Oof what a title. This time around I thought I might try something different. I gathered together the remakes of three of the most iconic horror figures and sat through all three in a row to see which of them stands out. All three movies will receive a small review and a rating based off several factors which include:
- Characters
- Plot
- Scares
- How much has changed from the original
- The Slasher
With that said, let's get started with the first film.
Halloween
Now, I've already reviewed this one in the past so I will make this rather brief. Nothing has changed. The characters are still horrible and impossibly hard to root for, mostly due to the plot and dialogue being rehashed from Rob Zombies other films. Everything is taken to the extreme through the entire film to the point of it just being plain stupid. Michael Myers loses a fair bit of points since he has changed a fair bit thanks largely to how we spend so much time with him while he's young. Scares are minimal, limited to only two, which is pretty bad considering the films length. One small thing to nitpick is that in the beginning the report is giving us exposition in great length on what we just saw two seconds prior even though there is no way he should know all of that information so early on - especially when the bodies are still being wheeled out of the house covered up.
2/5 stars.
Nightmare on Elm Street
Again, another film that I have already reviewed. So, not a whole lot has changed exactly with this film either. The movie actually isn't all that bad, certainly a step up from Halloween. One thing that this film definitely lacks compared to the other two is a body count, which is kept rather minimal in Elm Street. Part of me is sort of torn on the topic, while I do enjoy seeing all the silly teenagers meet their ends due to being struck with Stupidity (or at least most of the time) I also don't mind a minimal body count if it suits the story. I don't honestly think it would have hurt to have a couple more deaths here or there seen or referenced, but as it is things are still alright. My main issue in this film is that Freddy just isn't Freddy anymore. While he still has the same hand and basic look, his face is far too clean looking compared to Robert Englund's look which I found much scarier. While on the topic of scares, this one is also rather lacking for me, but more than makes up for it in other areas. The only other small annoyances are the "Did he or didn't he?" plot and how Nancy is rather....distant as a character. I much prefer the original heroine over this remakes Nancy.
3/5 Stars
Friday the 13th
Finally a film I haven't seen prior to this! It's also, possibly the most entertaining of them despite being so vastly changed from the original film. Friday the 13th opens it's credits by showing us the ending of the original first film in which Pamela Voorhees stalks her last victim and meets a grisly end instead. We then open up to our victims. Sort of. It turns out this first batch of victims only set up things for the rest of the film and we proceed to spend a good deal of time watching them interact before being easily dispatched by our killer. One small note for this group is that I cheered when the extremely annoying guy was picked off, sadly he would be replaced not long after by someone worse.
A few weeks pass in the film and we meet our actual victims for the rest of the film which include a stoner, a token black guy, our main girl, the annoying guy and three other fodder characters who don't' have a whole lot to them. We also meet our hero played by Jared Padalecki who is in search of his sister who is currently a captive of Jason underneath one of the old cabins. This sort of ties in the second films elements in which Jason finds the heroine to resemble his mother, making it easy for her to fight back against him and uses it to her advantage.
The film generally plays out as one would expect it to, though the characters, save for one, can be rather fun to watch. I of course say this in comparison to Halloween's crew. One main reason this film is rather changed from the original is that it actually ties in elements from the first three films including Jason wearing a sack over his head at first, to finding his mask. The only minor annoyance is how smart Jason appears to be in keeping electricity running in his underground hideout and how he has searchlights set up above ground around the cabin. This felt a bit off from the stalker in the woods vibe that he's better known for.
3/5
So there we have it. Three remakes in one day, phew. All in all I found the Friday the 13th remake to be just a bit more enjoyable than Nightmare On Elm Street, and Halloween brings up the rear. There is a small chance though that it would have ranked higher if I were to have added The Fog remake in as well...but that's a different story for another time!
Showing posts with label Slasher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slasher. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Saw 2
Following in the footsteps of the first movie, Saw 2 continues Jigsaws quest to make others appreciate life.
This time around though, a group of strangers and a survivor of his "games" are locked in a house where a toxin is slowly killing them. The idea reminded a lot of Cube at first, though this movie is a bit slow on the pace.
We do manage to find one character to generally root for, though the rest are just your standard cannon fodder for movies such as these. The traps are once again a bit unique, though we know what to expect this time around and it loses a bit of it's advantage from the previous.
Overall, the plot is rather bland and just a rehash of the first movie. Characters are fairly uninteresting. The only really noteworthy part that did make me cringe was the pit of used needles that one girl is tossed into and is forced to dig around. Aside from that, it's fairly passable.
This time around though, a group of strangers and a survivor of his "games" are locked in a house where a toxin is slowly killing them. The idea reminded a lot of Cube at first, though this movie is a bit slow on the pace.
We do manage to find one character to generally root for, though the rest are just your standard cannon fodder for movies such as these. The traps are once again a bit unique, though we know what to expect this time around and it loses a bit of it's advantage from the previous.
Overall, the plot is rather bland and just a rehash of the first movie. Characters are fairly uninteresting. The only really noteworthy part that did make me cringe was the pit of used needles that one girl is tossed into and is forced to dig around. Aside from that, it's fairly passable.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
Following in the footsteps of Halloween and Friday the 13th, we soon got to see Freddy Krueger be remade and updated for today's audience.
This remake keeps a lot of the old scenes from the original film, though delivers them in a new way and sometimes with a small twist to make it it's own. I had thought for sure that like Halloween, and Friday the 13th, that this one would also have a prologue of sorts. It did in it's own way, but nowhere near as lengthy as the former two.
The characters are fairly close to the first film, it's actually been a while since I've seen it so I can't really recall who's who. However. I do know that this time around Freddy is.....different. In some ways they improved him, largely dialogue wise and with his story. However they also dropped the ball on him visually, mostly in the face area. He's so....smooth on one side. The cover art actually makes him look scarier than in the movie itself.
In the end it's a pretty good remake, especially when compared to others *coughs* The Fog *coughs* Yet it still has areas which could have been improved upon. Definately worth a watch if you are a horor fan.
This remake keeps a lot of the old scenes from the original film, though delivers them in a new way and sometimes with a small twist to make it it's own. I had thought for sure that like Halloween, and Friday the 13th, that this one would also have a prologue of sorts. It did in it's own way, but nowhere near as lengthy as the former two.
The characters are fairly close to the first film, it's actually been a while since I've seen it so I can't really recall who's who. However. I do know that this time around Freddy is.....different. In some ways they improved him, largely dialogue wise and with his story. However they also dropped the ball on him visually, mostly in the face area. He's so....smooth on one side. The cover art actually makes him look scarier than in the movie itself.
In the end it's a pretty good remake, especially when compared to others *coughs* The Fog *coughs* Yet it still has areas which could have been improved upon. Definately worth a watch if you are a horor fan.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Halloween 2 (Remake)
The final entry in Rob Zombie's remakes takes place just moments after the first ended. Laurie is rushed to the hospital where she is tended to. After a nightmare, which I took for reality the first time, we find that it has been nearly two years since that night when Michael came home.
Over the course of the movie Laurie has vastly changed from how she was in the first movie. In this, she is much more short tempered, lashing out at both her therapist and her best friend Annie who also barely survived the first movie. This is where a problem pops up for me, this new Laurie is just really hard to fully care about. While her situation does suck, and she's been through a lot, seeing her lash out and go down a darker path makes me lean more towards rooting for Sheriff Bracket and Annie.
Dr. Loomis in this film has also changed for the worst, putting out a new book and becoming both and rich and famous off the events of the first film. Though he does slightly redeem himself in the end. Does it make up for everything he pulled in this film? Not really, but the attempt is nice to see.
Michael in this film is just as brutally violent as the previous, though in this one we actually see his face as an adult. This sort of ruins things for me, it is nowhere near as intimidating as seeing the expressionless mask that he is known best for.
Lauries new friends, much like the rest of the victims in this film are mostly just filler as Michael hacks his way to Laurie. The characters get little time to develop and it's pretty obvious what's going to be happening with them.
Like the previous film, this one is middling for me. It still retains all the extremes of the first, though the larger downside is making it harder to care about our main character with the change in their personality. All in all, a watchable film though if you aren't too willing to sit through an Unrated Directors Cut, be sure to look for the normal version of the film.
Over the course of the movie Laurie has vastly changed from how she was in the first movie. In this, she is much more short tempered, lashing out at both her therapist and her best friend Annie who also barely survived the first movie. This is where a problem pops up for me, this new Laurie is just really hard to fully care about. While her situation does suck, and she's been through a lot, seeing her lash out and go down a darker path makes me lean more towards rooting for Sheriff Bracket and Annie.
Dr. Loomis in this film has also changed for the worst, putting out a new book and becoming both and rich and famous off the events of the first film. Though he does slightly redeem himself in the end. Does it make up for everything he pulled in this film? Not really, but the attempt is nice to see.
Michael in this film is just as brutally violent as the previous, though in this one we actually see his face as an adult. This sort of ruins things for me, it is nowhere near as intimidating as seeing the expressionless mask that he is known best for.
Lauries new friends, much like the rest of the victims in this film are mostly just filler as Michael hacks his way to Laurie. The characters get little time to develop and it's pretty obvious what's going to be happening with them.
Like the previous film, this one is middling for me. It still retains all the extremes of the first, though the larger downside is making it harder to care about our main character with the change in their personality. All in all, a watchable film though if you aren't too willing to sit through an Unrated Directors Cut, be sure to look for the normal version of the film.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Halloween (Remake)
One of many remakes in the Horror genre, Halloween is helmed by none other than Rob Zombie who brings his.....unique...direction to one of the most popular slashers.
We start out before the bulk of the story takes place, and get to explore the roots of Michael Myers'. This is where I'm iffy. I do enjoy the initiative to explore him a bit, but I think the way Zombie went about it was a bit wrong. To me, Michael being a product of the environment we see is too predictable and obvious. Compare that to seeing a sweet innocent child from a normal home become the iconic slasher. The latter is much more scary in my opinion.
Following the exploration into Michael's past we arrive at present day. After the security guard royally messes things up, Michael escapes from his imprisonment after wreaking a bit of havoc. Quickly, he begins to head for Haddonfield where his younger sister Laurie Strode lives with her adopted family.
This is where things start to become a lot more familiar for those of us who have seen the original. While there is still a lot of differences, viewers can easily guess who's going to be getting brutally attacked next.
In the end, this movie is middling for me. The story, new ideas and characters are pretty good for me. However I do have a problem with the fact that Rob Zombie takes everything to extreme levels. Swearing, derogatory terms, and sexually explicit language seem to make up the bulk of the dialogue, violence and blood is also taken to extremes. The movie will probably be enjoyed by fans of Rob Zombie, or by those able to push past the things I myself did not enjoy.
We start out before the bulk of the story takes place, and get to explore the roots of Michael Myers'. This is where I'm iffy. I do enjoy the initiative to explore him a bit, but I think the way Zombie went about it was a bit wrong. To me, Michael being a product of the environment we see is too predictable and obvious. Compare that to seeing a sweet innocent child from a normal home become the iconic slasher. The latter is much more scary in my opinion.
Following the exploration into Michael's past we arrive at present day. After the security guard royally messes things up, Michael escapes from his imprisonment after wreaking a bit of havoc. Quickly, he begins to head for Haddonfield where his younger sister Laurie Strode lives with her adopted family.
This is where things start to become a lot more familiar for those of us who have seen the original. While there is still a lot of differences, viewers can easily guess who's going to be getting brutally attacked next.
In the end, this movie is middling for me. The story, new ideas and characters are pretty good for me. However I do have a problem with the fact that Rob Zombie takes everything to extreme levels. Swearing, derogatory terms, and sexually explicit language seem to make up the bulk of the dialogue, violence and blood is also taken to extremes. The movie will probably be enjoyed by fans of Rob Zombie, or by those able to push past the things I myself did not enjoy.
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