Halloween (2007) Review – Rob Zombie’s Brutal Remake

Remaking John Carpenter’s Halloween is no easy task. However, in 2007 Rob Zombie decided to go back to the start of Michael Myers’ story. This version is far darker and brutal than the original. We learn about Michael’s childhood and how he had a troubled family life. I really enjoyed this version.

I always loved how little we really knew about Michael Myers in the original. He seemed to have a fairly normal, upstanding family. However, Zombie decides to make Michael’s childhood very different. We meet a young Michael, who has a troubled family. His stepdad is abusive, his mother is struggling and his time at school was miserable. Whilst this is a more traditional reason for Michael’s actions, it fit into the world that Zombie had created. The scene where Michael brutally kills the school bully was very gruesome. However, as the bully was such a prick, you feel like he got what he deserved.

Daeg Faerch is amazing in his role as young Michael. He was very young, but gave a fantastic performance. He made me feel like Michael was emotionally vulnerable, but then could also be terrifyingly cold. For instance we see Michael sitting in the kitchen eating sweets but then goes and duct tapes and kills his abusive stepdad, is such a chiling scene. Faerch performed this transition very well. When Michael began to become more reclusive, it was really creepy how he could switch between being a normal child and being a mini Myers, so to speak.

The relationship between Michael and Dr. Samuel Loomis was a highlight. Malcolm McDowell plays the role famously played by Donald Pleasence and I thought he performed very well. Loomis is much more sympathetic in this version. We see how he tried to understand Michael and help him. We see their conversations, the bond they form and almost a father and son relationship. This was something we never saw in the original films as Pleasence’s Loomis already knew what Michael was capable of. As Michael becomes more reclusive and stops talking, it makes their relationship crack and breakdown, then Loomis has to leave and Michael is emotionless.

Sheri Moon Zombie plays Deborah Myers very sympathetically. She is stuck in a miserable marriage and has to work as a stripper to support her family. Despite everything Michael does, she clearly loves him and this makes her story very tragic.

Zombie returns with some familiar faces. William Forsythe plays Michael’s abusive stepdad, Danny Trejo plays an asylum worker and Ken Foree plays Joe Grizzly. It almost feels like a House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects reunion! I loved seeing so many recognisable actors.

When Michael becomes an adult, Tyler Mane plays him. He is very intimidating. This version of Michael Myers is huge and looks like he could rip someone to shreds. Mane performed brilliantly and made Michael look like a real threat. I loved his mask. all tattered and worn. Whilst we see do younger Michael in his more clean version earlier on, when he returns to Haddonfield he is wearing his now old, tattered mask. This, combined with Mane’s size and movements, makes him one of the scariest versions of Michael we have had since the original.

Joe Grizzly was a highlight. Ken Foree’s confrontation with Michael in the service station toilet was one of my favourites. It was like two huge beasts fighting. Grizzly put up a surprisingly good fight. He had just finished going to the toilet and was fighting for his life against this giant masked lunatic. I would have loved to have seen him hit Michael a bit more as he almost had him. It was a brilliant little scene and showed how vicious this version of Myers could be.

Once the story returns to Haddonfield, Zombie starts to include some elements from the original. However, he has included some of his own twists. I loved how we saw Michael just watching people. Whether it was him standing over the balcony watching while Bob and Lynda entered the house, lurking in the shadows or following Laurie around, it really showed what makes Michael Myers scary. Whilst it was more brutal, Zombie knows that sometimes having Michael standing still in the background can be just as effective.

The rest of the cast were a joy to watch. Brad Dourif played Sheriff Brackett and Danielle Harris returned to the franchise as Annie. It was lovely to see Danielle return after playing Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and Halloween 5. Whilst she was playing a completely different character, it was a nice touch. Brad Dourif was also a great choice. He gave a realistic feel to Brackett. However, I wasn’t as impressed with Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis played her with a natural innocence and vulnerability, which I didn’t feel was captured in this version. This was one of the only aspects that didn’t live up to the original.

The violence was on another level. Michael doesn’t just creep up on his victims, he hits them with full force. Every death felt very personal and vicious. Even Laurie’s parents weren’t safe! By the final act of the film you really feel like no one is safe. The scene inside the Myers house was very effective. Michael rips through the house looking for Laurie. Loomis also gets attacked and it looked like Zombie may have wanted to have him killed him off.

The final confrontation was very chaotic. Laurie is trying to escape Michael and in the end she shoots Loomis’ revolver at point blank range into Michaels face. It was a brutal ending and fitted the tone of the film. Whilst I enjoyed the ending, I couldn’t help but feel Tyler Mane’s version of Michael had so much more potential. We did get a sequel, but I would have loved to have seen Zombie and Mane return for a third film to show where this version of Michael could have gone.

Overall, Halloween (2007) is a very bold remake. I think Rob Zombie should be praised for doing something different. Whilst the extra story about Michael’s childhood may not be to everyone’s taste, I found it very interesting. Daeg Faerch was amazing as young Michael, Malcolm McDowell added emotion to Loomis and Tyler Mane gave one of the most intimidating versions of Michael Myers in the entire franchise. With a great supporting cast, some brilliant brutal scenes and some great stalking scenes, this is a great remake.

John Carpenter gave us the mysterious Shape. Rob Zombie gave us a huge monster and I loved watching him cause hell.