Halloween 2

[jrs]

Halloween 2 (H2) - 2

http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/michael-myers-stab-500x332.jpg

Let me just say the first 10 minutes were great. The rest of the movie was just plain awful. I am a fan of Rob Zombie's version of the original Halloween to the max, but the sequel was just downright embarrasing. It starts out fine yet for some reason, Michael Myers just vanishes from the equation. It skews off into a whole different kind of movie, leaving the "halloween" feeling - let alone any sort of Michael Myers tension or even Michael himself - out of the loop for like 30-40 minutes or so, leaving a boring and senseless movie for us viewers. No plot occurs for what seems like almost an hour until Michael all of a sudden shows up in some ridiculous fashion. One thing which really was annoying is the way Rob Zombie dealt with Michael's mother. It was kinda corny. Although, there were some cool kills, and the climatic battle with Laurie was kinda sweet, the movie in general just didnt appeal to me. Wierd Al Yankovic had a cameo which was the best part of the entire movie if you ask me.

[Pyro Tramp]

Kudos for doing a write up, surprised at that and your score! Must be bad :cool:

[jrs]

I expected much better. Rob Zombie ruined the Halloween franchise completely with this sequel. At least the first one Zombie was done well, and was entertaining. This one was complete and utter sh*t. :sick: I'm just glad the studio doesn't want anymore Halloween movies from Zombie.

[Movie-Review]

I guess I'm gona have to skip watching this movie. These halloween movies are getting played out anyways.

[meatwadsprite]

So you liked the first one and didn't like this one ... :bashful: in some way I'm tempted to see it now. Even more so because in the trailer it said this one was the final installment ... EVER !!!

I guess I'm gona have to skip watching this movie. These halloween movies are getting played out anyways.

What about every other endless horror franchise ?

[Sexy Celebrity]

Austruck, if you're reading, you might wanna check Halloween 2 out, for as JRS already stated, Weird Al has a cameo as himself.

This is the strangest Halloween movie ever. I'm going to write my own review of the movie in a few days in my review thread, but until then, damn. I like it and yet I don't like it. I HATE Rob Zombie for simply putting his annoying wife in the movie - and I mean, THE WHOLE MOVIE! She died in the first movie, but now she's back... with a VENGEANCE! And she's brought a white horse with her!

Rob, did she lose the directions to the porno soundstage or something? STOP GIVING HER MAJOR ROLES IN YOUR FILMS! You're just copying Tim Burton.

[saganot]

Well, I never really liked the original series, so I really wasn't impressed with this one at all. So I dunno... like 3/10?

[BadaBing]

I was so hoping this was going to get at least okay reviews. I liked the first one and from what I've read about this one it seemed like I would enjoy it. I might still see it, but I don't know. I'm undecided now. I'll wait for Sexy Celebrity's review.

[marryadi]

Halloween 2 release this week. this is very good movie. yesterday i watch th

[TheUsualSuspect]

Halloween II (Rob Zombie)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/MichaelMyersHalloween2.jpg


A cookie-cutter slasher film that tries to be artistic


The film picks up right where the last one left us. Laurie is walking down the street covered in blood with a gun still in her hand. She is hospitalized, along with her friend Annie. Michael survive the gunshot to the head and comes back to reunite with his sister. Killing everyone in his way.

Not much of a plot, not much of a film. This sequel punishes those who had any interest in the first and almost immediately kills this re-invented series. The remake of the original is not bad and Zombie did a decent job of bringing Michael Myers to the new century of horror, but with the sequel he seems to have steered too far into House of 1,00 corpses territory.

Full Review Here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=564802)

[duotonec]

Coming from a huge original Halloween fan, this movie is everything a Rob Zombie movie usually is - insane, creepy, dark, startling, messy, disturbing, and way over the top. Have to admit I'm usually NOT a gore fan, especially not all the million Saw movies (did like the first Saw though), for example. For some reason I keep seeing Zombie's films and I guess appreciate them for the ways in which they are unique. I always love the soundtracks and sound effects in his films and have to say the other Halloween sequels seem so flat compared to Zombie's 1 & 2 versions. Would probably not have gone to see them otherwise. Love how we have more of a psychological perspective of Michael in his films. I think he definitely put more thought/depth into his character as an attempt to create more sympathy for him. One thing I'll admit is I did not like Zombie's version of Laurie Strode, compared to JLC's original.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The fact that it felt like a Rob Zombie film was the problem. It was too much like House of 1,00 Corpses.

[jrs]

The fact that it felt like a Rob Zombie film was the problem. It was too much like House of 1,000 Corpses.

House of 1,000 Corpses was better l0l

[starlite]

I guess I'm gona have to skip watching this movie. These halloween movies are getting played out anyways.
I'd watch it...

I'm in reverse of the OP...I thought it started off 'bad'...and then got better.

1.Gore factor....Michael Meyers seems like he's on a mission to stab people like never before...I mean he works that knife like he's on somekind of divine mission...Jason would be jelious...

Infact, to me, the emphasis got to be to much on just 'gore'...(he would even grunt) it got to be a bit to much actually...just sensless killing without a plot.

2. You never really get to care for any of the characters...none are worth really caring for...they were all snobby, full of curse words, arrogant ect...
So there was really never a connection made to any of the characters...

3. The ending...I loved the ending...and that's when I finally 'got it'...the ending is bizzare, and I couldn't get the closing musical selection out of my head for days...the ending is 'art'...the ending was Rob Zombie...

4. They show Michaels face...I don't think that was necisary...seeing his face kinda took the 'mysticism' out of it...made him just seem like a phycopath killer, rather than a supernatural one, like Jason, or Halloween one where he gets up and leaves...

All and all, it wasnt a bad flick...Rob wanted you to see more of what drove micheal to do what he did...he wanted the audience to see what inspired the madness in his head...

It's not really scary...it's more gory and shocking than anything else...

[TheUsualSuspect]

3. The ending...I loved the ending...and that's when I finally 'got it'...the ending is bizzare, and I couldn't get the closing musical selection out of my head for days...the ending is 'art'...the ending was Rob Zombie...

Please explain how:

A: The ending makes any sense
B: The ending is art
C: The ending is Rob Zombie.

[starlite]

Please explain how:

A: The ending makes any sense
B: The ending is art
C: The ending is Rob Zombie.

Ok, for those who havent seen this movie...do not read anymore...stop right here...If you haven't seen the movie...don't read anymore....

Ok...I'll do my best to explain...

A. To me, the ending allowed me to see what was driving Michael to kill, and why he wanted to kill his sister.
Either his mind or his mothers ghost, wanted the family all back together...
That's why in the closing scene his mother said 'It's time, take us home'....
In the beggining of the movie, the only time Michael was happy was when his mother visited, (note the miniture toy horse on the table)

And that was the last time he saw his mother...after that, it seemed he was on a mission...

The ending let me know that it was basically a family trying to re-unite...mother, son and daughter...

Here's what's unanswered...was that image really of his mother, in ghost form, or was he just 'insane'?

B. I thought the ending was beautiful...(and the song 'Love hurts', that played along with it)

It showed the sister sitting on that bed in that all white ward...with the mother approaching with the white horse...but as the camera zoomed in on the face of the sister...you realized it was Michael and his sister as one...like through very subtle cg they kinda merged images, but very subtly...
And just that gaze...that gaze in his eyes...looking up at his approaching mother...as if to say..'mission accomplished' we're home, together again, at last and forever...

C. I found the closing scene to be all Zombie...Zombie is about 'art'...
And expression of ideas through tones, and or sound (music) and or the visual...He combined all three at the end...and that's how I expected the whole movie to be....

Anyways...that's just how I see it...the ending touched me more than any other part of the movie...it was the only part that I could really relate to...the need to want to go home and re-unite with loved ones...or make things 'the way they use to be' or as you remember them as a child...and that's all he was trying to do...

[TheUsualSuspect]

I'm giving you rep for responding.

Now on the film:

A: Which was my problem with the film. Changing the mythos of Myers. In the original (Carpenter's original) we constantly hear Dr. Loomis say that Myers kills simply because he is evil. Zombie spit on that with this one with the bizarre inclusion of the mother and white horse. Leave all that damaged mother business for Jason Voorhees. If he is insane, then his sister must be too, since the younger ghost version of himself was holding her in her seat. :rolleyes:

B:The ending makes no sense to me, personally.

What I got out of it was that she has cracked and apparently will be the one killing in the next installment (?). She walks out of the shack with his mask on, is she the new Michael Myers? Doesn't make sense to me.

I don't know about the Myers face thing, I must have missed it when I was yawning/rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.

C: Zombie and art are loose terms. I consider The Devil's Rejects to be art, somewhat. In terms of grotesqueness, Halloween II however, to me is not art.

You say the theme of this film is wanting to re-unite with loved ones, but he is the one who killed them all. Seems contradicting to me.

[jrs]

I'm just curious, when the hell did Michael Myers have a beard?

[TheUsualSuspect]

I know, my friend and I made a joke that it was Zombie trying to tell us that HE is Myers.

[scottc]

Zombie destroyed Halloween

[n3wt]

I have to say I am a huge horror fan and I thought the first Rob Zombie Halloween was great and again I really enjoyed H2. I agree with Jrs on the fact that I thought the whole part where Michael Disappears from the film for about 30 minutes was terrible and you did feel the lack of destruction and the feel of a Halloween movie.

[TylerDurden99]

Underrated modern slasher, with a lot more emotion and better performances than I'd usually expect. I loved the look of it and it was extremely beautiful to look at, even during the brutal murder scenes. Vastly superior to Zombie's first Halloween film, which wasn't hard to begin with, but this is a great example of a sequel improving greatly on the original.

[Deadite]

I liked Zombie's first Halloween remake pretty well. The performances were interesting and it was actually tensest during the first half's backstory. Unfortunately, I felt the last act with Michael hunting Laurie and Loomis hunting Michael was mis-handled and not suspenseful or even edited coherently. The brilliance of the original's concise direction and tense cat & mouse moments was apparently lost on Rob Zombie, who had Michael stomping around like a retarded tyrannosaur.

The horrible sequel was the nail in the coffin. Every character was misused and the story was just plain stupid. The drawn-out psychobabble analysis of Michael's state of mind and motivations were just silly and painfully cringe-inducing to behold. The movie was slow, embarassingly pretentious garbage and the characters were annoying.

[Used Future]

I liked Zombie's first Halloween remake pretty well. The performances were interesting and it was actually tensest during the first half's backstory.

Yeah I agree. Daeg Faerch is very creepy as the young Michael and I often think the film would have worked better as a straight prequel to the events of Carpenter's film. Zombie's movie is fascinating until Michael escapes from the asylum and we're left with a straight rerun of something we've already seen. Box office demands though I guess...

[Deadite]

Agreed. Fantastic acting from Faerch, the unquestionable stand-out in an uneven film.

There's a definite disconnect between that disturbed yet sympathetic boy and the lumbering hulk during the latter half. I think it could have worked better, and the start of adult Michael at the asylum was still effective for me, especially the tragic murder of the compassionate janitor (Danny Trejo in a small but excellent role). However, after he escapes and it gets to the actual events of that night, the movie just dragged. There was hardly any suspense once the "chase proper" began, and I never felt anything remotely close to the tension of the original's scenes of Michael stalking Laurie. It all just felt uninspired and clumsy by that point.

[Used Future]

Interesting comments. I agree there's a definite 'missing link' between Faerch's excellent youthful portrayal and the behemoth adult Michael. Shame Zombie didn't have the guts to further explore the Myers mind, and make better use of Malcolm McDowell. Of course that would have pissed off the slasher devotees, but nobody can deny getting a thrill out of young Michael wasting that bully. Hell, it could've been a super-sick Heathers for the noughties.

[Deadite]

I do feel that Rob Zombie kind of squandered Faerch's performance, and yet he then ridiculously over-emphasized the psychological aspect in Halloween 2. Seems as if he was attempting in part 2 to reconcile the believably human monster of young Michael with the adult Michael's inhuman monster, but it didn't work. For one thing, the imagery of the subconscious was heavy-handedly employed and just came across as laughable to me.

Also, I have to admit that while I like McDowell a lot, his Loomis was less than compelling for me, which was another disappointment.

[Used Future]

Duh on me. Despite the thread title I was referring to Zombie's original outing, but can't really fault any of your comments. I love McDowell who much like Rutger Hauer, has been slumming it for the last twenty years.

Incidentally: if you want to see Donald Pleasence send up his Halloween role in a really fun 80's slasher - then check out Alone In The Dark (1982) which also stars Martin Landau and Jack Palance as murderous crazies, as well as Dwight 'Howling Mad Murdoch' Schultz as their psychiatrist. Anyone who has seen The Wanderers will also recognise Erland Van Lidth as one of the killers. Great fun. :up:

http://retroslashers.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/aloneindark.jpg http://static.rateyourmusic.com/lk/f/s/1fc0e74231b5446582eacca6b98f021b/3301758.jpg

[Deadite]

Yeah, I was mostly talking about Zombie's first Halloween, but also comparing what worked for me in it to the travesty that was the sequel.

Thanks for the recommendation. Also, you mention Rutger Hauer. Don't mean to derail but that man is one of my favorite actors!

[TylerDurden99]

Faerch's performance as Young Myers was the best thing about the first one, but I don't like Rob Zombie's first Halloween at all. It's very uneven, with the prequel first half and the straight remake second half, with both failing to register any interest. The first half is slightly interesting, with some moments that captured a bit of attention, the best part being Danny Trejo's admittedly affecting death, but it's still dreadfully slow, lacking tension and real scares. The second half also lacks this, instead relying on cheap brutality. McDowell's Loomis was very good, but ultimately wasted in a plain terrible film.

I liked how Zombie fully released his vision in H2, although it could've done without those pretentious and cringeworthy sequences involving his wife and the white horse.