Halloween Picks: H20 and the Resurrection of Michael Myers

In the previous entry in this blog series I reviewed Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and what I mentioned was this was the beginning of the Miramax era in the Halloween Franchise and all the rights there in. 

When I was in my senior year of High School in 1998 it was announced that Jamie Lee Curtis was returning to the franchise that made her career in Halloween: H20. Now.Now I have to admit that the first time that I saw this flick was an interesting time for me and with the night and the events that happened to me had ramifications for many years and when I think of this film I am made to think of these events.

The truth is that H20 isn’t one of my favorites. As a longtime fan of the franchise I was bothered by the fact that 4, 5, and 6 were erased from existence.

Now for those of you that are asking what I mean by this is that the Weinstein’s and Dimension films decided that this film is essentially Halloween 3. They even went as far to call it the concluding chapter in the Halloween series and with the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as well as the casting of Josh Harnett, and Michelle Williams who was hot at the time due to her role on Dawson’s Creek there was much hype on this flick and on opening day the theatre was packed to capacity.

The reason for this was in fact Jamie Lee Curtis who admitted that she was not a fan of Halloween 2 and only did the film out of loyalty to John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

Open about the fact that she didn’t see any of the sequels Jamie Lee Curtis thought of a story where her character after 20 years is once again confronted by her brother and must face him and kill him in the end.

This will become an issue later.

The plot of the film is that Michael Myers appears at nurse Chambers’ house where Dr. Loomis lived be his before his death shortly before the film where he learns of Laurie’s whereabouts and sets out for California.

Laurie Strode has relocated to California and under the assumed name of Carrie Tate she lives as the head Mistress of a posh private school that her 17 year old son John also attends.

John has grown accustomed to his mother’s PTSD as Laurie has become a function alcoholic and prescription drug addict who has multiple meltdowns every year on Halloween.  Laurie’s overprotectiveness of John causes many issues for mother and son.

Michael arrives and what we get is a film that in a Hollywood style pitch is Psycho meets Scream…and it is a sequel to Halloween.

7 Dead Bodies

0 Breasts

1 Beast

Ice Skate to the face

2 Knives to the back

2 Throat Slashings

1 Hanging

1 Moter Vehicle Chase

Legs Roll

Heads Roll

Look for Future Hollywood Players Josh Harnett as Laurie’s son John and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Jimmy the first victim in the flick.

Nice Refrence to Psycho in the scene where Jamie Lee's mother Psycho star Janet Leigh goes to her car which is the scame car from Psycho. 

This actually was a chapter that I almost considered passing up on the bluray box set but I am glad that I didn’t.

There were features on this disc in the collection that explained many issues that I had with the film.

Now one of the issues that I was just confused is the multiple masks that were in the film which all that managed to accomplish was the fact that I began to think that there were multiple Michael Myers in the film and as it turned out I was not that far off.

The reason that I admitted that this film was not one of my favorites was the way Michael Myers was both portrayed and killed in the film.

In the Ending of Halloween H20 Laurie Strode in a final encounter with Michael Myers manages to subdue her brother but before she can make the final kill she is stopped by LL Cool J and soon the police and EMTs arrive and while Michael is being loaded into the coroner’s van Laurie realizes that this is how he is going to make his escape and after stealing a gun form a nearby officer she orders that Michael be loaded into the van and takes off with her brother in the back.

As she predicted Michael soon reawakens in the back of the van and a final confrontation ensues which concludes with Michael pinned under the van as it sets on fire with Laurie standing over him with the Axe.

After Michael tries to make peace with his sister which we all knew was a trick she chops his head off with the Axe ending the movie.

Now what I didn’t know was the conflict that this brought into production.

As it turns out Jamie Lee Curtis was brought into the film due to Miramax and the film that she wanted was this ending.

Well into preproduction this was the intention until Mustafa Akkad became aware of the ending and revealed that there was in his contract that Michael Myers never dies. This needless to say didn’t sit too well with Jamie Lee Curtis.

With Jamie Lee threatening to drop out of the film just before production the creative heads involved with the project scrambles to find a solution and with both the film’s star and the franchise’s head refusing to budge on their positions it seemed that the film would be halted.

Scream writer Kevin Williamson soon reached the solution that Laurie Strode would kill Michael Myers but what the viewers and the characters don’t know is that Michael has switched bodies with an EMT after crushing his voice box and he would return in the next film when all is revealed.

Jamie Lee Curtis as a measure of compromise would sign on for the next film on the condition that her character would die early in the film and the filming continued on as planned.

This therefor brings us to Halloween Resurrection.

Now this is where I am going to get into trouble as I have been in trouble here before because I am actually both a fan and a supporter of the film. Facts that I have received much ridicule and hate from friends and fans alike.

Now I have to admit that I did go into the film with all of my expectations low and didn’t even see the film until it had been in the theatres for a week or two and I finally went to see it in a particularly empty theatre.

I know that many of my Horror reviewing Brethren have highly bashed the film but this flick is on my guilty pleasures list.

Picking up a brief few years after the events of Halloween H20 you now find that Laurie Strode has now learned that she killed a father of three has now been institutionalized where Michael soon finds her.

As per her contract that I was well aware of at the time in the film’s opening Jamie faces off against her brother for the final time before meeting her fate after he outsmarts her and drops her off the roof with her vowing to see him in Hell.

The way Michael defeats her makes reference to a scene in H20 that I had issue with which after listening to the commentaries and DVD features that this was all preplanned.

Now I feel that this is the issue that many will have with the film as that we are seeing our long time protagonist meeting her end in a way that makes the character feel weak which this was Jamie Lee’s idea for the character. I guess the fact that I already know this going into the film is why it didn’t bother me.

The film then returns to Haddonfield where there is a reality show being filmed in the Myers House for Dangertainment on as you most likely guessed the show airs live on Halloween Night.

Produced by Freddie Harris and Nora Winston (Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks) The show follows the modern trends of reality television at the time and this is in fact a webcast across the internet and the producers assemble a cast of local college students including the trio of Jen, Rudy and Sara.

Sara is cast after a light falls behind her during her audition making her scream and Freddie convinces her to join the cast despite her misgivings. Sara is also involved in an internet friendship with a man named Deckard. Unknown to Sara Deckard is actually a High School Freshman who is attending a Halloween party than night though he still catches the webcast with many of the party goers.

Soon Michael Myers begins to stalk and take out both the cast and crew while Sara IRC Chats with Deckard to know how to escape the house while Freddie and Michael face off in a fiery confrontation.

10 Dead Bodies

2 Breasts

1 Beast

Hanging

Slashing

Multiple Stabbings

Face Ripping

Skull Crushing

Heads Roll

 Another issue that many had with this flick that caused it’s failure was the casting of Busta Rhymes.

I personally don’t see the issue  with the casting now many were talking about his acting however I will admit that I have encountered many producers like the character of Freddie and they are very similar to the character and Rhymes’s performance is just like them.

Now many are hung up on the Hip Hop artist and the typical demographic of the Halloween fans aren’t Hip Hop fans but he isn’t rapping in the film so I personally don’t care if he is a musician. I do like the character.

Yes I am the type of director that will be sitting in my motel room watching Martial Arts films on the evening before a shoot.

Canadian actor and stunt performer Brad Loree plays Michael this time out and also does a good job and I love the Mask by the way.

I also liked the way that the internet is utilized in the film as Deckard is able to tell Sara where to go effectively adding a new dimension to the film with the characters thinking that they are watching a show but soon learning the horrifying fact that what they are watching is real effectively giving the film a Blair Witch reference and a War of the Worlds reference as well though Audiences are well aware that the film is fiction but watching many of the previous entries for the first time audiences would frequently be seen yelling at the screen.

 Well in this movie the characters are listening.

The DVD and Blu-Ray Releases do have a special feature option where you can see the found footage show as it is airing.

The film was directed by Halloween director Rick Rosenthal and filmed on a soundstage in Canada which was a first for the series. I do like the camerawork and the editing as well. The look of the film and sound design is great and I can’t complain about it.

Bianca Kajlich is both hot and a great Final Girl for the flick. I almost would have expected this role for a pre Battlestar Galactica Katee Sackhoff before becoming Starbuck in the role of the celebrity narcissistic Jen .

The Ending scene in the Morgue is a nice touch!

Needless to say this flick is a good stand-alone film in the series and while often regarded as the redheaded stepchild due to the death of Jamie Lee and the Martial Arts rapper but these don’t bother me and if you ask me what could be worse.

Well you could always hire a Rock Star

to remake the original Film as well as a sequel, but that is a whole other chapter.

Halloween Picks: The Return, Revenge, and Curse of Michael Myers

In continuance of our look at the Halloween franchise with the release of the complete collection that was released on Blu-Ray.

If you haven’t noticed by now that I have broken down the Halloween series down into eras. This brings us to the “Dr Loomis sequels”, which is what I call these chapters of the series.

Now the reason that these are broken up is because the Halloween series is like the DC Comics Multiverse featuring different timelines and the only films to be considered official cannot is infact Halloween and Halloween 2.

It is at this point that the films break up and follow different characters in the story. These three films follow Dr. Sam Loomis

I have to admit that these three films are some of my favorites in the series.

I have probably seen these films in the theatre as many times as I have seen the original and this was the era in the series that I was introduced to the franchise.

Today in the modern age Danielle Harris I consider a friend. I see her often at the conventions and we always exchange pleasantries and then go on with our own businesses at the show.

I had also had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Kathleen Kinmont at the 2008 Texas Frightmare Weekend.

I also had the pleasure of attending a special screening of the film in 2011 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin Texas, which was hosted by Owen Edgerton who while attending the screening dressed as “Bucky” provided a live commentary on the film defending the film and telling the story of Good, Evil, and Innocence.

Now let us move on to the history of the film.

After the box office flop that was Halloween 3 it was decided that Michael Myers must return to the franchise and the Akkad family found itself in a legal battle with John Carpenter and Debra Hill over the franchise’s direction. Carpenter and Hill wanted to go in the direction of Michael Myers being blasted into outer space.   Needless to say the Akkads won the rights to the Halloween Franchise.

Jamie Lee Curtis by this point had grown too big for the franchise and there was no chance for her to reprise the role of Michael Myers’ sister Laurie Strode and the decision was made to kill the character off before the movie had begun.

Playing the role of The Shape’s intended victim was 8 year old child actress Danielle Harris in the role of Laurie’s orphaned daughter Jamie Lloyd who after the death of her parents is in the care of the Carruthers family with her foster sister Rachael as her primary caretaker.

Ellie Cornell plays the role of Rachael with the primary duties of the Babysitter and the main antagonist of Michael Myers in this flick. 

Many have stated that Donald Pleasence’s career was in a slump around this time and that he was in need of a good payday and that was the primary reason that he returned to the franchise to reprise his role of Michael Myers’ arch nemesis Dr. Sam Loomis.

I don’t know the facts of these claims, however I have always felt that this film takes the character to a different level and is one of the strongest performances and dialogue for the film.

One of my favorite scenes in the franchise is the scene where Loomis is heading to Haddonfield and after his transportation was destroyed by Michael Myers flags down a ride with Reverend Sayer who is another hunter looking for Damnation. Loomis and Sayer share a drink in this ride and bond in their hunt for evil.

The story of Halloween 4 should be called Halloween H10 as it takes place 10 years after the events of Halloween and Haddonfield has tried to put the events of 1978 behind them.

Sheriff Brackett has since retired and moved to St Petersburg and he has been replaced by Sheriff Ben Meeker, the tough as nails no nonsense Sheriff with his daughter Kelly.

Rachael has been seeing her boyfriend Grady who is more interested in getting nookie than committing to a serious relationship. Despite all of this Rachael loves him and is planning her future with him.

Michael Myers has been in Ridgemont sanatariam and is to be transferred to Smith’s Grove due to Federal Law where Dr. Loomis has remained his Doctor for more ceremonial reasons than medical and keeps close eyes on Michael however because he does not read his memos he is unaware that Michael is being transferred.

After Michael is placed in the ambulance he listens to a conversation between the doctors that are overseeing the transfer when it is revealed that he does have a niece living in Haddonfield and soon he is awakened and attacks the ambulance causing it to wreck and soon begins making his way to Haddonfield to kill his only living relative.

When Loomis learns this fact he soon begins to follow the trail of bodies to Haddonfield where Michael after taking out the power of the entire town begins to stalk Rachael and Jamie inside of Sheriff Meeker’s home.

Michael is far more of a force to be reckoned with in this film than many of the other incarnations as he takes out the entire police force as well as a band of revenge seeking rednecks that are searching for him as well as his basic slices and dices that he is famous for.

Now many have wondered what was up with the Ending of the film in the fact that Michael was shotdown by the entire Illinois State Police and then the last image that we are shown is young Jamie is stabbing her foster mother while Loomis screams and tries to kill her only to be stopped by Meeker.

The original plan was that Michael’s evil has allegedly been transferred to young Jamie and now she was to pick up where her uncle had started.

Now there was an issue with lighting in the filming of the school scene which is why Michael's hair is blond. 

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers was a massive success at the Box Office and in order to capitalize on the success it was decided that Halloween 5 would be rushed into production to be released one year later.

Mustafa Akkad admitted on the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror that this was infact a mistake as the film found itself competing with with Halloween 4 on the video market.

When Halloween 4 and 5 were released by Anchor Bay in 2006 they received what I call the full treatment where it featured trailers commentaries making of specials and even video introductions by Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell. The commentaries alone were worth the purchase however The BluRay release was mostly barebones and and only featured trailers for the films.

That being said the complete collection most of these features are restored on the films. Halloween 4’s special features can be found on the second disc that is located in the Halloween 2 (2009) case.

Now I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of part 5 but I honestly feel that you can’t have one film without the other.

Taking place one year later it is revealed that Michael Myers is in fact not dead but he has been taken in by a local hermit and nursed back to health and that he now has a psychic link to young Jamie and this is the reason that she was made to stab her foster mother.

Naturally Michael awakens once again on Halloween Eve and begins to work his way to Jamie and many young party animals along the way.

While all of this is happening Dr Loomis is working to convince Jamie to aid him in stopping Michael Myers believing that she is to key to this task.

Now one of the many issues with this film is the fact that Ellie Cornell who was one of the primary protagonists in the previous entry was quickly dispatched by Myers rather unceremoniously and this was also recalled by Akkad that he felt that this was a mistake due to the popularity of the character which was at that time unknown as the series rarely used focus groups while making their films.

This was the last entry in the series to not use this tool in their production.

There are also a few continuity issues with this film such as The Myers House it’s self which has become a practically a gothic mansion in the past 10 years.

The only Issue was it was built up that Michael Myers takes off his mask in this film and when he does take it off in the film you don't see his face as it in shadows. It is funny when Jamie calls him "Uncle...Boogey Man."

Donald Pleasence at the time was uninterested in returning to the series for a sixth entry and his character dies of a stroke after he captures Myers. Pleasence would later on return for the 6^th installment.

The Director was interested in returning to the series for the 6^th installment and decided in what would help him is if he treated the audience to a cliffhanger ending and scenes were shown in the film of a mysterious man in black with silver tipped boots that gets off a bus and has a tattoo on his wrist that we are shown for the first time that Michael has this same mark as well. And in the end of the film This mysterious Man in Black breaks Michael Myers out of jail and sends the franchise in a brief new direction.

Halloween 5 needless to say did not perform as expected at the box office and the series was dormant for six years while searching for the new direction in the series.

The Akkads soon entered into a joint arrangement with Miramax for their Dimension Films subsidiary and brought in longtime series fan and screenwriter Daniel Farrands to write the 6^th installment in the Halloween franchise.

You find out that Michael and Jamie have been kidnapped by a mysterious cult from Smith’s Grove and after 6 years Jamie has become with child and after giving birth to a son Jamie escapes and is pursued by her uncle back to Haddonfield where Michael catches up to her and she meets her fate after three films.

Haddonfield has since banned Halloween in the town and the local college is rallying to bring the holiday back to the town.

A relative of the Strode family have since moved into the Myers’ House and across the street is the Blankenship boarding house and one of the residents is Tommy Doyle the child that Laurie was babysitting on Halloween Night in 1978. Tommy manages to find the newborn and alongside Loomis must face off against both Myers and the Cult of Thorn while rescuing Kara Strode and her young son.

Halloween 6 features both a beginning as well as and ending not just for the Halloween franchise but to Hollywood as well.

The Halloween Franchise as well as the Horror genre in general has always been the launching pad for many actors and actresses that go on to greener pastures and major players in the industry.

The Curse of Michael Myers is no exception as it introduced Paul Rudd to audiences. Now many will consider Rudd’s first role to be Clueless but the truth is that Paul Rudd was on the set of Halloween 6 and one of the actresses recalls on the BluRay that she ran lines with Rudd before he auditioned for the role of Josh in the film.

Sadly Halloween 6 was also the last film for franchise star Donald Pleasence. Soon after the film wrapped production Pleasence died from complications from a heart valve replacement surgery.

One person missing from Halloween 6 was Danielle Harris who was in talks for the 6^th film and could not come to terms with Maramax on either creative of financial terms and she was replaced by actress J.C. Brandy.

After the film wrapped production in early 1995 the film was soon sent to focus groups who found the plot and film too complicated and the film was sent back into production and many key scenes, subplots and developments were changed.  

As a result of this there are two different cuts of the film The theatrical cut and the producer’s cut.

The theatrical cut was made after the death of Pleasence and the ending reflects this as the Producers cut follows a different plot and then ending has another cliffhanger.

Personally I prefer the Producer's Cut.

For all of the details on these aspects of the film I definitely recommend the Halloween Complete collection on BluRay and the Special Features tells the whole story.

 I had been wondering for years why The Producer’s cut had not been officially released as I had always felt that it was a superior cut than what was released theatrically and when Highlander Endgame was released on DVD in 2001 there were two different cuts on the two disc set. So Why not release it in a two disc set.

Well the awnser is in fact in this box set and it all makes sense here to me.

Now I have to admit that this movie does have a special place for me if you were in my studio in the late 2000s you would notice that there was a poster of the film by my editing computer.

Why is that I honestly don’t know but it is in fact one of my favorites. I received that poster from the video store that I worked at when I was in High School and it had always been by my editing computer and it stayed there until my studio was lost in a fire in 2012.

This is the era in the series that many will claim is their favorite while others will try to ignore it as it would eventually be retconned out in the next chapters of films and that will lead us to our next entry.