People are generally bias to any movie that is the eighth entry into a series unless it is "James Bond" or "Star Trek." In most cases, those people are correct in being cynical.

I, myself, was not gearing myself up for a great movie when I sat down to watch "Halloween: Resurrection." I have been a fan of the "Halloween" series since I was six years old and obviously, then, it terrified me. The mysterious, elusive, unstoppable Michael Myers was truly a scary person. In the subsequent sequels, Michael's mystique has faded somewhat as the series has tried to explain just why it is that Michael is mysterious and elusive.

Thankfully, 1998's "Halloween: H20" tossed out Halloween 4-6 right out the window. They never happened. H20 succeeded where many of the others failed, it moderately scary and not gory, just like the original. Unfortunately, the film was more like an unofficial "Scream" sequel than a "Halloween" film. It didn't have an "Halloween" music other than the original theme, perfectly preserved for the closing credits.

From the very opening of "Halloween: Resurrection" I knew I was in a "Halloween" film. This entry centers around an internet entreprenuer, Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes), who with his partner, Nora Winston (Tyra Banks), have set up a series of internet cameras inside the legendary Myers house. He recruits a half dozen college students to participate in a Survivor-like show where they have to "discover" the reasons for Myers' fall into insanity. Unfortunately, Michael Myers returns home from his latest tangle with his sister, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), and he is none to happy to find the invaders in his house.

Danny Lux (this entry's composer) has created a wonderfully creepy rendition of the original "Halloween" theme.
After a rather bland credit sequence, the movie begins and succeeds in creating something only the original "Halloween" had: a sense of isolation. Throughout this movie, despite the introduction of internet elements, you feel like the characters are prisoners of the situation and they are trapped with the unstoppable killer, Michael Myers.

Now, the average person may not be interested in this, but the actor who plays Myers, Brad Loree, is easily the best Myers since the original. He has mastered his mannerisms perfectly and will remind you of the original Shape.

Other reviewers have said that this film is not a "Halloween" film because its plot does not follow that of the series. For those who don't know, Myers' motivation for killing is the drive to kill those related to him. As of "Halloween: H20" that was Laurie Strode and her son, John (Josh Harnett). Frankly, I find that appraisal mistaken. Myers is clearly the most human of the horror/slasher killers and as such he does things like a regular person would ie: go home to rest, find intruders in his house and dispatch them appropriately.

The movie was not without its flaws, however. The first flaw being the lack of mention of Josh Harnett's character, who is clearly the future of the series. Since Myers' goal is to kill his family, his omittion is clearly a mistake.

Secondly, I thought the movie was a bit short. This leads to my third complaint, because many of the characters were grossly underdeveloped. The film clocks in at roughly 88 minutes and I think just five to ten more minutes of character development might have helped us care more when Myers begins to carve through them. The character of Sara Moyer (Bianca Kaljich) WAS one of the few developed and because of that when Michael gets around to chasing her through the house we genuinely want her to escape.

Forth, and finally, I get the distinct impression that there were some serious cuts to the movie. There are times when the plot starts to indicate something, but abruptly pulls off it and we are left thinking, "...what?" I keep hoping that any DVD release will correct these minor mistakes.

In conclusion, with a few minor exceptions, I was really surprised by "Resurrection." I liked it a lot because after the somewhat mundane "H20", "Halloween" is scary again. It creates some genuinely suspenseful moments where you'll realize that you're clutching your armrest in fear.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older