User blog:MeltingLizard/Rob Zombie's Halloween

So, I have been wondering... what do you guys think of the 2007 Halloween remake?

For whatever reason(and keep in mind, I can be a snob but if you look at my user page you'll see that I like a lot of stuff) I think I may like the remake better than the original. The original is classic and feels like a perfect, fun slasher that hits all of the notes as well as capturing the feel of Halloweeny-ness(the holiday).

The remake however, chooses to spend a lot of time showing a young Michael leading up to the events of his incarceration in the asylum. These scenes, as well as many, came off as very real to me. For whatever reason(and I've seen some messed up shit like "Antichrist" with Willem Dafoe) when we see Michael bludgeon his bully to death it made me squirm and feel incredibly sick. Sure scenes like this one(including the unnecessary yet realistically-shot rape scene if you're watching the unrated version) aren't fun to watch, but they are very well-directed and, in my opinion, feel very real.

Also, the movie does have it's fair share of fun scenes as well. Since Zombie directed it has a very cool and retro Halloweeny(again, the holiday) feel and here are plenty of funny and clever dialogue scenes; which is a given since Rob Zombie seems to be the Tarantino of horror movies recently. You've got plenty of funny little one-scene-wonder characters that entertain you and make you laugh and you've got two great actors teaming up, chewing up the scenery and sharing some dialogue: Malcom McDowell and Brad Douriff as Doctor Loomis and a sheriff respectively.

Now one thing that I may get crucified for: I actually prefer McDowell's portrayal of Loomis better than Donald Pleasance's. While the original Loomis was awesome, and became something of a cool and classic character, McDowell is a phenomenal actor and seems to find the perfect balance of coming off as somewhat real, and having a ton of fun with the role. I LOVED him in this movie. But Donald Pleasance(may he rest in peace) is still a close second.

But yeah, I've noticed that this movie doesn't seem to get a whole lot of love. What are your thoughts on the movie?