Despite a pretty definitive ending for The Shape in 1981’s Halloween II, which saw Michael Myers burning to a crisp in its final moments, the iconic killer managed to return by the end of the decade, just in time to ride the final wave of social interest in slasher films. Though Halloween III: Season of the Witch had attempted to move the Halloween franchise away from its reliance on Michael, the chilly reception it received upon its release in 1982 meant that the series as a whole was put on ice, with both John Carpenter and Debra Hill – the two responsible for its existence in the first place – giving up their interest in it in the years that followed, allowing for the cinematic resurrection of Michael in 1988’s aptly-named Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

Set ten years after the events of the original film, Halloween 4 sees Michael awakening from...