As 1998 concluded, most fans felt that the Halloween franchise had ended on a high note with the success of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. The film had given fans a real finale to the franchise along with making $85 million domestically. Despite the box office success, it was not good enough for the Akkads. They wanted more Michael and more Halloween leading us to what I consider the worst horror sequel of all time, Halloween: Resurrection.
Now back in 2002, fans including myself were wondering one thing, “How the hell do you bring Myers back after chopping his head off in the last film?” Easy! Let’s create a nonsensical story involving Michael crushing the larynx of an EMT to get his attire for the film all while wielding a knife. Let’s add an old bait and switch to the mix too. If this is a true sequel to Halloween 1, 2 and H20, Myers’ face should have been burnt underneath the mask but he wasn’t.
What else could go wrong with this film?
At this point, Jamie Lee Curtis is done with the franchise nor could be blamed by fans for wanting to leave especially since the recent films weren’t strong plot wise so why waste her time and because of this she wanted her character to die onscreen. It was now set up that Laurie was institutionalized and Michael has found her but she was waiting for him all along. She treks to the rooftop for a one on one battle with evil. Setting up traps was not enough as ultimately Michael gets his hands on her and she’s killed. Quite an underwhelming end if you ask me.
Once the Michael and Laurie storyline finishes, it’s time to move on as Michael returns to Haddonfield. What we see next is one terrible idea after another with the script that not only feels recycled but they might as well have resurrected the ghost of Barry Simms in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers to broadcast live from the Myers house.
Written with the idea of playing off of the reality TV show craze at the time, the script is dead on arrival and the execution of the narrative is dreadful. There is a lack of any on-screen chemistry among the protagonists, especially Bianca Kajlich, who is a piss poor “scream queen” and Sean Patrick Thomas who should’ve gone back to make Save the Last Dance 2 rather than delivering his idiotic lines. There is just not one moment of entertainment in this film. This time around Katee Sackhoff plays the Lynda-esque character. While P.J. Soles knocks it out of the ballpark in Halloween, every single attempt to replicate her character’s personality has failed miserably and this is no exception.
Not much can be said about Tyra Banks and Busta Rhymes is the real standout here. If I had to pick any entertaining moments, they would all involve him especially when he punks Michael Myers despite it being obnoxious and his line delivery of “Trick or Treat Motherfucker” is as awful as it gets. In a film full of turds, Rhymes’ stench reeks the less.
I’m also glad to know that Halloween: Resurrection was ahead of the curve with technology because the streaming quality by Dangertainment is better than some of 2018’s. I applaud the multi-camera angles and exposition used in recreating the reality show.
Halloween: Resurrection is an embarrassment to a franchise that I hold near and dear to my heart. A franchise that has entertained viewers for the past 40 years and its fans deserved more than this film. It lacks a single original idea and never echoes the vibe and atmosphere we as fans have come to know from Halloween. If you could insult a film, just call it the Halloween: Resurrection of your franchise.
