By: debbie lynn elias
Obviously as difficult to kill as Michael Myers himself, director Rick Rosenthal, who was responsible for the second “Halloween” installment in 1981, returns to the helm as he attempts to breathe new life into the 25 year old franchise with this 8th sequel, “Halloween: Resurrection”, by mixing 21st century “dot com” humor with some good old fashioned slashing and slaying. Although nothing can compare with the shear scare factor of the original and those incredible lungs of Jamie Lee Curtis, Rosenthal gives it his best shot which, sadly, fails to compare with some of the better “Halloween” works, save for the opening “prequel.”
When we last saw Michael Myers, he was seemingly once and for all, dead, thanks to the efforts of his big sister, Laurie Strode. Returning in the role that catapulted her to scream queen stardom, Jamie Lee Curtis gives yet another psychologically tormented and intriguing turn as Laurie. (Warning: Read no further if you don’t want some story lines spoiled!)
“Resurrection” opens with the now familiar scenario of Laurie running away from her ever-wonderful, knife-wielding brother Michael who it seems did not die the ultimate death in “Halloween: H2O.” Apparently sis missed and killed the wrong guy leaving Michael (and Hollywood) to run amok five years later. On realizing her “mistake” (apparently after the end of H20), Laurie suffered a breakdown and has been locked away in the looney bin for the past five years. Guilt-ridden over her failure to destroy Michael, the allegedly medicated, sedated and catatonic Laurie has apparently been doing some planning and plotting of her own in the form of either an escape from the hospital or a final showdown with her little brother. Michael, on the other hand, is just full of surprises, and it appears has become quite adept at using the Internet. (Now, which ISP gave this guy an account with no credit card on file?) Tracking down Laurie at the sanitarium, Michael naturally heads over, gets by security and once again goes head to head with big sis. Lured up to the roof by Laurie, Michael falls victim to her trap which results in him dangling from a rope by one foot, Laurie getting familial and sentimental and . . . . . . . . . (Go see the movie!)
But this is where the “prequel” and best film making ends and the actual movie begins. Writer Larry Brand borrows the already well-worn reality tv concept of choosing six good-looking people to spend Halloween night in the old Myers house, the event which will naturally be broadcast live over the Internet. This blockbuster idea is hatched by none other than entrepreneur Freddie Harris (played to the hilt by rapper Busta Rhymes), who has wallpapered the place with hidden cameras, microphones, fake props (can’t ever have enough cobwebs and dust), etc., and as an added bonus, plans to appear as Michael himself if the livestream feed gets dull. Not to worry though! As comes as no surprise, during the course of the night an old friend stops by to say hello and seems a bit perturbed at finding trespassers in his house. And when we’re dealing with Michael Myers, we all know there’s only one way for Michael to get rid of those pesky trespassers. Unfortunately, age has apparently dimmed some of Michael’s energy and creativity and his killings now lack the flair and panache of his early years. With knives as his only weapon of choice nowadays, we are treated to only one lackluster decapitation and a bunch of stabbings.
Obviously hoping to turn some relatively unknown actors into household names, save for Sean Patrick Thomas, and Thomas Ian Nicholas, I doubt if we’ll see too much of our housemates in the future given their exceedingly “blah” performances here. Not even born when “Halloween” originated, the true evil, horror and “mystique” of the franchise seems lost on Daisy McCrackin, Katee Sackhoff, and Luke Kirby, a loss which sorely affects their characters. Thomas, on the other hand, as Rudy, is actually funny with his constant mantra that Myers is a maniac because of a low protein diet. Bianca Kajlich, however, who was in “H20”, turns in another fine and gutsy performance as Sara Moyer. Not a fan of Busta Rhymes, I must confess I was pleasantly surprised at his performance.
With an obviously minimal budget and minimal talent, but still with an underlying feel for the concept and material, Rosenthal and Brand have given us a horror film where the greatest horror is that the “good guys” are so one-dimensional and pasty that you can’t help but root for the bad guy. . .and the inevitable 9th installment.
