Who I'd Save - Halloween Edition

Last year, I did a post about

13 Friday the 13th Victims I Would Have Saved!

This year, I will cover the Halloween film franchise,

not including the Rob Zombie films.

Here are the 8 Halloween victims I would have saved:

Halloween (1978)

Linda Van Der Klok (P.J. Soles)

Had a hard time right off the bat,

since I think all the deaths in the first film

are essential to what makes it work.

But, if have to choose someone, I will go with Linda,

just because I love P.J. Soles.

Totally.

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Halloween II (1981)

Ben Tramer (Jack Verbois)

Poor Ben Tramer. All he wanted to do was have fun!

But the really, really bad choice to dress exactly like a serial killer on the prowl

when the town was filled with anxious police, a desperate doctor

and a driver not paying attention spelled a sad end to this teen's life.

Laurie must have been a mental wreck when she realized

how many high school friends she lost that Halloween night.

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Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Buddy Kupfer, Jr. (Brad Schacter)

Wow. Poor little Buddy.

Not only is he saddled with those parents of his,

he ends up being a test subject for Cochran's evil plan

to use masks to turn kid's heads into bugs and snakes.

What a horrible, disgusting way to go.

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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Ted Hollister (no actor portrayal)

Hollister made the bad choice to lurk around the bushes

of Haddonfield after the town had been warned to stay indoors,

due to the menace of Michael Myers.

A trigger-happy posse freaks out and pretty much erases

Hollister from existence. Dumb fool.

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Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Rachel Carruthers (Ellie Cornell)

I don't know who made the decision to kill of Rachel,

but it was a major mistake.

Not only did she survive the events of Part 4,

but she stuck by her foster sister, even after the girl

went scissor-happy on her mother.

Rachel should have been a long-standing foe

for Michael and not just killed and tossed in the attic.

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Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy in this film; Danielle Harris in 4 & 5)

Another dumb-ass move.

Jamie - the daughter of original heroine Laurie Strode -

survives parts 4 and 5 and into the beginning of this one,

only to be horrifically dispatched by Michael on some farm equipment.

Why? So whacked-out Tommy Doyle and wooden Kara Strode

can take up the lead roles?

So freaking misguided and unnecessary.

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Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Nurse Marion Chambers Whittington (Nancy Stephens)

Another film where I am okay with all the deaths,

but I will choose Marion because,

not only did she avoid Myers grasp in parts 1 & 2,

but she obviously became some sort of caretaker

to Dr. Loomis in his later years.

She didn't deserve to be killed, especially since

Michael had already gotten the information he needed.

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Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis)

I am sure Jamie Lee Curtis was on board with this,

since she had wanted the previous film to be the end.

But, the producers wanted more and, I believe,

used a clause in her contract to bring her back for this one.

After succesfully avoiding being killed by Michael

for over 20 years, Laurie sets a trap to kill him once and for all.

But what does she do? She falls for a sentimental ploy and

is stabbed and tossed off the roof to her demise.

Lame.

I wrote up a way for this film to have been shot/edited differently,

a way which would have sent Laurie away but kept her alive.

If you want to read it, go to:

Halloween: Resurrection - My Cut

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Those are my choices.

Agree? Disagree?

Let me know!

Halloween H20 - My Guest Review

Hey all -

Today, I want to direct you on over to 

The Moon is Dead World, 

the great blog by Ryne Barber.

This month, his is doing his Halloween Fifteen,

where he posts reviews of horror films

by guest bloggers.

My post is up today: Halloween H20!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

And a big thanks to Ryne for letting me take part.

Great Scenes #2 - Halloween H20

For the second installment of Great Scenes,

I have Halloween H20: 20 Years Later,

when Laurie and Michael come face-to-face again after so many years.

What do I like here? Well, to start, the tension and suspense is great, with Michael in pursuit of the teens, especially the bit where they are trying to get into the courtyard foyer as Michael slowly advances on them. Molly struggles with the keys and John has been stabbed by Michael, which is quite the homage to the first film, where Laurie had been stabbed and was desperately trying to get back into the Doyle's house as Michael slowly crossed the street.

And then Michael and Laurie come face-to-face,

with just a single pane of glass separating them. Chilling.

The one problem I have is the mask Michael wears in this film. It has too much of an "evil expression" on it. I wish they had gone with a simpler mask, like he wore in parts 1 and 2.

Anyway, a great scene that was much anticipated and which delivered on the tension.

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

Halloween: Resurrection - My Cut

In 2002 we were "treated" to Halloween: Resurrection, the eight film in the Halloween series. It follows the events of 1998's Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later.

Summary: At the end of H20, Laurie beheads who she thinks is her brother, Michael Myers. In Resurrection, we learn that Michael had changed places with a paramedic, crushing the man's larynx so he couldn't speak. Laurie had killed an innocent man and she has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital for three years. On Halloween 2001, Michael finds her at last. But Laurie has been preparing for their showdown and has Michael trapped, hanging from the roof. But her reluctance to kill another man in a mask leads her to reach out to Michael. He grabs her and pulls her to him, stabbing her in the process. Laurie falls off the roof into the trees and to her (supposed) death.

Michael then heads back to Haddonfield and the old Myers family home, to apparently live in the basement. But the cast and crew of a reality show is also heading to the house, to film six young people as they attempt to spend Halloween night 2002 in the Myers' home. Michael is not happy to have intruders and the requisite murders occur.

By the end, only one student, Sara, and the head of the reality show, Freddie, survive and Michael is supposedly killed and taken to Haddonfield morgue. But as the movie ends, he opens his eyes, once again.

Okay... Let me first say that this is NOT my favorite Halloween film. There are a few scenes that are okay, but overall, I think this movie is just a sub-par entry in the series. Sadly, it ends up being the final film in this original series, as the next to follow from here is Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot/reimagining/whatever.

But, since the first time I saw this flick, I have had an idea of how much better it could have been if it had been edited differently. Now, I don't mean it would be a great film, by any means. But if it had played out like I think, it would have been at least a memorable send off for the original series and the characters.

Here's how I think it should have played (and remember, I am going with the storyline as we have it here, just edited in a different way.)

The film begins with Freddie and his DangerTainment reality show setting up at the Myers' home. Michael is in the basement, biding his time while he waits to find out the whereabouts of his sister, Laurie. The whole reality show part plays out as we see in the film, with Michael finally being "killed" and wheeled off to the morgue.

At the morgue, an orderly or nurse mentions that Laurie just happens to be a patient in the psychiatric wing of this very hospital and Michael opens his eyes at this news. A few more killings ensue as Michael makes his way to Laurie, who has been waiting for this confrontation, as we see in the beginning of the real film. Their battle occurs on the roof, with Michael grabbing Laurie and stabbing her and she falls.

Michael makes his way down to the grounds to see his sister's body, after all these years stalking her for this moment. But, when he arrives, all he finds is an impression in the lawn. Laurie is gone, off into the night, and the film ends with the "Halloween theme" playing as the camera shows the now deserted places from the movie - Laurie's hospital room, the morgue, the different rooms in the Myers' home - all empty and abandoned. The end.

Not only would it have played off better for the viewer, it would have given what turned out to be the final "original" film a tie-in to the first Halloween, with Laurie being the one off into the night, possibly finally free of Michael after all these years.

I know what you're thinking: Why put so much thought into an obviously badly written and ill-conceived sequel when the writers and producers themselves didn't put the thought into it? Well, what can I say? I love the Halloween films, love the characters of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. I just wish it had ended with a better movie than the one we were given.

So, that's my thought. I have no "film editing" talents, so this will just have to remain how the movie should have played out in my head. But I do think it would have been a more satisfying conclusion to what was a great horror movie series.