Halloween (2007)
OK, to start, I know this is technically a remake of the fantastic slasher Halloween. However, anyone who has seen this version can attest to the prequel qualities that Rob Zombie added to his version. While part of me wants to give Zombie props for putting his own twist to the classic film (I’ll admit to loving his demented gorefest The Devil’s Rejects), I just can’t forgive him for his cardinal sin: giving Michael Myers a definite identity.
The whole reason behind giving Myers a faceless mask and few defining traits is so that viewers can project their worst fears onto him. It is never (reasonably) explained why he survives most brushes with death, or why he has such a desire to murder his family and those around them. He is simply an indestructible force that takes the form of any nightmares the viewer has. He was actually originally called “The Shape.”
So what does Rob Zombie do? He gives Myers a voice, an abusive home and a love for torturing animals, all with the hope of giving us a new perspective on the killer. But we don’t need a history lesson on why Myers kills everyone he sees. If we can’t see what we fear in Myers, then we have taken away his power to scare us. And if that’s not a terrible thing for a prequel to do, then I don’t know what is.