Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998)

reviewed by
Scott Renshaw

HALLOWEEN H20: TWENTY YEARS LATER (Dimension) Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Adam Hann-Byrd, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, LL Cool J, Chris Durand. Screenplay: Robert Zappia and Matt Greenberg. Producer: Paul Freeman. Director: Steve Miner. MPAA Rating: R (violence, profanity, adult themes) Running Time: 85 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

It was 20 years ago that teenage babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her long-institutionalized, homicidal brother Michael Myers took sibling squabbling to a new plateau, one involving cutlery and the creative use of wire hangers. The film was John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, a low-budget phenomenon which launched the much-loathed but immensely profitable "teen slasher" genre. Masked and/or mutilated maniacs proliferated, the numbers on the sequels clicking by faster than the number of customers served by McDonald's. It's no wonder Dimension Films tagged the sub-title TWENTY YEARS LATER on HALLOWEEN H20; they probably feared viewers would actually think this was the 20th film in the series.

This sequel, of course, is banking on something a bit more than name recognition to draw viewers: nostalgia. After nearly two decades (including the 1981 sequel HALLOWEEN 2), Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the role that made her famous, showing us how effectively Laurie Strode recovered from that one traumatic Halloween night, namely not at all. Living under an assumed name as the headmistress of a California private school, Laurie is a walking psychological disaster area. Behind her are an abusive marriage and years of therapy; still with her are an alcohol problem, a prescription drug problem, recurring nightmares and a paralyzing fear of letting her teenage son John (Josh Hartnett) out of her sight. If you've ever wondered what surviving the carnage of a teen slasher movie would do to someone, here's your answer.

That effective bit of back story carries HALLOWEEN H20 over the pitfalls of genre convention which even executive producer Kevin Williamson -- the post-modernist horror connoisseur behind SCREAM and SCREAM 2 -- can't quite shake off. The events begin with Michael raiding the files of the late Dr. Loomis (the late Donald Pleasance, to whom the film is dedicated) to find Laurie's new identity, though why he would demonstrate the grand sense of theater to wait until the 20th anniversary is never quite clear. From there he proceeds to make his way west, reserving most of his wrath for the libidinous, in keeping with the fine sex-equals-death tradition of slasher film-making. Blood is spilled, startling musical cues accompany every movement into frame by the most innocuous character, and kitchen implements are used contrary to the safety instructions.

The one thing Williamson and director Steve Miner _do_ bring to the proceedings is a bit more understated menace. Surprisingly, every encounter between Michael and an unfortunate stranger does not result in an impromptu Ginzu aeration. The threat of impending death is sometimes used strictly as a threat, raising the stakes of every subsequent encounter because you know it's possible to survive. This killer's singularity of purpose, combined with some well-crafted set-pieces, allows this HALLOWEEN to score more points with tension than it does with shock value.

Clearly it also scores on the basis of its climactic showdown. Though Hartnett, Michelle Williams and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe are on hand for teen hormone value, Curtis is unquestionably the star of this show. Laurie's resourcefulness in the original HALLOWEEN made her an uncommon screen heroine, and the same quality is present this time around. She goes into battle armed not just with an axe, but with twenty years of history and a convincing grim determination. It's actually here that Williamson's sensibility shows through most obviously; playing on genre expectations, HALLOWEEN H20 shows Laurie not trusting anything as mundane as a body bag to guarantee that Michael won't be back to continue tormenting her in HALLOWEEN H21. The return of Laurie Strode could have been a cheap publicity stunt. Instead, it's a genuinely effective recognition of the original's influence. Though too conventional to be truly thrilling, HALLOWEEN H20 is a fitting final round for one of screen history's bloodiest family feuds.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 tricks and treats:  6.

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Have I seen this movie: Yes

And What Did I Think: 

                       Finally a worthwhile movie has been added
to the Halloween series. Halloween H20 basicly ignores that #3-6
never even took place, which is good in a way because they were
just no brainer slashers. H20 is also a typical no-brainer, but
is a cut above the rest (bad joke). Jamie Lee Curtis makes a triumphant
return as an alcoholic Laurie Strode who has been living with this
fear of Michael Meyers for 20 years now. Mike shows up and all
hell breaks lose of course. One of the most memorable scenes is
when she actually comes face to face with her menace through the
door at the school where she is head mistress. H20 has some scary
scenes that make use of the lighting, the music, and the surroundings
like the original did. It even makes reference to the classic
pscho by having a cameo by Janet Leigh who drives the same car
she did in Psycho. Also the kids at the school were watching "Scream"
on TV which I thought was kind of funny. It was great to see
Jamie Lee return to this role, I just wish that Donald Pleasance
who played Dr. Loomis in all the other movies was still alive. He
would have made a great addition. The ending was kind of shocking
and really doesn't leave room for a sequel, but this is the movies
and the killer never stays down. So H20 doesn't quite live up to
the original, but comes very close. It's the best sequel by far.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.


Review written June 17, 1999