Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) Dimension/Horror RT: 86 minutes Rated R (graphic violence, language, alcohol abuse, thematic elements) Director: Steve Miner Screenplay: Robert Zappia and Kevin Williamson (uncredited) Music: John Ottman and Marco Beltrami Cinematography: Daryn Okada Release date: August 5, 1998 (US) Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Michelle Williams, Adam Arkin, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Adan Hann-Byrd, LL Cool J, Janet Leigh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Branden Williams, Nancy Stephens, Beau Billingslea, Matt Winston, Larisa Miller, Emmalee Thompson. Box Office: $55M (US) Body Count: 7
Rating: ** ½
Okay, forget that Halloweens 3-6 ever happened. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later follows an alternate timeline. It picks up 20 years after the events of the original two movies. It starts with the late Dr. Loomis’ assistant Marion Chambers (Stephens) returning to her home and finding that an intruder has entered her home. After the teenager next door Jimmy (Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises) looks around and finds nobody in the house. It turns out Jimmy is wrong, DEAD WRONG.
Somebody has been there and whoever it was, they stole a file on Laurie Strode, the sister of Michael Myers. Yes, Michael is alive and well and still wants to kill his baby sister. Where has he been hiding for the past 20 years and how has nobody spotted him during this time? That doesn’t matter. What matters is he’s still around and wants to finish what he started after his escape from Smith’s Grove all those years ago. He discovers that Laurie is living in Northern California under the name of Keri Tate. She’s the headmistress at a private boarding school (Hillcrest Academy High School) and has a 17YO son John (Hartnett, Sin City). The events of that Halloween night still haunt Laurie/Keri; she suffers from nightmares, has a medicine cabinet full of many pharmaceutical treats and is a closet alcoholic.
Okay, I give credit where credit is due. It makes perfect sense that the survivor of a killing spree would still be affected. In that sense, Halloween H20 gets it right. It would have been great if it had focused more on the character of Laurie/Keri, but instead we get a standard plot about her son and some of his dumb friends trying to outrun the psychopath who has returned to finish the job of killing his family.
The students of Hillcrest are supposed to go on some camping trip, but Laurie/Keri won’t allow John to join his peers on an overnight trip off school grounds. She is very overprotective of her son; she’s convinced something will happen to him if she doesn’t have both eyes on him. Instead of joining his peers, John remains at the school with his girlfriend Molly (Williams. Blue Valentine) and two of their friends, Charlie (Byrd, The Ice Storm) and Sarah (O’Keefe, She’s All That). Naturally, Michael manages to sneak onto school property and start killing teens. It doesn’t take too long for Laurie/Keri to realize her brother has returned. She’s the only one who can stop him.
Honestly, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later is one of the better installments of the franchise, but that doesn’t mean it’s that great. Had it focused more on how the events of the original Halloween movie (and its first sequel) had affected Laurie, it would have been a more interesting horror film. Think about it. What becomes of the “final girls” in all the slasher movies? How are they affected by the carnage they witnessed? Where will they be in 20 years? How are they still affected by their ordeal? I have yet to see a horror movie that addresses this matter. This seventh entry in the series attempts to answer that question and mostly succeeds in that respect. It seems reasonable that Laurie would descend into a world of prescription meds and booze to erase the painful memories of her closest friends being butchered by some maniac. On top of that, the homicidal maniac is her older brother who feels compelled to eliminate his entire family. I like that idea and, in my opinion, it would have made a very interesting horror movie.
However, the filmmakers want to attract a teenage audience so they write a story that features a group of horny teenagers being offed by Michael Myers. The cast seems to consist of a group of young people recruited from the WB network, teenagers from the late 90s with a sense of irony. Who really cares about that? Haven’t we seen enough horror films where the teenage characters are aware of what’s going on and the irony associated with the situation? I actually prefer the teenagers from the slasher flicks of the 80s. All they wanted to do was drink, get stoned and screw around. That makes more sense to me.
The original Halloween featured teens who were only interested in sex and partying. The idea of a masked homicidal maniac taking their lives was the furthest thing from their minds. In 1978, the idea of an escaped mental patient killing teens was horrific. In the years since, it’s a fairly typical scenario. Is anybody still scared of something like this? I don’t know for sure, but I will venture a guess and say no. Babysitting in the home of a stranger is pretty freaky, especially if a homicidal maniac is introduced into the equation. I suppose that many teenage girls still fear this possibility, but considering the real-life events of modern times, nothing that any man can devise would come as a surprise. It’s a sick world and there are plenty of deranged killers to prove this. However, I find myself wondering whether it fits in the universe of the Halloween franchise.
I like the idea that Halloween H20: 20 Years Later dismisses the events of the previous installments. It makes perfect sense that Laurie/Keri faked her own death so she can avoid being discovered by her brother. Laurie/Keri hasn’t had it easy dealing with all her personal demons. In the role of haunted survivor, Curtis does a great job, especially when it’s time to step up and face her greatest fear, big brother’s homecoming. Hartnett is okay but hardly exceptional as the teen son who isn’t sure what to believe about his mother. Given her substance abuse and fragile mental state, she’s not exactly a reliable witness. She’s telling the truth though, something he and his friends are about to find out and herein lies the film’s biggest failing.
While I’m relieved Halloween H20: 20 Years Later is better than its two immediate predecessors, it still doesn’t measure up to the original. The teen characters aren’t all that interesting. In fact, they’re kind of lame. The more interesting characters are Laurie/Keri’s boyfriend, guidance counselor Will (Arkin, Full Moon High) and security guard Ronny (rapper LL Cool J, Deep Blue Sea). Will is the voice of reason while Ronny provides the cool factor. I would have liked to spend more time with them than the dumb teens who bail on the trip to party at the deserted school. They’re just asking for trouble.
To its credit, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later has a knowing sense of humor that shows in little touches like an appearance by Curtis’ real-life mother Janet Leigh (Psycho) as her secretary. Does her car look familiar to you? Still, there’s no getting around it being a standard-issue 90s-era slasher flick with too little bloodshed. It’s entertaining, but it doesn’t live up to its potential. Director Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Parts 2 & 3) could have really done something here, but the screenplay by Robert Zappia and Matt Greenberg lets him down. I get that they want the film to appeal to 90s audiences, but that doesn’t mean it should resemble a dark episode of Dawson’s Creek. On the other hand, I’d rather watch a dopey teen drama than a reality show which brings us to the next installment.
