Tara and I saw Rob Zombie’s remake of HALLOWEEN on Friday night. As relentless cinematic optimists, we went to the theater hoping to experience a fresh and entertaining treatment of what has become a classic American horror film.
We were sorely disappointed.
Part of what makes the original HALLOWEEN so effective is that the audience never knows exactly why it is that Michael Myers becomes a sadistic killer. He’s a sort of nightmarish “everyman” whose character is all the more frightening because he comes from what appears to be a “normal” middle-class family. (Of course, the fact that he walks around in an old Captain Kirk mask only deepens the terror of his rampage! After all, Shatner’s face always heightens the intensity of things, doesn’t it?!)
Zombie’s attempt to provide an explanatory back-story to the Michael Myers narrative comes across as both clichéd and cinematically counterproductive. Quite simply, it is a story best left untold. By attempting to say too much in his film (and by doing it so ham-handedly), Zombie robs the audience of the opportunity to use its imagination when it comes to Michael’s origins and motives.
Also disappointing to me was the film’s relocation of HALLOWEEN’s cinematic emphasis from suspense to gore (and from imagined violence to a violence carefully and vividly depicted).
That said, seeing the film inspired Tara and me to explore these questions on the drive home: What have been some of the best movie remakes over the years? What makes a movie a suitable candidate for a remake? And how substantively can a director or screenwriter alter the original storyline before it becomes an artistic pillaging?
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR comes to mind as an excellent remake. So does Martin Scorsese’s version of CAPE FEAR. Perhaps I would place John Carpenter’s version of THE THING on the list as well (an ironic placement, I suppose, given the fact that Carpenter directed the original HALLOWEEN).
Are there some others that you would name? How do you feel about this whole issue of cinematic remakes?
It behooves us to remember, after all, that, theologically speaking, all of us are “remakes”!!!!!
This may not make your list, but because of my children I have enjoyed the remake of “Freaky Friday” I enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in this one. Gave a modern twist to the story.
I thought of that immediately, because of Curtis’ roll in the original Halloween, which I have always loved. Not a big slasher movie guy, but this original was suspense driven rather than by blood and gore.
Yeah…Tara came up with Freaky Friday.
Good one.
I haven’t seen it yet, but I hear that “3:10 to Yuma” is an incredible remake of the original Western of the 1950’s.
Loved the first “Parent Trap,” and the second! I was a Haley Mills look alike way back when! “Let’s get together-yeah, yeah, yeah!”
Jeff…
I’m looking forward to “3:10″.
Debbie…
Your reference to the remake of “Parent Trap” reminds me that Lindsay Lohan was once young, wide-eyed, and innocent.
I feel your pain regarding the building of a backstory which took away much of the horror of Myers. Robyn and I felt the same way regarding Darth Vader, who went from becoming one of the cinema’s scariest villains to being a tragic hero of sorts. I wish Episodes I - III had not been made!
I thought “The Fly” was a decent remake; Robyn really liked “Ocean’s 11″, although I suspect her motives were less than pure. Also, “The Magnificent Seven” was a pretty good remake of “The Seven Samurai”. Alfred Hitchcock’s remake of his own “The Man Who Knew Too Much” was also quite good.
Nice, Keith.
The only truly redeeming feature of Episodes I-III, in my mind, was the opportunity to see Yoda in some honkin’ fine light saber action. That was worth the price of admission for me.
I did like “The Fly” (and how can one go wrong with Goldblum?).
I love Carpenter’s version of “The Thing.” I think the “Alien” films ripped it off. My favorite Carpenter movie is “They Live” starring wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper. In this film there is a fight scene between Piper and Keith David that is the best hand to hand combat scene that I have ever seen.
Heh, heh.
I’ve seen “They Live.” I know precisely the fight scene that you are describing.
All that I can say about Roddy’s acting is that it makes Keith David look like Laurence Olivier!!!
Eric, I am becoming more certain that the list of movies you haven’t seen is far shorter than those you have seen! Hollywood loves you!
Just thinking ahead a bit…The real remake that should be a top 10 favorite, even though it hasn’t been released yet…. The Second Coming of Jesus! Amen?
Amen, Debbie.
That’s what I call a blockbuster!
Episodes I-III of Star Wars were worth it for 2 reasons: 1st, the aforementioned Yoda scenes; but 2nd, and I think even cooler than Yoda, was Darth Maul’s Light Saber Staff. That had to be the coolest thing by far about Episode 1.
So what about Planet of the Apes? I would say that Charlton Heston was the best. Of course the rating systems have changed over time because the original was rated PG but when we rented it for the boys to see the classic - we had forgotten that there was a scene with his bare backside.
Allene…
I didn’t think that the remake of Apes was very good.
And not just because of the absence of Heston’s backside either!
I’m just glad he kept all of his clothes on as Moses!