|
 t first glance, the 20th anniversary
"Halloween" film should have been spectacular. It boasted a
story by Kevin Williamson, whose work on "Scream"
made him hotter than First Baptist Hell. Jamie Lee Curtis ("True
Lies") was returning to the role of Laurie Strode after a long
absence, and her supporting cast of Josh Harnett, Michelle Williams, LL
Cool J and Janet Leigh were of a higher caliber than usual. The budget was
tripled and the film would be made under the guidance of veteran horror
helmer Steve Miner ("Texas
Rangers").
With all that going for it, why is "Halloween
H20" such a miserable failure?
"Halloween H20" explains that Laurie Strode (Curtis) never
really died in an automobile accident as we were told. She faked her own
death, changed her identity, and moved far away from Haddonfield -- all in
an effort to hide from her homicidal brother, Michael Myers. Laurie is now
the headmistress for a private school and raises a rebellious teenage son
as a single parent. But she's still haunted by her memories of Michael
Myers and lives in terror of the day he will return. That day comes to
pass when he tracks her down one Halloween night, intent on finishing what
he started years ago. Laurie realizes she has a choice: be a helpless
victim or face her fear and fight back.
Jaime Lee Curtis slips comfortably back into a role she hasn't played in
more than a decade. She even convincingly displays character development,
showing us a woman who bears deep scars from a teenage trauma. The
character is most impressive when she decides to take a stand. Laurie
seems to stand straighter, has a more determined look, and sheds any fear
of Michael Myers. No longer is she a scared victim hiding behind alcohol
and pills; this Laurie is ready to face Myers head on and you can't help
but admire her for that.
Sadly, the rest of the cast isn't as impressive. LL Cool J ("SWAT")
gives a decent performance as a security guard with aspirations to write
romance novels, but he never has enough screen time to save the film from
mediocrity. Michelle Williams is a gorgeous sight, but her performance
doesn't match the beauty and she remains glorified eye candy. Janet Leigh
is excellent when she's onscreen, but that's as rare as a solar eclipse.
As for Josh Harnett ("Pearl
Harbor"), he acts like he's not taking his job as an actor
seriously. Adam Arkin is one of the few bright spots, showing up as a
sympathetic counselor in love with Laurie. He looks at her with genuine
affection and seems to honestly want to help.
Unfortunately it's easy to see why Kevin Williamson insisted his name be
taken off the film, especially after you see what Robert Zappa and Matt
Greenburg did to Williamson's script. The problem with "H20" is
that it's boring, mostly relying on false scares rather than the blood and
gore we've come to know and love from the "Halloween" films. It
doesn't help that Michael Myers is hardly around. The film seems content
to focus on a "Scream"-esque group of teens while relegating
Myers mostly to the third act. The musical score also leaves a lot to be
desired, and for some insane reason John Ottman's superior music was
mostly dumped in favor of Marco Beltrami's.
Credit ought to be given to Steven Miner, who tries
to direct a scary film in spite of everything working against him. He does
an excellent job crediting suspense, even when there's no actual payoff.
Effective camera angles and lighting give "Halloween H20" a nice
visual flair, and Miner manages to move the film along at an even pace.
It's sad to see a talented director like Miner use everything in his bag
of tricks, only to be defeated by a movie's insurmountable problems.
Watching "Halloween H20", you feel like someone on the
Hindenburg yelling at the captain to switch on the "No Smoking"
sign. You want to cry out a warning because, despite all the promise, you
know something horrific is going to happen. In this case, the horror is
the ineptness of a film that should have been far better than it was. |
