I shouldn’t like this movie as much as I do. The mask is probably the worst one I have seen Michael wear so far, LL Cool J is there but doesn’t really add anything other than to fulfill one super aggravating trope scene at the end, the 90’s stereotype stuff is in full force, and so on. Still though, I love this movie.
Seeing Laurie and Michael stare down at one another through a doors window is intimate and cool. LL Cool J is has the most upsetting scene at the end when he stops Laurie from finishing it and he gets some weird story writer scene, but he is endearing still for how he obviously likes the kids he is looking after. Josh Hartnett is cool! Hey, is that the kid from Jumanji?! The cool, if not maybe a little impractical, scene where Michael walks table to table following a crawling Laurie. Plus the finale is arguably one of the best out of the six or so movies I have seen thus far and is definitely the most badass Laurie has been. This movie lives and dies with Curtis’ portrayal of a traumatized and then ultimately empowered mother.
If you want a good time, you can watch the first Halloween, then either put on the second one as second screen content or just understand that they are siblings now, and conclude it with Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. I didn’t bother watching the final movie in this 4 movie collection because it has Busta Rhymes and I am just not ready for that.
I like this movie more than I should. I can stand back and recognize it isn’t a great film and yet I love it for its camp and as a time capsule. Also, a final note that I am just realizing after having watched six of these things the last few days: Josh Hartnett comes across much more believable as Lauries kid than Judy Greer ever did and that was with a lot less screen time.
I love this little dogpile of the 90’s and I won’t be ashamed.