My bro, of all the people on the planet who know and love me(and lately, now that my mind is getting clearer, I’m realizing just how many there are), best understands my passion for movies. He knows what makes me love movies, which ones I love or loathe, and how to get me angry at a writer, director, or producer. Imagine my chagrin when he informed me that Rob Zombie is going to remake one of my all-time favorites, Halloween. The original came out when I was an impressionable little girl catching the trailer on TV and scared to death of Michael Myers and that awful theme music. Over the years, I developed an appreciation for John Carpenter’s understated direction and for its low-budget indie appeal. Despite very little gore and minimal special effects, Halloween stands out as the daddy of all slasher flicks.

Set to be released on August 31st, the new Halloween, at least based on the trailer, seems to follow the classic scene for scene with some twists. The violence will be explicit as opposed to implied. Of course, Haddonfield will be 2006, rather than 1978. I won’t be surprised if the gore, as in most American horror films, is overblown and gratuitous. Gore has its place. I’m a huge fan of Asian and Italian horror where gore becomes almost literary in its symbolism. I am sure Rob Zombie’s use of gore won’t remind us of good books.

Will I see the movie? I’m still undecided on whether I should catch the latest Biblical horror movie, The Reaping. But at least that isn’t a remake.