Someone in Hollywood got the bright idea to change the Halloween films into a brand name. Thus was born Halloween III: Season of the Witch. This film had absolutely nothing to do with the first two films and it also had absolutely nothing to do with horror or scares (unless you count the horror of paying to watch such dreck).

Halloween IV through VI were sequels to the first two Halloweens, but their premise and association was only remotely attached (Halloween V was a decent delivery, but only when seen as a stand alone film).

Halloween H2O was a return to the original franchise. All the press that came out on the film told viewers that this film is the real sequel to Halloween II. In other words, it is the real Halloween III. This was a wise move. Not only do we have a return to the original story basis, but we are given a return of the original Halloween heroine - Jamie Lee Curtis (no longer a newbie, but a seasoned and accomplished actress, who has the Halloween films to thank, in part, for her success).

It is 20 years later (thus the 20, part of the title - the H refers to Halloween - get it? - Halloween 20 years later). Laurie Strode is alive and disturbed after the horrors of that night some twenty years earlier. She is a mental basket case, a functioning alcoholic, single mother to Josh Hartnett, and the head mistress of a toney boarding school in the middle of nowhere California. Having faked her death many years earlier to avoid the infamy of the horrors of that long ago night (and to hide from her brother Michael, whom she still believes to be alive), she lives as much of a normal life as she can. Only her son and she knows who she really is.

Of course, Michael is no more dead, than the Pope is Jewish.

Halloween H20 does some really neat things that make this film seem not only like a real sequel, but a welcomed return by an old friend. For example, the opening scene features a nurse returning home from work - the nurse seems oddly familiar - and rightly so - if you remember waaay back, it is the same nurse who accompanied Donald Pleasance to the insane asylum the night that Michael Myers originally escaped in 1978. The same actress is used. I don't think she's ever done another film between these two films, but darned if I didn't like that continuity!

Also, Jamie Lee's secretary at the school is none other than her very own "real life" mother: Janet Leigh. This is a really cool cameo, because it offers us a nod to the Hollywood legacy that Jamie Lee inherited, but it also ties in the horror connection as well - Janet was the first to die in the Great Grandfather of all slasher films: Psycho! Now, the filmmakers decided to go even one better, which is the most delicious part of all to the cameo. The car the secretary drives is the exact - and I do mean exact same car that Janet Leigh drove in Psycho. Plus - Plus - if you listen carefully, you will hear the music change very briefly to the Bernard Hermann score from Psycho. It is a very cool cameo!!

Halloween H20 is really a fine sequel and is deserving of being the real Halloween III. No longer just a weakling girl who runs from Michael, Laurie stands up to him and shows her mettle. This is not only within character, but necessary in light of the female empowerment movies that would not allow her to do otherwise (Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, anyone?).

Rent this film, because it is not only a good fright film, but it is an worthy descendent of the original film.


Jamie Lee Curtis Was Great But The Lead Kids Were Awful!   September 24, 2000
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Anyone planning on seeing or buying this movie should know that it does not really make sense when viewing Parts 4, 5, and 6. Jamie Lee Curtis, who is terrific in this one by the way, has said in numerous interviews to forget those films and watch Parts 1, 2, and H20 as the definitive trilogy. That being said, the best parts of H20 are when our lead actress is on the screen. Whether it be from having nightmares, being a teacher, having lunch with Adam Arkin, or duking it out with her brother, Michael Myers, Curtis is great to watch. The bad parts of the film involve the lead young actors, including Josh Hartnett (The Faculty), who plays the son of Laurie Strode (Curtis), and his cheesy girlfriend, played by Michelle Williams of TV's Dawson's Creek fame (is this H20 or Dawson's Bloody Creek?). Both are horrible. I enjoyed the two other costarring friends of theirs much better. At least they had some wit and humor about them that was fun. LL Cool J is enjoyable standing around through the whole movie as a security guard, convincing his wife that he wants to be a romance novelist by reading excerpts to her over the phone when he should be working. But the film focuses too much on the son and the girlfriend. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad if the people playing the parts could actually act. You might think I'm being a bit harsh but I couldn't find any redeeming qualities between the two of them. The only scene where he even helps his Mom is at the beginning after she's had her nightmare (He gives her medication and calms her down). But are we to believe that he doesn't really love his Mom? That he just feels obligated? That he's resentful of her acting nuts over a supposed killer he's never seen? That she's just a head case he can't wait to get away from rather than support? I know horror fans might not care, but this film could've been 100 times better if this relationship was better developed. If I had a choice I'd have picked Tobey Maguire (Pleasantville, The Cider House Rules) as the son and Natalie Portman (The Professional, Heat) as the girlfriend. See, they can actually act. They could pull it off. But I guess a Part 7 horror movie doesn't exactly attract alot of good young actors. John Carpenter (Halloween 1) even turned down the opportunity to direct the film after Jamie Lee Curtis offered him the chance. And as for Big Mike? To me, Nick Castle will always be the real Michael Myers. It's just the way he moves and his subtle gestures that define him to the role, while the others (mostly stunt people) ended up only trying to imitate him, but nowhere near having the same effect. So watch the movie mainly for Jamie Lee Curtis's performance. She's the best thing about this movie. But if you're planning on buying this film on DVD, I feel you're getting gypped because it is very expensive and only has a trivia game, music video and a short "making of" featurette on it (not even a trailer). The copy I own says on the back that an audio commentary by Director Steve Miner and Jamie Lee Curtis was offered but it's actually not even on the disc. To Dimension Films, I just want to say this is false advertisement. As for their being a Halloween 8? Only time will tell.


THE REAL HALLOWEEN 3!   October 19, 2005
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

When it comes right down to it, like it or not, this is the true Halloween 3. We all know that the original Halloween 3 had nothing at all to do with the first two films. The other sequels 4 - 6, began branching off the main characters as extended family of the Laurie Strode character who was supposed to be dead. With Halloween H20, the sequels 4 to 6 are basically tossed out the window and erased from accepted Halloween Canon. The good news is that none of those films were particularly great and other than the inclusion of Donald Pleasance as the avenging Dr. Loomis, they are most forgettable.

Not that this film is perfect mind you..it takes some awfully big leaps in logic. It's supposed to be 20 years later and Laurie Strode is now the head-master of an exclusive private school. Years ago she faked her death and took on the alias of Keri Tate in order to hide herself from her brother Michael. But when papers of Dr. Loomis that reveal her true identity come up missing, the Shape is once again on her trail, bent on finishing the job he started 20 years earlier.

Josh Hartnett plays Strode's son John who is supposed to leave with most of the rest of the kids on a trip, but instead stays in the almost emply school grounds with his girlfriend and several other kids to have their own private party free from adults. Naturally they are the first to encounter Michael Myers who manages to slip past the worlds worst security guard played by L.L. Cool J.

Despites some of the implausibilites of the script, it's the most effective thriller in the series since Halloween II. The scene where Laurie manages to lock a door before michael can get her, but they still come face to face due to a window is a genuinely creepy scene. Add to that is the fact that H20 Director Steve Minor was a far more experienced and accomplished director than the three guys who did the previous sequels and you have a far more effective film.

All in all, when if comes right down to it, this is the true Halloween 3!


H20: The True Sequel!!   July 17, 2001
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

The "Halloween" saga has always been a favorite of horror film fans. It began with a ground-breaking, terrifying original, and moved onto "Halloween II" which continued the story on the same night as the original, making it the perfect companion piece. While not as relentlessly terrifying as the original, it is a scary movie.

Then came "Halloween 3" which had nothing to do with the rest of the series. It could have been an all right movie if they had left off the "Halloween" title. But it raised so many fan expectations that it fell very short.

"Halloween 4" brought Michael Myers back, and returned to the suspense of the first two films, heralding the 10-year-old original. "Halloween 5" was a step down in quality, with a good first 20 minutes, and suspenseful second half to make up for the "stupid teenagers and sex" sub-plot. "Halloween 6" was on the same level as the fifth one--entertaining in parts, but it was so choppy, you could hardly tell what was going on a lot of the time.

Then it came full-circle. 20 years after the original film came "Halloween: H20--Twenty Years Later", bringing everybody's favorite horror heroine, Laurie Strode--played by Jamie Lee Curtis--back to the screen. It bypasses films 3-6, and becomes a direct sequel to the first two. It is an excellent film, very scary and suspenseful, while not falling too much into the trappings of "Scream" rip-offs. With Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Myers going face-to-face 20 years later, it brings a successful resolution to the saga.

"Halloween: The Homecoming" is supposed to be coming out soon, and I'll probably see it, just because it too has JLC and Michael Myers. But I have a feeling that it is going to be about as good as "Halloweens 3, 5, and 6", which is not very good. "Homecoming" will negate the whole effect of H20's brilliant climax in which Michael finally meets with his death, and I think it should stay unreleased. If you want to experience the true story of Halloween, watch "Halloween", "Halloween II", and "Halloween H20". This trilogy of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis is super-scary and brings the terrifying story to a satisfying resolution.

It begins 20 years after the first two films, and Nurse Marion from the first two finds her house broken into, with files on Laurie Strode missing, before Michael Myers kills her. Then Michael heads out to California, where Laurie is living under a different name, with her teenage son John, and running a prep school. But as Halloween draws closer, Laurie must finally face her demons, and goes head-to-head with her masked brother for a final showdown that has an unexpected, yet completely satisfying conclusion--bringing the story of Michael and Laurie to a close. The acting is excellent for a horror film, and it is a beautifully made film. The music, which hints at John Carpenter's original themes, is very creepy. The direction is quite good as well. It is certainly the best of the "Halloween" sequels, follwed closely by "II".

The DVD is an awesome widescreen version. But there is no commentary as mentioned on the box, and no theatrical trailers. But there is a neat documentary on the making of the film. And the picture and sound quality is excellent. Buy H20 now, before it's too late! You won't regret it. Now you can see how the horror saga really ends.


A triumphant return!   March 8, 2001
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Jamie Lee Curtis makes a welcome return to the "Halloween" series, giving a terrific performance. Laurie Strode is now living under the name Keri Tate, and is the headmistress of a boarding school in Northern California. A functioning alcoholic, she's also the overprotective mother of a teenage son (Josh Hartnett)who wants his independence. Also on hand is suave school security guard LL Cool J and mom Janet Leigh, who turns up as her secretary-"Psycho" fans might recognize the car she drives. Boyfriend Alan Arkin tries to understand Laurie/Keri, and things are made abundantly clear on Halloween night as brother Michael Myers comes calling once again. Myers isn't especially scary in this installment, and his heavy breathing is missing from the soundtrack. Nonetheless, it will make you forget some of the earlier awful sequels. I do think it was a mistake for Dimension Films to save a buck and to use some of the "Scream" soundtrack (did they think we wouldn't notice?) and not more of the music from the first two films. Otherwise, far and away the best sequel since "Halloween II". The DVD cover boasts an audio commentary with Jamie Lee Curtis and director Steve Miner, but it isn't on the DVD itself...