Halloween H2O
25th Anniversary Edition 4K review by Bobby Blakey
There are a handful of iconic on screen killers with Michael Myers being at the top of the list. After his debut in John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, it not only spawned a slew of sequels and remakes, but kick started the slasher genre as we know it. Most recently the latest trilogy of the franchise brought the story to an end, but this wasn’t the first time Jamie Lee Curtis returned to the franchise. In 1998 she returned as Laurie Strode once again with Halloween H20 co-starring Josh Hartnett (in his feature film debut), Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adam Arkin, LL Cool J, and horror icon (and mother of Jamie Lee Curtis) Janet Leigh.
Halloween: H20 follows twenty years after Michael Myers' massacre in Haddonfield and Laurie Strode has faked her own death, traveled to California, and took on the identity Keri Tate. Michael discovers Laurie's new identity and travels to California to kill his sister. Now Laurie must now take on her brother with her son's life at stake.
There are essentially 3 timelines to the original story with this one being a direct follow-up to Halloween II, ignoring parts 4, 5, and 6. (Obviously Halloween III is its own thing) This outing looked to not only bring back Strode, but attempted to take it back to its roots of terror. I really had a good time with this one, which is most likely due to the return of Curtis, but also the fresh young cast getting in on the chaos. At the time it served as a decent call back and finale to the franchise in a way that connected to all before it as well as creating its own timeline to ignore some of them if you prefer.
I think this one does a good job capturing some of that original magic while still being its own thing. It’s not perfect, but Curtis is great in the role oince
again and helps to elevate it to something more than it might have been otherwise. While it works more than not for me its still the kills and menace of Myers himself that we are here to see and it cuts him lose. Not quite as aggressive as the more recent entries, but still reminds us of why Myers is one of the slasher greats and Curtis is the top scream queen.
While we know that this film didn’t end the franchise, I loved how they ended it at the time. IT felt like the perfect end to their decades long fight and a finite ending to Strode. Of course it wasn’t to be, but it still works as it stands and can even be the ending for some fans if they so choose.
There are so many varying releases of these films, but this latest 4K is a must have for fans of the franchise. The Limited-Edition 25th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD SteelBook features the remastered film in stunning 4K Ultra HD and access to a Digital copy of the film all presented with haunting new original artwork.
Witness what was to be the end with Halloween H20 when it hits 4K to celebrate its 25th anniversary on September 26th from Paramount Home Entertainment.