What Went Wrong With Halloween H20, According To Jamie Lee Curtis

Laurie Strode in H20

The horror movie is largely defined by its iconic franchises, and none is quite as beloved as Halloween. John Carpenter's original film changed the movie world forever, while also launching Jamie Lee Curtis into stardom and scream queen royalty. Curtis is set to play Laurie for the fifth time with Blumhouse's upcoming Halloween, which has her generations of fans psyched. But there's also been reflection about the various sequels, especially as the upcoming movie retcons them out of existence. One fan favorite installment is H20: 20 Years Later, which brought Curtis back to the role with an interesting and flawed perspective. She recently explained what went wrong with the flick, saying:

H20 started out with best intentions, but it ended up being a money gig. The film had some good things in it. It talked about alcoholism and trauma, but I ended up really doing it for the paycheck.

While Jamie Lee Curtis was drawn to playing an adult Laurie Strode, it looks like she doesn't have any misconceptions about what H20 ultimately turned out to be. She played her role with her usual conviction, but it was more money than art.

Jamie Lee Curtis' comments to Variety are refreshingly honest, which is par for the course for Jamie Lee Curtis. Horror movies are a hit or miss genre, and there was a large sum of time in the late 90s and early 2000's when the genre was uninspired. H20 was no exception, although it did have some positive things going for it.

As Jamie Lee Curtis mentioned, H20's Laurie Strode struggled with alcoholism. This was Laurie's way to cope after the events of the first two movies, and we see how her son John has to care for her in some ways. Laurie's trauma is palpable, as is her urge to stay hidden. John was played by actor Josh Hartnett in his film debut, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michelle Williams also fill out the film's supporting cast.

H20 Laurie Strode was the most badass version we'd seen, at least until Blumhouse's Halloween arrives. Because while H20's Laurie was resourceful, the one we're meeting this October has been preparing 40 years to finally come face to face with Michael Myers. The film's first trailer reveals that Laurie has been all but obsessed with Michael, as he'd been locked in Smith's Grove Sanitarium for the past four decades. Her house has a hidden bunker and she's constantly working on her marksmanship. And while this has caused a strained relationship with her daughter and granddaughter, it's all going to be worth it when he finally escapes.

Halloween will arrive in theaters on October 19th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.