General consensus among Halloween fans typically ranks Halloween: Resurrection last out of the eight original films, which is perhaps why efforts have rarely been made to produce special features for the film. 20 years later, defenders of the oft-maligned sequel finally have some new insight into the production.
Scream Factory’s The Halloween 4K Collection (1995-2002) 4K Ultra HD box set boasts new interviews with several Resurrection cast and crew members that were produced by Justin Beahm’s Reverend Entertainment. Here are seven things I learned…
1. Actors shot their own headset camera footage
The reality TV angle was an interesting (and ahead-of-its-time) plot point, but the number of cameras involved complicated the shoot. “We had a video village that was just miles and miles of cable where there was something like 20 monitors of all the different feeds,” recalls production designer Troy Hansen.
In addition to the main film camera – with up to three in use at a time – there were also mounted surveillance cameras and the actors’ headset cameras. One might assume that the headsets were merely props, but they were fully functional, and footage shot by the actors was used in the final film.
2. The Myers house consisted of five separate sets on a sound stage
Resurrection saw the Halloween franchise return to the Myers house. The production originally sought an existing house on location in Vancouver that could be augmented, but the decision was ultimately made to build it on a sound stage. Due to spatial limitations, it consisted of five separate sets: first floor, second floor, basement, attic, and the full-scale exterior. Hansen studied screen grabs from the original Halloween in an effort to recreate the house as accurately as possible.
3. The filmmakers didn’t want to destroy the Myers house in case there was another sequel
Resurrection‘s fiery finale occurring in the garage rather than the Myers house was a pragmatic decision. “We didn’t want to burn the house,” explains Hansen. “Because the house is iconic and the idea that we might one day come back to the house.” That meant everything in the garage set needed to be able to be burned safely and efficiently, including making shelves out of balsa wood and painting rope to look like cables. Alas, Rob Zombie’s remake put a halt to a direct continuation of the Resurrection storyline.
4. Jamie Lee Curtis met her stunt double in a bathroom
Donna Keegan had been told she looked like Jamie Lee Curtis since the release of the original Halloween, but it was a chance encounter with the actress in the early ’90s that led to her being her longtime stunt double. Keegan was at the Jonathan Club – an illustrious private beach club in Santa Monica – as a guest when she bumped into the scream queen in the bathroom. Curtis remarked that Keegan looked just like her and, upon learning that she did stunts, told her to contact her agent.
In a matter of months, Keegan was doubling Curtis on 1993’s Mother’s Boy. She went on to work with her in Halloween H20 and Resurrection, along with the likes of True Lies, Freaky Friday, and Virus. Their final collaboration was 2010’s You Again, after which Keegan’s accumulative injuries forced her into retirement.
5. Young Michael Myers was played by Curtis’ stunt double’s son
Gary Clayton, who appears uncredited as young Michael in the photos found in the Myers house, is Keegan’s son. He was spotted at a casting office while his mother was in a meeting. Noticing his resemblance to the young Michael in the original Halloween prologue, the casting team approached Keegan about with the idea. She agreed, and he got the role.
Clayton still has a fake brick from the Myers house basement as a memento. While he didn’t pursue acting, he has another uncredited role in a movie in which his mother doubled Curtis: he plays a caroler in Christmas with the Kranks.
6. Michael’s mask was too small
Gary J. Tunnicliffe served as Resurrection‘s special makeup effects creator, but he’s quick to note that he didn’t make Michael’s mask for the film. It was his first question upon learning he’d got the job, but fellow special effects artist Chad Washam was already designing the mask.
Tunnicliffe remembers being called into the makeup room on set when it was realized that the mask hadn’t been made on The Shape actor Brad Loree’s head and thus was too small. That’s why his eyes can be seen so clearly through the mask, unlike previous films.
7. Special effects artist Gary J. Tunnicliffe plays the paramedic that Myers kills
In addition to his special effects duties, Tunnicliffe appears as several characters in the films. He’s credited as “Officer,” but he actually plays the role of the paramedic that Michael Myers kills in the prologue, allowing him to escape the events of Halloween H20. Since it was a small, non-speaking role, director Rick Rosenthal suggested Tunnicliffe play it, so his team cast his head for the beheading.
And that’s not all! Tunnicliffe donned the Michael mask and coveralls for second-unit insert shots. His stature – 5’8″, compared to Loree’s 6’2″ – earned him the nickname “Mini Michael” among the crew. He also pops up as a masked party goer who jumps in front of the camera.
There’s plenty more to learn about Halloween: Resurrection, along with Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, in Scream Factory’s The Halloween 4K Collection (1995-2002). All three films have been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision (HDR 10 compatible) and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Stereo options.
The post ‘Halloween: Resurrection’ – 7 Things We Learned from the New 4K Ultra HD Special Features appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.