As the weather grows colder and nightfall comes faster during this time of the year, there isn’t a better way to spend your night than getting cozy and watching a scary movie. After you gather your warm blankets, make your popcorn, and lock your doors, the decision of what classic horror film to watch presents itself. With the Halloween spirit still lingering, it is only appropriate to watch one of the many Halloween films, and what would be a better choice than the newest film in the series, Rob Zombie’s 2009 remake of the 1981 classic Halloween II.
The original Halloween II and the remake follow a very similar sequence of events throughout the entire film. Although it is not exactly the same scene-to-scene, the differences are minimal.
The film starts where the first Halloween left off with Laurie Strode, the sister of Michael Myers and star of the film, wandering around the streets of Haddonfield as a bloodied mess after her brother Michael attempted to murder her. She and the remaining victims of the brutal attack by Myers are quickly found by the police and rushed to the emergency room.
Michael is also rushed to the hospital, suspected to be dead, but in route he awakens and escapes when the ambulance is involved in an accident.
One year later, Laurie is living with her close friend and trying to work through the emotional trauma that she experienced the previous Halloween.
It does not make it any easier that the former childhood psychologist of her brother Michael is now releasing a book detailing the brutal events of the past.
Meanwhile, Michael is seen recovering somewhere in the woods from the past events of the last year. A vision of his dead mother appears and instructs him to go back to Haddonfield to bring his sister Laurie back home.
As Michael makes his trek home to Haddonfield, Laurie is dealing with the release of the book about the terror she experienced. Against the advice of her friend, she decides to read the book anyway, learning that she is the younger sister of the brutal murderer Michael Myers. Feeling lost about her identity and life, she decides to have some fun at a party on Halloween night.
Throughout the movie, Michael has run-ins with many random people, leaving his carnage behind on his way to Haddonfield. It doesn’t matter if he has a butcher knife, tire iron, or his bare-hands, because no one in his path seems to survive.
Michael eventually ends up back in Haddonfield where he encounters his little sister at a party.
The major difference between Rob Zombie’s 2009 remake and John Carpenter’s original 1981 version of the film isn’t a change in the plot line, but instead a change in the way the film is directed and acted out.
Rob Zombie fills the movie with blood and gore to accompany the brutal ways that Michael Myers kills his unsuspecting victims. Zombie portrays the murders in a barbaric, gruesome way that John Carpenter did not.
It is hard to speculate whether it is the difference in our time and culture that allows Zombie to fill this version of the film with such gore, but it certainly adds a frightening twist to a horror classic.
Overall, Halloween II provides plenty of thrilling and frightening moments that have a more modern feel from the first version.
Rob Zombie presents a horrendous view of Michael Myers that makes him even scarier than before, and seemingly unstoppable. The blood and gore certainly added a frightening atmosphere of horror to the film, making it unsuitable for some viewers. If you have a sensitive stomach, you might want to stick to something a little less gruesome.
Mark Gionta is a fourth-year majoring in professional studies and can be reached at MG649676@wcupa.edu.