Halloween

Musician-turned-horror-movie director Rob Zombie tries hard to give this remake of John Carpenter's classic 1978 chiller—the prototypical slasher movie—its own distinctive spin, but that essentially adds up to a bit more emphasis on exposition and a little extra gore and nudity. We're treated to added footage of Michael Myers (played as a boy by Daeg Faerch and as a young man by Tyler Mane) and his horrendously dysfunctional family (Sheri Moon Zombie as his stripper mom and William Forsythe as his abusive stepfather), but the story still truly only gets underway when teenaged Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton in the role that made Jamie Lee Curtis a star) baby-sits for neighbor kids one Halloween night and is caught up in Michael's murderous rampage. The supporting cast is studded with easily recognizable favorites from the ranks of prolific B-movie actors, including Brad Dourif, Richard Lynch, Danny Trejo, Udo Kier, and Clint Howard, while Malcolm McDowell plays Michael's shrink, Dr. Sam Loomis. Ultimately, there's just no raison d'etre for this movie: the original said it all and said it better. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Rob Zombie, 15 casting session segments (30 min.), 17 deleted scenes with optional commentary (22 min.), a “Re-Imagining Halloween” featurette (19 min.), an 18-minute “Meet the Cast” featurette, 11 minutes of bloopers, a “Laurie Strode Screen Test” (8 min.), “The Many Masks of Michael Myers” featurette (7 min.), an alternate ending with optional commentary (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an unnecessary remake.] (E. Hulse)[DVD Review—Sept. 30, 2008—Genius, 3 discs, 121 min., not rated, $24.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2007's Halloween (3-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition) sports a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. New to this version is a bonus disc that includes director Rob Zombie's four-and-a-half-hour production documentary “Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween” (280 min.). Bottom line: an unnecessary collector's edition of an unnecessary remake.]