Retro Review: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

There's been considerable debate among Halloween fans these last 12 months about which franchise reboot is better, David Gordon Green's Halloween (2018) or Steve Miner's Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

I say they're both great. Decidedly different, but great.

I've sang the praises of Green's film before, but haven't revisited H20 in some time. Thankfully a window of time opened recently, and I was able to give it a watch. It was interesting watching a movie that came out 20 years after the original... some 20 years later. Much like Carpenter's classic did in 1998, this flick aged well.

There's a few gripes; like all versions of the Myer's mask -- yup, they used multiple masks in this one -- suck. It just never looks good, especially the CGI one that appears in one shot. And Chris Durand tries hard to be a good Michael, but he doesn't quite pull it off. He just doesn't move right.

I concede, the sequence where he surprises Laurie in a hallway by lowering himself from the ceiling is iconic.

The rest of the movie is solid. At a scant hour and 20 minutes, there isn't a dull moment in the thing. Yet even with the short running time, we get to know and like the characters. And there's a nice build up to Laurie's final confrontation with Michael. I could elaborate, but it doesn't disappoint.

Fans have argued about which version of Laurie's traumatic fallout from the first film is better. I say they're equally as good given the eras H20 and Halloween (2018) were made. Each does the character justice. And Jamie Lee Curtis is so committed to the character and the franchise that her performances deliver.

This movie is a Good, and a worthy entry in the Halloween cannon.

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