Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Adam Arkin, LL Cool J, Josh Hartnett

Director: Steve Miner

Previews: Rounders, Rush Hour

Prelude to a review:  These are my thoughts, prior to viewing Halloween:H20, the review follows

Flashback with me. To a dark theater...20 yrs ago. Two curious 10-yr old boys, into UFOs, JFK and experimenting with umbrellas, roofs, and the laws of gravity. Suddenly these two were being reeled into the magic of the cinema, our eyes opening, our boundaries widening. It began with Jaws,swearing us off of swimming for a good 5 yrs, then CE3K, making us lay out in the yard, late nights, waiting for intergalactic communication (convinced that the government was hiding something inside Ohio, or New Mexico)..and then to the sheer cinematic magic of Star Wars. We were hooked.Then, came this curiosity..a dark, haunting vision, a maniacal pumpkin,and the simple, emblazoned word. Halloween. I really had no idea what  to expect. Then..that music...the simple tones...deepening, intensifying..the pumpkin..an innocent symbol..suddenly turning evil..slowly splitting. The movie, grabbed me there, and held me...on the edge of my seat, and my youthful sanity. It is still the best horror movie I have seen to this day. It knows what to do. Build suspense, with boo scary tactics..use music, use imagery, and...as a last effect, only when necessary..use the gore. This movie kept you scooting closer, and closer..it gave you images (the sheet and glasses gave me my only youthful nightmare)..and I was hooked, still am, completely. To this day, the movie still holds that magic, doesn't lose any of its luster.20 yrs later, and 4 disappointing sequels...we come to H20, a promising idea/finale to this series, Jamie's back, Michaels back.. will the ride begin again?, will it live up, and be true to the original? Questions that I asked myself going in.

Now..to the review

As you can see above, I am a true fan of the Halloween movie.  The original that is.  John Carpenter's independent masterpiece.  The subsequent sequels (2 discluded, as it wasn't that bad, but the gorefest was beginning to rear its ugly head) were huge disappointments, playing off of name alone to draw a crowd.  I had become disgruntled, upset, saddened that this series had gone the way of Jason, and Freddy, and sold it soul in blood, for the almighty dollar.  So, it was with trepidation, but a renewed hope, that I entered the theater today. My faith, for the most part, has been restored.  Okay, question time is the best way to do this..

First off, did I like it?  Yes, I did..reasons, I will elaborate on later.                                                                                Is it better than the original? No..sequels rarely are, but this time, that is not a bad thing because it does not try to be.  Instead, it plays more as a respectful tribute to the original.  Never trying to be better, but following the same formula, adding some newer touches, yet still staying true to its roots.                                                           Do you need to see the original to like this movie?   Hard for me to say, I believe that you will get more out of it, if you have, for several reasons, which I will not divulge because of plot purposes, but I cannot fairly say, being a bit biased to the original

The plot is fairly simple, yet still more complex than most movies of this genre.  Jamie Lee Curtis returns, as Laurie Strode, long separated from her Illinois nightmare of 20 yrs prior, but the nightmare finds her, again, on Halloween.  That's it, without spoiling any more.  The success here, comes, as it did in the first, in the delivery.  Lots of suspense, tension building scenes (known as boo-scary moments, to me), effectively "scaring" you, and keeping you on the edge, and when you least expect it..BAM..gettin ya.  This is smart movie making, knowing how to keep the audience's attention, stringing them along, then springing the trap when you least expect it.

The performances are effective, but not the focus here, Jamie Lee still has the touch, Josh Hartnett as her son, Adam Arkin, as the boyfriend, Michelle Williams and Adam Hann-Byrd (Little Man Tate) also return with Curtis to her nightmare.  Refreshing touches from LL Cool J as the security guard with a secret desire to be the next Jackie Collins, brings an energetic sense of humor to the situation, and Jamie's mother (Janet Leigh, the original scream queen) has a cameo as an exuberantly paternal secretary.  New blood, old formula, together, it all works. 

My faults with the movie, the pacing was a bit slow, it lagged in the beginning to middle, but whoa boy, when it got going, (The first face-to-face between Curtis and "The Shape")..buckle up, because it's a downhill rollercoaster ride with a satisfying, intelligent conclusion. Also, it does follow several of the horror movie cliches' that have become a staple of the genre, and would elicit certain ridicule from the hip Screamsters.  But I see this as an intentional salute to the new wave of horror movies.  A way to show that they will not bow to the conformity of current movies, but rather stay true to the origins. My hats off to the director (assisted by Scream scribe Kevin Williamson, you can see his hand in this, just as you could see Tarantino's light touches, in a little scene French gem called Killing Zoe) for not selling out to the slasher movie trend.  It is not a perfect movie by any stretch, but it succeeds where it should, as a thriller, as a good scare, a fun watch, and a fitting tribute.  The filmmakers show that is possible to respect the elders, and inject new life, without killing the genre.  See this one at a matinee, for a good scare, in a dark theater

(side note, please, no matter how much you like it, or know about the original, or just think it's silly.  Please, keep your opinions, laughter, and comments, to yourself, or between you and your companion.  My experience was nearly ruined by a theater full of people who felt it necessary to laugh, at tense serious scenes, and comment about every single event.  Some of us are trying to enjoy, save your comments for the ride home.)

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