The original Halloween was released in 1978 under the direction of John Carpenter. The film was one of the progenitors of the original slasher genre and gave birth to one of its most recognizable icons. It's basically the guidebook for how to make a slasher movie.
Old school Halloween focused more on suspense than is standard for the genre it spawned, and was fueled by what might be the best soundtrack in all of horror movie history. In fact, when Halloween was first screened all audiences found it boring and tame but once the famous odd-time theme was introduced the exact same footage was exciting and tense. I could easily music-theory-nerd on the theme for an hour, but I digress.
Halloween: H20 attempted to rebuild the ailing franchise in 1998, at the tail end of the 90's slasher resurgence led by Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Urban Legend. But despite an impressive performance at the box office, this was the last film of the original Michael Myers timeline.
This 2007 reboot is directed by Rob Zombie, who had previously directed House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects which were very slick but mostly bizarre and gory. Zombie's version differs quite a lot from the original in tone and characterization. While Carpenter's film was mostly Laurie Strode's story, Zombie's version is very much Michael's story and includes a lengthy origin story where we see Michael's childhood, and psychotic break. We also see his first few months being treated by Dr. Loomis, and then his escape from the psychiatric hospital. Here, Zombie is playing the long game, similar to many super hero movies that spend most of their first installment on the origin story. It's paid off since now that Michael is a real character who we've actually seen go from child to monster and that makes him infinitely more compelling. It also means the sequel can pick right up and continue developing the mythology in a sane way instead of the ridiculous progression the original timeline took.
One odd thing I thought was a bit tacked in was an actual Michael Myers mask. In the '78 version the iconic mask was actually a Captain Kirk mask that was spray painted white. Michael stole the mask from a local costume shop when he first arrived in town. In the '07 version it's an actual Michael Myers Halloween mask that Judith Myers' boyfriend puts on while they're getting ready to bone. He then tries to convince her to let him wear it while the screw. The scene is just weird and contributes nothing except to introduce the mask so that Michael can save it and wear it later.
I really want to see Zombie's sequel to this now, because this movie was just really good. It had good characterization, creative direction and camera work, great tension, fun kills and excellent make up and effects. I really enjoyed the original movie, and this version is a perfect homage to it while still standing up on its own as the beginning of a new Michael Myers timeline.
On deck: Prom Night (2008)
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