Halloween H20 4K Review (Paramount)
Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (aKa Halloween H20 and Halloween 7) is a 1998 slasher film directed by Steve Miner (Friday the 13th 2, Friday the 13th 3, House, Day of the Dead, Warlock, and Lake Placid). It was written by Robert Zappia (The Tom and Jerry Show, Prey for the Devil, and Tappy Toes) and Matt Greenberg (Reign of Fire, Pet Sematary, 1408, Seventh Son, The Prophecy 2, Children of the Corn 3, and Masters of Horror). It was produced by Kevin Williamson (Scream franchise, Dawson’s Creek, The Following, Sick, Tell me a Story, and Cursed). It is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. H20 is a direct sequel to 1981’s Halloween II. The budget was $17 million and it grossed $75 million at the box office!!!!
Nearly twenty-years have passed since Michael Myers (played by: Chris Durand from Scream 2 and Uncle Sam) escaped from Smith’s Grove and returned to his hometown of Haddonfield to kill his long-lost sister, Laurie Strode. Following an explosion caused by Dr. Sam Loomis at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, Michael’s body was never found, and he was presumed dead. On October 29, 1998, Marion Wittington (played by: Nancy Stephens from the Halloween franchise), Loomis’ former colleague who took care of him until his death, returns home to the house they shared in Langdon, Illinois, only to find that it has been broken into and discovers that the file on Laurie Strode (played by: Jamie Lee Curtis from the Halloween franchise, Trading Places, True Lies, Prom Night, Terror Train, A Fish Called Wanda, and Knives Out) is missing. This leads the killing machine to his sister. In Summer Glen, California, Laurie (having faked her death to stay hidden from Michael) lives under the identity of “Keri Tate” along with her son, John (played by: Josh Hartnett from 30 Days of Night, The Faculty, Sin City, and Black Hawk Down), is the headmistress of Hillcrest Academy, a private boarding school, where she is supported by her secretary Norma Watson (played by: Janet Leigh from Psycho and The Fog) and guidance counselor Will Brennan (played by: Adam Arkin from Sons of Anarchy and Northern Exposure)), who she is also in a relationship with. 
Her past has caused her to suffer from chronic nightmares as well as becoming an alcoholic. Back at the academy, most of the faculty and students are preparing to leave for a trip to Yosemite. Laurie has forbidden John to go, afraid that something bad will happen to him while he is gone. John’s girlfriend, Molly Cartwell (played by: Michelle Williams from Dawson’s Creek, The Fabelmans, Venom 1/2, and Manchester by the Sea), is unable to attend as well prompting fellow couple, Charlie Deveraux (played by: Adam Hann-Byrd from Jumanji and The Ice Storm) and Sarah Wainthrope (played by: Jodi Lyn O’Keefe from She’s all That and Whatever it Takes), to forego the trip so that they can all have a Halloween party on campus. Ronny Jones (played by: LL Cool J from Deep Blue Sea and Mindhunters), a security guard lets John and Charlie sneak out of school. Laurie reveals her identity to Will and in the process discovers a connection between her age when Michael first came after her which is also how old her son is now. Upon going to call John she finds out that not only are the phones not working, but that he did not go on the trip. She arms herself with a revolver looking for them. Michael Myers is out for blood and he wants a deadly re-connection with his family. Can Laurie survive this monster once again? or Will everyone close to her pay for her past life???? 
Halloween H20 is one of the best sequels when it comes to the iconic horror series. I know this one gets mixed reviews from time to time but I’ve always loved this one. I will admit, it’s one of tamer entries when it comes to slasher franchise, it completely ignores the previous few sequels like they never existed, and Michael Myers basically doesn’t pop up much until the 2nd half of the movie but it still delivers. It has a great script and it’s great to see things pick up from the original Halloween sequel with the legendary Laurie Strode returning. It does have a Scream vibe to it but that’s not a surprise considering who the producer was. John Carpenter was originally going to return for H20 but he demanded too much money so the studio went with horror veteran Steve Miner instead as the director. He is one of the most underrated filmmakers in the horror sub-genre. Halloween H20 has a nice pace/flow, suspense, and everything else is at a high quality. Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing in this. It’s like she’s never left the iconic role. This sequel has a great supporting cast with so many familiar faces including an Oscar winner. Personally, I don’t think any sequel or prequel since this one has even came close to H20. I hope this gets more love with this brand new home video release because I feel like it’s very underrated. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! 
Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from Paramount Pictures! This 2160p (2.35:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 looks fantastic in 4K. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, and German: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the UHD. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is highly elevated, and classic music has a killer boost to it. It has English, English SDH, French, German, and Mandarin subtitles. This limited edition steelbook has no extras unfortunately. I will say it’s a little odd that they used the wrong mask on the artwork but besides that I really liked the presentation and packaging for this 4K. It has a clear slipcover with additional artwork and a digital code. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!! 
