Synopsis:

HALLOWEEN H20 was released in 1998 and falls right in the post-SCREAM slasher "renaissance". Therefore, while the concept and performances of H20 are stellar, the cinematography, editing and music were all influenced somewhat negatively by the mega-hit that was Wes Cravens's 1996 movie. Also, studio interference resulted in a music score that was mostly scrapped at the last minute and replaced. A similar thing happened with the mask chosen by the filmmakers. These changes permeate the original movie and make it feel disjointed and lacking identity. My edit attempts to fix these issues by trying to get out of SCREAM's shadow and making the movie feel more like a thematic and stylistic successor to the first two movies in the franchise,

Intentions:

My goal with this edit was to bring back a more serious atmosphere, worthy of the previous HALLOWEEN entries in the franchise, all while trying to minimize the late 90's slasher aspects.

Change List:

- Dimension Films logo turns orange - ADDED FOOTAGE: Marion’s house, ransacked office, Jimmy leaves office - ADDED FOOTAGE: Marion sees the Strode folder, Marion looks for Jimmy, Marion tries to escape, The Shape enters, Shape stalks Marion - Replaced Loomis voiceover by Tom Kane with original Donald Pleasence performance - Removed white flash after opening credits - Removed Mom’s ADR line “When I was a little girl we used to pee in the woods.” - ADDED FOOTAGE: The Shape watches mom and girl at rest stop - Trimmed Mom’s reaction at rest stop - Trimmed dialogue between Ronnie and his wife, and the line “Comb your hair!” - ADDED FOOTAGE: Charlie and John talk about girls in town - Added scene from Halloween: Resurrection - Replaced “Mr. Sandman” on car radio with “Don’t Fear The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult - Removed Ronnie’s line “Psycho!” - Added scenes from Halloween: Resurrection and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Replaced “Scream 2” on TV with “John Carpenter’s The Thing” - Trimmed Sarah and Will’s exchange “date-rape evening/nipples pierced” - ADDED FOOTAGE: Will carves a pumpkin and opens up to Laurie - Removed Will’s line “Well, that’s…sucky!” - ADDED FOOTAGE: The Shape stalks Charlie in kitchen - Removed shot of CGI mask and Charlie’s “Hi” - Fixed continuity error of Charlie’s head in dumbwaiter - Trimmed The Shape looking up after dumbwaiter falls - Removed white frame when John and Molly discover Sarah - ADDED FOOTAGE: The Shape gives chase, walks up the stairs - Trimmed John punching The Shape, The Shape shoving John - Trimmed frames where it is obvious that Ronnie is shot - Added locations montage reminiscent of the original movie’s ending - ADDED FOOTAGE: Laurie stalks The Shape in the school - Removed The Shape getting hit in the groin - Removed The Shape trying to shake his knife loose - Fixed continuity error of Laurie pulling the knife out of The Shape - Removed Ronnie surviving and added Laurie delivering one final stab - Removed comical shot of The Shape getting hit by the coroner’s van - Removed The Shape frantically grabbing his head - Moved dedication to Donald Pleasence to the start of credits and spelled correctly - “Halloween” theme runs longer, “What’s This Life For” by Creed replaced by “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and children’s rhyme from “Halloween”.

Additional Notes:

- Original John Ottman compositions reinstated, replacing the recycled score by Marco Beltrami. A few short cues from the original John Carpenter score also added - Additional scenes and extended footage from the TV version incorporated - Different color timing (night scenes colder and darker, day scenes more overcast) - The Shape’s eyes darkened, breathing heard in POV shots, and the rejected mask reduced by cutting around it.

Other Sources:

Special Thanks: