PopHorror Let's Get Scared
“And now, he’s back…”
After terrorizing poor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis: Terror Train 1980 – our retro review) at Hillcrest Academy in 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (our retro review), Michael Myers (Brad Loree: The Day of the Living Dead 2014) came back for more stabs in the franchise’s eighth installment, 2002’s Halloween: Resurrection, directed by Rick Rosenthal (Halloween II 1981 – our retro review).
When the film was released on July 12, 2002, the reception wasn’t great, to say the least. In fact, it has a lower score on Rotten Tomatoes than 1982’s Michael-less Halloween III: Season of the Witch (our retro review), with the critics consensus being, “The only thing this tired slasher flick may resurrect is nostalgia for when the genre was still fresh and scary.” On the heel of the 20-year anniversary of when Halloween: Resurrection, let’s take a look back to see if its poor rating is still warranted.
Halloween: Resurrection picks up three years after Laurie chopped the head off an innocent paramedic that Michael swapped clothes with. She’s confined to a psychiatric facility where, of course, he finds her.
Following an altercation and an allegedly dead Laurie, the movie shifts gears to a group of teens recruited for a new reality show, Dangertainment. Organized by Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes: Shaft 2000) and Nora (Tyra Banks: Coyote Ugly 2000), they must stay in the abandoned childhood home of Michael for one evening. Though Freddie places fake body parts and other scare tactics throughout the house, the real dead bodies begin to pile up.
Turns out, Michael is home and doesn’t appreciate having strangers intruding. With the help of her online pal, Myles “Deckard” Barton (Ryan Merriman: Final Destination 3 2006), Sara Moyer (Bianca Kajlich: Dark Was the Night 2014) and Freddie are able to make it out alive as a fire engulfs the house. Naturally, upon his arrival at the morgue, Michael’s eyes pop wide open.
Because I always enjoy looking at the positives, let’s talk about what Halloween: Resurrection does right. Personally, I absolutely love the brief interaction between Michael and psychiatric patient Harold, a serial killer buff who knows every detail about history’s mass murderers. Rather than add another kill to his resume, Michael gifts Harold his bloody knife. I guess he went shopping for a new one after? It’s clear that Harold is in awe of his visitor, and it’s nice to see Michael show some love to his biggest fan, who shares Michael’s childhood affinity for clown costumes. As for those who aren’t so lucky, Michael shows off some unique ways to take a life, from squishing someone’s head to his tried-and-true method of impalement.
From a jump-scare and gore perspective, Halloween: Resurrection does its job. But when taking into consideration its inclusion in a major horror franchise, it falls very short. Other than leaving viewers guessing about Laurie’s fate, which audiences don’t learn until 2018’s Halloween, it doesn’t advance the storyline in the slightest. Additionally, I found myself rooting for Michael over his victims, which is never a good sign.
In the inaugural 1978 Halloween, there was something instantly endearing about Laurie, Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes: The Fog 1980) and Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews: The Great Santini 1979). I wanted to see them live… even if they thought stabbing Michael with a clothes hanger would do the job. As for Sara and the rest, I felt indifferent to whether they lived or died.
Overall, Halloween: Resurrection is certainly worth a watch if one is marathoning the entire franchise. It’s been part of the collection for 20 years and, as much as some fans hate to admit it, always will be.
