Halloween: Resurrection
I remember a time, back in the 1980s, when horror films did not know the meaning of irony. We did not watch Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street for their ability to poke fun at themselves: We watched them to be scared. Then came Scream, which somehow managed to stand the conventions of the genre on its head while being scary as hell. Unfortunately, it also convinced a new generation of filmmakers that every horror film had to be hip in order to be scary. In a genre where scares are most important, the ironic twist became God. So it’s kind of a surprise for me that the producers of the Halloween series have done an about face with the latest Michael Meyers flick Halloween: Resurrection. Instead of trying to be as hip and clever as its predecessor Halloween: H20 (a terrible film which was neither hip nor clever), the creative team behind this installment of the horror franchise has kept things strictly retro. In no way is this more clear than in the decision to let Rick Rosenthal, director of Halloween 2, take back the reigns. Under Rosenthal, gone is the self-reflexive humor; back are the attempts to scare you out of your seats. And Michael Meyers, who was barely there in H20, is back front and center as the star.
The plot this time around revolves around a group of teens that win a contest to spend Halloween night in the boyhood home of Michael Meyers. With their exploits to be broadcast on the internet site of Dangertainment (the films one attempt to keep up with the times), the groups expects to have some fun and maybe get 15 minutes of fame out of the deal. What they are unprepared fro is the return of Meyers, who is not in the mood for company. As their numbers dwindle, the teens struggle to defeat Michael and get out of the house alive.
I must admit I don’t enjoy horror films as much as I used to because I keep getting hung up on the whole life and death thing. Now that I have experienced death in a real way in the years since my youth, I find it harder to enjoy watching people getting killed. That said, what is refreshing about Resurrection is its willingness to buck the new horror trends and just go for scares. There are no subplots about Michael’s origins and no vapid dialogue along the lines of “If this were a movie...”. It’s just a cat-and-mouse game between the kids and Meyers, and it’s done with a minimum of waste. While nobody watches these films for the acting, the ensemble cast, which includes Jaime Lee Curtis (back as Laurie Strode), Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie), Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance), Busta Rhymes, and model Tyra Banks, manages to roll with the punches.
Please don’t get me wrong: This is not a great film. The script has no way of explaining away plot holes the size of freight trains, but Rosenthal manages to move things along to their inevitable conclusion at a brisk pace and with a minimum of distraction. In my book, the film deserves points for at least aiming the franchise in the right direction for the inevitable sequel: It’s not sending its antagonist into space or the hood. Will wonders ever cease?
Submitted 10 August 02. Posted 22 August 02.
