Halloween 2

So Rob Zombie completes his vision. While successfully doing so, it's easy to see his vision is far from perfect. He brought something new and different to the series while combining some of the key points from the franchise's past. A part of me wants to applaud him in having the balls to take what he was given and completely run with it, while another part of me wants to know what the hell he was thinking? The movie starts off with a new kid taking on the 'Myers at young' role as he shares a terribly acted scene with none other then yup, you guessed it, Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie. And that right there is one of my many problems with this movie. Sheri Moon is highly unneeded as she adds nothing but atrocious dialog and horrendous wardrobe. Along with this terrible opening scene, we're treated with the definition of a white horse. Thank God for that. Don't know where I would have been without it.

It actually picks up from there though, as we focus in on the aftermath from the remake. Scout Taylor Compton reprises her role as Laurie Strode and I was fairly impressed with how she handled this character after the events of the first movie. We get some nice shock scenes as we see her wheeled in to the hospital and get stitched up. The gruesome closeups and screams being yelped prepare the viewer for what they are about to endure for the next hour and a half. Now's your one chance to get out.

And get out some did. There were about four couples that I noticed leaving the theatre and never returned. One of them couples had actually been sitting two seats over. I was actually surprised with the turnout to begin with. I went to the latest show of the evening on opening night and it was half packed. I'll be interested to see the opening weekend numbers. Either way, you know we're getting another.

So once we find out that pretty bad ass opening with Michael stalking the halls of the hospital and pulverizing nurses is just a dream, I gotta admit, I already seen it coming but it was a tad disappointing. Now we're back in real time, one year later, putting the focus on Laurie's 'new family' the Brackett's, both Sheriff (played by Brad Dourif) and daughter (played by the beautiful, sweet and talented Danielle Harris). This new combo of characters was actually one of the brighter points of the movie. They all fit well together and actually seemed quite realistic in their portrayals.

As previously mentioned, everybody's character has changed since the events of the first. Some of these changes work extremely well, some of these changes fall flat on their face. One drastic change is the character of Dr. Loomis (Malcom McDowell returns) who seems to be almost useless throughout. What was the point in showing him in the way that Zombie did, just to add him to the body count. The way it happens is kind of ridiculous also, he just so happens to catch the final showdown on TV, so he drives down to the center of it and just walks right in during a hostel situation? Next we have the changes of Laurie and Annie. You can tell there were a lot of scenes cut as it's obvious something's brooding between them, but it's left more implied then brought out. Laurie is now the dysfunctional trauma victim and new favorite 'daughter' of the Sheriff's while Annie is forced in to the mother role of the family where she's left to take care of the other's and make sure the ship runs smoothly. Laurie's change is understandable yet sometimes overdone, Scout slips with her performance is the last portion of the film while Danielle seems to catch steam and only get stronger until her final demise, this time sadly, for good. Danielle Harris you will be missed, and your final moments on screen were some of the best in the series.

Tyler Mane gives a solid performance throughout. He really becomes Michael and it's clear to see. He is one ruthless bat out of hell from start to finish. With every victim, he unleashes a fury that we've only been shown previously in glimpses. One death in particular was the highlight for me. Where Michael seeks some revenge for mother as he stops in at his mother's old workplace; the local strip club. After one of the employee's squares off with our 'hero', we're treated with a head crush like no other, vicious stomps are dropped repeatedly until this guy's head is a pancake. Nice.

The most impressive performance, in my opinion, aside from Danielle's, comes from Brad Dourif. He plays the father figure throughout while at the same time having the duty to watch over the town as complete chaos is spread throughout it. His reaction to Annie's death pretty much forces the hero role on him as you can't help but root for the guy. And after Annie's demise, he officially becomes the most likable character in the entire movie. I guess Zombie wasn't lying when he mentioned an unlikely hero a few months back. Nicely done.

We're shown a bit of what Michael endures during the last couple days leading up to Halloween. Some of which includes visions of his dead mother and a younger version of himself who he speaks through and seeks advice from. This part just did not work for me, and although different, it just wasn't needed. As Michael tries to survive we're introduced to countless victims, the body count was nice, but it just feels so different. We're no longer shown the stealth and finesse of Michael Myers, now we're shown the brute force of him. Intense yes, as effective? No.

Finally we're given the showdown we want to see yet somewhat unexpected. Sheriff Brackett versus Michael Myers and unhostaged hostage Laurie Stride now also known as Angel Myers also known as Boo. It all happens kind of quick and is ultimately a bit of a let down. Loomis arrives, gets cut up and killed, Sheriff Brackett shoots Michael twice and Laurie stabs him, oh yeah, I forgot to mention, this all takes place in the shack that Michael has been occupying for the last year.

Eventually Laurie comes walking out of this shack as the sole survivor while wearing Michael's mask?!?! Was she behind the madness all along or was she just a victim of it? Is she destined to carry on with the ruthlessness of her brother? Not sure. But what we do know is that with our final scene, she's locked up in what looks like some sort of institution while sharing the visions as Michael. After a quick smirk by Scout, we're left unsure where we go from here...only a matter of time before we find out.

7/10

And just as I had predicted, Annie Lives!

...on in my heart! Danielle Harris, you've done this franchise along with the Horror genre proud. You Are Legend.