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John Allman

If you’ve ever wandered the aisles at the video store or surfed the DVR pay-per-view options and seen a bunch of movies that you’ve never heard of, chances are John has watched them. Why? He loves movies. All kinds of movies. Good, bad, so-bad-they’re good, even the truly unwatchable ones. He mostly loves horror and science-fiction and drive-in exploitation movies that most upstanding model citizens wouldn’t dare watch. Then he writes up his thoughts so you can decide - watch, don’t watch or avoid at all costs. Sometimes he even gets to talk to the cool folks who make some of your favorite films.

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John Allman

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Halloween II: Unrated Director’s Cut

Posted Jan 27, 2010 by John Allman

Updated Jan 27, 2010 at 07:32 AM

Halloween II: Unrated Director’s Cut
Genre: Horror/Sequel
Directed by: Rob Zombie
Run time: 119 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Here’s the good news – as a director, Rob Zombie’s growth is clearly evident.

Few genre guys are as good at creating the environment that their movie inhabits. Zombie’s world, like it or not, is a master of putting you smack-dab in the middle of the grime. His washed-out, grainy frames, thick with shadows and burnt edges, reek of dread and danger.

Here’s the bad news – as a writer, Zombie still lacks an ear for how people really talk. His versions of Laurie Strode, Annie Brackett and Dr. Samuel Loomis speak too loudly at times, yelling and swearing for no reason other than it seems appropriate.

Zombie’s story for “Halloween II,” the follow-up to his remake of John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” which itself was an uneven, but interesting, experiment, tries to find the reason behind Michael Myers rage.

He explores the blood relation between Myers (Tyler Mane), his mother Deborah (always hot Sheri Moon Zombie) and his baby sister Laurie (the appealing but overwhelmed Scout Taylor-Compton).

He shows each of the central characters coming unhinged in the wake of the first film’s bloodbath finale. And he tries to forge some weird psychic link between Michael Myers as a child, Michael’s mother, Michael as an adult and Strode.

Zombie repeatedly employs a white horse and some fairly cool dream imagery – a twisted Hallow’s Eve banquet with a demonic Pumpkin King presiding – to demonstrate this hazy dreamscape where the Myers clan communicates.

It would be awesome if it all was held together by better glue, but the requisite “Three years later…” revenge/return scenario plays pretty stale in part because it’s so familiar. And, again, despite a bevy of interesting ideas and imagery, Zombie’s fallback on the “F” word when he lacks anything else to say ultimately drains your patience.

It’s a shame too because “Halloween II” is without question the most visceral slasher in years. Myers (Mane) hacks away at his victims with a ferocity that you rarely see, much less feel. There are several extended victim scenes that resonate with genuine tension. And Zombie gets some truly inspired performances from longtime genre veterans like Brad Dourif and Danielle Harris.

In the end, though, even a young auteur/horror fan himself like Zombie can’t find the right take on the iconic Michael Myers, which tells me that maybe it’s time to stop trying to improve upon Carpenter’s original vision.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Yes.
Nudity – Yes.
Gore – Considerable.
Drug use – Yes.
Bad Guys/Killers – Michael Myers. ‘Nuff said.
Buy/Rent – Rent it.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – Exclusive: movieIQ, BD-Live. Additional: Deleted and alternate scenes; Audition footage; Make-Up Test Footage; Bloopers; Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures music videos; Uncle Seymour Coffins Stand-Up Routines; Audio commentary.
On the Web – http://www.halloween2-movie.com/
Release Date – Jan. 12, 2010