Rob Zombie endeavors to make a new ice-cream sundae, and the result is, in its own way, edible and arguably delicious. But it’s still not an ice-cream sundae.
David’s thoughts / Leo’s thoughts
by Rumsey Taylor | Source: Dimension Films DVD
10 Jan 2008 12:46 PM | Comments (2)
This was a film I grappled with a lot at first, in large part because I wanted to be fair to it, i.e., to NOT compare it to the original. That it can’t compare to Carpenter’s almost goes without saying in my book, but after revisiting it on DVD I am now convinced that Zombie got to something worthwhile in his own efforts. Clumsy at times, and I find the acting to be a little to hammy to really support the film’s exploitative thrust, but as far as slasher horror goes, this is one of the most ferocious films I’ve ever seen. In my mind, Carpenter’s Myers is evil manifest, period. Zombie has more of a post-Columbine study going on, and though its not a full-on success, I think it falls on the pro-remake side of the argument. Plus, I think that the “Love Hurts” montage is absolutely brilliant – had the whole film hit the proverbial nail on the head that hard, I think we’d have a new horror masterpiece.
I realize that’s the fair approach to this film, and it’s something David and Leo have done a much better job of than I. But for me that would be disingenuous for a few reasons I should note: first, the film uses Carpenter’s original score rather liberally. Zombie’s at his most deft, arguably, in his usage of pop music (one of the things I most admired in The Devil’s Rejects), and that he uses the iconic score is an example of either homage or obligation—neither supports his ingenuity as a filmmaker. Second, and more significantly, this is the third in string of remakes of Carpenter’s films, and like the others, for me, it just evidences how brilliant John Carpenter is in the first place.
To Zombie’s credit, at least he didn’t helm a Halloween sequel.
rob
10 January 2008
11:06 AM
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