Halloween Resurrection Review

There's something kind of thrilling about watching a newHalloween movie. As that ominous music begins to play and Moustapha Akkad's name pops up, it's hard not to get a little bit excited about what's to follow. True, every sequel of the series thus far has not been able to live up to the original, but the very idea that Michael Myers is about to resume his unstoppable killing spree is enough to provoke goosebumps.Halloween: Resurrection opens with a final showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers that easily stands as the film's highlight, as Curtis does a fantastic job of portraying the disconnected calm embodied by Laurie. After years of being terrified of Myers, Laurie's finally come to terms with the fact that she'll be pursued by this unstoppable killing machine until the day she dies. And while their confrontation is short lived, it leaves a lasting impression on the rest of the film - which details the bloodshed that ensues after several students foolishly venture into Myers' childhood home. The movie's been directed by Rick Rosenthal, the same man responsible for the second installment in this venerable franchise. That film was dull ripoff of the original, and Rosenthal's apparently learned from his mistakes, becauseHalloween: Resurrection's plot is certainly unique. But he just can't resist going back to the well on a few occasions, and includes several familiar elements throughout. Most notably, that head-cocking move that Myers does after murdering someone and that oft imitated trick wherein Myers steps out from a completely dark space. But my personal favorite moment of redux comes near the beginning of the picture, when Myers walks right through a closed door (a move which harkens back to the second installment, when he casually lumbers through a glass door). That was classic, and essentially sums up what Michael Myers is all about (absolutelynothing can stop him, not even, you know, physics). Unlike most recent horror flicks, which are self-referential and almost spoofy,Halloween: Resurrection revels in the cliches and absurdities that make horror movies fun. People run up the stairs instead of out the door, clueless security guards say things like "who's out there?" and friends casually sneak up on one another even though a maniac is on the loose. The film's plucky heroine, Bianca Kajlich's Sara, possesses the one trait that's absolutely required in a flick like this: she's a fantastic screamer. There's a scene early on in which she screams so loud she breaks glass; it's as if Rosenthal recognizes this necessary cliche in horror movies and pokes fun at it. In fact, Rosenthal actually does a fairly decent job in setting up an atmosphere of dread and suspense. The filmmaker falters in his overuse of the webcam footage being shot by the characters, which worked in The Blair Witch Project but seems out of place here. Still, he knows what he's doing and isn't afraid to reference other, better horror movies (there's a death sequence right out of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom). I'm making it sound likeHalloween: Resurrection is as good the original. Not quite. While that opening 15-minute sequence is brilliant, the midsection of the film drags in a big way. Once those six kids get to the house, they spend far too much time just wandering around and squabbling with each other. Certain key discoveries are made, including a possible (and needless) explanation for why Myers turned out the way he did (ie having it appear as though he's doing all this because of his childhood is not only silly, but it takes away from the mysterious nature of the character). Still, the movie does essentially zip along (provided you're a fan of this sort of thing) and there is a good amount of gore. There's a completely useless subplot detailing the exploits of a teenager who's in contact with one of the unlucky six via a palm pilot, but this is otherwise a fairly focused horror flick. And, of course, the door is left wide open for a sequel. But if this is any indication, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing...