time in the mental institution. Fifteen years later Michael breaks out and returns to the only place he knows outside the walls of the institution, his childhood home. He returns home to find his last remaining family member — baby sister Laurie.

I’m a huge horror fan and extremely critical when I see these films. I must be thrilled and scared. The story must be intriguing. It should put me on the edge of my seat. I also like a few laughs thrown in for good measure. The new version of this tale delivers all of that and more.

Zombie’s film style is very in your face and disturbing to me. He has an eye for the grotesque. In my opinion, his other two films were grimy and repulsive. This is normally a bad thing, but it seems to work here. He takes the Carpenter original and flips it on its ear. He seems to capture the spirit of the old film, but gives it a makeover that translates to a newer, more sophisticated audience.

Many of the old elements are there, but he manages to shake things up a bit. It was interesting to see how much he would keep from the original film. For the most part he stayed on par, but noticeably wandered by the final frame. I was on the edge of my seat and felt the urge to yell at the screen. Luckily, I kept my dignity intact. I haven’t been in that state of mind since the 2003 remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The performances were top notch; including Sheri Moon Zombie (Rob’s real -life wife), who played Michael’s loving and tragic mother. Scout Taylor-Compton who had the daunting task of re-creating the iconic role of Laurie Strode made famous by scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. Malcolm McDowell played a fine Dr. Loomis, but it was a child that stole the show for me.

Newcomer Daeg Faerch was creepy and gave the most intense child performance in recent years. This kid was born to play Michael Myers. He brilliantly showed the two sides of Michael. The innocent, insecure child who loves his mom and the cold-hearted murderer that later becomes a one-man killing machine.