Movie Review: Halloween (2007)
Synopsis: A 10-year-old Michael Myers is sent to a sanitarium after murdering a school bully, his older sister and her boyfriend. After Michael murders a nurse, his mother commits suicide, and he remains alone in the sanitarium for 15 years. An adult Michael then escapes and begins tracking down his baby sister, Angel, who, unbeknownst to her, was secretly adopted and is living under a new name, Laurie Strode.
Who’s in it? The movie stars Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, Danny Trejo and Tyler Mane.
Review: My wife and I originally saw this movie when it came out in theaters in 2007. I have since seen it a few more times and, while my overall opinion of the movie has changed a bit, I do still think it is one of the better horror movie remakes.
This film does exactly what a remake should. It kept the same concept as the original, modernized it so a younger generation could relate and added enough original content to the film to make it a somewhat unique movie. The last part of that is something I do like because what would be the point of seeing it if it was just a play-by-play rehash of a film that is already a classic.
One thing I really like about this particular version of this film is the way it gives the viewer a better glimpse at Michael Myers’ past. By having the 10-year-old version of him (Daeg Faerch), it’s much easier to understand his motivations as an adult. Well, at least to an extent. I’m still not 100 percent certain if he pursues Laurie/Angel (Taylor-Compton) because he still cares for her as much as he did when he was a kid of if he’s just looking to finish something he started 15 years earlier but, by knowing she’s his sister (something that was not revealed in the original version of this movie), it’s much easier to understand why she is the focus of his attention.
Another nice benefit of revealing details about his childhood is the movie doesn’t make you wait for something to happen as the original did. Horror movies are much scarier if they actually show the gruesome event, not just talk about it while waiting for something else to happen. It also makes it a lot easier to understand why Loomis (McDowell) sees the adult Michael (Mane) as the embodiment of evil because his childhood murders were sudden and violent while even his adulthood killing spree, while provoked, still seems somewhat random.
Something that really surprised me about this film the first time we saw it at the theater was the intensity of the murder scenes. After years of movies like this, I’ve grown a bit desensitized. However, some of murders from this film (especially when he slaughters two of Laurie’s friends) are very memorable and even had me feeling a little bit squeamish the first time I saw them. Yet, at the same time, they don’t seem like gratuitous blood and gore either, something that is important if you don't want the movie to seem fake.
Final Opinion: I have an appreciation for the 1978 original and would put that one ahead of this one on any list. However, this is still a solid remake, and I would choose it ahead of many (most) of the sequels spawned by that original film.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 2007:
Movie Review: Flight of the Living Dead (2007)
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