HALLOWEEN IV: The Return of Michael Myers
It’s 1988. It’s been ten years since Michael Myers’ rampage was unleashed on screens, and seven years since he was last seen. The fanbase was getting unruly, in a sense, and they were clamoring for the return of the character. Mustapha Akkad had been pushing for the new picture since the release of Halloween III, where producer Paul Freeman recalls everyone coming out of theaters asking, “where’s Michael?”
In either late 1986 or early 1987, Carpenter was approached to write and direct, while Hill prepared to produce. Carpenter teamed up with Halloween novel writer Dennis Etchison. The two hammered out a script featuring the memory, or ghost, of Michael Myers. Anticipating another portion of die hard fans exiting theaters disappointed, it was quickly turned away by Akkad, who wanted Myers to return as a “flesh and blood killer.” With this, Carpenter and Hill sold their interest in the title, and Etchison’s script was not included in the deal.
Looking for a director to replace Carpenter, Akkad enlisted Ohio native Dwight H. Little, who’d done episodes of ‘Freddy’s Nightmares’ and a recent film called ‘Bloodstone’, which impressed the producers. With a number of scripts failing to achieve the producers’ demands, on February 25, 1988, Little’s fellow Ohio native Alan B. McElroy was brought in to write the film. The trouble? The Writers Guild Strike was set to start on March 7th. Eleven days from when McElroy was brought on. In those eleven days, McElroy MIRACULOUSLY wrote a 104 page script and turned it in HOURS before the strike. McElroy’s script featured a number of homages to the original Halloween and was stripped to the basics. Michael Myers stomping the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois. The producers were sold and McElroy’s script was the one. The film was thrown into a frantic shoot to meet their deadline, with a largely unknown cast of future stars, alongside Pleasence and Beau Starr.
The film was released on October 21, 1988 to not much positive critical reception OR a massive box office reception, but the fans embraced the film as an amazing sequel, and it has, over the years, become arguably the most popular sequel in the Halloween series. So, complete letdown or welcome entry? Let’s find out.
This particular film has more screenshots because I simply couldn’t narrow it down!!!
The beautiful opening credits
“My future relationship, my engagement, my marriage, my children and your grandchildren have all been wiped out because I have to babysit… oh joy.”
“Michael? Michael … don’t go to Haddonfield”
“You can’t kill damnation, mister. It don’t die like a man dies.”
"Die … you son of a bitch!”
Haddonfield is quite the foggy town
What’s that, in the distance?
“Wise up to what men want, Rachel, or Brady won’t be the last man you lose to another woman.”
The infamous rooftop chase.
Really, don't open this spoiler if you haven't seen the film and don't want the end ruined for yourself.
RATINGS
Story - 95
Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield after awakening from a ten year coma for Jamie Lloyd, the orphaned daughter of Laurie Strode - and her foster sister Rachel. Can Loomis stop Michael before the unholy slaughter reaches his innocent young niece?
Atmosphere - 100
I’m gonna be perfectly honest. Halloween 4 features the BEST atmosphere out of all the films in the series. It’s flat-out perfect. From the heavy blue tinge to the fog, everything looks beautiful here. The leaves on the ground are a nice touch, and Salt Lake City serves as a great Haddonfield in general. Particularly moving are the backgrounds to the opening titles, which show countrysides during the Halloween season. The titles themselves are held in high regard among many fans due to the backdrops. Even the day scenes look pretty striking, with a chilly, grey feel to them. Dwight Little, Peter Collister and crew deserve to be knighted for their work in creating an ideal Haddonfield, Illinois.
Acting/Characters - 97
This time around, there’s a great array of characters up for the slaughterhouse. First off, you have Jamie Lloyd, Laurie Strode’s daughter. She’s a girl between the ages of 6-8 (due to script disputes) and she’s got her uncle’s murderous history drawing her in. She’s played by an adorable Danielle Harris, who is now a veteran of both the series and horror in general. Her character is one of the most admired in the series and arguably, horror history (alongside the character’s mother). Next up, Rachel Carruthers, played by newcomer Ellie Cornell. Cornell had the perfect ‘girl next door’ look and feel to her, and the audience becomes quickly attracted to her beyond her looks due to the number of situations she’s in. She has to protect her little foster sister, and deal with a cheating boyfriend. Donald Pleaseance returns as Dr. Loomis and delivers another great performance. That doesn’t do it justice. It never does, because Pleasence’s performance in the role is always beyond words. Sasha Jensen plays Rachel’s two-timing boyfriend, Brady. Even though he’s doing some things you dislike, you almost have to pull for the guy because he DOES have a heart and tries to do the right thing in the end. Beau Starr would star alongside Loomis as the new Sherriff of Haddonfield, Ben Meeker. Starr plays him cold and stern, but he is cautious enough to believe Loomis and commits to help him. The Sherriff character’s daughter, Kelly, is the girl with whom Brady is cheating on Rachel, and she’s portrayed by now veteran actress, the lovely Kathleen Kinmont. Kinmont plays the ‘clueless’ girl who ends up creating a love triangle, and quickly becomes the hunted.
Pacing - 92
The movie is a great ride and is entertaining ALL the way through, but it’s too fast!!! The end credits are there before you know it and it’s a real shame, because Halloween 4 is high on the entertainment scale, and definitely high on the fun scale. That’s where it gets points here, is because it never ONCE feels dull, and it has aged marvelously.
Music - 95
Alan Howarth returns to score Halloween 4 and returns the music to its original ghostly feel, accompanying the Halloween Theme with the original sound of the piano. The cues through the rest of the film are great, and a number accompany little scares, but the real brilliance is the ghostly feel that I mentioned earlier. Howarth’s score is backed by almost what sounds like breath, inducing a ghostly atmosphere that does wonders to the sound of the film. It’s those subtle atmospheric cues that made Halloween 4’s score so unique.
Cinematography - 100
Peter Lyons-Collister was brought on as the cinematographer. He had some big shoes to fill, and he did it with a seemingly relative ease. From the early trick shot at the diner where we have the imploding background while zooming in on Michael, to the shadowy shots of Michael stalking, Collister delivers one of the best shot films in the series. One of the fan favorites of the series is a point where Deputy Logan sits in front of a darkened backdrop while Rachel talks to him, and a familiar white mask appears in the darkness behind him, before fading away. There’s a nice point where Rachel sees Michael through the fog, and the shot is staged so that you don’t see Michael right away. It works to a BRILLIANT effect. Also of note, when Rachel and Jamie leave the store, Michael is visible in a piece of glass from the mirror. And the last moment I’m going to mention is when Jamie walks out of frame as a pumpkin behind her comes into focus. That’s just a nice little touch.
Dialogue - 93
We once again find Dr. Loomis raving about how dangerous Michael is and delivering some classics, such as, “evil on two legs,” and “maybe no one knows how to stop him.” Other than that, we’re treated to the love triangle’s dialogue, which picks up in intensity later on once Kelly and Rachel come face to face and start dropping the insults. Jamie’s dialogue is scripted wonderfully for a child, and it helps you associate with the character. There’s a nice bit where Loomis hitches a ride with a loony reverend who also drops a few of the best lines in the series, “you’re chasin’ it aren’t ya,” and “you can’t kill damnation, mister.”
Effects - 95
Here we find a thumb going through a forehead, some gnarly blood effects at the ambulance crash, the explosion at the filling station, a neck getting ripped open, Brady’s neck-breaker, and the most subtle effect of all, Dr. Loomis’ scar. Everything looks great, and makes you wonder what they left out. This was 1988 after all.
The Shape/Michael Myers - 97
Michael Myers is played this time by George P. Wilbur, a rather large stuntman who actually plays the character rather well. He’s big enough to be intimidating, but he hides in the shadows rather well. He doesn’t move very fast like the original either, but he’s been laying in a coma for 10 years, come on now. The only moment that looks goofy is when he’s trying to walk on the roof of Meeker’s house, and he also looks rather puffy after getting thrown off the truck, but that’s nothing too bad. Now, the moment that looks REALLY GOOFY. Michael appears behind Loomis in the schoolhouse and the hair on the mask is now suddenly white. What happened here? Obviously there’s a behind the scenes story to it, but it just looks ridiculous in the finished film. Other than that, Michael Myers is excellent in this film.
Scares - 95
The film utilizes a number of scares. Plenty of subtle scares and a number of jumpers, as well. The big jump comes early, as Michael appears underneath a bed. A nice little moment. One of the series favorites is when Rachel is looking for Jamie and looks down a foggy alley. After a moment, you realize Michael is in the fog, approaching. It’s an eerie little moment that is sure to send chills the first time you view it. Beyond that, there are plenty of classic reveal scares, such as characters finding bodies or finding Michael himself. All good moments, and all keep interest. I think, though, that the best scare to be found is when Dr. Loomis and Sherriff Meeker find themselves trapped in between THREE Michaels. Yes, three!!! It’s a wonderful scene. Also, the final scene in its own right is quite a shock!
Lead Character - 97
Jamie and Rachel share the spotlight and work incredibly well as a duo. The sisters are being hunted down by Michael as Jamie is his niece, and along the way you find yourself pulling for both characters because they are believable and real, and their actors play people, not one dimensional characters. They keep fighting back even when backed into a corner, and that’s admirable. They typically make smart decisions, until they’re forced up to the roof. That’s a bit of a head scratcher, but the rest of their logic seems firmly in place.
Kills - 95
There are some gnarly death scenes in this film, including a thumb through a forehead, a shotgun stabbing (yes, you read that right), a neck breaker, and a few other typical Myers kills, among others. They all work to good effect and a number set up Haddonfield being isolated, so it all works. There’s also a fan favorite, which is quite a … SHOCKING death (a shout out to my good pal, Citan).
TOTAL POINTS - 1151/1200
OVERALL - 96 (95.91)
A very high rating, but very deserved. Some will disagree, of course, and say I over-rated, but I’m glad with that rating because I purely and simply love Halloween 4. It’s a nice homage to the original while trying to set up a nice mythology that the filmmakers hoped would carry on in the next few films. Sadly, it didn’t. In the end though, Halloween 4 is a beautiful, fun little ride that perked interest for the next installment.
Halloween 4 stands high atop the Halloween sequels on the Halloween mountain. Alan McElroy and Dwight Little were offered the chance to return for the next film, but both shockingly declined, and that’s disappointing. It would have been incredibly interesting to see what would have become had they carried on their story the way they had envisioned. The film’s stars would go on to some great careers. Kathleen Kinmont is all over the map, Ellie Cornell’s husband owns a production company, Sasha Jensen received acclaim for a role in Dazed and Confused, and Danielle Harris, of course, would go on to star in Halloween 5, as well as returning for Rob Zombie’s two Halloween films and remains an icon in the horror film industry all these years later. All these young (at the time) actors would push Halloween 4 to remain strong in the hearts of many die hard series fans who still hold it up high on a pedestal today.
Until next time, The Nightmare Isn't Over
Michael Myers, Watching silently from the shadows.
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