Movies
[Review] Rob Zombie’s Very Personal ‘Halloween II’
“Being in my shoes isn’t easy as technically H2 is loaded with problems, and yet, I had a great time in the theater. In fact, I might even go see it AGAIN in theaters. This speaks to volumes as I rarely (and I mean rarely) see a movie twice. There’s just something about HALLOWEEN II that’s peculiar, odd and even intriguing. Maybe it’s the fact that Zombie made HIS movie instead of OUR movie, or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity and brutality of it all, but in the end I think hardcore horror fans will enjoy this …”
Rob Zombie’s 2007 HALLOWEEN had zero focus (it was half remake, half prequel, and a complete mess). There were a rash of annoying cameos forced in, with scares that were replaced by loud noises and screaming. Beyond the opening sequence, where young Michael beats the crap out of a bully, the first HALLOWEEN is unwatchable.
Enter HALLOWEEN II, a film I expected to be even worse than the first. From the beginning I had never expected Zombie to listen to the naysayers, and learn from his mistakes; he proved me dead wrong. From the lack of cameos to the ultra-violence that replaced a barrage of loud noises, Zombie listened to critics and delivered a focused and vicious punch that’s both personal, and will make (most) HALLOWEEN fans happy.
This is why I will defend H2 until the very end – Zombie clearly made his movie, and not the studio’s. There’s a moment when an ambulance hits a cow and leaves two bleeding to death. One sits there, gushing blood, screaming, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…” I took this as Zombie’s literally telling the MPAA, Dimension Films, critics, and even some fans of the franchise to “fuck off.” I loved that about the film. It’s extraordinarily personal, and isn’t pandering to anyone.
In Zombie’s mind-fuck of a HALLOWEEN film, he decides that he needs to visually portray Myers’ motivations by bringing Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) back as a ghost. Also joining the family reunion is little Michael Myers (recast with Chase Vanek), a visual representation of the death of his “living” self. Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) is now living with Annie Brackett (Danielle Harrie) and he father, the Sheriff (Brad Dourif). Michael was being transported away from Haddonfield, and after the ambulance crash, it walking his way back home. Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), on the other hand, is promoting his new book that’s demonized him as a self-centered narcissist.
The biggest issue for me is that Loomis’ character has NO place in H2, other than to be a device for Laurie to find out she’s actually Michael’s sister. This is easily something that could have been explained by having Laurie read Loomis’ book, instead of forcing the audience to suffer through his boring ass monologues. Zombie could have easily chopped him entirely from the movie, as he does absolutely NOTHING.
Speaking of Laurie, Zombie makes the mistake of making her completely fallible (although, in the director’s cut, she’s more edgy). After the events from the first film, she’s a mess and on the brink of complete self-destruction. We don’t relate to her, we don’t like her; in fact, we don’t care if she lives or dies. What H2 was missing was a strong female lead, or at least a moment where Laurie becomes that (surprisingly, Zombie added this to his director’s cut).
It’s incredibly obvious how quick this movie was put into production as Zombie kills time between scenes by having Michael Myers randomly come across local folk and then decimating them, twice over. While some of these scenes are incredibly cool, there’s just no purpose for them other than to have Michael kill three more people before he finds Laurie. In fact, there are two scenes I vividly remember that wasted a good 10-15 minutes of screen time, achieved nothing, and didn’t do anything to drive the plot. Still, they’re oddly entertaining, beautifully shot (I love that Zombie uses crane shots to show scope), and easily the most vicious scenes in the entire HALLOWEEN franchise.
Speaking of mayhem and murder, Zombie traded in the banging and loud noises displayed in the remake for extreme savagery in the sequel. H2 is a straight-up exploitation flick filled with violence for the sake of violence. In my book that’s typically an immediate FAIL, but there was something remotely entertaining about it in this film – maybe it was just nice to see Michael stabbing the living sh*t out of someone instead of banging a piece of wood against the ceiling for 10 minutes (like at the end of the remake)? Just wait until you see the opening scene – holy fuck wait until you see it!
Along with the editing, the look of the film was creepy, dark and uncomfortable; Zombie’s lack of score only intensified the effect. In retrospect, H2 felt like a Rob Zombie mind-fuck music video where nothing makes sense, yet you’re completely entertained for an hour and a half. That’s the odd beauty of Zombie’s sequel… as ugly as it gets, you can’t stop from looking. Whether it’s Deborah with a white horse or Laurie Strode screaming, “I’m Michael Myers’ sister!,” Zombie always has your attention. For better or worse, it’s damn near entertaining. I didn’t look at my watch once, never sighed, and never thought to myself, “Please, end already!” In fact, I found myself amped to see what came next.
Technically, H2 is loaded with problems, and yet, I had a great time in the theater. In fact, I might even go see it again. This speaks volumes as I rarely (and I mean rarely) see a movie twice. There’s just something about HALLOWEEN II that’s peculiar, odd and even intriguing. Maybe it’s the fact that Zombie made HIS movie instead of OUR movie, or maybe it’s the sheer simplicity and brutality of it all? Whatever the case may be, H2 is a mesmerizing one-shot of a HALLOWEEN film that will stand the test of time and live on forever.
The creators of internet icons that go on to inspire collaborative online fiction tend not to have much control over their creations once they leave the proverbial nest. From Victor Surge’s Slender Man to the anonymous user who first posted that Backrooms image with the accompanying text, once the internet hive mind takes over, artists are usually forced to sit back and watch as their stories take on a life of their own.
One exception to this rule is horror artist and creature designer Trevor Henderson. Back in 2018, Henderson introduced the world to an enigmatic figure named Siren Head and gave the online horror community their last great mascot. However, while the immensely popular creature made several unofficial (and sometimes unwanted) appearances in games, videos, and plenty of fan-art, Henderson miraculously managed to keep creative control over his monster even as it became a worldwide sensation.
With the success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film encouraging Hollywood to scour the internet for more online horror properties with an existing fanbase that might be enticed to show up to theaters, it makes sense that both Trevor and his digital offspring would be next in line for a big screen adaptation.
However, while Siren Head became a massive hit among the younger crowd who were in search of an online horror icon to call their own, much like my generation did with Slender Man, there are plenty of genre fans who aren’t familiar with the story behind this peculiar creature. That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me as I dive into the origins of a beloved internet monster with more cinematic potential than you might initially believe.
Trevor Henderson’s Viral Horror Universe
To understand Siren Head, you first have to understand Trevor Henderson’s spooky body of work. A Canadian artist with a passion for coming up with online cryptids, Trevor went by the moniker of Slimyswampghost and would occasionally post photorealistic artwork on both Twitter and Tumblr as part of the internet tradition of sharing “cursed images” on social media. These found-footage-influenced digital paintings would often be accompanied by brief snippets of text contextualizing them within the artist’s larger universe of bizarre entities.
In August of 2018, Trevor posted several creepy creations that would end up becoming fan-favorites (from the 1930s-animation-inspired Creepy Cat to my personal favorite, Long Horse), though none of these could compete with the popularity of Siren Head. A tall, slender figure that camouflaged itself among telephone poles on isolated roadsides, this humanoid monster was inspired by the mysterious number stations phenomenon (real-life cryptic radio broadcasts that repeat coded numbers ad infinitum).
In his original post, Trevor included the following text alongside the picture:
She was on vacation with her husband, and they were scoping out graveyards on the way, as you do, when she saw it. Rising out of the old cemetery, big as an old (macabre) telephone pole. Was this some kind of bizarre art piece the authorities hadn’t gotten wise to yet? Even as she stepped out of the car, the megaphones on its “head” screeched to life. “NINE. EIGHTEEN. ONE. CHILD. SEVENTEEN. REMOVE. VILE“. A buzzing, doubled voice screamed random words at her. At this point, it jerked into motion, striding down the hill towards her.
And just like that, a new horror icon was born.
However, the creature didn’t become an overnight sensation like some other popular internet legends. It was only about six months later that Modus Interactive contacted Trevor asking for permission to include the monster in his contribution to that year’s Haunted PS1 Halloween Game Jam. The ensuing free-to-play title was a moderate hit, but Siren Head would lay dormant for a while after its release as Trevor continued to focus on other projects.
How Siren Head Went Viral
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and short-form video content took over the internet. In April of 2020, Tiktokker and VFX artist Alex Howard created an eerily believable video of Siren Head towering over a cityscape, with this viral hit catapulting the character to mainstream recognition as genre fans raced to find out more about the enigmatic creature.
Suddenly, Siren Head was everywhere. Memes, toys, short film adaptations and even more videogame appearances led to the character occupying the same place that Slender Man had once held in popular culture. The only difference was that fans continued to refer to Henderson for more “official” lore about the monster, with the artist encouraging fan-made work but continuing to expand the mythology surrounding the character (which has since been revealed to be the physical manifestation of an Eldritch entity that preys on humankind).
Henderson even went so far as to discourage the character’s inclusion in the SCP Archives, as this would give Siren Head a Creative Commons license and allow bad actors to take advantage of the creature’s popularity. Not only that, but giving fans too much creative control over the monster would have inevitably lead to what some genre enthusiasts, such as Kane Parsons, refer to as “lore creep”: the overaccumulation of fictional information regarding a horror property that ultimately makes the story less scary.
While we’re past the peak of Siren Head’s online popularity, the character still holds a special place in genre fans’ hearts as an icon representing a particular moment in internet history. That’s why even horror titans like Junji Ito have expressed their love for the monster, and also why it makes sense for Hollywood to finally get off their butts and get around to adapting the creature to the big screen – especially since the monster’s success has led to Henderson developing a career in the horror genre (with several freaky projects ranging from Young Adult Horror novels to Bloody FM’s own Mayfair Watchers Society Podcast).
With the cinematic dream-team of both Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield joining forces in order to steer Trevor’s ideas towards box office gold, I think it’s safe to say that Siren Head is about to get the big-screen adaptation the fans deserve, and I know I’ll be there on opening night!
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