Opening Day: 22 October 2009

Synopsis:

Michael Myers is still at large and no less dangerous than ever. After a failed reunion to reach his baby sister at their old home, Laurie Strode is immediately taken to a hospital to be treated by the wounds that had been afflicted by her brother a few hours ago. However, Michael isn't too far off and will continue his murdering 'Halloween' rampage until he gets his sister all to himself.

Movie Review:

Rob Zombie’s reboot of the "Halloween" franchise was supposed to answer the big question "Why Michael Myers? Why?" Indeed, Zombie had wanted to delve into the psychological underpinnings of the psychotic mask-wearer Michael Myers, to peel back the layers behind the mask and ultimately answer what made him into the disturbed individual he was. Purists of the John Carpenter original weren’t too pleased- they said that it only took away the mystery of the character that made Myers so terrifying to begin with.

To be sure, while not a groundbreaking effort, Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake "Halloween" was a brave attempt to deconstruct the mythology behind one of the cult characters of horror cinema. This was a franchise that had spawned seven sequels before Zombie came along and did a reboot- without Jamie Lee Curtis at that. Zombie’s Michael Myers was more human, but also simultaneously more real and terrifying- for he was partly a product of his depraved environment and a very, very troubled soul.

Unfortunately, whether you are a fan of Zombie’s earlier "Halloween", you’re likely to find this sequel an utter disappointment. Whereas once he tried to unravel the mystery behind the titular character, Zombie is here too caught up, too enraptured in the mythology of Michael Myers that he forgets about his audience. Other than a purveyor of extreme sadistic violence, the Michael Myers in Zombie "Halloween 2" is no different than the countless other serial killers in numerous forgettable slasher flicks.

Zombie is so steeped in his own world of how frightening Michael Myers is that he conveniently assumes his audience will get it. Hardly. It takes Zombie an hour before Myers finally turns up on that climactic night of Halloween. And when that night of reckoning finally comes, Zombie forgets any sort of buildup or suspense when Myers goes in for the kill. Worse still, when Myers does his thing, Zombie puts the camera so close to Myers and moves it all around it’s hard to see what is actually going on.

All that fails to help the fact that Zombie doesn’t actually have a story to tell this time round. Laurie Strode (and actress Scout Taylor-Compton) is back but she has little to do except act all traumatised by the events of last Halloween and have recurrent daydreams of her brother’s imminent return. Returning as well is Dr Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell)- except this time instead of the well-intentioned psychologist trying to help Myers, he’s a profiteering businessman cashing in on Myers’ infamy and an utter unnecessary accessory to the story.

Just as redundant and repetitively overused is the metaphor of the 'white horse'- an excerpt taken from "The Subconscious Psychosis of Dreams"- that is apparently linked to the uncontrollable urge to release powerful and emotional forces within. Zombie not only takes this metaphor too literally, he also uses it too wantonly- paired with the image of Michael Myers’ mother Deborah Myers (played by Zombie’s own wife, Sheri Moon Zombie) dressed from head to toe in a flowing white dress- that it becomes plain annoying.

And the final nail on "Halloween 2’s" own coffin is the very conspicuous absence of the signature John Carpenter-composed Halloween theme when Michael Myers appears. The only time one hears it is right at the end when the credits roll. When that and the end of the film becomes the most enjoyable part of “Halloween 2”, you know Zombie should have left off one Halloween ago.

Movie Rating:



(Terrifying…bad)

Review by Gabriel Chong