Halloween (2007)

Poor little Michael (Daeg French). He lives with a dysfunctional family in Haddonfield, has an abusive stepfather named Ronnie White (William Forsythe), his sister Judith (Hanna Hall) treats him like dirt, his mother Deborah (Sherri Moon Zombie) is a basket case and earns her living as a stripper, plus he is tormented by two school bullies named Wesley (Daryl Sabara) and Paul (Max Van Ville).

Michael likes to hide his face wearing halloween masks as he doesn't like to face the world plus he is killing animals.
His school principal Chambers (Richard Lynch) and a sanitarium shrink named Dr. Samuel Loomis are conrcerned about his behavior and talks to his mother about this but she assures that he is fine.

Well on Halloween, Michael takes his revenge on one of his bullies by killing him and then on Halloween night while Mom is at work and got Laurie to promise to take Michael trick or treating she instead decides to bring her boyfriend Steve (Adam Weisman) over to make love to.
Eventually Michael has had enough with his family and kills his stepfather as well as his sister and her boyfriend.

He is then sent to the Smith Grove Sanitarium under the care of Loomis as Michael wants out but he realises he can't leave.
He gets even crazier and kills the local nurse there and then his mother takes her own life and the only family member left is his baby sister whom was given up to an adoption by a family called the Strodes.

15 years have passed and Michael has spoken a word since then and is much bigger and more powerful. He kills some of the people at the sanitarium and escapes in a truck and returns to his old house on Halloween present day waiting for his sister as he wants her back in his life again even if it means killing anyone around her while Dr. Loomis and Sherrif Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif) is on the hunt looking for Michael before it's too late.

This remake almost seems like a story on it's own and I thought to myself "Finally, a remake done right!"
It was great showing Michael's childhood with a dysfunctional family as it looked very dark and disturbing but then when present day came around things happened way too fast using the 1978 movie chemistry by rushing it so much offering nothing much but people constantly being killed. If I wanted to watch a movie like that I'd go and rent Slumber Party Massacre.
However it is darkly performed with a good cast too and gives you the total Halloween spirit.

The acting is very solid and well performed by many talented people along with cameo's by some has been's too.
Malcolm McDowell was very eccentric in his role playing Donald Pleasance's role in the original movie as Samuel Loomis and he makes his role very different too which is a compliment.
Scout Taylor Compton played a good preppy looking teen as Laurie Strode although she is not as good as Jamie Lee Curtis her intensity in the film is better and has terrific energy when she gets scared.
Surprise, surprise we get a supporting role by none other than Danielle Harris from Halloween 4 & 5 this time playing the stuck up Annie. She delivers well but I can't see anyone other than Nancy Loomis playing that part like in the original.
Brad Dourif finally plays a normal (Well sorta) as a Sheriff which is a different take for him than in his other parts in horror films.
Daeg Faerch is wonderful as a younger Michael Myers and does well by playing a disturbed child with his intensity and anger.
Sherri Moon Zombie plays another skanky role but she doesn't behave crazy and whiney like in House of 1000 Corpses or Devil's Rejects. She does well as a basket case dysfunctioanl mother of Michael Myers.
William Forsythe was terrific as an asshole abusive stepfather as you wouldn't know this was him till you see the credits with his name on it.
It's nice to see a special appearance by Dee Wallace Stone doing work in a mainstream film like this and the same with Richard Lynch who plays the school principal but he is aging fast and Wallace is looking alot older than when I saw her last.
I could do without child actor Skyler Gisondo playing Tommy Doyle as he over does his role. Brian Andrews had more of a charm to his chracter.
Jenny Gregg Stewart also is too much too unlike Kyle Richards.
Sorry kids.

Kristina Klebe who's role was much smaller than PJ Soles role in the original film totally shows it off wit her breasts more so than Soles. Plus there a but shot and a full shot of her too when Michael is carrying her as a corpse.
Danielle Harris surprisingly exposes her breasts too during a sex scene.
A guy is reading a porn mag with naked women.

Unlike the first one this film offers tons of blood and gore
Little Michael bashes a bully in the face with a heavy stick numerous times. Blood flying everywhere.
He slits his stepdad's throat blood gushing out
Bashes a sleazy teen in the head with a bat and his body is all battered up in blood
Stabs his sister to death with a knife with tons of blood surrounding her.
There are bloodied bodies at a sanitarium as Michael kills a nurse and 15 years later crushes some officers and paramedics.
A trucker is bashed to death in a washroom with tons of blood too.
A head is crushed
Lots more blood here and there.

Rob Zombie coaches his actors very well making it dark, intense and disturbing. However, during the fiddle of the film's run he rushes the scene's too much.
He shows a good beggining of the film that involves both Sherri Moon Zombie and William Forsythe as an unhappy couple. It looked too intense that you do NOT wanna be living with this family during their nasty quarrels.
There is a school washroom scene involving child actor Daeg Faerch being cornered by two actors named Daryl Sabara and Max Van Ville playing bullies as the dialogue looked believable of bullies putting upon an outsider as you think to yourself I hope they pay the deadly price for this.
There is a great brutal revenge scenrio with Faerch and Sabara as you think allright!!! He's gonna get it big time. Plenty of intense energy there.
Then we see him tie Forsythe up with tape and is about to kill him and he goes an evil expression while doing so. Gotta love that.
Zombie also did a great blocking scene between Faerch and supporting actor Adam Weisman when Faerch sneaks up behind him and bashes him in the head with a baseball bat and continuing to do so in a Lizzie Borden type of fashion.
We see a nice dialogue sequence between Malcolm McDowell and Faerch in an institution as it looks calm at first.
Then Moon and Faerch hit it off well talking to one another at the institution and Faerch showing her aggressive and rude attitude.
Zombie coached Faerch well behaving intense by not taking this any longer which looked powerful.
He also made Moon show excellent intense reactions after spotting her son killing a nurse as the setting was very horror like.
He made Tyler Mane look very brutal and powerful as the older Michael Myers and did a great killing scene in the sanitarium.
Danny Trejo shows great frightening emotions when confronting with his character.
However, here's the rushed scene's that were typical remakes from the 1978 version.
We see the dialogue sequence between Scout Taylor Compton and Skyler Gisondo talking to one another on their way to school first thing Halloween morning and then they stop at the Myers house to drop something off looked typically remade and too overly done although Zombie tried his best for the film to be updated but fails. However he made that moment a little creepier.
Then there's Mane portraying Michale on Halloween night quickly killing Kristina Klebe as the totally annoying Lynda and her boyfriend Bob played by Nick Mennel. It looked like Zombie decided to do a fast forward plot with that one with no style or class at all.
Then we have Danielle Harris as the worlds worst babysitter Annie confronting little Jenny Gregg Stewart going over to Tommy Doyle's house while Stewart was occupied watching an old TV show. This looked way too acted out and unnatural.
To top it all off we see the graveyard scene with McDowell and Sid Haig looking for Judith's tombstone that was dug up like in the first one but Zombie's directing with this one was way too cheesy and over the top.
We see great chasing scene's between Compton and Mane in the Myers house and it looked terrifying.
We also have nice scenery of the Myers house as well as Mane standing there as Michael staring at Compton's character like in the original film but Michael looked scarier than ever with this remake.

Tyler Bates does a splendid job with his music for the remake as he has real dark booming sounds like in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre type fashion and uses some of the original music too. Both work perfectly well.

We get a great rockin soundtrack by many retro rock groups.
It opens up with Kiss' classic "God of Thunder" when it shows the Myers house.
Also, we hear the Blue Oyster Cult with "Don't Fear the Reaper" during the sex scene involving Judith Myers (The song was used in the first film)
There's the touching love ballad "Love Hurts" by Nazareth during Mother Myers at the strip joint.
We hear the oldie "Mr. Sandman" which was used in the original part 2 but this was by a different group.
Ahh yes we can't forget about Alice Cooper now with "Only Women Bleed" during a makeout scene involving Annie and Paul.
Better yet, we hear the punk rock band the Misfits with their song "Halloween II" during the sex scene between Lynda and Bob. We have lots more too. The soundtrack is a killer.

Ronnie White: [Michael walks in with mask on] Michael, take that thing off.

Deborah Myers: Jesus Christ, Ronnie, you know I have to work tonight. Someone around here has got to make some money.
Ronnie White: I'm all broken up here bitch, I can't work.
Deborah Myers: Yeah, and who's fault is that? You're so pathetic.
Ronnie White: You know that new waitress over at the Bingo Lounge? She's been giving me the freaky eye.
Deborah Myers: You mean the whore the big tits hanging down her knees?
Ronnie White: Maybe I will choke the chicken and purge my snork all over those flappy ass tits.
Deborah Myers: Yeah, well have a great fucking time.
Ronnie White: I will.
Deborah Myers: I hope she likes cripples.
Ronnie White: Bitch, I will crawl over there and I will skull fuck the shit out of you!
Deborah Myers: Oh, I will get the crutches for you.
Baby Boo: [Baby Boo starts crying]
Deborah Myers: See what you did loud mouth?
Ronnie White: WAAA! WAAA! That's all that fucker ever does is cry. WAAA! WAAA! Cry and shit, cry and shit.
Deborah Myers: That's what you do all the time is cry and shit.
Ronnie White: Fuck you, sit on my pole right now bitch.

Wesley Rhoades: Next time I see that Myers pussy, he's dead!

Deborah Myers: [looking at gruesome photographs of dead animals] Are you saying Michael did this? Michael loves animals!

Michael Myers - Child: [crying] I wanna go home.
Dr. Loomis: You can't go home.
Michael Myers - Child: Why?
Dr. Loomis: Because you've done terrible things.

Michael Myers - Child: I like the mask because it hides my face.
Deborah Myers: I don't like you to hide your face. Take it off.
Michael Myers - Child: It hides my ugliness.
Deborah Myers: Sweetie, don't say that. Take it off. You're not ugly. Don't talk like that.OK?... I miss you so much.
Michael Myers - Child: I miss you, too.

Dr. Loomis: [saying goodbye to Michael] I don't know what else I can do for you, Michael. You haven't said a word in fifteen years. That's a life time. That's twice as long as my first marriage. It's funny but in some strange way you've become my best friend. I've done all I can for you so I am afraid that, now don't be upset but this is gonna be my last day, Michael. I have to move on.

Ismael Cruz: [Ismael discovers multiple massacred bodies and turns to find Michael standing behind him] Whoa... Mikey... what're you doing out of your room...? Ok... now, don't do nothin' we're both gonna regret later, ok, Mikey...? I'm gonna have to get you back into your room, okay now?
[Ismael retrieves handcuffs from a dead guard]
Ismael Cruz: Let me get these. I'm just gonna... get these handcuffs and... I'm gonna try and put these handcuffs on you right now, Mikey... and then we'll get you back into your own bed, okay?
[Michael extends his hands slowly, Ismael cautiously approaches Michael to put the handcuffs on but is visciously attacked, he begins to bleed and sob]
Ismael Cruz: Mikey! I was good to you, Mikey...!

Dr. Loomis: These eyes will deceive you, they will destroy you. They will take from you, your innocence, your pride, and eventually your soul. These eyes do not see what you and I see. Behind these eyes one finds only blackness, the absence of light, these are of a psychopath.

Lindsey Wallace: [singing as her and Annie are walking to Tommy's house] Trick or Treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care. I'll pull down Annie's underwear!
Annie Brackett: [about the pumpkin she's carrying] I can't believe you're making me haul this thing all the way over there.
Lindsey Wallace: I can't believe you think that I'm not going to tell.
Lindsey Wallace: [begins to sing again] Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat...
Annie Brackett: [while Lindsay is singing] UGH! I swear to God, Lindsay, if you don't stop singing that song, I'll have a pumpkin smashing party right here in the middle of the street.

Laurie Strode: [after Michael shows her an old photo of the two of them; unaware he is her brother] I don't understand!

Laurie Strode: [crying] Was that the boogeymaan?
Dr. Loomis: As a matter of fact... I do believe it was.