Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Written By: JEH
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Steve Miner
Producers: Paul Freeman
Writers: Robert Zappia, Matt Greenberg
Date Released: August 5, 1998
Cast:
Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
Adam Arkin as Will Brennan
Michelle Williams as Molly Cartwell
Adam Hann-Byrd as Charlie Deveraux
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe as Sarah Wainthrope
Josh Hartnett as John Tate
LL Cool J as Ronald “Ronny” Jones
Chris Durand as Michael Myers
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
20 years after the Halloween of 1978, Michael Myers (Chris Durand) returns to find his sister Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Desperate to remain hidden from her relentless brother, Laurie fakes her own death and assumes the identity of a school headmistress. However, when her son turns 17, Laurie begins to experience nightmares from the past. She fears for the worst, but John (Josh Hartnett) convinces her that they’re in a better place now.
Has Laurie really escaped The Shape or does her worry have a reason?
Gore Factor
As expected for a slasher film, there’s a lot of blood and possibly graphic scenes. However, if you’re looking for hardcore or shocking gore, you won’t find it here. But if legs being crushed by a dumbwaiter and clean decapitations are your thing, you’ll enjoy Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).
The Grave Review
After Halloween II (1981), the sequels have added nothing impressive to the story. While Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) was an interesting addition to the story, the potential of her character plummeted after Halloween: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989). People thought it could only get worse with the milked sequels. However, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) proved everyone wrong.
Despite its cheesy title, Halloween H20 is easily the best sequel to the first two movies. The film brought back the creepy atmosphere that most sequels miss or ignore. Aside from the return of Jamie Lee Curtis, the suffocating suspense is noticeably done right again.
The director, Miner, did wonders by combining old-fashioned cinematography with film trends of the 90s. He made this possible by paying homage and adding subtle call-backs while showing how much the world has changed since the fateful night. A good example is showing what Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and Laurie went through using newspaper collections. However, the movie does not linger too long in the past and immediately jumps into the unavoidable future. No segues, no curses, and no illogical story progressions.
All characters are surprisingly likable, and it’s thanks to good scriptwriting, directing, and casting. Their personalities are not forced, and they prove themselves to be more than the horror character stereotypes.
What made Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) great was its ending. To be honest, this should’ve been the ending to Halloween. So, it hurts to think that Halloween: Resurrection (2002) exists.
However, the movie is not without faults. The movie still falls victim to story clichés and disappointing jump scares. Also, most of the deaths feel lackluster. The creators could’ve gone more creative with the death scenes, but they didn’t.
But overall, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) is a great sequel. If you’re a big fan of the original Halloween movies, you will enjoy this sequel. But if you just want to enjoy a good old slasher movie, Halloween H20 will still impress.
For the above reasons, Grave Reviews gives Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) three graves out of five graves.
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