Sandman's Screaming Room: Rob Zombie's HalloweeN

OK, so after much controversy, Rob Zombie's HalloweeN finally makes an appearance on DVD. So, is it worth the wait? This film has been called many things, from unnecessary to blasphemous. It seems that either people love it or hate it.



Part 1: The Film

First off, the Director's Cut which was released on dvd is neither the theatrical nor workprint. It is a hybrid of the best parts of the two. There is some much-needed character development in the early sanitarium scenes. Young Michael's metamorphosis from angry young man to silent, brooding psychopath is more gradual, and partially explained by a voice over from Loomis.

Also, Michael's escape is the workprint version, and it is quite better than the version I saw in the theater. Makes more sense, and doesnt put the cameo factor into quite the ridiculous extreme of the theatrical. (For those who don't know, the theatrical escape scene features Mama Firefly, Otis, and Officer Wydell from The Devil's Rejects. IN ONE SCENE) I think that the original escape, while much more graphic, is a more satisfying scene(I was rooting for Mikey to fcuk up those guards).

The rest of the film plays out pretty much like the theatrical, up until the ending. The splicing of a 'showdown' between Michael and Loomis works well, while keeping the visceral punch of the theatrical ending, and closing the film on a flashback shot that is heartbreaking.

So in closing, the 'unrated' portions of this film are almost un noticeable, save for the better escape scene. Nothing as far as gore is concerned really 'hit me' as being new. It was a very nasty film, even for an r-rated movie, and as an unrated movie, the nastiness is about the same. However, the scenes which are noticeably new strengthen an already good film.

This dvd probably will not change anyone's mind about the validity of the film, or about Zombie's abilities as a film maker. But it at least represents a more complete vision of what Zombie intended.

Part 2: Deleted Scenes coming soon