YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MANIAC DOWN

If I’d hated this film, I would only have myself to blame. Having watched and reviewed quite a few modern “stalk and slash” horror movies I really ought to know what to expect, so it would almost be repetitive to criticise such a film for being unoriginal and contrived. Surprisingly enough, although I thought I knew what to expect, I found myself quite enjoying Halloween Resurrection, which had just enough new ideas and sparkle to convince me that it was worth making.

Meanwhile, a trio of high school students is advised that they have been successful in their applications to appear on “Dangertainment”. The show is an Internet-based live experiment, during which they and three other young people are to be left in the childhood home of Michael Myers where they will be left to try to uncover some of the reasons behind his descent in madness. The whole event is to be broadcast live over the Internet and if successful will make the show’s creator an awful lot of money. Most of the participants simply want to use the show as a vehicle to get into the business, but Sara Moyer really only agrees to go along to keep her friends company. Amongst Sara’s friends is a young boy who settles down to watch the event online along with thousands of other Internet users.

John Carpenter’s original Halloween film remains one of the most critically acclaimed horror films of all time. Halloween literally set a precedent that very few films have ever managed to follow, and this applies just as much to the deluge of sequels as it does to the competition. However, demand for more of Michael Myers never seems to diminish, and the sequels just keep on coming. It’s an interesting reflection on today’s cinema audiences that these films just don’t seem to frighten people any more, as evidenced in the 15-certificate applied to this film. Halloween Resurrection is arguably just as violent as the original film, but is now resigned to become a quick fix of horror action for an increasingly unimpressed teenaged audience. The film’s only saving grace is that it brings itself bang up to date, and plays around with a few ideas that we haven’t seen before.

Despite its 15-certificate, Resurrection is still quite a violent film. Michael Myers brandishes his trusty knife with his usual aplomb, and slashes the students to pieces as he did in all the previous films. Throat slashing, disembowelling and decapitation are all on display, although nothing has a particularly shocking feel to it. Very few films seem to be able to make a decapitated head look like its living owner, and I always snigger in ridicule at the waxwork lumps that end up bouncing down the stairs. There’s very little to be frightened off either, because Resurrection is so utterly unsubtle. Michael Myers is just “there” right from the beginning so there is absolutely no anticipation of his presence whatsoever. The original music is occasionally used to announce his arrival, but where this was once very atmospheric it now seems out of place and gratuitous.

Overall, Resurrection succeeds in three main ways. It takes an old idea and adds a bit of a modern twist to it that makes us feel as though we are getting something new. It mixes up a cast of naughty, sexy young people that provide plenty of opportunities for grisly killings. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it keeps things short and simple. These things are probably enough to enable most fans of the series to enjoy this new instalment, even if the ending is utterly, shamelessly predictable.

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