Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Encyclopedia
Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later is a 1998 slasher film
and is the seventh installment in the Halloween film series
. It is directed by Steve Miner
and starring Jamie Lee Curtis
, Josh Hartnett
, and Michelle Williams
. The screenplay, based on a story by Kevin Williamson further developed by Robert Zapia, was written by Zapia and Matt Greenberg
. It is the seventh installment of the Halloween series
and a direct alternate sequel
to Halloween II
, ignoring Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
(Halloween III: Season of the Witch
has no connection to the other films and is not considered to be a part of the "Michael Myers" storyline).
The film is set twenty years after the events of the original film
and centers on a post-traumatic Laurie Strode
living in fear of her murderous brother, Michael Myers
, who attempted to kill her all those years ago.
), Dr. Sam Loomis's colleague, returns to her house to find it has been broken into. Before entering, she runs next door and lets her two teenage neighbors know that someone has ransacked her house. When arriving, Marion gets shaken up when she gets scared by one of the teens, Jimmy Howell (Joseph Gordon-Levitt
) for he pops out in front of her wearing a Jason Voorhees
mask. Jimmy searches Marion's house, but finds nothing and Marion decides to wait for the police in her house alone. While in her house, Marion discovers her file on Laurie Strode (Michael Myers' sister who escaped the attacks 20 years earlier) missing and finds someone is still in her house and immediately rushes over to her neighbors house. When she arrives, she finds both teenagers murdered. The killer, Michael Myers
, (Chris Durand
), attacks her. After a brief confrontation with Marion, he manages to kill her. The police arrive as Michael leaves the house with the file on Laurie Strode.
The film then moves to Northern California, on October 31, 1998 - Halloween. Laurie Strode
(Jamie Lee Curtis
) has faked her death and is living under the assumed name "Keri Tate". As Tate, Laurie has a seemingly perfect life with a son, John (Josh Hartnett
), a boyfriend, Will (Adam Arkin
), and a great career as headmistress at Hillcrest Academy High School, a private boarding school
. However, Laurie/Keri is far from happy. The tragic events from 20 years previous still haunt her and adversely affect her parental capabilities. To everyone, including Laurie's school secretary Norma Watson (Janet Leigh
) this is "just another Halloween", however, Laurie still lives in constant fear from the attacks from 20 years ago, and partially believes that her brother is still alive and will one day return.
After stealing a woman's car from a rest area, Michael manages to find her using the file, and starts stalking the school grounds. As school lets out for the weekend, most of the students leave for a weekend getaway and Norma leaves work for the day. John and his classmates are having a intimate Halloween Party in the basement when John's classmate, Charlie (Adam Hann-Byrd
), goes to get a corkscrew and is attacked and killed by Michael. When Charlie's girlfriend, Sarah (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
), (who had been waiting on the next floor down) goes looking for him, she finds his body and is attacked. She climbs into the elevator to save her life but as she climbs out, Michael tries to bring the elevator down by cutting the rope, and it falls on her and partially severs her leg. Michael then heads up to the floor she is on and kills her as well. When John and Molly (Michelle Williams
) (who had heard the elevator crash) go looking for their classmates, they find Sarah's body hanging in a pantry and are chased by Michael through the school grounds and John gets stabbed in the leg. Just as Michael is about to get Molly and John, they are saved by Laurie and Will, who open the door for them just in time, and just as the door closes Laurie and Michael come face to face for the first time since their last encounter 20 years ago. Laurie and Will hide the kids and decide to try to kill Michael.
When Will sees a shape approaching from the far end of the hall, he takes Laurie's pistol (which she had secretly kept under her pillow at home during all this time) and shoots the shape five times, only to discover that it was the school's security guard, Ronny (LL Cool J
). The real Michael then appears and kills Will. Laurie, Molly and John escape but she tells them to go for help while she chooses to go back to the school with a fire axe from the security house to challenge Michael in a fight to the death. She finds him and attempts to kill him several times, and finally after stabbing him multiple times, he topples over a balcony, similar to the first film. She approaches his body and pulls one of the knives out of his chest. She slowly raises the knife high above her head, preparing to bring it down on Michael and kill him, but before she can deliver the final blow, Ronny suddenly appears, apparently having survived the accidental shooting (the bullet had only grazed his head), and grabs her. He manages to restrain her from attacking the seemingly dead Michael and drags her out of the cafeteria.
The police come and put Michael's corpse in a body bag, loading it into a coroner's van. Laurie, knowing that Michael is incredibly hard to kill and not believing that he is really dead, grabs the axe from earlier and an officer's pistol and steals the coroner's van with Michael's body in the back. While driving away, Michael sits up and escapes the body bag, trying to kill her again. She slams on the brakes, throwing him through the windshield. She then tries unsuccessfully to run him over. The vehicle tumbles down a cliff but she escapes, while Michael gets trapped between it and a tree. Laurie recovers the axe and walks to where he is pinned. He reaches out to her, apparently seeking forgiveness and compassion. At first it seems she will accept this, and begins reaching out to him, but then she slowly pulls her hand back and with one swing decapitates Michael, finally killing him. Michael's head, still concealed by the mask, rolls down the hill. Laurie exhales, as sirens are heard approaching from the distance.
was originally in the running to be the director for this particular follow-up since Curtis wanted to reunite the cast and crew of the original to have active involvement in it. While it was believed that Carpenter, himself, opted out because he wanted no active part in the sequel this is not the case. Carpenter agreed to direct the movie, but his starting fee as director was $10 million. Carpenter rationalized this by believing the hefty fee was compensation for revenue he never received from the original Halloween, a matter that was still a bit of contention between Carpenter and Akkad even after twenty years had passed. When Akkad balked at Carpenter's fee, Carpenter walked away from the project.
Scream
writer/producer Kevin Williamson was involved in various areas of production on this particular sequel including coming up with the treatment that the film was based on. Although not directly credited, he provided rewrites in character dialogue, which is seen heavily throughout the teen moments. Miramax/Dimension Films felt his involvement as a co-executive producer merited being credited. The original working title for the film was Halloween 7: The Revenge of Laurie Strode.
, but some music from Scream was added to the chase scenes later on during post-production
. John Ottman
expressed some displeasure about this action in an interview featured on the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror DVD released in 2006. Ottman's score was supplemented with Marco Beltrami
's scores from Scream, Scream 2, and Mimic
by a team of music editors as well as new cues written by Beltrami during the final days of sound mixing on the film. Dimension Films chief Bob Weinstein
demanded the musical changes after being dissatisfied with Ottman's score.
The song "What's This Life For
" by rock band Creed
was featured in the film during a party sequence and is also heard during the credits of the film.
The theme from Alfred Hitchcock
's Psycho was briefly used during the scene (at 42:00) where Laurie Strode speaks with Norma Watson (played by Janet Leigh
, Jamie Lee Curtis
' real life mother). (In addition Janet Leigh stands in front of a 1957 Ford Sedan, license plate NFB 418, which was her car in the movie Psycho.)
; the site's general consensus is that it is the finest of the sequels since Halloween II. In terms of total gross, Halloween: H20 is the highest grossing film in the original Halloween series, and second in the overall franchise, behind Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of the original. It was released on August 5, 1998 in the US and later in many other countries. H20 cost $17 million to produce and returned over $55 million in domestic box office sales, with an opening weekend of $16,187,724. As for video/DVD rentals, the film grossed over $21 million.
On DVD, the film was released by Dimension Films
on October 19, 1999 as part of the "Dimension Collector's Series" on DVD. It was released in the UK on October 22, 2001 and re-released on April 25, 2011. It was also released exclusively in the UK in 2004, as part of the complete collection, consisting of the first eight films, a set with is now out of print. It was re-released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment on April 26, 2011, althought, it does not contain its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, it now features a new 1.66:1 widescreen transfer.
Halloween H20 was released in Canada for the first time ever on Blu-ray by Alliance released along with Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween: Resurrection
on January 12, 2010. on May 3, 2011 it was released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It was also released along with Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
in one Blu-ray collection.
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
and is the seventh installment in the Halloween film series
Halloween (franchise)
Halloween is an American horror franchise that consists of ten slasher films, novels, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the fictional character of Michael Myers who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister, Judith Myers...
. It is directed by Steve Miner
Steve Miner
Stephen C. "Steve" Miner is an American film and television director who is also a film producer.Miner was born in Westport, Connecticut. Television programs Miner has directed include The Wonder Years, Jake 2.0, Felicity, Dawson's Creek , and Diagnosis: Murder...
and starring Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, and Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
. The screenplay, based on a story by Kevin Williamson further developed by Robert Zapia, was written by Zapia and Matt Greenberg
Matt Greenberg
Matt Greenberg is an American screenwriter and producer, most notable for his work in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and 1408.-As Writer:*The Killing Box *The Prophecy II *Halloween H20: 20 Years Later...
. It is the seventh installment of the Halloween series
Halloween (franchise)
Halloween is an American horror franchise that consists of ten slasher films, novels, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the fictional character of Michael Myers who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister, Judith Myers...
and a direct alternate sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Halloween II
Halloween II
Halloween II is a 1981 slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. It is the second installment in the Halloween series and is a direct sequel to the Halloween set on the same night of October 31, 1978 as the seemingly unkillable Michael Myers continues to...
, ignoring Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 slasher film and the fourth installment of the Halloween film series, directed by Dwight H. Little and written by Alan B. McElroy. The central plot focuses on Michael Myers returning home to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd , the daughter of Laurie...
, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a 1989 American slasher film and the fifth installment in the Halloween film series. It was directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard and starred Donald Pleasence, who again portrayed Dr. Sam Loomis and Danielle Harris, who returned to play Jamie Lloyd...
, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth installment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the "Curse of Thorn", a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers...
(Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the only Halloween where the story does not revolve around Michael Myers. Directed and written by Tommy Lee Wallace, the film stars Tom Atkins as Dr. Dan Challis,...
has no connection to the other films and is not considered to be a part of the "Michael Myers" storyline).
The film is set twenty years after the events of the original film
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
and centers on a post-traumatic Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode is a fictional character in the Halloween horror film series, portrayed by actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Scout Taylor-Compton. She appears in six of the present ten Halloween installments, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film...
living in fear of her murderous brother, Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
, who attempted to kill her all those years ago.
Plot
On Thursday, October 29, 1998, Marion Chambers (Nancy StephensNancy Stephens
Nancy Stephens is an American actress who has starred in many films and television shows. She is best known for her appearances in John Carpenter films; her most well-known being in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween as Nurse Marion Chambers, who assisted Dr. Loomis in treating Michael Myers and...
), Dr. Sam Loomis's colleague, returns to her house to find it has been broken into. Before entering, she runs next door and lets her two teenage neighbors know that someone has ransacked her house. When arriving, Marion gets shaken up when she gets scared by one of the teens, Jimmy Howell (Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
) for he pops out in front of her wearing a Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
mask. Jimmy searches Marion's house, but finds nothing and Marion decides to wait for the police in her house alone. While in her house, Marion discovers her file on Laurie Strode (Michael Myers' sister who escaped the attacks 20 years earlier) missing and finds someone is still in her house and immediately rushes over to her neighbors house. When she arrives, she finds both teenagers murdered. The killer, Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
, (Chris Durand
Chris Durand
Christopher Allen "Chris" Durand is an American film and television actor who, between 1989 and 2005, was a renowned movie stuntman.A native of Anaheim in California's Orange County...
), attacks her. After a brief confrontation with Marion, he manages to kill her. The police arrive as Michael leaves the house with the file on Laurie Strode.
The film then moves to Northern California, on October 31, 1998 - Halloween. Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode is a fictional character in the Halloween horror film series, portrayed by actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Scout Taylor-Compton. She appears in six of the present ten Halloween installments, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film...
(Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
) has faked her death and is living under the assumed name "Keri Tate". As Tate, Laurie has a seemingly perfect life with a son, John (Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
), a boyfriend, Will (Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award...
), and a great career as headmistress at Hillcrest Academy High School, a private boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. However, Laurie/Keri is far from happy. The tragic events from 20 years previous still haunt her and adversely affect her parental capabilities. To everyone, including Laurie's school secretary Norma Watson (Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
) this is "just another Halloween", however, Laurie still lives in constant fear from the attacks from 20 years ago, and partially believes that her brother is still alive and will one day return.
After stealing a woman's car from a rest area, Michael manages to find her using the file, and starts stalking the school grounds. As school lets out for the weekend, most of the students leave for a weekend getaway and Norma leaves work for the day. John and his classmates are having a intimate Halloween Party in the basement when John's classmate, Charlie (Adam Hann-Byrd
Adam Hann-Byrd
Adam Hann-Byrd is an American actor most recognized for his role as young Alan in the 1995 film Jumanji.-Early life:...
), goes to get a corkscrew and is attacked and killed by Michael. When Charlie's girlfriend, Sarah (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is an American actress and model, who at age 17 portrayed Cassidy Bridges on Nash Bridges. She is also known for her role on Prison Break as Gretchen Morgan, a.k.a. "Susan B. Anthony".-Early life:...
), (who had been waiting on the next floor down) goes looking for him, she finds his body and is attacked. She climbs into the elevator to save her life but as she climbs out, Michael tries to bring the elevator down by cutting the rope, and it falls on her and partially severs her leg. Michael then heads up to the floor she is on and kills her as well. When John and Molly (Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
) (who had heard the elevator crash) go looking for their classmates, they find Sarah's body hanging in a pantry and are chased by Michael through the school grounds and John gets stabbed in the leg. Just as Michael is about to get Molly and John, they are saved by Laurie and Will, who open the door for them just in time, and just as the door closes Laurie and Michael come face to face for the first time since their last encounter 20 years ago. Laurie and Will hide the kids and decide to try to kill Michael.
When Will sees a shape approaching from the far end of the hall, he takes Laurie's pistol (which she had secretly kept under her pillow at home during all this time) and shoots the shape five times, only to discover that it was the school's security guard, Ronny (LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
). The real Michael then appears and kills Will. Laurie, Molly and John escape but she tells them to go for help while she chooses to go back to the school with a fire axe from the security house to challenge Michael in a fight to the death. She finds him and attempts to kill him several times, and finally after stabbing him multiple times, he topples over a balcony, similar to the first film. She approaches his body and pulls one of the knives out of his chest. She slowly raises the knife high above her head, preparing to bring it down on Michael and kill him, but before she can deliver the final blow, Ronny suddenly appears, apparently having survived the accidental shooting (the bullet had only grazed his head), and grabs her. He manages to restrain her from attacking the seemingly dead Michael and drags her out of the cafeteria.
The police come and put Michael's corpse in a body bag, loading it into a coroner's van. Laurie, knowing that Michael is incredibly hard to kill and not believing that he is really dead, grabs the axe from earlier and an officer's pistol and steals the coroner's van with Michael's body in the back. While driving away, Michael sits up and escapes the body bag, trying to kill her again. She slams on the brakes, throwing him through the windshield. She then tries unsuccessfully to run him over. The vehicle tumbles down a cliff but she escapes, while Michael gets trapped between it and a tree. Laurie recovers the axe and walks to where he is pinned. He reaches out to her, apparently seeking forgiveness and compassion. At first it seems she will accept this, and begins reaching out to him, but then she slowly pulls her hand back and with one swing decapitates Michael, finally killing him. Michael's head, still concealed by the mask, rolls down the hill. Laurie exhales, as sirens are heard approaching from the distance.
Cast
- Jamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
as Laurie StrodeLaurie StrodeLaurie Strode is a fictional character in the Halloween horror film series, portrayed by actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Scout Taylor-Compton. She appears in six of the present ten Halloween installments, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film...
/Keri Tate - Josh HartnettJosh HartnettJoshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
as John Tate - Adam ArkinAdam ArkinAdam Arkin is an American television, film and stage actor and director. He played the role of Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including a Tony as well as 3 primetime Emmys, 4 SAG Awards , and a DGA Award...
as Will Brennan - Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams (actress)Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
as Molly Cartwell - Adam Hann-ByrdAdam Hann-ByrdAdam Hann-Byrd is an American actor most recognized for his role as young Alan in the 1995 film Jumanji.-Early life:...
as Charlie Deveraux - Jodi Lyn O'KeefeJodi Lyn O'KeefeJodi Lyn O'Keefe is an American actress and model, who at age 17 portrayed Cassidy Bridges on Nash Bridges. She is also known for her role on Prison Break as Gretchen Morgan, a.k.a. "Susan B. Anthony".-Early life:...
as Sarah Wainthrope - Janet LeighJanet LeighJanet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
as Norma Watson - Nancy StephensNancy StephensNancy Stephens is an American actress who has starred in many films and television shows. She is best known for her appearances in John Carpenter films; her most well-known being in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween as Nurse Marion Chambers, who assisted Dr. Loomis in treating Michael Myers and...
as Marion Chambers - LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
as Ronald "Ronny" Jones - Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
as Jimmy Howell - Lisa Gay HamiltonLisa Gay HamiltonLisa Gay Hamilton is an American film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved...
as Shirley "Shirl" Jones - Chris DurandChris DurandChristopher Allen "Chris" Durand is an American film and television actor who, between 1989 and 2005, was a renowned movie stuntman.A native of Anaheim in California's Orange County...
as Michael MyersMichael Myers (Halloween)Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
Production
John CarpenterJohn Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
was originally in the running to be the director for this particular follow-up since Curtis wanted to reunite the cast and crew of the original to have active involvement in it. While it was believed that Carpenter, himself, opted out because he wanted no active part in the sequel this is not the case. Carpenter agreed to direct the movie, but his starting fee as director was $10 million. Carpenter rationalized this by believing the hefty fee was compensation for revenue he never received from the original Halloween, a matter that was still a bit of contention between Carpenter and Akkad even after twenty years had passed. When Akkad balked at Carpenter's fee, Carpenter walked away from the project.
Scream
Scream (film)
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, and David Arquette...
writer/producer Kevin Williamson was involved in various areas of production on this particular sequel including coming up with the treatment that the film was based on. Although not directly credited, he provided rewrites in character dialogue, which is seen heavily throughout the teen moments. Miramax/Dimension Films felt his involvement as a co-executive producer merited being credited. The original working title for the film was Halloween 7: The Revenge of Laurie Strode.
Music
The original music score was composed by John OttmanJohn Ottman
John Ottman is an American film editor, composer and director.He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, acting as film editor and composing the scores for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns and most recently...
, but some music from Scream was added to the chase scenes later on during post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
. John Ottman
John Ottman
John Ottman is an American film editor, composer and director.He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, acting as film editor and composing the scores for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns and most recently...
expressed some displeasure about this action in an interview featured on the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror DVD released in 2006. Ottman's score was supplemented with Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami is an American film composer.-Life and career:Beltrami was born in Long Island, New York of Italian and Greek descent...
's scores from Scream, Scream 2, and Mimic
Mimic (film)
Mimic is an American science fiction horror film, with elements of a slasher film, released in 1997. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the script was inspired by a short story of the same name by Donald A. Wollheim. Mimic, whose U.S...
by a team of music editors as well as new cues written by Beltrami during the final days of sound mixing on the film. Dimension Films chief Bob Weinstein
Bob Weinstein
Robert "Bob" Weinstein is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.-Career:...
demanded the musical changes after being dissatisfied with Ottman's score.
The song "What's This Life For
What's This Life For
"What's This Life For" is a song by rock band Creed. It is the third single off their 1997 debut album, My Own Prison. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., becoming their first #1 hit on this chart...
" by rock band Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
was featured in the film during a party sequence and is also heard during the credits of the film.
The theme from Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Psycho was briefly used during the scene (at 42:00) where Laurie Strode speaks with Norma Watson (played by Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
, Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
' real life mother). (In addition Janet Leigh stands in front of a 1957 Ford Sedan, license plate NFB 418, which was her car in the movie Psycho.)
Masks
As said on Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, Halloween H20 had scenes re-shot due to complaints of the Myers mask used in the film. Scenes that could not be re-shot had a CGI mask replace them frame by frame. Four masks were made for the film.Reception
The critical reception for H20 was mixed, with a rating of 53% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
; the site's general consensus is that it is the finest of the sequels since Halloween II. In terms of total gross, Halloween: H20 is the highest grossing film in the original Halloween series, and second in the overall franchise, behind Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of the original. It was released on August 5, 1998 in the US and later in many other countries. H20 cost $17 million to produce and returned over $55 million in domestic box office sales, with an opening weekend of $16,187,724. As for video/DVD rentals, the film grossed over $21 million.
Continuity
- As originally conceived, the plot device in which Laurie had faked her death was written explicitly to account for her reported "death" in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael MyersHalloween 4: The Return of Michael MyersHalloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 slasher film and the fourth installment of the Halloween film series, directed by Dwight H. Little and written by Alan B. McElroy. The central plot focuses on Michael Myers returning home to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd , the daughter of Laurie...
, and the original story treatment for H20 acknowledged the events depicted in the fourth through sixth films in the series, including the existence and death of Laurie's daughter, Jamie LloydJamie LloydJamie Lloyd is a fictional character in the Halloween film series, serving as the series protagonist in Halloween 4 and 5. The character also makes a brief appearance in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers....
. However, the filmmakers ultimately chose to ignore the continuity of the previous three sequels. Although Laurie's faked death remained in the script, the scenes mentioning Jamie were removed from the story, and the film's dialogue was adjusted to indicate that Michael Myers had not been heard from in the twenty years since the night depicted in the first two films.
- Michael's 20 missing years are explained in the comic book series Halloween: Sam, which also explains what happened to Dr. Loomis in the new continuity and further goes on to explain that Loomis and Laurie both knew he would return and she was placed in a witness protection program. The new continuity explains that Michael's body was never recovered from the hospital.
- Halloween H20 also features the return of Nurse Marion Chambers-Wittington, who appeared in the first two films as an associate of Dr. Loomis. In HalloweenHalloween (1978 film)Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
, she was the nurse who drove with Loomis to the asylum when Myers made his escape, and she reprised her role in Halloween IIHalloween IIHalloween II is a 1981 slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. It is the second installment in the Halloween series and is a direct sequel to the Halloween set on the same night of October 31, 1978 as the seemingly unkillable Michael Myers continues to...
.
- The Halloween comic book series, published by Chaos Comics in 2001, successfully bridged the continuity between Halloween: The Curse of Michael MyersHalloween: The Curse of Michael MyersHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth installment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the "Curse of Thorn", a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers...
and Halloween H20, but in doing so made the plot of Halloween: ResurrectionHalloween: ResurrectionHalloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American horror film and eighth installment in the Halloween film series. Directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II, the film builds upon the continuity of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later...
(unreleased at the time) impossible.
- Some scenes that were dropped from the other three movies were placed in H20. For example, the scene where Laurie is hiding beneath a table in the dining hall, Michael starts flipping the tables over. This was originally going to be placed in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael MyersHalloween 4: The Return of Michael MyersHalloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 slasher film and the fourth installment of the Halloween film series, directed by Dwight H. Little and written by Alan B. McElroy. The central plot focuses on Michael Myers returning home to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd , the daughter of Laurie...
, where Michael chases Jamie LloydJamie LloydJamie Lloyd is a fictional character in the Halloween film series, serving as the series protagonist in Halloween 4 and 5. The character also makes a brief appearance in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers....
through the elementary school. It was written that she would hide under a desk and Michael was going to flip the desks over. This was dropped due to time constraints. However, Moustapha AkkadMoustapha AkkadMoustapha Akkad was a Syrian American film producer and director, best known for producing the series of Halloween films and directing Mohammad, Messenger of God and Lion of the Desert. He was killed along with his daughter Rima Akkad Monla in 2005 in Amman, Jordan by a suicide bomber.-Early life...
remembered and filmed it as part of H20.
- Judith Myers' death is briefly mentioned just like in previous Halloween films. It is brought up by Laurie Strode when she reveals her true identity to her boyfriend, Will. However, Laurie mistakenly says Judith was 17 years old at the time of her death. According to John CarpenterJohn CarpenterJohn Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
(1978), the dates on Judith's tombstone are November 10, 1947 - October 31, 1963 making her 15 years old at the time of death. This has caused some discrepancy regarding this characters age among fans.
Home media
In the United States, Halloween H20 was released on home video and laserdisc by Walt Disney Video. In the United Kingdom, the film was released on VHS in 1998, a re-release was made on September 1, 2000.On DVD, the film was released by Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
on October 19, 1999 as part of the "Dimension Collector's Series" on DVD. It was released in the UK on October 22, 2001 and re-released on April 25, 2011. It was also released exclusively in the UK in 2004, as part of the complete collection, consisting of the first eight films, a set with is now out of print. It was re-released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment on April 26, 2011, althought, it does not contain its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, it now features a new 1.66:1 widescreen transfer.
Halloween H20 was released in Canada for the first time ever on Blu-ray by Alliance released along with Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American horror film and eighth installment in the Halloween film series. Directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II, the film builds upon the continuity of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later...
on January 12, 2010. on May 3, 2011 it was released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It was also released along with Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth installment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the "Curse of Thorn", a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers...
in one Blu-ray collection.