3.5/ 5 Stars

For generations, movies have evoked countless feelings in the American public. Some laugh in comedies, others may cry during a particularly sad love story. But as far as horror movies go, rarely do audiences experience the feelings of being viciously strangled and hacked apart.

Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II,” the sequel to his remake of director John Carpenter’s 70s slasher film “Halloween,” accomplishes just that. It may not contain as much of Zombie’s signature gore as many of his previous ventures that the first “Halloween” included; he does, however, attempt to go for quality over quantity this time around. While the movie focuses more on the psyche of a killer than on his actual deeds, Zombie certainly makes sure the viewer feels every slit throat and stomped-in face with graphically grisly realism.

The film picks up immediately where the first one left off. Despite a misleading beginning, this retelling is not an all-out copy of the original 1981 Rick Rosenthal “Halloween II” film. Zombie tries his hand at carving out a whole new mythology instead of just re-making a film that the “Halloween” creator didn’t even want to make. He succeeds, creating much darker, deeper characters and a far more twisted storyline out of the stereotypical parts and plots played out in 70s horror films.

As mentioned before, Zombie seemingly wanted to make the audience focus more on the psychology and less on the psychopath. Scenes depicting violent dreams and hallucinations shared between protagonist Laurie Strode, played by Scout Taylor-Compton, and horror film legend Michael Myers, played by Tyler Mane, almost overshadow the movie’s surprisingly sparse dismemberment. Zombie strives to actually put a man behind that infamous mask.

He does a pretty good job of painting child-like characteristics on a sociopathic shadow that has long lurked under the beds of frightened moviegoers. If it is at all possible to portray any inkling of humanity in the Antichrist, Rob Zombie has probably come closer than any other filmmaker has.

This isn’t just some violent, tired excuse for Hollywood running out of original ideas. This is a homage to a legend of the genre. An alternate chapter in horror has been written. It’s a great film for fans of slasher films, Rob Zombie, or even people who just saw the first one.

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