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It’s 7:18 a.m., and a little under five hours ago I finally went to bed. Since that time I’ve showered, packed and “slept enough to efficiently get me through the day.” I highly doubt that’s the case though - I can already feel a crash coming on.

Why the late night? Rob Zombie’s new vision for “Halloween” is being released in theatres today, but knowing how long I’d been anticipating the flick, Becky managed to score passes for a midnight showing at the Rio. As we entered the theatre, “Halloween’s” trademark score was pumping through the speakers as throngs of tattooed, dreadlocked and pierced people filed in. Wiping the grin off my face was a near impossibility. I got in line to grab us ladies some popcorn, and the man at the stand asked me if I’d been looking forward to this.

“Are you kidding me? For months!” was my reply. He told me he’d already seen it and that it was “very scary.”

Want to know what I think? It wasn’t scary. It wasn’t even the bloodbath I’d expected it to be.

The premise, in a nutshell, tells the story of Michael Myers, a 10-year-old boy with sinister inclinations who butchers members of his family on Halloween night. He’s then institutionalized and placed under the care of Dr. Samuel Loomis, only to escape 17 years later. What’s unique about the 2007 remake of the 1978 original is that this film largely focuses on Michael Myers’ childhood and time spent in the institution. It was, perhaps, the murderous scenes of Myers as a child that were more disturbing than the hell that fell when he escaped.

Truth be told, my expectations for this movie were very, very high. I feel almost ashamed to say that I actually have a critique about it. Rob Zombie is, in my opinion, a highly visionary director. I can’t pretend to know all the work that goes into directing, and though he captured some interesting shots, this movie lacked the usual stylization found in his freshman and sophomore efforts (being “House of 1000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects”). I also felt that “Halloween” lacked any decent script writing, the majority of lines cheesy in their delivery.

However, at the end of the day, I considered that perhaps Zombie was trying to recapture that tacky feel of the original slasher flicks of the 70s. This was, after all, a John Carpenter original. Malcolm McDowell, as always, was a delight to watch. What was perhaps most charming (if you can use such a word when discussing “Halloween”) for me was to see nearly every single cast member of “The Devil’s Rejects” show up in this film in one way or another. Most interesting was that the tables had been turned and those that were once debaucherous murderers are now helpless victims.

Photo courtesy of Alliance Atlantis (2007)

“Halloween” is playing at the Rio Theatre through to September 6th. The theatre is located at 1660 East Broadway (at Commercial) and shows flicks for a decent $8.00.