I have, quite literally, just finished watching Halloween 2 as written and directed by Rob Zombie. I must say that it took me a while  to get my hooks into this one, but once I did, I couldn’t let go. It wasn’t the best horror movie I’ve ever seen but it wasn’t supposed to be. What’s more, they knew this. I have an admiration for films that know what they are and are not only comfortable with it, but relish in it. Contrary to what many critics might think, and there were definitely more negative criticisms than I expected, Rob Zombie knew exactly what he was doing here. For me, this film was part artistic film-making and part homage to movies of this ilk from the 1970s and 80s. In the world where there are enough remakes and reboots to choke your average moviegoer to death, Rob Zombie is one of the very few I give credit for putting out a good end product.

I strongly suspect that you have to have watched a lot of good and bad horror movies to appreciate Zombie’s work here, and I have. He is a fan of horror who now makes it. There is no better hands for such a movie to be in. In a field where literally EVERYTHING has been done, where do you go? How many times can the killer come out of absolutely nowhere before you no longer jump. How many sick and depraved ways can you see a body mutilated and torn apart before you are desensitized and it all gets stale. You can only go down the same road for so long before you reach the end. Zombie does his best with the scares and the blood here, but from the mindset of a fan who’s waiting for them and thinks they know what’s coming. Some are decided meant to be seen coming, though that might not be obvious to some viewers (If you don’t know by now that the friend running downstairs to call 911 is going to die then you haven’t watched enough horror movies). Others are meant to see if they can sneak up behind you before you turn around.

There is some great artistic camera work and editing done to change things up a bit from your expected death scene. I was in tears at the death of Annie (both with Laurie and Sheriff Brackett). The end in the shed could have had some more depth to it and while I did understand and respect the point being made with Dr. Loomis (people who will profit off of horrific events and the pain of others), it could have used some more work too. Zombie gives a new and more realistic feel to the unstoppable monster, even in the presence of ghosts and visions. I also think the groundwork laid in the first film goes a long way in making the character of Michael Myers even more interesting in both films, though you definitely can not understand this movie without seeing first one. All in all, I believe Zombie achieved what I think his goal was and I was sucked in to the movie. I didn’t finish it and feel that I’d wasted my time. On the contrary, I was quite entertained and please with the film.

Rating: 4 stars.