Wall

In turning The Shape, almost heroic in its purity, into Myers, a vocal, bearded, misogynistic, trudging gastronome, Zombie has achieved a remarkable humanist feat: he's made a slasher villain one might actively dislike. Critics call them nihilistic but, like Candyman, Zombie's Halloween films interpose the vilest of realist violence with glimpses of warmth and dignity, making them unpleasant but rarely unfulfilling.

Trevor Tillman and Jack Lehtonen like this

Sunrise

21Apr12

I agree about the humanist tendency within the Zombie works, although I would say it's perhaps more grounded within a reality in the first film. There are incredible moments where we fear the harm that is to come merely because of the fact that many of the characters interact with him as a person, rather than Carpenter's abstraction of fear. The second film has a tendency to enter an ethereal dimension, which seems to place Meyers within a context that is between these two concepts. Interesting as an idea, although I am more accepting of Zombie's first picture.
Duncan Jones

14May12

I can see what you mean, but I feel that the irreconcilable contrast between the Deborah of the first and second films works to present the white horse imagery as merely a visualisation of Michael's Oedipal delusions and Laurie's shame. For me, there's a tension between whether they're of a psychological or paranormal realm, but when Deborah tells Michael to "have some fun" with Annie, I take it as confirmation that, on a subconscious level, Michael holds his mother responsible for all his destruction. On a related note, turning Michael from a rapist killer (a sure-fire way to make your murderer sympathetic) into
Duncan Jones

14May12

an implied rapist was, in my view, the fatal assault in Zombie's campaign against the Shape paradigm.

Ryan M.

23Feb12

Weird Al!

Steve Pulaski likes this

Steve Pulaski

21Mar12

The only good thing about this film.

Zachary W

9Dec11

What began as grisly, gritty realism in Zombie's first go-around becomes a bizarro, gritty (sur)realism in this one. Zombie is proving himself a formidable filmmaker, and he hits almost all of his marks here. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he has Brad Dourif at the helm, maybe the most underrated character actor in the business right now.

Douglas Reese and Jack Lehtonen like this

Don't Get Nasty Brother

5May11

Flawed but interesting. Stylistically very "zombiesque" but the story is too dull, and the main caracther is so hateful that there is not an emotional response to her ordeal. This movie has more to do with Zombie's music video work than with his film work.

Jack Lehtonen

8Apr11

The best American horror film since... I don't know when. And a vicious, haunting, and utterly despairing coda to the excellent, but troubled, first film. As rich a sequel, in terms of its thematic and emotional follow-up, as has ever been made. An intimate encounter with death and insanity.

Trevor Tillman and 2 others like this

andres, Greg

Trevor Tillman

27Mar12

Fucking bravo, dude!

atrocity exhibition

24Feb11

There was potential at the start. The scenes in the hospital were great but after revealing that wasn't real it became complete trash. I don't think I've ever seen a film go from good to so awful so quickly.

keldon

18Dec10

I've heard the cinematography in this one is fantastic, so I hope to see it at some point, even though the first remake was god awful.

Bret Bynum

27Nov10

This is one of few movies that I would give zero starts to.

KAIJA EIGHTY

22Oct10

first remake sucked, this one wil too

andres

16Oct10

i loooove the hallucination sequences, theyre so pretty.

redunbeck

3Aug10

My favorite quote from this film: "Fuck fuck fuckfuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" And you call yourself a screenwriter, Rob. Christ.

Kristy

13Jun10

really a huge let down...I expected so much more since his first remake was superb. That ending SUCKED, and the rest wasn't much better.

mistercheech

17May10

knock knock. who's there? hell. hell who? HELL YEAH ROB ZOMBIE FUCKIN' RULES!

Will C

8Apr10

I'm only giving Halloween 2 two stars because of the atmospheric cinematography and the inspired first twenty minutes, but other than that, Rob Zombie's work here is a complete disgrace to his limited filmography that actually happened to be decent and a middle finger to fans of Halloween and Michael Myers.