Halloween H20

Halloween H20 introduces Josh Hartnett, Michelle Williams, and even L.L. Cool J to the franchise. It’s good to see the effects of what happened to Laurie and how it affected her life in the long run. And I’m here for it.

<img src="HalloweenH20.jpg" alt="Halloween H20.">

Photo Credit: Dimension Films

Released: Aug 5, 1998

Runtime: 86 mins

Director: Steve Miner

Writer: Debra Hill, John Carpenter, Robert Zappia

Actors: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin

PLOT

It has been twenty years since Michael Myers massacred Laurie’s friends. Now she has moved to California, changed her identity, and is in charge of a private school her son attends. But Michael is back and she must protect herself and her son from him.

MY THOUGHTS

Not a lot of kills in Halloween H20, and half of the kills are right at the beginning. Most were pretty mild except for Sarah’s death. She was sliced, her leg broken and then finally killed. But then again, I hate seeing broken bones even though I know it’s not real.

Regarding acting, it's pretty good. Jamie Lee Curtis (known for) returns as Laurie Strode. The survivor of multiple attacks from Michael. 

We start with Josh Hartnett (known for The Faculty, Sin City, and 30 Days of Night) plays John, Laurie’s son who has to deal with her PTSD. Michelle Williams (known for Dawson’s Creek, Shutter Island, Venom) plays Molly, John’s girlfriend. L.L. Cool J (known for Deep Blue Sea and being a Rapper) plays Ronny the security guard. 

In the beginning Michael goes to Dr. Loomis’ former nurse’s house and steals information about Laurie’s current location. Then kills her and two teenagers before heading to California.

We learn Laurie is living at a private school as the principal with her 17 year old son. We also find out she has severe PTSD and is a functioning alcoholic. Which is driving a wedge between her and her son. 

Halloween weekend most of the students are going on a camping trip which Laurie isn’t allowing John to go. Once his girlfriend can’t go, their friends all decide not to go as well. Surprisingly, Laurie changes her mind at the last minute, allowing him to go. John, being the typical teenager, doesn’t go and hides out with his friends.

Later that night, Michael shows up at the school and starts killing off the friends in brutal ways. Once John and Molly find the bodies of their friends and head out to get help. Meanwhile, Laurie is having a date night with her boyfriend, the school's counselor. She finally reveals to him that Michael is her brother and that she expects him to eventually come after her.

Once the group is reunited Michael shows up. The counselor mistakenly shoots Ronny thinking he is Michael. He freaks out but MIchael shows up and kills him. 

Laurie takes the kids to the gate and tells them to go to the neighbors and get help. She stays behind to finish off Michael. She stabs him several times and ends up pushing him over a balcony. She goes to stab him again but Ronny, who isn’t dead, stops her. The cops arrive and the paramedics bag up Michael.

Laurie decides that she is finally going to finish Michael, stealing the ambulance that Michael was in and after an accident, beheads him, finally finishing him off.

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Not a bad entry in the Halloween franchise. It seems to ignore 3-6 though, but that’s ok. It’s a decent cast and had a very 90’s horror feel to it. The kills, for the most part, weren’t too bloody. Did I mention that Ronny (L.L. Cool J) survives? Subverting the black person always dying trope. Definitely watch Halloween H20. It’s better than Halloween 6 and Resurrection.

And now for your Forever Final Girl Exclusive…Did you know?: 

  • Jamie Lee Curtis considers the film a thank you note to her fans. 

  • Even after 20 years, Jamie Lee Curtis said that seeing Michael Myers on set still scared her.

  • Jamie Lee Curtis has played Laurie Strode in films released in six different decades from the 1970s to the 2020s: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021)

  • Curtis' stunt double broke her foot during the scene where they're driving the car and have to stop to open the gate. She slammed on the brakes and "the anti-lock brakes pushed back on her."

  • LL Cool J had always been a fan of the Halloween movies. His mother took him to see the original when he was just nine years old.

  • LL Cool J's line, "Comb your hair!" was ad-libbed, inspired by Josh Hartnett's messy haircut.

  • Janet Leigh's first role in a feature film for 18 years. Her previous theatrical film was The Fog (1980), which also starred her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis.

  • Janet Leigh, who plays Norma, played Marion in Psycho. The license plate on the car is also the same as the second car Marion buys in Psycho, NFB 418, which are Norman Bates' initials and lastly, Norma is the first name of Norman Bates' Mother from Psycho.

  • During the scene where Norma is leaving, she stands in front of the car from Psycho (1960). The music playing in the background at this part is also from Psycho. 

  • Michelle Williams signed on without ever having seen any of the Halloween movies.

  • The director and writers decided to treat this movie as if Halloween 4-6 never took place.

  • Michael killing Will by stabbing him in the back with a butcher knife and lifting him off the ground is strikingly similar to how he killed Nurse Jill in Halloween II (1981) (only that time, it was with a scalpel). Both are killed in front of Laurie Strode.

  • During the credits in the prologue, Dr. Samuel J. Loomis' dialogue from the first film about Michael's incarceration is heard. The studio was unable to retrieve the unmixed audio from the original scene to reuse and were forced to tap voice actor Tom Kane to imitate Donald Pleasence, who played Dr. Loomis in the first six films.


Have you seen the other Halloween movies? Check out my other reviews here: Halloween Franchise.

Let’s get into the rankings:

Kills/Blood/Gore: 3.5/5

Sex/Nudity: 0/5

Scare factor: 3/5

Enjoyment factor: 5/5

My Rank: 3/5

IMDB: 5.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes: critics:  5.3/10  audience:  4.9/10

Letterboxd: 2.9/5