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Reviews

Halloween

Oh, the horror

By BRETT MICHEL | September 5, 2007

1.0 Stars

ADORABLE HORROR: A misguided attempt to pathologize a 10-year-old.

When it comes to Rob Zombie’s remake of John Carpenter’s Halloween, they don’t get any more unnecessary. Inspired casting enlivens the early proceedings –– we have A Clockwork Orange anarchist Malcolm McDowell in the Dr. Sam Loomis role originated by Donald Pleasence, meeting the Antichrist Myers (Tyler Mane). But playing spot-the-C-level-celebrity (Clint Howard! Sybil Danning! Mickey Dolenz?) grows tiresome. And when you consider that Carpenter’s original became the template for suspense/slasher films through the ’80s and beyond, the most shocking thing about Zombie’s redo is its total lack of suspense, the product of a misguided attempt to pathologize the 10-year-old Mr. Myers. I have seen the origin of evil, and it’s feral, yet strangely . . . adorable. Oh, the horror.

Related: Review: Halloween II, The girls of summer, I Know Who Killed Me, More

Topics: Reviews , John Carpenter, Rob Zombie, Alexander de Large, More

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