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User Reviews for: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

$hubes
7/10  5 months ago
Finally a decent _Halloween_ movie. No slam on Jamie Lee Curtis, whom I've always enjoyed (even as far back as the original _Halloween_ in 1978) but man, this franchise has suffered some atrocities being produced under their title and after _Curse of Michael Myers_ I wasn't sure I could/would bring myself to watch any others. I went ahead and took a chance on this one, and I'm glad I did. While it was still your typical 1980's teen-stalker-slasher fodder, this at least had some decent acting in it and some gruesome kills. Also loved the way they ended this one (yes, yes, I know there's a _Resurrection_ still out there) and (seemingly) tied off all the ends. For all the bad I've endured through watching this franchise (although the first two _Halloween_ movies were really nothing to get excited about, the pain and suffering began with _Season of the Witch_ which wasn't really a _Halloween_ movie at all) this one almost atoned for it. Almost. There's still a lot of stupidity, plotholes, and teen idiocy you have to put up with but at least the confrontation between Laurie Strode and her deranged yet still unstoppable brother, Michael finally comes to a head and we have an ending...of sorts. I'm not sure who felt the need to write in LL Cool J as a gatekeeper/security guard or whatever; maybe a personal favor owed to him or something. His part added zilch to the movie and could've been skipped entirely. Overall, probably my favorite of the _Halloween_ franchise, at least so far. I haven't started on the Rob Zombie reboots but will soon; hopefully those will be at least a tad more gruesome. And I still don't know how Michael Myers is so flippin' unstoppable. Where, how, and why did he become superhuman? Not a single movie has explained that thus far. Still waiting for an explanation...
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webber_ollie
6/10  3 years ago
Isn't Halloween H20: 20 years later a really stupid title?

But it serves an important purpose and that is to separate this movie from the last few in the franchise.

Halloween H20 is in large parts a soft reboot, ignoring the events of everything after Halloween 2, and bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis for a more streamlined and back-to-basics Halloween movie. For the most part, this works very well. The change in setting to the school is very interesting (even if 99% of the students left to go on a school vacation, seriously when would that ever happen??). Curtis is the best aspect here by far. Laurie Strode is a more complex character this time around, clearly suffering from PTSD from her prior encounters with Michael, and this is pushed onto her son against his will. I also enjoyed her interactions with Michael in this movie, which adds a much needed dynamic to his character which has been missing for some time now.

The plot follows a largely predictable course however, and the film has not aged particularly well, with some cheesy 90s horror tropes that are probably best kept in the 90s. I also groaned slightly when I saw LL Cool J in the cast list, but his appearance is brief and not all that bad.

Its derivative, but a damn sight better than the last few films in the franchise. 6/10.
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Wuchak
/10  5 years ago
***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-
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John Chard
/10  6 years ago
Brotherly love just went down another notch.

It's 20 years since Michael Myers Haddonfield, and in particular Laurie Srode, his sister. Laurie faked her death and is now a divorced mom with a teenage son. Michael is on his way to finish the job he couldn't finish two decades ago.

A true and honest Halloween/Michael Myers film this one, there's the distinct feeling that the people behind the series wanted to show that they remember what made the series popular in the first place. It's still the stalk and slash formula of course, but Jamie Lee Curtis returns and her character is nicely written. She's obviously still haunted by events passed and needs a stiff few drinks from time to time to keep the edge off. Yet she's in charge of a private school and is a stern but adoring mother to her son (Josh Hartnett). And she has a boyfriend (Adam Arkin) who cares for her.

The first half of film sets up Laurie's new world, while we jump back and forth observing Michael on his journey to final destination. Once the second half revs up, it's the scare time as Laurie's son and his friends come under great peril, which we know will lead to a final confrontation with Laurie. The kills strike hard, the suspense is ramped up, and then it's a frenetic action based finale capped off by a coup de grace of some distinction. All in all it's just a very good and proper Halloween/Myers movie. It didn't reinvent anything, it just turned the wheel full circle and arrived at a fitting closure. 7/10
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Gimly
/10  6 years ago
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._
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