Every Halloween Movie Ranked From Worst To Best
8. Halloween (2007)
By 2007, a remake of Halloween seemed inevitable. 2003's Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake set the ball rolling, and almost immediately studios were rushing to dust off any horror titles with brand name recognition. While some were encouraged by Dimension Films hiring writer-director Rob Zombie (off the back of his largely well-received second film The Devil's Rejects), many more complained that John Carpenter's original didn't need updating, and couldn't be improved upon.
These concerns proved well-founded, as Zombie's Halloween is half extraneous embellishment, half pointless retread. Michael's newly-invented poor white trash backstory feels all wrong, and Zombie's taste for dirty visuals and dirtier dialogue are an odd fit for the material, when we consider how much the original hinged on suspense and suggestion, rather than graphic violence.
Even so, looking at the mess the series chronology had become, ripping it up and starting again may have been the only sensible option by that point (other than just letting the series die).
Still, whether we like Zombie's approach or not, the film is clearly identifiable as his work, and this is admirable in a sense considering how nondescript some entries in the series are. Plus many fans were grateful to Zombie for bringing back Halloween 4/5 actress Danielle Harris as Annie, helping cement the former child star as a modern day scream queen. However, Scout Taylor Compton can't hold a candle to Curtis as Laurie, and Malcolm McDowell sleepwalks through his role as Loomis.