Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Director:

Steve Miner

Writers (WGA):

Debra Hill (characters) and
John Carpenter (characters) ...

Release Date:

5 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

This summer, terror won't be taking a vacation.

Plot:

Laurie Strode, now the dean of a Northern California private school with an assumed name, must battle the Shape one last time and now the life of her own son hangs in the balance.

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | School | Michael Myers | Death | Nightmare

Awards:

9 nominations

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Laurie Strode / Keri Tate
Josh Hartnett	...	John Tate
Adam Arkin	...	Will Brennan
Michelle Williams	...	Molly Cartwell
LL Cool J	...	Ronald 'Ronny' Jones
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe	...	Sarah Wainthrope
Adam Hann-Byrd	...	Charles 'Charlie' Deveraux
Janet Leigh	...	Norma Watson
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Jimmy Howell
Nancy Stephens	...	Marion Chambers Whittington
Branden Williams	...	Tony Allegre
Beau Billingslea	...	Detective 'Fitz' Fitzsimmons
Matt Winston	...	Detective Matt Sampson
Larisa Miller	...	Claudia
Emmalee Thompson	...	Casey

Also Known As:

Halloween 7 (USA) (working title)
Halloween 7: The Revenge of Laurie Strode (USA) (working title)
Halloween: H20 (USA) (promotional title)
Halloween: H20 (20 Years Later) (USA) (promotional title)
Halloween: The Revenge of Laurie Strode (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for terror violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #36140) | Brazil:18 | Spain:18 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Canfield-Moreno Estate - 1923 Micheltorena Street, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Director Steve Miner also directed two films in another popular horror series: Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th Part III (1982).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Laurie/Keri is driving away in the coroner's van with Michael in the back the Coroner written on the side of the van disappears and reappears repeatedly.

Quotes:

[Laurie, Will and the kids have just survived from Michael]
Will Brennan: Who was that?
Laurie Strode: My brother.

Movie Connections:

References Carrie (1976)

Soundtrack:

HAPPY

Finally a worthy sequel!!

Halloween was, is, and will likely remain the greatest horror movie of all time. None of its sequels or imitators could even come close. Until now. Halloween H20 is a fantastic film. Unlike other films of this genre, it realizes that you need to care about the characters in order for the film to scare you. Gore does not equal terror. The original Halloween knew that and H20 knows it. It allows you to get to know the characters so you can root for them in the end. Unlike the Scream-type movies of today, teenagers are not the only ones with brains here. Jamie Lee Curtis gives a performance superior to her one in the original. Her character was destroyed from the events of the first film. We get to see her rebuild herself as she finally faces the fear that has haunted her for 20 years. Kudos to director Steve Miner. He creates a perfectly creepy atmosphere, allows Michael Myers to move like a person instead of a robot, and throws everything but the kitchen sink at us in a white knuckle ending. This is the first horror movie I went to in a long time where the audience SCREAMED with regularity. There were more screams in the last half hour of this movie than there were in SCREAM 1 & 2 combined. My only complaint is the over use of false scares. But other than that, this is a first class thriller that FINALLY does justice to the original HALLOWEEN. I give it ***1/2 out of ****.