Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

Of course we all know now that _H20_ went on to have a sequel, a reboot, a sequel to the reboot, and another _Halloween_ film coming out next year, but props to _Twenty Years Later_ for at least *trying* to end the franchise. It's nice sometimes to watch a horror go out on something other than a final-scare/cliff-hanger. Also notable for being the first Michael Myers movie that's any fun. Not a great movie, but credit where credit's due. _Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

***Jamie Lee Curtis returns and the franchise redeems itself from the crappy part 6*** Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living in Northern California under an assumed name as a dean of a remote private school. It’s Halloween season and her son (Josh Hartnett) is turning 17. Will her evil brother show-up to wreak terror once again? Of course he will. Adam Arkin, LL Cool J and Janet Leigh have side roles. “Halloween 4” (1988) was great and IMHO even better than the original 1978 slasher while “Halloween 5” (1989) was good, although it added a little campy humor. The next film, “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” (1995), was surprisingly a mess with weak characters, lousy story development and stale & pedestrian jump scares. So I didn’t know what to expect with 1998’s “Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later.” The movie starts in Illinois with a glimmer of humor and the final scene of the character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt made me bust out laughing. From there, the tone turns dramatic as events switch to the posh boarding school in California. The characters are confidently established and we feel we know them as Michael Myers stages his assault. I’m glad the creators decided to finally switch the setting from Haddonfield, Illinois, to a wholly different locale across the country. Haddonfield was getting tired. The plot is similar to “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” which was released a few months later. “H2O” is arguably the second best sequel in the series after 4 and is at least on par with 5. It’s great to have Jamie Lee as the ‘final girl’ again. Michelle Williams also appears on the female front. She was only 17 during shooting and cute as can be. The attractive Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is also on hand. The film runs 1 hour, 26 minutes and was shot in Southern Cal (La Puente, Silver City, Chatsworth, Calabasas, Universal City and Los Angeles). GRADE: B/B-