48 - Cursed

Connection To HALLOWEEN H20 - writer Kevin Williamson who was a producer on H20.

The first time director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson where together we got... magic, a film that's reinvigorated a dying genre by making fun of it - of course I'm talking about Scream, and teaming up again for Scream 2 they almost recaptured the same magic, the third Scream movie which also as a credited for co-writing was a misstep with the pair (though the film had it's moments) and then came Cursed, a production that seemed well... cursed.

The film was postponed over a year due issues with the script and production, this mean't a number of cast members (some which had filmed scenes), had to be replaced including Skeet Ulrich, Mandy Moore, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Forster and Corey Feldman and it's fair to say the film limped out on release rather then with a bang.

The film's plot is basically a brother and sister (Jesse Eisenberg and Christina Ricci) gets attacked by a werewolf in the Hollywood Hills and it looks like they are becoming werewolves themselves too.

You know what for a film that was rewritten and re-shot it's not really bad, it's maybe because I heard about the negativity of this production that my exceptions where very low - the film is coherent you wouldn't necessary except with a film like this - it's maybe because it stars some people I really like including Ricci and Judy Greer (which reminds me with Portia de Rossi and Scott Baio there is three Arrested Development alumni in this), while I wouldn't go far as to say this film is ripe for rediscovery because it's a film I'm sure I'll forget about in the months to come fairly easily.

The main negative is common with a lot of horror films, it is always obvious who the next victim is going to be, so much they might as have a sign that reads "eat me" on the back

Overall, I'll say it's an average horror that SPOILER (SORT OF) at least gives us a fight between Ricci and Greer END OF SPOILER that works for what it is in spite of all that was against it.

47 - Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

Connection To HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE - Josh Hartnett

Like Jason and Freddy, all the years of sequels of varying qualities it was sometimes hard to remember what made them so iconic in the first place, the Halloween films went from awesome, to a pretty good sequel, then Michael Myers-less, to my opinion, three films that are quite hard to distinguish from each other, I think Halloween H20 (which is not set underwater) was obviously mean't to the series farewell with original (and first sequel) star Jamie Lee Curtis returning as Laurie Strode.

One note that is not really related to my opinion, Total Film, a magazine here in the UK back in 1998 gave the film the full ***** that as stuck in my head (similar to Empire giving Die Hard With A Vengeance the same score), so I think when I first saw it in the same year I had high expectations I remember not disliking it but I know it's not a 5* film, I think it was an example for me at the time of how reviews in magazines you like can already send you prejudging it in hope or negativity.

H20 is set 20 years after the first 2 Halloween films hence the title, it pretty much ignores 4,5,6 (no reason to ignore the 3rd one since it's not related) except for noting that she faked her death which is probably to account from the 4th movie saying she was dead but I'm actually not sure if it was intentional to be honest because why would they ignore everything but that.

So yeah 20 years later, Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens, who appeared in the first two movies), Dr. Loomis' colleague, returns home to Illinois a few days before Halloween (in 1998) to see there's being a burglar, and she gets neighbour Jimmy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, then best known for being Tommy on 3rd Rock From The Sun - indie cred and film fame hadn't happened yet) searches the house but finds nothing, Mario discovers a medical file is missing the one of Laurie Strode (who remember because of the second movie is noted to be Michael Myers sister) and discovers in fact somebody is still in her house and rushes to Jimmy's where she finds him and a friend dead (Jimmy gets a ice hockey boot in the face) where Michael Myers attacks her and slices her throat.

On Halloween, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) as tried to get her life back together even faking death and moving to California and changing her name, she's now a headmistress at a boarding school and as a son John (Josh Hartnett) and boyfriend Will (Adam Arkin), the schools guidance counselor, she seems to have everything sorted but the events of 20 years ago still haunt her, and as you expect The Shape shows up again in her life.

Revisiting this movie made me realize the film at times is kind of well average, I mean it was cool there an Halloween sequel with Curtis but there just seemed way too many of that thing from the horror movie bag of tricks - the fake jump scare - after the opening death scenes, there seems to be about a 100 before it gets to Myers at the boarding school,

Curtis is strong in the lead role and it was cool seeing her share the screen with her movie Janet Leigh (obligatory Psycho reference goes here), I liked the idea of her character trying to rebuild her life but the past is just not that easy to escape mentally. Josh Hartnett, which I've noted as someone I'm not a fan particularly plays off well with Curtis, his love interest is placed by Michelle Williams, who like Gordon-Levitt at the time was best known for TV (Dawson's Creek for her) then the film career that would flourish in the years to come who doesn't really show (not pushed to I guess) the acting talent she proved she had, there 2 friends are played by Jodi Lynn O'Keefe and Little Man Tate and are really the only 4 teenagers in it for the films slasher time. There's also LL Cool J, who does a better job then the rapper-turned actor for the next Halloween movie Busta Rhymes mainly because there not a scene of LL doing kung fu on Michael Myers, he plays the schools security guard.

One thing I didn't remember his how short it was coming in at 85 minutes and it does zoom by to be fair - there's some good deaths and it's a step up from the the previous 3 Halloween films and miles in front of Resurrection. The ending was great just a shame it was literally undone in seconds by the film's sequel (the final in the series until Rob Zombie relaunched)

While Scream was indebted to the slasher genre the original Halloween helped launch, this is a Halloween film inspired by Scream's success (Scream's writer Kevin Williamson is a producer here) and it's too me better then Urban Legend and some others where the names completely escape me at the moment.

Overall, despite too many fake jump scares, it's film short running time means it doesn't wear and it's funny seeing Laurie and Michael go toe to toe one last true time. So I'm going with recommended but with faults.