The darkest souls are not those which choose to exist within the hell of the abyss, but those which choose to move silently among us. –Dr. Samuel Loomis

It’s been 10 years to the day since rockstar, writer, and director Rob Zombie released his re-imagining of John Carpenter’s, HALLOWEEN. I remember very clearly going to see the film opening weekend and being in total awe of the film. Working from Carpenter’s advice to “make the film his own”, Zombie chose to develop the film as hybrid; both prequel and remake, allowing for a more original interpretation than simply re-filming the same scenes. ..Psycho (1998), anyone?

Although Zombie follows the premise of Carpenter’s original- with Michael Myers stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night, Zombie’s film goes deeper into the character’s psyche, trying to answer the question of what drove the iconic killer to violence.

Despite mostly negative reviews- the film, which cost $15 million to make, went on to gross $80,208,039 worldwide. This makes it the highest-grossing film in the HALLOWEEN franchise (thus far.. I spy you, 2019 remake). The success of the film is largely due to its amazing cast; a mix seasoned talent like Malcolm McDowell, (Dr. Loomis), Brad Dourif (Sherriff Brackett) and HALLOWEEN favorite Danielle Harris as Annie Brackett, paired really well with the newcomers. Also, Scout-Taylor Compton (Laurie Strode) and Daeg Faerch, (Young Michael Myers) and Tyler Mane as adult Michael.

Not to mention the cinematography done by Zombie regular Phil Parmet (THE DEVILS REJECTS) is absolutely stunning, and essentially follows a 3 part story. The story of Young Michael Myers wis very grainy and handheld. Flashing forward to 15 years later, where we follow Laurie Strode (Compton) and friends, the film seems very smooth and full of rich, warm colors. The finale of the film however, almost feels like a disturbing documentary. Which makes sense given Parmet’s extensive background in documentaries prior to the film, topped off with Tyler Bates edgy score I think the one thing that Zombie really did achieve with this classic was a visceral and dark look into the mind of America’s favorite serial killer!

So, get your 3 disc Collector’s Edition off the shelf and remember that every day is HALLOWEEN!