Dimension Films, 2009. Written and Directed by Rob Zombie. Music by Tyler Bates. Starring Malcom McDowell, Scout-Taylor Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Sheri Moon Zombie and Tyler Mane.

     By Stephen Pytak 

     It's strange, brutal, colorful, rather funny, and much better 
than I thought it would be.
     Rob Zombie's second "Halloween" film is better than his
first, and in many ways better than "Halloween II (1981)"
because the main characters are given more to do. Or they're
given new courses of action altogether.
     Take the "Dr. Loomis" character for example. In the first
series, he was simply this obsessed guy chasing the boogeyman.
Here, he's high on himself. He's convinced the monster's dead. 
He's written a new book. And two years after the events of 
Zombie's  first "Halloween," he's on a book tour and it's not
going so well. The scene on the TV talk show with "Weird Al" 
Yankovic is hilarious. 
     This is one of the best "Dr. Loomis" films in the series 
because it took a new approach to the character and it worked.
It was also some great comic relief from the violence (and there's
a lot of that.) 
     The new Loomis book also creates a stir and reveals one of
the film's key plot points. Honestly, I kind of liked how that
was done.
     While the flick still has that Mad Magazine feel to it 
Zombie's first "Halloween" had, it also felt like a gruesome, 
blood-soaked horror story you'd read in Warren Comics in the 
'70s.  
     I know a lot of die-hard "Halloween" fans probably hated it.
One reviewer said the movie was "absolutely terrible." Maybe I'm
just sick of the old Michael Myers story. It's boring actually. Kinda
stupid. Making sequels to it, even moreso. I actually agree with
John Carpenter and the idea that his flick was a one shot. I've
seen all the "Halloween" follow ups, from the best, "Halloween 4:
The Return of Michael Myers (1988)" to the worst, "Halloween 5:
The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)." Every time one comes out
you go in knowing it's probably just going to be another one. Well,
this one wasn't. A lot of stuff happened here that never happened 
before in Haddonfield. It was a heck of a lot more fun that most.
     I might reveal a few spoilers below. So, you've been warned.
     The film picks up immediately after the events of the first film.
Michael Myers is presumed dead. He's carted off by an
ambulance which takes a roundabout way to the hospital 
morgue, a country road. It runs into a cow (seriously), the jolt
revives the masked killer, he rips apart what's left of the 
paramedics and takes off for the woods.
     Two years pass. "Laurie (Compton)" is now living with
Sheriff Brackett (Dourif)" and his daughter, "Annie (Harris)."
She's still messed up about the horrors she experienced two
Halloweens back. She's taking a lot of drugs. She's seeing a 
shrink (Margot Kidder). But she's determined to enjoy herself
that October 31 and goes to a Halloween bash with friends.
They dress up Rocky Horror style. She goes as "Magenta" the 
domestic. With strippers on stage and music by the band
Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures, this was the best 
Halloween party presented in any of the "Halloween" movies.
     Michael, who has been living in a shack eating wildlife all
this time, decides to surface, prompted by the ghost of his dead
mother (Moon-Zombie). He starts his murderous rampage by
carving up local farmers, heads to the Rabbit In Red Lounge
(fun scene) then picks up Laurie's scent and heads to the 
bash.
    In the process, the flick gives us a lot of new stuff to look
at and consider. Moon-Zombie looks like a ghoul from 
"Carnival of Souls (1962)." There's a ghostly horse in this flick.
She tows it around. Some fans on the 'net said this was
rediculous. I didn't mind it. With a Zombie film, I want 
something strange and fucked up. And it was.
    While brutal, this was sometimes a beautiful-looking film.
Once again, Zombie really makes the place look like it's
Halloween somewhere in Middle America. There's cool camera
angles, costumes and use of colorful lights. Nice on the eyes (if
you dig this kind of stuff.)
    The acting is better this time out. Compton was good. The 
conversations between the girls in Zombie's first "Halloween" 
really sucked. Here, they're not as bad. At least it comes off a bit
more real. 
    Dourif is a great Brackett. Unlike the sheriff in the original 
"Halloween II," Brackett is a real player here, Laurie's gaurdian. 
He's got more to do. We even get to see his house. On the outside 
it's kind of nice, average. Inside, it's a mess. I liked the picture of 
Jesus by the toilet.
   The violence was appropriately shocking. Michael is really a 
butcher this time out. In one scene he stabs and stabs this woman, 
then punches the blade into her skull, then waits a moment to see 
if she'll twitch. Funny in a weird way.  
    The ending was cool. There's a homage to Hitchcock's 
"Psycho (1960)." I liked it.
    The only beef: Daeg (who played little Michael in Zombie's
first "Halloween") wasn't in it. I read someplace he grew too
much in the past two years and somehow it didn't look right. 
Then again, historically, no one in the history of the franchise 
has played little Michael twice.
    Do I want a sequel?
    Only if Rob is invovled. And I heard this is it for him. I mean,
he's really the star. It's his screwed up vision and twisted sense
of humor which kind of made this work. 
     However, I heard the producers are planning "Halloween
3-D" for a 2010 release. 
     Whatever.