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Halloween: Resurrection

Not that I'm trying to sound rude or anything when I say this, but if you attend "Halloween: Resurrection," the eighth film in the franchise of serial killer Michael Myers, with the expectation of something slightly original or fresh, then you deserve to be called an imbecile by your friends, your family, and even the little man at the door who accepts your ticket stub. Come on, people: this is the seventh sequel to an already moribund franchise, so I think the chances of Michael laying down his chopping knife and dabbling in psychological torment is wishful thinking. ***

There is one surprise, though, and that is its beginning sequence, in which Jamie Lee Curtis, whom we think will show up later to save the day from the previews that played only less than a month prior to release, is hunted down by her murderous brother and killed within the film's first ten minutes. Sadly enough, all hope that the movie will be best enjoyed in watching Curtis do what she was born to do is squandered as she plummets to her doom. ***

From here, we are taken to a teen horror-oriented subplot in which a group of six people are invited to participate in a live internet broadcast of a show in which they will spend Halloween night in the home of (big look of surprise, everyone!) Michael Myers. As usual, the characters here are hardly worth naming, crediting, or mentioning, seeing as how in less than twenty minutes of running time, one boy is stabbed in the head, a girl is impaled by a gate post, another girl is beheaded, and yet another person stabbed three times in a scene reminiscent of that from the original "Halloween," where Myers elevated his victim by stabbing him with numerous weapons. ***

And what Kraft Macaroni and Cheese-patented horror sequel would be complete without the insertion of a few shots of teenagers about to get it on in a murky basement, various instances of light and shadow trickery, the requisite jumps on the soundtrack that do everything but burst our eardrums, and the dialogue that serves no purpose other than to tell us what we already know from years of genre flicks and direct-to-video embarrassments? I did think it was somewhat commendable of the film to at least try and explain its history before throwing us into a looming pile of excrement. ***

And to be perfectly honest, "Resurrection" isn't half bad in its half-baked, tacky, so-bad-it's-almost-good way. Some of the scares elicit a jump here and there, and as I was laughing at the stupidity of these characters and their situations, I tend to believe it was more out of fun than out of scrutiny. There is one thing the movie excels at, and that is it's not another "Jason X," and any movie that can accomplish that deserves some kudos, believe me. --

The 2.35:1 anamorphic image transfer is a nice transfer that befits the material. Colors are approriately drained in many sequences, giving the movie its edgy approach; the scenes in which saturation is normal are terrific as well. Edges are sharp and detail is terrific in many scenes, especially those involving shots seen through the headset cameras, which have transferred considerably well to this format. Being that this is a horror movie, much of the film takes place at night, and scenes inside the Myers house make great use of contrast and deep, pure blacks. The only blemishes that befall this transfer are the presence of some noise, both in color areas and some of the black areas. Other than that, this is a well-rendered image that is sure to please. ***

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is every bit as aggressive and energized as the theatrical mix, and the technicians have done an astounding job of recreating that experience for the home theater system. Like any cheesy horror movie, this one is big on noise and music, and just hearing the excellently-recorded score coming at you from all sides is amazing. Sound effects are terrific, making a home in the front as well as the rear channels, and imaging is also top-notch. Dialogue is well-recorded and nicely centered. The entire track is complimented by a generous use of the .1 LFE, providing the listener with deep, resonating strands of deep bass that enhances both the shocks as well as the score. An exciting 5.1 mix, and certainly reference quality.

First up we have a small collection of deleted scenes, a couple of which are new, while others are merely expanded versions of those left in the final cut. It's just basically more of the same old "Halloween," and the alternate endings aren't very affecting, either. Each scene is accompanied by commentary from Rosenthal, who explains what the scene is, and why it was left out. The one interesting alternate scene is the one in which Michael gets an axe to the face; guess that would mean no more sequels, huh? ***

The webcam special is really just forty minutes of the compiled digital video footage shot during the movie, accompanied with more commentary from Rosenthal, who remains ever-hopeful for another DVD release of "Resurrection" as he talks about possibly releasing the movie with an interactive feature allowing the viewer to watch from different points-of-view. He talks a great deal about shooting the digital video simultaneously with the regular cameras, which was much more difficult that anyone could have imagined. He also discusses the fact that going back and reshooting the digital video after the principle photography was an alternative suggestion, but would have required six different shoots! I'll say one thing for Rosenthal: he's one devoted filmmaker, even with junk like this. ***

Production designer Troy Hansen takes us on a tour of the soundstage set that was built for internal and external shots. The amount of work that went into the production here is terrific, and after watching this featurette, it's really not as easy as it looks to cut the movie between shots done outside and those done inside. We also get some nice views of the interior of the house, both in-progress and final product. ***

The featurette "On the Set with Jamie Lee Curtis" is a bit of a surprise, considering how little of Curtis we actually see in the movie. Interviews with Curtis reveal her approval of this latest venture into the series, while those with the other cast members are somewhat out of place, considering none of them ever share any screen time with her except the actor playing Myers. This is followed by a small featurette with more interviews from the cast and crew concerning the use of the head and surveillance cameras. It seems like a modern technology gimmick, yes, but the amount of stress and work that went into getting it just right might just make you appreciate it a bit more. ***

Last but not least we have some storyboard comparisons presented in that wonderful split-screen mode, and some sneak peek trailers that, annoyingly enough, much be forwarded through when you first put the DVD in.