"Halloween" Franchise Rewind Marathon: 'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'
It's actually pretty smooth sailing from here on out.
By: Josh McCormack
For the next few days I will be taking a quick look back at the long-running "Halloween" franchise leading up to the release of David Gordon Green's latest entry. Since the newest film is wiping the slate clean of all the sequels and remakes, I thought we could turn back the clock and talk about all of the films in reverse order.
Happy Halloween!
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'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers' is a good movie. It's probably the best movie I've reviewed so far in this marathon. It's simple, effective and well-paced. Sure there are some issues, but the fact that this was the first film in the franchise that wasn't made by the same group of people who made installments 1-3 and wasn't a complete misfire makes it definitely worth some admiration.
In many ways 'Halloween 4' had to serve the exact same purpose as David Gordon Green's upcoming sequel. After the box-office disappointment of 'Halloween III', series producer Moustapha Akkad felt that it was time to take the series back to basics. For starters, bring back Michael Myers and Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis.
If some of the early criticisms for the newest film are that it seems to be too much of a retread of the original film, one could criticize this movie for the same thing. Its structure is very similar with Michael escaping from captivity, Loomis getting in touch with the local Haddonfield police force to stop him and a young girl with a blood connection to Michael being the target of his terror. Yet, after the series seemed to go too off the rails for some people with the previous installment (not me), 'Halloween 4' is the perfect back to formula sequel you would want, especially with it being released on the ten year anniversary of the first film.
While 'Halloween 4' does share a lot with the first film, there's a nice late-80s gloss over the whole thing with big hair, rock music and all. It also features some decent gore effects that are used just enough so that it's not gratuitous, but still effective. Michael is certainly superhuman in this iteration and he enjoys shoving his thumbs into quite a few people's heads.
'Halloween 4' also does something that all the best entries in this franchise do, which is making sure the movie have a real Halloween vibe. What I mean by this is that many of the sequels look at the fact that they take place on Halloween night as an afterthought and in some cases you wonder if they forgot entirely. But director Dwight H. Little infuses his sequel with wonderful imagery of trick or treaters, vintage Halloween decorations and dead leaves tumbling through the streets of Haddonfield. The opening credits are wonderful at this as well, with the backdrop being a desolate American farm with a cool autumn wind lightly blowing around homemade Halloween decorations with Alan Howarth's foreboding score in the background.
The cast in 'Halloween 4' is also wonderful with great veteran character actors like Beau Starr and Michael Pataki providing memorable supporting roles. Aside from that, all the teen actors are likable too, which is always something 80s slasher films had issues with. Sasha Jenson ('Dazed and Confused'), Kathleen Kinmont and Ellie Cornell all seem to be having a really good time with each of their roles. However, at the heart of the film there are the two lead performances from Donald Pleasance and the young Danielle Harris. This is the last time Doctor Loomis was written in such a way where he himself didn't seem like a psychopath, but rather a doctor with a sense of justice and Pleasance plays that beautifully as always. And Harris, of course, proves to be a wonderful child actor. It's no wonder she became a fan-favorite in the horror community for her role as Michael Myers' niece, Jamie.
I do have issues with 'Halloween 4', however. They're more nitpicks, but still stuff worth noting.
My biggest problem is actually with Michael Myers himself. "The Shape" this time around is played by stuntman George P. Wilbur (who picked up the mask again in 'Curse of Michael Myers') and though he can convincingly fall, get hit and pushed down flights of stairs, he's just too muscular and broad shouldered to be playing this character. Michael works best when he has the figure of a normal man; unassuming and with upright posture. This is why the original's Nick Castle and 'Halloween II's Dick Warlock are perfect people to portray Michael. But 'Halloween 4' was the first in a long line of just getting whatever bulky guy on the stunt team to wear the mask and it just doesn't work.
Also, the mask is really lame. It's not an abomination like it is in 'Halloween 5', but it smooths out any of the subtle features on the original mask and brightens it up too much, making it look like a cheap bootleg.
There's also some cheap dialogue and crappy acting from the child actors who aren't Danielle Harris, but it's far from a deal breaker.
'Halloween 4' is the last good movie in the 'Halloween' franchise up until 'H20' released ten years later. And even then, I think 'H20' winds up being somewhat of a disappointment comparatively.
It isn't anything groundbreaking and it lacks the style that comes from the involvement of John Carpenter and co., but it offers everything you would want from a sequel that brings the franchise back to its roots. It also has one of the best endings of the whole franchise that opens the door for such a great sequel we would never get.
Not perfect, but definitely one of the last high points in the series.
If some of the early criticisms for the newest film are that it seems to be too much of a retread of the original film, one could criticize this movie for the same thing. Its structure is very similar with Michael escaping from captivity, Loomis getting in touch with the local Haddonfield police force to stop him and a young girl with a blood connection to Michael being the target of his terror. Yet, after the series seemed to go too off the rails for some people with the previous installment (not me), 'Halloween 4' is the perfect back to formula sequel you would want, especially with it being released on the ten year anniversary of the first film.
While 'Halloween 4' does share a lot with the first film, there's a nice late-80s gloss over the whole thing with big hair, rock music and all. It also features some decent gore effects that are used just enough so that it's not gratuitous, but still effective. Michael is certainly superhuman in this iteration and he enjoys shoving his thumbs into quite a few people's heads.
'Halloween 4' also does something that all the best entries in this franchise do, which is making sure the movie have a real Halloween vibe. What I mean by this is that many of the sequels look at the fact that they take place on Halloween night as an afterthought and in some cases you wonder if they forgot entirely. But director Dwight H. Little infuses his sequel with wonderful imagery of trick or treaters, vintage Halloween decorations and dead leaves tumbling through the streets of Haddonfield. The opening credits are wonderful at this as well, with the backdrop being a desolate American farm with a cool autumn wind lightly blowing around homemade Halloween decorations with Alan Howarth's foreboding score in the background.
The cast in 'Halloween 4' is also wonderful with great veteran character actors like Beau Starr and Michael Pataki providing memorable supporting roles. Aside from that, all the teen actors are likable too, which is always something 80s slasher films had issues with. Sasha Jenson ('Dazed and Confused'), Kathleen Kinmont and Ellie Cornell all seem to be having a really good time with each of their roles. However, at the heart of the film there are the two lead performances from Donald Pleasance and the young Danielle Harris. This is the last time Doctor Loomis was written in such a way where he himself didn't seem like a psychopath, but rather a doctor with a sense of justice and Pleasance plays that beautifully as always. And Harris, of course, proves to be a wonderful child actor. It's no wonder she became a fan-favorite in the horror community for her role as Michael Myers' niece, Jamie.
I do have issues with 'Halloween 4', however. They're more nitpicks, but still stuff worth noting.
My biggest problem is actually with Michael Myers himself. "The Shape" this time around is played by stuntman George P. Wilbur (who picked up the mask again in 'Curse of Michael Myers') and though he can convincingly fall, get hit and pushed down flights of stairs, he's just too muscular and broad shouldered to be playing this character. Michael works best when he has the figure of a normal man; unassuming and with upright posture. This is why the original's Nick Castle and 'Halloween II's Dick Warlock are perfect people to portray Michael. But 'Halloween 4' was the first in a long line of just getting whatever bulky guy on the stunt team to wear the mask and it just doesn't work.
Also, the mask is really lame. It's not an abomination like it is in 'Halloween 5', but it smooths out any of the subtle features on the original mask and brightens it up too much, making it look like a cheap bootleg.
There's also some cheap dialogue and crappy acting from the child actors who aren't Danielle Harris, but it's far from a deal breaker.
'Halloween 4' is the last good movie in the 'Halloween' franchise up until 'H20' released ten years later. And even then, I think 'H20' winds up being somewhat of a disappointment comparatively.
It isn't anything groundbreaking and it lacks the style that comes from the involvement of John Carpenter and co., but it offers everything you would want from a sequel that brings the franchise back to its roots. It also has one of the best endings of the whole franchise that opens the door for such a great sequel we would never get.
Not perfect, but definitely one of the last high points in the series.
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