Cinefantastique Online

Dennis Harvey has reviewed the new version of HALLOWEEN. Not surprisingly, he thinks it fails to live up to the original:

The best that can be said about Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” remake is that he makes it his own, though the considerable alterations only flatter John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher-pic template. In contrast to that spare, suggestive genre classic, this bloodier, higher-body-count version leaves nothing to the imagination: Michael Myers is always right there in plain sight, committing mayhem sans suspenseful buildup or mystique. Brand recognition should initially help combat a recent downturn in horror B.O., but pic might as well cash in its DVD chips by the time actual All Hallow’s Eve comes around.

Of course, Variety is not normally noted for the in-depth insight of its reviews, which tend to focus on a film’s perceived box office appeal.

I’ll probably go see the film anyway, just because any movie with Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, and Udo Keir deserves a viewing. But I’m not expecting much beyond nostalgia value and schlock horror.