OK, watched this late on Friday evening--and I'm still not sure what to make of it in cinematic basics, never mind, what I personally think of it. I came away from it feeling pretty empty. I had read so many warnings from fellow bloggers questioning it's merit on the basic level of filmmaking, many of whom are fans of Rob Zombie's music, which did make me think they were on to something. How could so many serious horror whores could be wrong?? Admittedly though, quite a few had never been fans of Zombie's movie making from the beginning.
I don't exactly have that problem--I do have moments within his films when it is grating--and it seems to be getting more and more so with each new release. [I am talking about his live action movies, not the animated stuff.] Others who started off actually getting into, even liking, his films, found this film completely unwatchable. Some even claimed that they walked out of the theater [which, I have never understood--it cost too much!], not because of the violence, which many did cite as over the top, but because of all the stuff with Sheri Moon Zombie, whose character died in her husband's first remake. This is what I found at least pretty strange, if not down-right off putting about Halloween II as well. Also, why was there so little of the hospital? I get that Zombie was going for a fuller explanation of Michael Myers' psyche (why would we want that exactly??), and was "making it his own," as Carpenter had told him to do with his first remake. But, still a little more suspense in the hospital corridors would have been nice.
I did find some considered opined user reviews on, of all places, Internet Movie Database--which is a great place for most things film related, but not usually for it's member's critical opinions. One submitted by a "Jonny Numb," who liked the film, wrote a really reasonable defense--I may not end up agreeing with him on most of his points, but I did give him a thumbs up on the review, and said that it was helpful. Most of the other (hundreds) of reviews were really negative, with a few exceptions, but were not nearly so well defended in their criticism. And, no I didn't read them all, I may be a bit sick, but I'm not that bad off!
Honestly, I think I will have to watch it again to really decide if I think it is the over-all mess that I was inclined to call it on Saturday morning.
I did notice two things, though that did rub me the wrong way right off, that I'm not likely to change on--one decidedly more than the other.
First of all, I own a fair number of Rob Zombie's music videos, all of which, I think are universally excellent. They all borrow from really classic horror films, like The Phantom Creeps (1939) or silent gems like John Barrymore's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari also 1920. Of course it is well known that his band was named White Zombie, after Bela Lugosi's voodoo send-up of 1932. In his video for "Living Dead Girl," inspired said Cabinet, Sheri Moon's dress is almost identical to the one she's donning in Halloween 2. So what the hell is she in the film? A ghost? A delusion? Michael's personal justification (does he really need any...)? Some have even suggested it represents some sort of psychic link between brother and sister.... It struck me as some kind bad grindhouse mush-up of a somnambulism reference that just does not work in an "American gothic," never mind a Halloween film. It's nit picking, but it does seem to say something about Zombie's inability to stop repeating himself. [I'm posting You Tube of said video above. So new to the blog stuff--still haven't learned all the tricks.]
Which brings me to the second matter that struck me in a really "off" way. It is one thing to rip off, or "homage" other artists, but to rip off yourself--I don't know what that is. The movie seems to not only have the same relationship that The Devil's Rejects has to House of 1000 Corpses in terms of it's rough style and grit, verses well honed and sharp edges; it also seems to degenerate into the exact same violent story as the last 1/3 of Rejects. Same whore house look, same American gothic home-stead stand-off, same dirty neon, complete with familial egging on (who cares if it's also supernatural in nature?). I would hesitate to call it laziness, so, is there something that Rob Zombie needs to get out of his own personal system?
I guess I am going to have to look to his animated stuff. Anyone seen The Haunted World of El Super Beasto?
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you here, I'm just bored and feel like sharing.
ReplyDeleteLast October, I watched 31 remakes that I swore I would never watch for TDS (I've always hated remakes).
I learned 2 things:
1) new movies are for new audiences - meaning, the guys remaking my favorite movies aren't making it for me. They already know I'm going to hate it. And,
2) The original remake is the only way to go. You can't recapture magic. If Zombie had followed the exact story of either of those Halloween films, it would render the remakes moot (and a little offensive). Look at Van Sant's attempt at a frame-for-frame remake of Psycho. I'm sure he intended it as an homage to Hitchcock but I just wanted to gouge my eyes out to find some relief.
I'm not saying you need to give it a second chance or anything, just that I seem to be the only one that was happy that Zombie forged his own trail instead of trying to walk an old path in the shoes of Carpenter & Rosenthal.
Loving the blog, by the way.