Halloween H20

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Pumpkin by Wotchit

Setting: Summer Glen, California, October 29th 1998

Plot

Ignoring all films since Halloween II, Michael returns to find and murder the now-alive-again Laurie Strode's son John. He begins by ransacking Dr Loomis' assistant Nurse Chambers' house, stealing the
file on Laurie, killing her and her neighbours whilst there.

He then travels to Summer Glen, where Laurie Strode has changed her name to 'Keri Tate' and is now Headteacher at Hilcrest School, an isolated boarding school in the middle of nowhere. Over the Halloween
weekend, most of the teachers and pupils had left on a school trip, leaving only Laurie, her son, three of his friends, councilor Will Brenan, and Ronny the security guard.

Michael soon arrives, kills John's friends and Will, who Laurie was in love with, and attempts to kill John. Laurie makes sure John and his girlfriend Molly escape before grabbing an axe and returning to confront Michael.

In the ensuing fight, Laurie stabs Michael with a flag, and is prevented from repeatedly stabbing him by Ronny, the security guard, who had survived being shot by Will, who had thought he was Michael. When the police and medics arrive, Laurie steals Michael's body, drives off a cliff and chops his head off.

Deaths

No.Who?How?Where?
1.JimmyIce skate in
face
off screen
2.TonyStabbed 
3.Nurse Marion
Chambers
 Loomis House
4.CharlieGarotted off
screen
Hilcrest School
5.SarahStabbedHilcrest
School
6.Will BenonStabbedHilcrest
School

Cast1

Jamie Lee CurtisLaurie
Strode
Chris DurandMichael
Myers
Nancy StephensNurse Marion
Chambers
Josh HartnettJohn Tate
Adam ArkinWill Brennan
Michelle WilliamsMolly
Cartwell
LL Cool JRonald 'Ronny'
Jones
Jodi Lyn O'KeefeSarah
Wainthrope
Adam Hann-ByrdCharles 'Charlie'
Deveraux
Janet LeighNorma Watson
Joseph Gordon-LevittJimmy
Howell
Brandon WilliamsTony
Allegre
Beau BillingsleaDetective 'Fitz'
Fitzsimmons
Matt WinstonDetective Matt
Sampson
Larissa MillerClaudia
Emmalee ThompsonCasey

Review

Ignoring everything since Halloween II, contradicting the previous plot lines and abandoning the characters from Curse, Halloween H20 is a disappointment. Although it brings back Jamie Lee Curtis' character of Laurie Strode, she lacks the charisma of Tommy Doyle and the others from Curse, and is accompanied by mere typical teen stereotypes.

Since Curse Of Michael Myers was made in 1995, a new slasher craze had swept the world, led by films such as Scream in 1996, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Halloween H20
comes across as an attempt to cash-in on that fashion, especially with the involvement of scribe Kevin Williamson, writer of both the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer series. It should therefore come as no surprise that, abandoning the risky, original approach of Curse, Halloween H20 instead comes across as a mere re-make of a re-make. It is a carbon copy of I Know What You Did Last Summer which was in itself a copy of Halloween. This point is reinforced by the characters in Halloween H20 watching Scream, a film in which the characters watch Halloween.

Halloween H20 spends its time trying to make you jump, rather than actually scaring you. Although it has dispensed with the ridiculous death rates of the previous Halloween films, you still do not feel as if you connect with any of the characters, none of
which are more than vague stereotypes. It would not have hurt if there had been more deaths; although Ronny was shot several times by Will, he survives. The film would have been more realistic if he had died,
particularly as he is an annoying character.

The plot that Michael only kills his members of his family when they are 17 years old on Halloween Night is interesting, but little else. Although it ties in with Judith's death and his attack on Laurie 15 years later, and indeed why he has now returned to kill John, you are never told actually why 17 is such an important age. Nor are you given a satisfactory explanation of what Michael Myers has been doing for the last 20 years.

Halloween H20 spends its time trying to look clever, when in reality it isn't. The sweeping camera movements make you feel more sea-sick than scared.

It does have cameos of the history of the Horror genre, nodding at the pre-Halloween horror in the form of Hitchcock's Psycho, and the post-Halloween in the form of Scream as we have seen. Jamie
Lee Curtis' mother Janet Leigh, who starred in Psycho, appears, having a conversation with Laurie Strode that is equally about what happened to her in 'Psycho' with the classic soundtrack playing in the background.

Although not as bad as Revenge, it is a disappointing sequel to Curse. In fact, the lasting impression the film has on you is to cause you to wonder; For a film set in 1998, why do none of the
main characters own a mobile?


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1Characters with names in italics are recurring characters.

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