4 Days. 10 movies. 2 alternate cuts.
The Shape consumed my life.
I just binge-viewed the complete Halloween collection, although it’s not exactly “complete”. One of the biggest detriments to the massive set, out tomorrow through Scream Factory and Anchor Bay, is that it only contains the Director’s Cut of both Rob Zombie’s Halloween (review) and his Halloween II (review). Both versions are painfully too long, especially the remake, which I couldn’t help but fast-forward through. But that’s a small complaint about an otherwise epic set.
While some people enjoy overly complex packaging, I’m all about simplicity and what it will look like on my shelf. The packaging is nice and clean, displaying all of the titles in individual cases so you can easily grab the film you want to watch. The black Blu-ray cases are a beautiful touch, and give it a unique and distinctive feel. It also comes with a full-color book with a brief history of Halloween and Michael Myers. While the Blu-ray and DVD menus are a bit clunky, the transfers look crazy good, although I hardly consider myself an expert in film and audio quality.
Speaking to the actual films, this isn’t a review of the box set, but a sort of play-by-play of my thought process while binge-viewing all ten films in a row, 12 if you count the Producer’s Cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and the television version of John Carpenter’s Halloween.
This was a special experience for me – being someone who rarely revisits films, and previously had a hard time deciphering the order in which I rank the ten films. There’s a lot of positive to binging, especially because the movies are all paired, except for Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the only sans Michael Myers film in the franchise (and also one of the best sequels). The first two, directed by John Carpenter and Rick Rosenthal, respectively, play back to back.
Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and The Curse of Michael Myers all connect together as a trilogy to tell the (much-hated) tale of the curse/cult of the Thorn. The seventh film, Halloween H20, was an anniversary film of sorts that rekindled the franchise with star Jamie Lee Curtis. H20 is connected to Halloween: Resurrection, mostly because of the opening sequence where Laurie Strode finally dies (and both feel hilariously of that time period).
Lastly, you have the paired Rob Zombie re-imaginings that were to start the franchise free of the Thorn abomination. Still, after binging, I was able to conclude that the mythology behind Zombie’s Michael Myers is way worse than Cult of Thorn. More on that later. In short, watching them in a row is a great way to pick up on the small things you may have otherwise missed, especially in the bloated and complex Thorn trilogy.
What I found most interesting while revisiting John Carpenter’s 1978 Halloween is recognizing the true power of the score and accompanying stinger. I often wonder how powerful the movie would have been without this simple, yet impactful touch? It’s sort of incredible how perfectly the stars aligned for this little indie; from the score to the title, the Shape mask, and cast, it’s actually the perfect horror movie, which is probably why it’s still so extraordinarily popular (not that you needed me to tell you that.)
It’s also interesting that, considering how awesome the Shape mask is, that nearly no sequel was able to duplicate its simplistic terror. My favorite thing to do when I watch a classic is put my mind in the time period that it was released. Remembering that Halloween was a true indie production, with no plans for a sequel, makes it that much better. And in regards to the backstory, the lack of motivation for Michael’s killing spree makes it all the more terrifying; Halloween is basically a movie about an unrelenting psychopath murdering babysitters for no other reason than he’s a nut job. Objectified as “the boogeyman,” it’s also frightening that Michael can’t be reasoned with. Loomis’ passionate fear of Michael elevates Michael’s true onscreen power. The more Loomis describes Michael as a “monster,” the scarier he becomes to the audience.
I also noticed for the first time that Carpenter’s blocking is out of this world. Some incredible moments of note are: The shot of Michael in the background sitting up; the various moody atmospheric crane shot of the streets of Haddonfield (actually Pasadena, CA); the shot of Michael pinning a kid to a wall with his blade, and then looking at him like an intrigued child might stare at something brand new.
There is just so much ferocity and power to Halloween that, after this viewing, I may be convinced that it’s the best horror movie ever made.
The television version of the first film, which boasts another 10 minutes of footage, was shot prior to the filming of Halloween II, and contains various scenes in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium with Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and a young Michael Myers. There’s a lot of mythology dumps in these scenes, including the tease that Michael wants his “sister”, as painted with blood on a door. In retrospect it’s fun to watch, but it’s also a bit on the nose and cheesy; thank god this wasn’t actually in the original Halloween.
With Carpenter’s 1981 Halloween II, the coolest aspect is that it begins immediately after the events of the first, while it also adds the heavy mythology of Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) actually being Michael’s sister.
With the sequel, Rick Rosenthal displays some of my favorite camerawork in the entire franchise, especially of the shot of Michael appearing out of shadows for a kill. And as much as I love the film, there’s a lot of weird stuff, such as Donald Pleasence’s extreme over-reacting, and the town’s mishandling of the whole Michael Myers situation (in one scene, a kid wearing the same mask as Michael gets hit by an incompetent police officer. The car smashes into a van, explodes, and kills the kid. They realize it isn’t him and run off to pursue Michael, leaving the kid pinned to the van and burning alive). One of my biggest issues is the finite finale that was meant to end the franchise. Even worse is the (awful) extended ending, which was smartly removed. In my mind, I always loved Halloween II, but after a week of binging it has slid down my list quite a bit. For what? How about Season of the Witch…
It’s nothing short of amazing how many horror fans hate the 1982 Season of the Witch. They’re wrong. Dead wrong.
It gets such a bad rap, but it’s easily one of the best in the entire franchise, if not the second behind Carpenter’s original. From the catchy Silver Shamrock theme song to the wonderfully designed sets, props and Halloween consumes/masks, Witch wonderfully captures the essence of early 80’s horror. Even without Michael Myers slicing and dicing, you can tell a lot of work went into creating an interesting story that could deliver on its Halloween premise, potentially setting up a franchise in the spirit of “The Twilight Zone”. Frankly, I think the anthology concept would have been a better direction that the upcoming Thorn arc, but clearly fans demanded the return of Michael (I can only imagine what it was like to have caught the movie in theaters and expected to see Michael back on the big screen). A return is what they would get.
I think it’s safe to say most Halloween fans hate the Cult of Thorn subplot, but I’ve now learned to love it.
Maybe it’s because I already know it’s beyond stupid, or maybe it’s because I just don’t care anymore, but whatever the case may be, I sort of dig it now. I think what I really like is the filmmakers’ commitment to the over-explanation of Michael’s motive, which begins in the 1988 The Return of Michael Myers. From the Cult constellation symbol to the “Man In Black,” The Return of Michael Myers and Revenge of Michael Myers both technically know where the franchise is headed. I commend their commitment, even if it dampers and weakens the motivation behind the Myers murder spree. If you watch these three, and then go back to the first knowing he’s just a puppet, well, that sucks. As stand alone trilogy, there’s a lot to like.
Danielle Harris is really one of the main reasons Return and Revenge are good movies, and it’s really a shame she wasn’t in Curse, which Akkad admits was a mistake (in a short extra features interview). One of the biggest issues is that, if you weren’t to watch these three back-to-back-to-back, Curse is massively confusing. By the sixth film, there are so many family connections to Michael that it begins to play out like a Benny Hill act. However, it is fun to put your mind at the time of release, and understand that fans were extraordinarily pissed off that Michael wasn’t in Season of the Witch. You get to understand why the films are taken in the direction that they are; even the trailer is fun to watch as it boasts Michael’s legendary return.
Something I really dug about the 1989 Revenge of Michael Myers was that it was surprisingly well directed (by Dominique Othenin-Girard), even if the pacing was absolute shit. The party sequence feels like an eternity and it takes forever for the finale to get going. And speaking of the finale, I absolutely love how Return, Revenge and Curse are so perfectly strung together; whether it’s true or not, it really does feel as if the filmmakers knew exactly what the end game was from the beginning of Return.
The biggest selling point of this box set, however, is the Producer’s Cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. As to really be able to pick which I prefer, I watched both Curse and its Producer’s Cut back-to-back. In the end, I choose both; I wish the Producer’s Cut had extreme gore from the theatrical version (edit*), while I prefer the conclusion of the Producer’s Cut (Michael standing in a circle of rocks). The endings of both are extremely flaccid, although the Producer’s Cut is more fulfilling, even if Michael Myers just stands there in a circle of rocks like an idiot (see accompanying pic). It was also interesting to see Loomis handed the curse, which could have been the beginning of an entirely new journey had he not passed away. The biggest issue with both versions is that Michael stops becoming the central character in the franchise, which now becomes about a bunch of old people wearing stupid hoods. Accepting that these sequels exist, and having moved past my hatred for the over-elongated backstory, I sort of enjoy them now.
After staying dead for nearly a decade, Michael Myers returned in Halloween H20, along with her sister, Laurie Strode (and franchise star Jamie Lee Curtis). I still love H20, even though it takes more than an hour to get going. From the score (Bush!) to the bland, bright and blown-out cinematography, it’s such a product of the 90’s. The best thing about this sequel is when Laurie finally stops fearing Michael and in turn hunts him down. Revisiting all of these years later, I now feel as if the cat and mouse game doesn’t hold up, and that it needed a stronger third act. Also, one of the more bizarre decisions made with H20 was to have the entire school on holiday, which gives the film a stage-y/empty vibe. It’s not until the ambulances and police show up that it starts to have the feel of believability, only by then it’s basically over.
Watching this I had a flashback of rage. I remember seeing H20 in a theater and getting super pissed off. When Michael gets decapitated, the audience chattered, “He’s finally dead!” It was even more infuriating when Halloween: Resurrection opened with a ridiculous explanation pandering to faux fans as to how Michael “placed” another person into his infamous jumpsuit, crushed his vocal cords, and escaped. The one saving grace is that Michael has done “clever” rouses like the aforementioned on more than one occasion in the previous sequels. I guess it’s not so far-fetched, as much as it was irritating that the audience didn’t really understand the character they had just watched – probably for the first time ever.
Halloween: Resurrection is surprisingly one of the more violent sequels (until Rob Zombie comes along), and is also extremely well shot. The opening riffs on Scream, killing off Laurie Strode once and for all, and setting the stage for a techno-slasher way ahead of its time.
Resurrection, much like H20, is grossly a product of its time. It’s also bizarrely smart, tapping into found-footage and internet tropes. I love what they do with the multiple Michael Myers’, and remote viewing of the events taking place in the house. Both are used pretty well to fool the audience, and at times create some suspense. But the problem isn’t the concept, it’s in the execution and stunt casting. The entire film falls apart on the shoulders of Tyra Banks and the insufferable Busta Rhymes (the worst character since Billy). He’s constant (“Trick or treat mother fucker“). He’s nonstop. He’s obnoxious (“Looking a little crispy over there Mikey, like some chicken fried mother fucker“). And worst of all, he’s not funny. Busta Rhymes’ performance will go down in history as one of the worst ever in a horror film. I could feel the franchise dying with each and every line of improved dialogue spewed from his moronic breath.
And maybe that’s what happened. Maybe the franchise was dead, at least for a while. If you can get past Busta, the saddest thing about Resurrection is that it leaves a sequel door open, one that would never be returned to. John Carpenter’s entire franchise has no real conclusion (unless of course, you want to pretend his 1981 Halloween II was the true finale), and ends with a Busta Rhymes monologue that’s the equivalent to having someone pin you down and shit all over your face.
Busta Rhymes is the end of the Halloween saga. Think about that for a second…
I couldn’t stop obsessing about the Cult of Thorn arc while I was watching Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. The biggest issue with the Thorn trilogy is that it ruins/destroys any fear the audience once had for Myers. The “blackest of eyes” – this soulless killer – is actually a dog on a leash, and that sucks. It’s essentially the same mistake Zombie makes by trying to add a deep-seeded meaning behind Michael’s madness.
Michael’s not just a psychopath – as Loomis keeps screaming through two Rob Zombie films – he’s a murderer molded by the abuse and neglect of his family. Michael was created by nurture, not nature – his dad’s a deadbeat, his mom’s too busy stripping to take him trick-or-treating, much like his older sister would rather fuck (a super ugly dude) than hang out with him. “Love Hurts” blasts across the screen because, well, Michael is a sad, sad boy. Cry me a fuckin’ river, I said in my review. Humanizing Michael is the biggest mistake ever made in the franchise. Even worse than the Cult of Thorn. What’s even more interesting is how Zombie works feverishly to give you a reason for Michael’s madness, even though the movie literally opens with him killing an animal. Him being evil – or “born bad” so to speak – is plenty (it was enough for Carpenter) reason for someone to become a mass murderer.
After seeing Rob Zombie’s reboot twice during its theatrical run, I swore I would never watch it again – but this wouldn’t be an epic binge-viewing party if I didn’t revisit this shit-fest as well. It was so tedious that I had to fast forward through some of the second act because I was losing my mind. I have reassured myself that I hate this movie as I nearly pulled the Blu-ray out of my Xbox drive just to crack it in half to avoid further temptation. The saddest thing about this muddled mess is that Michael Myers looks fuckin’ awesome, and I loved the concept of him making various masks, but ultimately it’s not fun to watch. In fact, it’s agonizing.
This is where I shake an old-man angry fist at Anchor Bay and Scream Factory, who have NOT released the complete collection. What’s missing are the theatrical cuts of both Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. These versions are shorter and way better, in my opinion. I prefer the theatrical ending of the remake to what’s on this bloated director’s cut mess. The same applied for Zombie’s Halloween II, which runs about 30 minutes too long.
Thankfully – and I know this will shock a lot of you – I love H2.
I mean, I really, really, really fuckin’ love it. It’s madness caught on film. It’s pure insanity that felt like Rob Zombie’s “fuck you” to everyone who ever stood in his way. The Halloween franchise is bizarrely not as bloody as I recall – that is until Zombie gets his hands on it. H2 is an earthquake of terror and gore, and is completely unapologetic. It’s clear that Zombie, as much as he denies it, listened to critics. And while the final product is by no means a perfect movie, it’s one that (so far) stands the test of time.
The above is how I felt after watching 12 Halloween movies in 4 days, although it was nothing short of horror nirvana. With the films looking so fucking good on my TV, the experience had a rare “first time viewing” vibe. After all of these years, it was exciting to revisit some sequels I had thought I would have never watched again, and it took me back to a place in my youth where I would have waited in line for days to catch a new Halloween film – even if it were to star Busta Rhymes.
What Anchor Bay and Scream Factory have pulled off is a horror miracle, an experience that may very well be the last. Halloween 2014 should be known for the release of this epic Halloween collection, and each and every one of you should take the time to relish in its glory in any way you know how. While physical media may be dying a slow death, the power of Michael Myers is infinite, and he will return once again.
