Halloween

Epäilen Zombien kuvanneen Michael Meyersin aikuistumista ainoastaan voidakseen tappaa elokuvassa enemmän ihmisiä... Kiitosta hän ansaitsee kenties vain siitä, että on tajunnut, mikä tekee Halloweenista Halloweenin. Se on musiikki, jonka tekijät ovat onneksi jättäneet entiselleen, eivätkä ole yrittäneet luoda elokuvalle uutta tunnusmusiikkia. Muuten elokuvan ensimmäinen puolisko on mielestäni aika tylsä ja jälkimmäinen sitä vastoin jo moneen kertaan nähty. (30.12.2007)

The unschooled Rob Zombie is certainly a talented horror filmmaker, as evidenced here by the skillfully orchestrated Myers attacks, which have incredible pacing and occasionally he comes up with an interesting idea during them, but otherwise everything else is weak. It’s a step backwards for him, in his previous film,The Devil’s Rejects, Zombie managed to surprise and pleasantly shock, but Halloween is boringly predictable in its accumulation of horror clichés (especially in the second half), without a hint of surprise and with zero suspense. I don't think the inclusion of Myers' fate in some kind of weird psychological plane would have done the film any good, and most importantly, Carpenter's classic had a big trump card in the form of the likeable Jamie Lee Curtis, while here all the characters were annoying or had minimal space, so when Myers unleashes his "one kitchen knife concert" in the second half, I didn't care who was disemboweled in the following moments and how brutally. Zombie not only failed to surpass the creative bar set by his previous hit The Devil's Rejects, but literally crawled under it like Myers's wounded sister. (08.12.2007)

Zombie confirms his status as the most talented horror director of today, and his Michael Myers vision is light years away from his tragic actions, where, in addition to boring teenagers, he fought the moronic attitude of the filmmakers themselves. This is a frantic, unkempt, vulgar, cruel, and properly bloody ride full of nudity, swearing, and apt references to previous films. The Myers family is no longer the perfect exhibit of small-town America, but rather a fractured family (the excellent William Forsythe and Sheri Moon) that the little insensitive bastards are itching to see. The killing on Halloween eve, the escape from the clinic, and the ending are the essence of a perfect slasher film, unparalleled in contemporary "tea" productions. Rob's credits soar in the straightest possible line, especially as he hones his formal capabilities to the max (here the absolutely perfect sound design), and shows us what true fan enthusiasm combined with the most conscious filmmaking should be. [These qualities were confirmed by the pair of pimply teenagers sitting a few seats away from me, snuggling up to each other in anticipation of the traditional "scare." Their pale expressions when the lights came on in the movie theater and their untouched popcorn say a lot. :)] (05.12.2007)