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After finally seeing off his sister, Laurie Strode (Jamie
Lee Curtis) notorious killer Michael Myers returns to the
derelict house of his childhood in Haddonfield. Unfortunately
for the participants, this coincides with an Internet reality
show where six teens have been selected to spend the night.
It is being organised by the budding production company DangerTainment
- whose employee Freddie has arranged a series of props to
be triggered or discovered in a bid to raise viewing figures.
But there is a sudden realisation that Myers has been living
under the house since the events which took place in Halloween
H20. When bodies are discovered dispatched by various gruesome
means, the others assume it is a trick to heighten tension.
One of the camera-carrying participants corresponds, via her
pocket PC, with a friend who is watching the reality show
at a party. In this respect he is able to issue her warnings
and advice. But the unfeeling killer is far from camera shy...
The
handful of reviews I've come across from various sources over
the last few months all have this film down as beneath consideration.
I think that's more than a little unfair. Admittedly, if John
Carpenter's original Halloween is premier league, then
Resurrection is probably second division. But then
that classic had a new psychotic character who never spoke,
an original premise and a straightforward plot. Once you reach
eight movies (seven featuring Michael Myers) the difficulty
is in keeping the format fresh and exciting. Most people who
have seen at least one of the prequels will know who Michael
is, what he does, how he moves, and his weapon of preference.
You see the problem? Halloween Resurrection at least
attempts to do something different with the franchise.
According
to director Rick Rosenthal, aside from the small cameras attached
to one ear of each of the teen participants, there was also
a number of fixed surveillance cameras positioned around the
house (one in each room and two in the hallway, facing up
and down the stairs). In this manner, he was able to switch
between film camera shots and various haphazard-appearing
video sequences; therefore allowing the viewing audience to
watch from several integrated perspectives. Whether this makes
the film more frightening is debatable. Resurrection
suffered from bad timing in its cinema release, coinciding
uncomfortably with My Little Eye, a film with a similar
premise. It somehow manages to balance precariously between
that movie and the obvious connections with The Blair Witch
Project. The former had wall-mounted cameras manipulated
by an outside influence, whereas the latter was shot totally
on handheld video cameras. Blair Witch was something
that Rosenthal wanted to stay away from, so 40 minutes of
video sequences became only ten minutes spliced into the film.
The
plot is a little thin, but this reflects more on the characters
than the format. The simple fact is that you don't care if
they live, die or go shopping. The Halloween films
always will be more about Michael Myers than anyone who comes
into contact with him. The best part of the film is the pre-titles
segment right at the beginning. There is a certain kind of
completion with Michael tracking down Laurie in a psychiatric
hospital. A nice touch is the boy who wears the clown mask
and recites statistics concerning Ed Gacy, one of America's
infamous serial killers; although why Michael gives the boy
his knife is beyond me (can a cold, inhuman killer even consider
someone to be his protégé?). Myers was created
by John Carpenter to be a bogeyman who lurks in the shadows
and darkness; he is the blackness of our subconscious. Instead,
he is heading closer to the Jason Vorhees character from the
Friday the 13th films. Ironically, when stalking the
empty rooms of his old house the distance shots don't work
half as effectively as the off-kilter close-ups.
For
fans of the Halloween franchise, like myself, there
are some extras well-worth taking the time to view. As well
as a director commentary, there are six deleted or extended
scenes (available with optional director commentary), three
alternate endings (they should have gone with the axe one,
but were probably worried about the prospective ninth film),
a webcam special (with the full 40 minutes mentioned earlier),
a tour of the set with the production designer, storyboard
comparisons, an on the set featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis
and others taking about her character, a head cam featurette,
and a photo gallery. Phew!
This
is not the best Halloween film in the series, but neither
is it the worst; that dubious honour belongs to The Curse
of Michael Myers (with all that pretentious backstory
about bloodlines). Resurrection is an average contribution,
rather than the derisive one many have labelled it with. In
retrospect, it's a number of missed opportunities. The franchise,
like Michael Myers, is still alive and kicking, but it needs
reinventing; a rethink similar to what Jason Vorhees got for
Jason X.
Ty
Power
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