Halloween H2O — Film Review
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Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later, released in 1998, brings Jamie Lee Curtis back to the franchise that made her famous in horror as a prep school principal with a son and a continued fear that her brother will return for her 20 years later. Produced by one of horror’s best, Kevin Williamson, and containing a lovely cameo by Janet Leigh, Curtis’ mother and horror’s original scream queen, this film didn’t necessarily disappoint me, but it didn’t wow me either. It’s the perfect five, a mediocre movie with nothing terrible about it and nothing remarkable about it.
This film largely relies on audience loyalty to the franchise and the memories of why it’s a great film and fails to establish new, innovative reasons for why it is excellent. John Carpenter creates the same wonderfully creepy score. Myers looks and acts the same as before, including my favorite quality about him — he never runs. Never. Not even a jog. The bastard probably could have killed many more people if he had picked up the pace. Twenty years after the original attack, Curtis’ character has faked her death, changed her name, had a child, become principal of a boarding school, and still has a bucket’s worth of mental issues and fear regarding Myers. And why shouldn’t she? The guy has it out for her. I had no trouble believing she was still tormented by him years later, and I had no trouble believing that Halloween remains the worst day of her year.
Everything about that setup was great, but it didn’t go anywhere. Myers inevitably returns, wreaking havoc on her son and his friends, and Laurie Strode/Keri Tate (Curtis) must finally face her fears and take him on. And that was…fine. But there wasn’t anything unique about the story. With a great backstory and a great setup, I expected something better. There were some great parlor tricks, such as Myers and Strode/Tate spotting each other for the first time through the door window. And there were some notable deaths involving corkscrews and ice skates. But there weren’t that many deaths; there were more survivors than expected for a horror film, and at times, Myers spared people’s lives, which seemed out of character. After some meandering around with the students, the film comes full circle and features a showdown between Myers and the sister he’s been after for years. This showdown lasts a long time and involves a knifing and an intentional…
