The concept for H20 is to take a look into the life of a victim twenty years after being traumatized. The movie opens with a familiar tune, The Chordettes’ version of “Mr. Sandman”, which was used in the 1981 sequel. The song is catchy, but I’m not sure why it was ever used in this franchise. I suppose it might have worked in part 2, if they didn’t reveal Michael to be Laurie’s brother, but rather just someone who saw Laurie on his doorstep and became disturbingly infatuated with her. Being that Michael stood behind Laurie as she was walking away from the Myers house singing some made up romantic song, the possibility of Michael having a certain interest in her seems likely. Later in H20, Laurie’s in her vehicle and the song comes on, giving her a brief pause as if though she has a memory of the song. Blue Oyster Cult’s (Don’t Fear) The Reaper would have worked better there, seeing as that was used in the original in Annie’s car.
The opening scene follows another Halloween character, Marion Chambers, a role reprised by Nancy Stephens. Although H20 ignores everything after Halloween 2, there are still some interesting choices made for this movie as far as continuity goes. For example, this opening sets up Marion as having taken care of Loomis for years until he died, instead of him having die in the hospital explosion. Laurie’s fake car-crash death is mentioned, which is the same way Halloween 4 explains her absence. Michael’s breaking in at Marion’s house is to set up how he finds Laurie. Dr. Loomis kept files and documents on everything relevant to the case. I was hoping for a return to the black screen opening credits, in which a Jack O’ Lantern grows incrementally closer. Instead,we’re given a montage of newspaper clippings of incidents that hadn’t ever occurred in this franchise, coupled with a terrible voiceover that replaces Donald Pleasence as Loomis.
Marion should have actually tried to contact Laurie before Michael could get to her. Instead, after having found the file on Laurie, Michael sticks around and waits for Marion to return home, just to slit her throat. At least she put up a fight. The time it takes to get from Illinois to California is about thirty-one hours, so the writer’s at least did their math on that part.
Our reintroduction to the Laurie Strode character, now Keri Tate, comes just after a nightmarish flashback to the original’s closet scene. The look and feel of autumn itself is quickly taken out of the movie with the Californian setting. Unable to overcome her past, Laurie has since become a mother and a private school teacher. Also in 1998, she’s become a slightly less than fully functional pill-popping booze-hag, whose husband (not Jimmy from Halloween 2) leaves her with their son. That’s okay because she can still manage to keep her shit together, in probably the only class where Frankenstein is on the syllabus.
Dawson Creek’s Michelle Williams is supposed to be reminiscent of Strode, sitting in the back of the room, seeing Michael and discussing fate. The not-so-subtle foreshadowing of “confronting the monster” is essentially what this film is about. It’s a terrific angle, but it could have worked even better if this film wasn’t trying to be Scream. Also, if Laurie spent less time with a bottle and more time with Michael; He appears less than he has in the original and there’s no resolution for Laurie, whatsoever.
Laurie is supposed to be damaged, even with all the good things in her life. A fitting job, a handsome son – she even has his haircut. I’d say she’s in a relationship with Adam Arkin’s character Will, but he’s too weird to be considered a good thing. For one thing, he’s always popping up each time Laurie think she sees Michael. His development doesn’t go beyond clever-for-the-90s dialogue, practically stoic reactions to anything any character says to him and drinking alongside Curtis. I bet you anything he’s the one that wrote her the prescriptions for all those drugs in the cabinet.
It’s not a bad film, it just strays so far from ‘Halloween’ that it feels like your typical run-of-the-mill cash grab. Ottman’s score isn’t on par with Carpenter’s or even Howarth’s. The Weinstein’s weren’t happy with it either and actually had Marco Beltrami’s score from Scream and Scream 2 sprinkled in. There were few musical cues that went well with some scenes, however. Janet Leigh’s cameo in the movie as “Norma” (one of many Psycho references) is a great surprise. The exchange of dialogue between Jamie and her legendary mother, is my favorite scene in the film. Janet’s words and genuine sincerity in her performance is what makes her stand out.
Admittedly, I found the last act to be disappointing. Laurie jumps out of the car and tells her son John (Josh Hartnett) and Molly to drive to a house a mile down the road to get help, while she locks herself in with Michael. Laurie kicks through a glass case and grabs an ax, wasting no time storming back towards the school. The music swells just as she stops walking. “MICHAEL!” she screams, turning the tables on her brother. You’re sitting up in your seat, waiting and waiting. Unfortunately, it’s just not an exciting showdown. Not only did Molly and John leave Laurie, rendering their characters unnecessary, but the “fight to the finish” was chiefly hype. The movie opened on August 5, 1998. The opening weekend alone made just over $26 million from a $17 million budget and made approximately $55 million at the box office overall.
There is not a lot to say about this film. It could have been better, but perhaps it’s best we remain grateful for what it is. After all, had it not been for this change in direction, it’s plausible the franchise would have never moved back on track.
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