Halloween H20

Twenty Years Later

Director: Steve Miner

Writers: Robert Zappia and Matt Greenberg (and Kevin Williamson--though he goes uncredited, Williamson wrote the original outline for the story and did last-minute dialogue re-writes on the existing script prior to and during the filming; his influence is obvious when viewing the film)

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis

Body Count: 6


Review: This movie makes me mad. Don't get me wrong; it's always great to see another slasher film being released--especially if it's a Halloween film. But H20 just doesn't quite live up to the hype about it being the revitalization of the saga.
We learn as the film opens that Laurie Strode is NOT dead, but has changed her name to Keri Tate and is now living as a head mistress at a prep high school in California. She also has a 17-year-old son named Josh. She's also an alcoholic who has nightmares (seemingly every night) about her murdering brother Michael Myers.
H20 was a really admirable attempt at bringing some glory back to the franchise. It opens brilliantly with the return of the nurse from the first film. It's interesting to see what has happened to Laurie Strode since Halloween 2, but not THAT interesting that we should not get to see more action from Michael. It's as though there aren't any characters for Michael to kill, which is odd, considering that's the entire point of a slasher movie. Instead, H20 is supposed to be seen as Laurie's revenge. She does indeed get back at her brother, and the ending of the film seems to imply that Michael's gone for good.
Williamson's original 7-page outline for the film was somewhat different than the film that was actually made. In the original story, Josh's character is much more of an asshole, and his girlfriend is not really his girlfriend, but a girl who aspires to be his girlfriend. The end sequence was also changed significantly (the original ending is much better--though perhaps a bit predictable--it involves Michael being decapitated by the revolving blade of a helicopter).
The film only lasts 85 minutes, which makes me wonder if there might be some more footage that was cut from the finished film. We can hope.
Nevertheless, despite the severity of the ending, we can almost assume that another installment of the Halloween franchise will be on its way soon--considering the hefty ($50 million, in just a matter of weeks) box-office revenue H20 garnered. Let's just hope it's a little better (and maybe a little longer)!

Trivia: In true Kevin Williamson fashion, there's tons of horror movie references in . The film opens with the "Mr. Sandman" song from Halloween II. In a classroom scene very much inspired by the first Halloween, Molly (Michelle Williamson) explains the nature of a literary figure's "fate." Jamie Lee Curtis carries around an axe throughout the second half of the film, which brings to mind the video advertising for her earlier film Prom Night, and she decapitates Michael, much like the ending of another Williamson favorite, Friday the 13th. Also, the film is directed by Steve Miner, who directed Friday the 13th Part 2 and Friday the 13th Part 3. Williamson's own work Scream 2 is showing on a television in the film. Finally, Jamie Lee Curtis's real-life mother Janet Leigh makes an appearance in the film as a secretary who wishes to "be maternal for a moment." Leigh is famous for her role as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, which is paid homage to in h20 when Leigh drives away from the prep school to the subtle Psycho theme playing on the soundtrack (the car she drives is also the same model she drove in Psycho).

Read Kevin Williamson's original 7-page treatment for Halloween 7!

Read the original (and much cooler) draft of the Robert Zappia/Matt Greenberg Halloween 7 screenplay!