"HALLOWEEN: H20" -- Reviewed by Paul K. Bisson
What's the difference between a good film and a bad one? Or, more to the point, what would make a potentially bad movie good? If there was just one element that could make an otherwise mediocre flick worth it's eight buck admission, what would it be? And what if this picture was a sequel?...A sequel with the number "7" in the title?
Well, sometimes, it all comes down to one thing. In this case: nostalgia. That's the reason "HALLOWEEN: H2O" worked for me. In fact, that's the only reason it worked for me.
Good or bad, say what you will about the modern horror movie. But be sure not to deny the fact that in 1978, John Carpenter's "HALLOWEEN" changed the face of it with what has since become known as the "slasher genre." That's big stuff. Unusual. But not entirely rare. Hitchcock did it with "PSYCHO." Craven & Williamson did it with "SCREAM." But while "PSYCHO" shocked an unprepared generation with it and "SCREAM" redefined it, "HALLOWEEN" pushed us headlong into the core of it.
And any Hollywood producer worth his weight in the industry would have been crazy not to capitalize on the success of it. There was the "FRIDAY THE 13TH" franchise, followed by the "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET" series. And, of course, "HALLOWEEN II-VI." And while some of these enjoyed moderate to huge successes, it wasn't long before "slasher" became synonymous with a big fat "yawn."
So what's so special about another "HALLOWEEN" sequel? Especially after we've been spoiled by the intelligence and wit of "SCREAM" and "SCREAM 2?" Well, like I said, nostalgia.
There's something special about Jamie Lee Curtis returning to her cinematic roots and reprising her role as Laurie Strode. There's something special about rediscovering this character, learning what has happened to her in the last twenty years, understanding the person she has become and why. There's also something utterly fascinating about a new confrontation with an old nemesis, the Shape she has eluded all these years, her brother, Michael Myers.
20 years ago, Laurie Strode died in a car crash and Keri Tate was born. Now a divorcee with a seventeen year old son, Curtis gives a credible performance as the older Strode/Tate, an overprotective mother who holds the position as Head Mistress of a prestigious private school. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, she goes through life seemingly normal on the outside but fighting an emotional battle within, living in constant fear that one day her brother will track her (and her son) down and finish what he started.
And as October 31st arrives, her fears become reality. Most of the students and faculty have gone on a camping trip for the holiday, leaving a handful of pickings behind for the kill. We know, from an earlier scene, that Myers has located his sister and has set out to find her. From there the movie plays out as we expect it to and as it should. There's no guessing game here, no tricky surprises. Just the Bogeyman and Laurie Strode, together again for the first time in twenty years.
Yes--kids are killed in a variety of ways, yes--there are stalking chases, yes--there are bumps-in-the-night and sudden shocks. But what did you expect? This is a horror movie. It would have been nice to know what Myers has been up to all these years (especially since the movie ignores sequels 4-6). It would be nice to learn more of the evil that drives him (instead we are treated to a flashback of Donald Pleasence's haunting monologue). Yes, this movie could have provided us with a few more insights and details. But it doesn't give us that.
What it does give us are wonderful cameos by Janet Leigh (paying homage to Carpenter's inspiration) and Nancy Stevens (reprising her role as Dr. Loomis' Nurse Wittington from the original). What it does give us is Jamie Lee Curtis. What it does give us is a final confrontation between good and evil. A Do Or Die re-match between the masked villain that started it all and his, the original, scream queen heroine. All to the newly arranged orchestration of that menacing little tune.
Nostalgia. What did you see it for?
3 OUT OF 4 STARS
Laurie/Keri: Jamie Lee Curtis Molly Cartwell: Michelle Williams John Tate: Josh Hartnett Will Brennan: Adam Arkin Sarah: Jodi Lyn O'Keefe Ronnie Jones: LL Cool J Charlie: Adam Hann-Byrd Jimmy Howell: Joseph Gordon-Lewitt Norma: Janet Leigh The Shape: Chris Durand
Directed by Steve Miner Written by Robert Zappia and Matt Greenberg. 91 minutes Rated R
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