HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION
US, 2002, 86 minutes, Colour.
Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kaljich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Directed by Rick Rosenthal.
Halloween Resurrection is the eighth Halloween film, starting from John Carpenter's classic in 1978. The characters are still very much grounded in the first film, Jamie Lee Curtis making an appearance (a final appearance) as Michael Myers' sister Laurie. Jamie Lee Curtis looks particularly haggard in this film, staying in a mental institution after her attempt to kill her brother in Halloween H20. However, she is killed off by Michael in this film.
The film was directed by Rick Rosenthal, who directed Halloween 2. He also appears as the professor, discussing the psychology of Jung and the nature of the Shadow.
The film uses internet screenings and text messaging for its plot. This was done in the British film, My Little Eye, where a group going into what seemed to be a haunted house were successively killed. All screening on the internet. This plot has an enterprising producer, rap singer Busta Rhymes, getting a group of six to go into the Myers house and to film it, each with their own camera. However, of course, he does not know that Michael Myers himself is about and goes into the house to kill off the investigators - with the exception of Busta Rhymes himself and a girl played by Bianca Kaljich. Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance) guest stars as one of the victims.
The film follows the usual trends, is a touch less brutal than some of the others. However, it shows young people with their addiction to the internet, actually leaving a party so that they can all watch the Halloween experiment. Naturally, there is a computer geek who is able to text message to the heroine and save the day.
1. The popularity of Halloween films for a quarter of a century? Michael Myers, the horror, the various updatings and inventiveness?
2. The town, the house, the hospital? Audiences able to identify with the characters, places and situations? The atmospheric score?
3. The title and its implications? The presumption that Michael Myers would ever die?
4. The opening, Laurie in the institution, not speaking, the visualising of the past events, the mask on the policeman and her killing him? Her being given the pills, her not swallowing them? Her seeing Michael in the grounds, his coming to her room, the confrontation? Her trying to kill him, over the side of the building, his killing her?
5. Audience familiarity with the Michael Myers story? The recapitulation and visualising at the beginning? The internet program and its presumption that audiences wanted to watch Halloween stories?
6. The young people, their studies, the cook, the group coming to the kitchen and saying they had been chosen for the internet program? Sarah and her hesitation? The others eager to go?
7. The organisers of the program, making money out of the situation, interviewing each of the six on tape and their reasons for going into the house? Their setting up frights in the house? The leader going in, disguising himself as Michael Myers? The irony of the real one being there? The confrontations, the death of the woman, the wounding of the man?
8. The group: three men, three women? Their personalities, their characters? In the house, the frights, their ambitions to be on television and to be seen? Exploring, relationships, sexuality? The two young men and their being killed? The African American cook and his being impaled? The two young women and their deaths?
9. Sarah, her relationship with Deckard? In the house, her fears, the producer of the program? The fright with Michael Myers, being chased around the house, discovering the dead bodies, the roof? Her getting information by text? Her being saved?
10. Deckard, his friends, on the computer, the internet, communications? The party, the young people watching the program on internet? The fears, giving information to Sarah, her being saved?
11. Michael Myers, seemingly dead? In hospital? Opening his eyes? The popularity of this kind of horror film, scares, imagination of a serial killer, the mask and the myth?
