Sub-category: Teen Slasher, Horror Classic
Setting: Michael Myer's House
Predictability: Very Predictable
Scare Factor: Some Good Spine Tingles
Gore Factor: Moderate Gore
Look-at-these: Brief Female Nudity (NOT Tyra Banks)

The Series: For those unfamiliar with the Halloween movies that started in 1978, the concept is quite simple. Michael Myers is evil incarnate. He butchered his family in the original film and has been killing teenagers and chasing his sister, Laurie Strode, ever since. That pretty much brings you up to speed on the first seven episodes.

Synopsis: At the end of the last Halloween flick (H20), Laurie Strode puts her demonic brother to rest by beheading him. However, the beginning of Halloween (8): Resurrection reveals that the man she decapitated was not her brother, but rather a police officer. Laurie Strode has been in a mental institution ever since. In this installment, Michael Myers finally succeeds in his quest to take his sister's life and decides to return home. There he finds that Freddie Harris and Nora Winston, two tech savvy entrepreneurs, are hosting a reality show. Sara and five other teens are paid to spend Halloween night in the house and have their adventure streamed live over the internet. They soon discover that Michael Myers has come home and their only link to the outside world is one of Sara's internet chat buddies. Can he help to guide them out alive?

Title Significance: Yet another installment of the classic Halloween slasher films. Michael Myers just keeps coming back.

Analysis: Having missed Jason X in the theaters because I couldn't find anyone willing to accompany me, I was extremely excited about getting to see Halloween in the theater. I thought the last episode, Halloweeen (7): H20, was a decent film, but not adequate to lay one of the greatest horror franchises to rest. I'm glad that the filmmakers realized this; however, I think Halloween (8): Resurrection is just as far away from the proverbial bar.

The cast is a hodge-podge mix of veteran celebs and cinematic newcomers. Jamie Lee Curtis (as Laurie Strode - Halloween I, II and H20) plays only a small role in this volume, but she still delivers the best performance overall. The loath for her brother has never been more real and that she has finally relinquished all fear of death is astonishing. Tyra Banks (as Nora Winston - Coyote Ugly, Love Stinks) is one of the most beautiful women in existence, but her sex appeal is never fully utilized. She plays a bit part and her wardrobe is far from revealing. Busta Rhymes (as Freddie Harris - Finding Forrester, Shaft) may not be much to look at, but he is a great comedian. Sadly his humorous quips are out of place and detract from the suspenseful direction of the film. As usual, Sean Patrick Thomas (as Rudy Grimes - Save the Last Dance, Cruel Intentions) delivers a glowing teen performance. Unfortunately those with less experience drown him out. Bianca Kajlich (Bring it On) plays the classic female protagonist with an obviously inexperienced hand. I was never actually able to empathize with her because she never convinced me that she was real in the way that Jamie Lee Curtis always has. Luckily acting talent is not a prerequisite of a good horror flick.

We often find ourselves watching the teens from the perspective of Sara's online chat buddy. I was not particularly fond of watching him watch Sara and the others parade around the house. There are just too many degrees of separation here, not to mention the fact that reality television is an ailing genre. These voyeuristic scenes aside, the cinematography is pretty decent. The filmmakers stick to the tricks that have worked in the past: low lighting and slow stalking. The use of darkness to cloak Michael Myers has never been so spooky and his calculated approaches are as suspenseful as ever.

The theme music, developed by director John Carpenter for the original film, has changed very little in 23 years. The percussion is a little more pronounced in this film than the previous ones, adding a darker tone to a creepy tune. The trademark theme is one of Halloween's greatest assets.

The sex and nudity compose a small portion of the entire film, which is a marked departure from the early days of the teen slasher. I am a little disappointed that the sexual element has been hacked over the years, but glad that it hasn't gotten the axe all together. Sex and Slasher go together like Sadism and Masochism. They each play a different chord of our primal beings, slasher on fear and sex and nudity on lust. Fear and lust are hardwired primal instincts rather than developed human emotions, so their marriage in the early days of slasherdom was an ideal union. I do not doubt that Sex and the Slasher will one day reunite.

You don't have to be Madam Cleo to predict how the whole story will play out. You know exactly who will survive and who will die. Despite this, Halloween: Resurrection still packs in an ample serving of suspense. The ending, a vague allusion to a possible sequel, is exactly what I have come to expect from a teen slasher.

Final Comments: While I am glad that I got to see Halloween: Resurrection in the theater, it is certainly not for everyone. DON'T go to see it for Tyra Banks, Jamie Lee Curtis or Busta Rhymes, but DO go to see it for the classic teen slasher film that it is. Unless you are die-hard horror fan such as myself, I suggest waiting for the video.

Similar Movies: Halloween 1-7, Friday the 13th 1-10, Nightmare on Elm Street 1-7



Side Note: If I ever catch you bringing your toddler to a horror film, I will do things to you that will make Michael Myers look like the Tooth Fairy.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age