O v. R: Halloween

Original v. Remake: HALLOWEEN

by Eli Henry

  1978 saw the release of what would become one of the most influential horror films ever made: John Carpenter's 'Halloween'.  2007 saw the release of what would become one of the worst horror film remakes ever made: Rob Zombie's 'Halloween'. Oh, boy.


  The original 'Halloween' is often noted as being the first true 'slasher' film (although that terminology wasn't in use yet, and the movie contained little blood or gore), and has become a classic, and often replicated but never equaled horror film. As one of legendary horror director John Carpenter's first films (he later went on to make 'The Thing', 'They Live', 'Prince of Darkness', and more), 'Halloween' is also one of the most successful independent films, spawning 8 sequels, a remake (along with its own sequel), several novels and comic books, an Atari video game, and numerous other merchandise. You can barely walk into a costume shop in the fall without running into a Michael Myers mask. 

  As mentioned above, the 1978 'Halloween' was popular enough to spawn a remake, released in 2007. Rob Zombie wrote, produced, and directed this remake himself, really taking to heart John Carpenter's advice to "make [the film] his own". What audiences ended up with was the white-trash prequel/remake monster that was regrettably tied to the 'Halloween' franchise. Take a look:

  Mmm... classy. The remake was definitely the blood and guts younger brother of the original 'Halloween', and its story (and the film, overall) suffers for it. However, the movie went on to gross over 80 million dollars at the box office, making it the most successful 'Halloween' movie to date. Depressing.
  
  Honestly, there were some redeeming aspects to the film, such as Malcom McDowell's casting as Dr.Loomis, and the various references to the original 'Halloween'. The sequel to the remake was where things went from bad to puke-your-guts-out terrible.

  The remake... LOSES. 
  
  Next on O v. R: Dawn of the Dead