Halloween H20: 20 Years Later 4K UHD Steelbook Review
“Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” is still one of the best Halloween sequels.
Set 20 years after the original movie, “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” finds Laurie Strode living a very different life. She’s changed her name, moved to California, has a new job (headmistress at an Academy), has a son John (who is a student at said Academy) and is dating the school’s guidance counselor Will. As Halloween approaches, Laurie becomes nervous and paranoid about Michael as she suffers from PTSD. The plan was for her son to go to Yosemite on a school trip for the holiday so that he could be safe with others, but he ends up ditching and staying at the Academy alongside his girlfriend (Molly) and their 2 friends Charlie and Sarah. Alas, Laurie’s worst fears become a reality when Michael Myers shows up. Now, Laurie has to face her fears, protect her son and maybe end Michael’s reign of terror once and for all.
Directed by horror veteran Steve Miner (best known for helming the second and third “Friday The 13th” films), 1998’s “Halloween H20” remains the best sequel alongside “Halloween 2.” After seeing David Gordon Green’s trilogy, H20 has aged even better. Not only did it tackle similar subjects in a superior fashion (particularly with Laurie’s PTSD), but this slasher sequel feels more like a fitting conclusion to the franchise. Of course, we know it wasn’t and everything was ultimately undone by “Halloween: Resurrection,” but that’s another story entirely.
Although small in scale with perhaps too many off-screen moments, H20 succeeds in continuing the primary story of the franchise- the battle between Michael and Laurie. In this entry the two are still related which is something that was needlessly retconned in the latest trilogy. Seeing Laurie face her fears with even higher stakes (a son to protect) gave the film an added intensity. Jamie Lee Curtis is especially engaged here and gives a dedicated, fierce and layered performance.
Outside of that, there’s a lot to admire here from the opening sequence with Nurse Marion, the Loomis reference, and amusing horror nods to the likes of “Friday The 13th” and “Psycho.” The new characters also fare well here with LL Cool J as the personable guard Ronny, Josh Hartnett as Laurie’s son John, and Michelle Williams as Molly. It’s a shame we never got to see John and Molly in another sequel as there was a lot of potential with those characters.
Note: This is the first time Halloween H20 has been available on 4K as a stand-alone release.
Second Note: The Steelbook and slipcover art are among the best I’ve ever seen.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? This is an impressive upgrade. There have been some deeply mediocre home video releases of this film so it was nice to see a print that maintains the grain while also offering up sharper image quality and colors.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 5.1 track is appealing and lively.
The lone extra is a Digital copy.
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