"You haven't said a word for fifteen years, Michael. That's twice as long as my first marriage." -- Dr. Loomis.
In this remake of the 1978 Halloween, babysitters and others are terrorized by a maniac who has escaped from an asylum. This version is half an hour longer than the original, with much more time devoted to Michael Myer's dysfunctional home life as a boy, as well as his initial killing spree, which includes more victims than in the original. We also see more scenes of young and old Michael in the institution, and his murderous escape is more detailed. The good news is that this means there are less scenes with the self-absorbed teenagers, although the sequences when they're sliced and diced remain intact. This Halloween is bloodier than the first, but is never all that graphic despite the violence. Although -- as usual in these films -- the climax has some suspense and excitement, the movie's direction is unimaginative, and the reuse of John Carpenter's music (which has never been well-orchestrated) is not a good touch. Malcolm McDowell plays the Donald Pleasence part of Dr. Loomis; Dee Wallace is Laurie's mother; Brad Dourif [Seed of Chucky] is the sheriff; and the oddly-named Scout Taylor-Compton is satisfactory as Laurie. Other interesting cast members include Richard Lynch, Clint Howard, Udo Kier, and William Forsythe. Daeg Faerch -- that's not a misprint -- is effective as Michael at age ten. Tyler Mane makes a somewhat sexier adult Michael than usual. Followed by a remake of Halloween 2!
Verdict: Some might see this as a vulgarization of the original. but the original was not that great, either. **1/2.
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