Movie Info
Movie Name: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Studio: Trancas International Films
Genre(s): Horror
Release Date(s): October 24, 1988
MPAA Rating: R
It’s cool, guys…he’s my uncle!
Ten years have passed since Michael Myers was severely burned with Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) in his attempt to kill Laurie Strode. Now during a hospital transfer, Michael has awakened from his coma and is once again free on Halloween. He is hunting his niece Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) who is living with a foster family in Haddonfield. Jamie and her foster-sister Rachel Carruthers (Ellie Cornell) set out for a night of trick-or-treating but find themselves fighting for their lives when Michael comes for them.
Directed by Dwight H. Little, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a slasher horror film. Following Halloween III: Season of the Witch in 1982, the film had a decent box office return and gained a cult following.
Halloween 4 delivered what was is promised in it’s title, and viewers appreciated it. The return of the main villain from Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) what what people wanted (including myself) and it was done in a slightly more stylish way than some of the similar films in the genre.
Dr. Loomis: Shoot first, questions later!
After the disaster that was known as Halloween III: Season of the Witch (I was ok with it as a separate idea, but not an official Halloween movie), it took a while for producers to bring another Halloween film to the screen. Halloween was originally perceived as an anthology series of movies, but the popularity of the Michael Myers character helped Halloween III fail with its story of killer masks. Smartly, Michael Myers was brought back in this film and remained the focus of the series from this point on.
The series at points almost feels like a remake of the first film. Michael escapes from a hospital and Loomis is after him…same set-up. He goes to Haddonfield and begins hunting children there. The only thing that keeps Halloween 4 from being a complete remake is that Michael is forced to hunt his niece so he has an actual target (in Halloween, the whole half-sister thing with Laurie wasn’t brought up so it appears random in that film). The battle to protect Jamie is a bit like the originals, but at least it switches things up a little.
I learned it from watching you!
The jumps are solid and both Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell are good as the leads. Donald Pleasance returns and continues to ham it up as Loomis (I would have loved to see him take on the killer masks of Halloween III). Michael Myers (mostly played here by George P. Wilbur) doesn’t seem to have as much dimension as the earlier version of the killer, but he is still fun.
Halloween IV is a pretty entertaining classic ’80s style horror film. Unlike A Nightmare on Elm Steet or Friday the 13th, Michael isn’t limited. He’s intelligent enough to drive (although Jason could drive in Friday the 13th Part 2), and he can problem solve. That makes Michael Meyers a little more formidable so it is good to see him back. Halloween IV was followed by Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers in 1989.
Related Links:
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
