Plot: What’s it about?
Ah, Halloween. For many it’s their favorite “scary” movie. It’s my Dad and my wife’s. For me, it’s The Shining. But to each their own. We’re all familiar with the story: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) babysits on Oct. 31 only to find that her brother has broken out of a mental institution and embarks on a killing spree. Laurie is the sole survivor. The film was a critical and commercial success and spawned a litany of sequels, a couple were good – most were not. For the film’s 20th anniversary, a new movie was conceived. We could call it Halloween 7, but the filmmakers felt that Halloween H20 (nothing to do with water) had a better ring to it. It’s widely considered the best of the sequels and, somehow, it’s a movie that’s avoided me…until now. John Carpenter was originally slated to direct, but his asking price was too high. Curtis did the movie as a favor to her fans, citing that if not for them she wouldn’t have a career (I personally find that hard to swallow, but whatever). And the movie is notable for being Josh Hartnett’s first role. Depending on your view of him as an actor, that’s either a really good or really bad thing. Enough with the references, let’s get started.
We start in Illinois, site of the original Halloween film where we meet a few unfortunate souls who become the victims of Michael Myers. Teens Jimmy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Tony (Branden Williams) are two of the victims. We see Myers steal a car and learn that he’s been able to locate the whereabouts of his sister, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). I have no idea how he drives from Illinois to California, but I suppose that’s beside the point. What would you do if you saw someone like that putting gas in their car? Anyway…we learn that Laurie is now “Keri Tate” the headmistress of a prep school in Northern California. Her son, John (Josh Hartnett) has just turned 17 and even after two decades, Laurie feels that since she never witnessed Michael Myers die – he’s somehow still alive and out there. Every Halloween, she turns into a basket case. The stage is set and the majority of the students are en route to Yosemite, leaving a skeleton crew at the school. The security guard, Ronnie (LL Cool J) is the front line of defense and the other students left decide to have a “make out” party to kick off the weekend. Things are good. Right? Wrong. This is a Halloween movie after all…
Halloween H20 takes the same approach that the first one did. It’s a build up to the film’s climatic third act. Yes, there’s the obligatory opening sequence in which we see a couple teens and a nurse (Nancy Stephens, reprising her role from the first two films) “get it”, but we see how this tragedy has affected Laurie. While successful, she’s a functional alcoholic, sleeps with a gun under her pillow and is having an affair with the school’s guidance counselor (Adam Arkin). But, at the heart of it all, is Michael Myers and we know the time will come when the two square off. That’s the appeal of this (and the original) – Laurie fights back! More time has now passed since the release of this than when the film first came out compared to the original. Suffice it to say we’ve had our fair share of Halloween films (several others starring Curtis) since this and who knows how many more are in the works. But if this is one that’s been missed, it’s a solid entry into the series.
Video: How’s it look?
Things get interesting here as the Scream Factory 4K used a new 2022 4K scan of the original camera negative, with Dolby Vision/HDR10. The transfer was generally praised for its increased detail, richer color palette, strong blacks and clean, stable film grain. However, this release is also came from the restoration created from the original camera negative, in 2160p with Dolby Vision and HDR10. It’s certainly not a night and day difference, but odd that Paramount went through the trouble to put this out (again) and didn’t do a brand new transfer.
The film does improve upon the previously-released Blu-ray but does have a somewhat dated appearance. All the usual caveats are in place: strong contrast, sharp detail, nice colors and so forth. Given the theme of the Halloween movies, only the third act of this takes place at night. The locale, set in a sun-kissed Northern California town has many beautiful scenes that make me want to visit that place. At any rate, it’s a solid visual effort that’s sure to please.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio mix is one that’s fairly standard for this franchise and for horror movies in general. I personally felt they overdid it with the “jump scares” (9 by my count) and after the first few I was already desensitized. I did find this to be on the softer side, though. It wasn’t painstakingly low in volume, but I did find myself straining a bit. Maybe I’m too spoiled by modern day Atmos tracks? But what we get is what was to be expected with strong vocals, a fairly active surround mix and everything in between. There’s nothing to terribly dislike here, but it’s not reference-quality either.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Paramount released a bare bones steelbook of this a few years ago. If you’re into steelbooks, you likely have this. If not, this one does add some more supplements, though the Shout! version wins in this department.
- Blood Is Thicker Than Water: The Making of Halloween H20 – This is a nice touch to have on here as it was only previously available on the Shout! disc. This hour long documentary gives us just about everything we’d want or need to know about the film, its origins, the reason why John Carpenter didn’t direct it and even an explanation as to Josh Hartnett’s awful hair. This one’s got it all.
- Music Video – “What’s This Life For?” by Creed
- Theatrical/Teaser Trailer
The Bottom Line
The Halloween films, for many, represent the ultimate in what many consider the de facto horror franchise. Granted, it’s unlikely that the original will never be topped, but I feel that I’ll never live in a world without Michael Myers (aka “The Shape”) in it. Paramount’s 4K disc gives us a decent-looking picture as well as some features that were lacking in the 2023 steelbook. But if you want the best package/bang-for-your-buck go with the Shout! version.
