Info
- Director: Rick Rosenthal,
- Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bianca Kajlich, Busta Rhymes
- Year: 2002
- Runtime: 90 Minutes
- Company: Echo Bridge
- Format: Blu-ray
- Discs: 1
- Video: 2.35:1 - 1080p - AVC
- Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Dolby Digital Surround, English LPCM Stereo
- Region: A
- Released: 4/17/2012
Film
In 1978, John Carpenter & Debra Hill unleashed not only one of the greatest horror films of all time, but a undoubtedly a classic of cinema with Halloween. Carpenter's then highest grossing independent film of all time is a timeless showcase of terror and a supreme course of master filmmaking at it's finest. It also is a major contributor to the slasher genre (I'd think everyone would agree with me in saying Hitchcock's Psycho is the godfather and template of slashers) as we know it and firmly establishing horror films as blockbuster sized profit contenders, instead of just cheap drive-in fare. Franchises were nothing new (thanks to Planet of the Apes, James Bond & Star Wars) but were all the rage as eager studios greenlit sequels to their hits to achieve a similar success. It was only a matter of time before Halloween received the same treatment.
Thirty four years, eight sequels, two remakes later and thousands of pissed off fans everywhere, Halloween had inevitably become a horror franchise. Which leads us to Halloween: Resurrection, the now ten year old 8th installment of a series that's continuity had been moronically retconned to the point of leaving everyone confused, frustrated and eventually angry. But that's a-whole-nother conversation for a-whole-nother day. Resurrection picks up three years after the events of Halloween H20 at a mental institution, where Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been condemned to for mistakenly killing an innocent man due to an identity reversal courtesy of boogeyman Michael Myers.
In what may seem like a thematically bold move, 'The Shape' gets the upper hand and kills Laurie during the films opening minutes. So right off the bat, Halloween: Resurrection wants you to know "no one is safe!" when in actuality, this is how it went down (the following transcript has been exaggerated). Jamie Lee Curtis - "Hey guys, I don't want to do this shit anymore. I'm tired of being Laurie Strode, like I've only done it 3 times, well 2 actually because I slept the whole time in Halloween II but Disney keeps sending me these wonderful scripts that can further my career". Hollywood Executive (maybe one of the Weinstein's?) - "Who is Laurie Strode? Woman, can you grab me a coffee and call Busta to see when he's gonna arrive on set? You know he's really gonna make this film a hip hit!".
Cue 90 minutes of bullshit. We're then introduced to a typical college group of slasher fodder that have signed up to be a part of Dangertainment, a reality show esque program led by Busta Rhymes that equips the contestants with headset cameras and locks them up in Michael Myers childhood home to investigate till dawn. Killing ensues. That sentence long synopsis is all Resurrection has to offer, nothing more than taking a name brand franchise and making it modern to capitalize on the Blair Witch Project found footage craze. You would think since veteran Halloween II Rick Rosenthal was returning he could create a interesting, claustrophobic atmosphere but that's just wishful thinking. Halloween: Resurrection is about as by-the-numbers and dense as they come.
Resurrection also sports, in my opinion, one of the worst Shape masks of the entire series with it's make-up look and afro like hair piece. It's not terrifying in the slightest and looks quite cartoony. That's easily overlooked though considering the other cartoon character in the film; Busta Rhymes. Rhymes is a kung fu enthusiast and spews ridiculous one liners such as "Trick or treat mother fucker" and "Michael you looking like some fucking chicken fried" while showcasing his karate talents. I think I've said enough.
Blu-ray
- Video
Echo Bridge has had, to put it lightly, a rocky road of releasing. The majority of their catalog is banished to multi-packs that are plagued with a myriad of authoring issues and many other inconsistencies. I'm surprised and happy to say that this disc of Halloween: Resurrection is definitely a step in the right direction. It's 1080p, sports the correct aspect ratio (unlike many of their other releases) and looks pretty damn good. This transfer has certainly been cleaned up, mild DNR has been applied and there is some speckles throughout but overall this disc offers a HD filmic image that's satisfying.
- Audio
Another shocker, the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is fucking booming. Carpenter's score, shock cues and sound effects belted out of my surround sound with quite a punch. Dialogue isn't as alive unfortunately but considering Echo Bridge Blu-ray releases usually don't come with HD audio, I'll take it.
Bonus Features
- Audio Commentary - Director Rick Rosenthal & Editor Robert Ferrertti
- Alternate Ending
3 completely lame endings are included that are, like the theatrical ending, nothing more than one-last-jump-scare shots.
- Deleted Scenes
Over 8 minutes of rightfully duped scenes that contribute absolutely nothing.
- Featurette - "Tour Set with Production Designer"
- Featurette - "On Set with Jamie Lee Curtis"
Super brief interview with Laurie Strode herself about how she thinks Resurrection will be a great installment and how it's a nice send off for her character. I'd like to say Curtis looks thrilled to be doing this but I'd be lying.
- Featurette - "Head Cam"
- Featurette - "Storyboards"
