It is admirable to spend time explaining who Michael Myers is. Rob Zombie’s interpretation of the John Carpenter classic sets a goal to do so, inviting viewers into the chaotic home life of the 10-year-old Myers, tormented by his father. Unfortunately, since Halloween will descend into a pit of genre clichés, it must pull it off in a single scene.

It is breakfast in the Myers’ home, and Michael’s father (William Forsythe) spews more absurdly ridiculous dialogue than previously thought possible. It has to, because this sole establishing scene must account for all of Michael’s tragic childhood. Physical abuse, spilled coffee, a crying baby, and a sister who unbelievably takes it all in stride surrounds Michael as he hides behind a mask.

To its credit, when Michael snaps, it is chilling, a savage assault with a cumbersome log on another schoolmate. As a young Michael, Daeg Faerch is excellent. His face is suitably evil, and when behind a mask, his seemingly limp body is effective at showing his disdain for everything around him.

Eventually, Michael grows up, and the film takes the expected path. Rob Zombie adds every ounce of pointless, baseless nudity he can, along with a rape sequence in this director’s cut. It feels desperate, as if the genre is trying to escape the clutches of the cliché simply by upping the severity of the violence, or the conditions the acts take place in. That doesn’t work.

Worse, what limited story takes hold to give a purpose to these murders is based on a sequence of events so incredibly contrived, it is impossible to believe no one thought twice about it. Michael has a goal, to reunite himself with his baby sister. Laurie, now an adopted teenager, just happens to deliver some paperwork to the same house Michael killed his family in nearly two decades ago, and on the same day Michael escapes, at the same time he is standing at the front door.

Since Laurie was an infant at the time of the murders, Michael would have no other means of tracking her down. Zombie’s idea is absurd, ridiculous, and convoluted. Oddly, that seems to be a theme of this needless remake. The finale loads the screen with idiotic teens, creature feature clichés, and an ending that exists purely for the means of leaving the possibility for a sequel. Maybe that is fitting after all.

Movie ★★☆☆☆ 

Dimension delivers a flat AVC encode for Halloween, one that needs rich, inky blacks to succeed. Sadly for this hi-def presentation, it fails. Few scenes ever deliver a suitable level of depth, leaving the film washed out. Part of that is undoubtedly intentional, but even those scenes in the happy, peppy Strode home appear lifeless in terms of depth.

Details are disappointing, with a few interspersed scenes jumping out. A conversation inside an office just past the hour mark is notable for its ability to showcase facial detail. The institutionalized Myers wears a deep blue robe, which shows individual stitches as well.

Flesh tones are accurate, and colors in the early part of the film fill the screen with vibrant primaries. The clown mask worn by the young Michael is especially vivid. Long shots of the forested areas near the school are handled well, if not as cleanly as other discs on the market.

Video ★★★☆☆ 

Much of the activity offered to this TrueHD effort occurs in the front. Michael Myers is not the type to wander around a house creeping people out. He is forceful, meaning his kills are always right in front of the viewer, and likewise in the front channels.

Some ambiance is offered, including birds chirping in the rears, thunder filling the soundfield, rain offering an immersive effect, some creaking wood in a rundown home, and rustling leaves as the wind picks up.

The track does deliver the action well even if the surrounds remain subdued, especially the finale as Myers begins smashing the ceiling of a house with a large piece of wood. Splinters break off from the shattering plaster and lumber with fantastic crispness. Every broken piece seems to be accounted for. A throbbing, deep score catches on the low end beautifully, adding a creepy rumble prior to his assault.

Audio ★★★★☆ 

Just to note, this is a two-disc set, but the die-hard fan needs nothing but the second disc. There resides the four hour and twenty-minute documentary Michael Lives that chronicles not only every day of the shoot, but nearly every aspect of pre-production as well.

After that, a solo commentary by Rob Zombie seems almost pointless, but he provides one nonetheless. Seventeen deleted scenes (with an optional commentary) run over 22 minutes, followed by a far better alternate ending (also with a commentary) that provides actual closure.

A fun blooper reel doesn’t wear out its welcome during its 10-minute run, while the first featurette details the creation of the new Myers’ mask. This is followed by a self-explanatory 18-minute piece titled Meet the Cast.

Casting sessions include 15 different screen tests that run close to 30-minutes, while Scout Taylor-Compton is given her own section. Trailers and BD-Live support that never actually went live remain.

Extras ★★★★★ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Halloween (2007) Review

The opening to Halloween II is a typical slasher movie chase. After a brief reminder of previous events, we are back in Haddonfield where Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is being rundown by Michael Myers. Shockingly, or maybe not, he didn’t die in the first movie per genre rules.

The explanation for his survival is apparent. Picked up by two crude coroners who crash the transporting ambulance into a cow, Myers (Tyler Mane reprising his role) leaps out of completely unharmed, cuts up the dirtball’s transporting him, manages to walk to the hospital, and chase Laurie through the corridors.

Good thing that was all a dream… all 25-minutes of it. If any of that were true, it would be ridiculous.

But wait, if that was a dream that occurred all in Laurie’s head, how did he survive after being shot point blank? How could anyone not see a seven-foot tall mass murderer escaping the crime scene after falling (loudly) from the roof and multiple gunshots?

Wiping that slate clean and trying to recover after realizing what a complete waste of time the opening scenes were, Laurie begins a rapid mental downfall. She is haunted by images of her family, brought on by the trauma she experienced two years earlier.

Wait? Two years? Why didn’t Michael come back on the first year anniversary? Did he enjoy killing random southerners and eating their dogs (as the movie shows us) so much that he was able to forget his goal? Did he lose track of his cute kitten calendar?

Anyway, Laurie is living with her best friend who also miraculously survived the Myers’ assault. Laurie’s emotional state is slowly turning her into a stereotypical rebellious teenager, although someone who was attacked by a serial killer might be better off without the massive Charlie Manson poster over their bed.

Myers’ treks through random areas of the town (on Halloween of course), appearing out of nowhere to take down caricatures of real people, or anyone who would offer an excuse to showcase more female nudity. There is a lot of that, especially at an extended, pointless party sequence that has no effect on the story as a whole short of separating the characters for an easy kill. These characters make it so easy for the killer and utterly boring for the audience.

Movie ★☆☆☆☆ 

Zombie shot Halloween 2 on 16MM, which unfortunately wreaks havoc on this AVC encode. Artifacting is everywhere, ruining the intended gritty atmosphere by turning it into a digital nightmare. Every speck of grain seems to discolor or alter the images, blotting out nearly all fine detail. The format does produce sharp, rich images. Here, sadly, they exist behind a layer of noise.

Other problems include banding in smoky areas, notable after the 40-minute mark in the light coming from the car. The opening ambulance accident is also rough, smoke appearing as a digital blob rather than a gritty texture. A brief tussle with edge enhancement at 13:50 (look towards the wheels of the cart) passes too quickly to complain about.

There are highlights. Compared to the first Zombie Halloween, black levels here offer the depth necessary to convey the grim nature of the story. High fidelity detail, while rare, does offer some moments of note. Look at Laurie’s blue sweater near the half-hour mark, the stitching pattern clearly visible. An early surgery also brings out the ugliness of the gore effects. A series of dreams are soft, out of focus, and smoothed over, which is the intended look. The encode handles these scenes without a flaw.

Video ★★★☆☆ 

This sequel is slightly more active than its predecessor, with numerous scenes that allow this DTS-HD effort to shine. From the start as Laurie is walking down the street, a musical cue begins traveling around the soundfield, hitting each speaker with an eerie softness that is undoubtedly effective.

Heavy rain pounds the front and rear channels during the first attack sequence. Thunder casts a layer of scares and ambiance on the viewer. The Halloween party is filled with cheering attendees, and the music is full.

Halloween II does not contain any cheap scare cues. Myers’ prefers to randomly leap out at his victims when they least expect it, and always in front of the viewer. As such, the attack scenes may initially seem flat, but are aided by a throbbing low-end musical cue. Clean highs are evident as Myers’ smashes through doors and windows to find his next victim.

Audio ★★★★☆ 

A solo commentary by Rob Zombie begins the extras, followed by a wide array of 23 deleted scenes that run for 25-minutes. A blooper reel runs for a little over four minutes, while audition footage is included for seven different actors.

Make-up tests are split into three sections, barely running longer than three minutes total. Some improv stand-up from the Halloween party and six music videos from the band used in that scene run around 30-minutes combined. Trailers and typical BD-Live support remain.

Extras ★★★☆☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Halloween II (2009) Review

Burying a dead kid’s body on Halloween is nearly impossible these days. There are far too many distractions. First, the victim pukes blood all over you after eating the poisoned candy you gave them. Then, the neighbor’s dog wants a piece of the body. Suddenly, your own kid needs help cutting a pumpkin. As if that wasn’t enough, one of the kids you’re trying to bury isn’t actually dead, making so much noise they draw the attention of the neighbors.

What is this world coming too when you can’t even bury a murder victim in your own backyard? Sheesh.

Dylan Baker plays Steven, that demented grave digger discussed above, killing for no other reason than the joy of sharing the dead kid’s head with his own son. No, Trick ‘r Treat is not a film of good cheer, happy outcomes, or any level of sanity, but it is funny in a sick, twisted manner.

Trick ‘r Treat is written and directed by Michael Dougherty who has written a wonderfully horrific anthology of four main stories that flawlessly blend together into a cohesive whole. The string of tales kick off with the murderous Steven, finishing on a wildly fun action sequence in which Brian Cox fends off a small… thing with a potato sack costume. Brian Cox’s Mr. Kreeg is hacked, stabbed, broken, and tossed, but keeps up the good fight.

One of the middle stories concerns the legend of a school bus, where the driver took bribes from the parents of handicap children who were sick of caring for them. He was then to drive them off a cliff into a rock quarry, where the bus still sits 30 years later, although the plan did not work as intended. Suspicious kids go to pay a memorial, and things quickly spiral out of control.

The latter is the oddball story out, lacking any real comedic edge, aiming straight for horror, and existing to add an additional punch to the final frame. It is not as if the audience was already terrified enough not to go to Warren Valley Ohio on Halloween, given its population is comprised of psychopathic fathers, werewolves, people pretending to be vampires, and zombie children. That’s plenty to kill tourism.

Movie ★★★★☆ 

Shot mostly at night, Trick ‘r Treat lacks the high fidelity detail expected of modern hi-def transfers. The VC-1 encode is clean, delivering decent depth with its blacks, bold primaries, and excellent flesh tones. Sharpness is fine if unspectacular, and the film grain shows few problems.

Some aliasing is evident briefly during the opening credits, and thankfully never seen again. It is that nagging lack of texture that irritates, with flat faces dominating the film. This is not a bad transfer, but overall fails to generate any memorable moments.

Video ★★★☆☆ 

A TrueHD mix is surprisingly robust, including an expansive front soundstage from the opening shot of a car passing through the frame. Positional dialogue, various cues, and action scenes all use the sides effortlessly.

The rear channels are nicely engaged, and who hasn’t wanted to have their home theater capture the intricacies of projectile vomit as it moves front to back? The rock quarry is a fantastic sequence, featuring spinning voices, echoes, and a crisp musical cue.

Audio ★★★★☆ 

A commentary from writer/director Michael Dougherty, concept artist Breehn Burns, storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins, and composer Douglas Pipes offers a well-rounded discussion of the film. Trick ‘r Treat: The Legends and Lore of Halloween runs for 27 minutes, detailing the film’s efforts to show the origins of Halloween based on the events that inspired it.

Sixteen minutes of deleted scenes offer a solo commentary from Dougherty, along with the animated short Dougherty directed back in 1996 called Season’s Greetings. A brief visual effects breakdown of the school bus incident is then followed by generic BD-Live support.

Extras ★★★☆☆ 

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us by Warner Bros. This has not affected the editorial process. For more information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Trick ‘r Treat Review