Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) User Reviews (537)

Yes, 'tis true! Michael is back! And he wants revenge for his death! Huh?

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 21 October 2004]

After the failure that was the 3rd Halloween sequel, the writers knew that was mainly due to the absence of Michael Myers. So what did they do? They invited Michael back in for the 4th sequel and back into the story of Halloween. Even though I did enjoy the 3rd sequel, I do agree that I missed Michael. He's my favorite boogeyman, so it'd be cool to see him return and do what he does best, slice and dice and scare the heck out of me. Well is this really scary? Not too much, but still it's a fun sequel to get into and watch in the dark. I like the story and how they are continuing into the Myer's past and how far Michael will go to destroy this blood line. Although I was disappointed to not have Laurie Strode in this one, it was interesting to see how her legacy lives on with her daughter and now she will have the struggle with Michael Myers.

Michael Myers has been in a coma for ten years, when his massacre was stopped by Dr. Samuel J. Loomis and Laurie Strode. Myers is being transferred from Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium to Smith's Grove Sanitarium. He awakens when he hears that Laurie Strode, his sister, is deceased, but her daughter, Jamie Lloyd is alive and well in Haddonfield. He kills the ambulance crew and escapes. Dr. Loomis races to Haddonfield in an attempt to bring Myers' killing spree to an end once and for all. In Haddonfield, his niece Jamie Lloyd, has been adopted by the Carruthers family. She has frequent nightmares about Michael, though she does not know who he is. On Halloween night, Jamie goes out trick-or-treating dressed as a clown with her teenage foster sister Rachel. Her uncle, Michael, follows them. Meanwhile, Loomis arrives in Haddonfield after an exhausting journey, and contacts the police department to inform them of Myers' escape. He and Haddonfield's new Sheriff Ben Meeker begin to search the town for Michael and Jamie. Myers has also blacked out the town's electricity by throwing a technician onto a electrical box and singlehandedly annihilated the entire police force. The girls barricade themselves in the Sheriff's house, while awaiting the arrival of the state police where Michael follows them and you'll have to see the movie to see the exciting conclusion.

So over all Halloween 4 is a good sequel, it's not the strongest in the series, but it's one of the better stories of the franchise. I do like Jamie Lloyd, she was an interesting addition to the story and the writers are making these movies very interesting. I'm glad they brought Dr. Loomis back in, it brings us back into the original Halloween and he'll never give up until Michael Myers is gone for good, which we know is not going to happen since we still have 4 more sequels after this one. But the 4th installment into the Halloween franchise is a good one so I do recommend that you see it if you get the chance.

6/10

The Return We Needed.

[ryanpersaud-59415 · 7/10 · 19 October 2021]

The Good: Maybe it's having just watched H20 and Resurrection, but H4 is a masterpiece in comparison. I almost forgot how scary Michael Myers could be until I re-watched this movie. He truly seems like a force of nature; a spookier Terminator who will kill anyone who gets in his way and you can only temporarily stop him. I think seeing him from the perspective of a little girl really helps; he's the boogeyman and you feel it. This movie expertly generates tension from a creepy atmosphere, in a return to form that must have been SO SATISFYING to audiences starved for Michael Myers back in 1988.

Danielle Harris' performance is truly amazing. She really captures the trauma and terror that her character is put through and is the emotional core of this movie. Honestly, without her powerhouse performance, this movie would not work as well as it does.

Even without her though, this movie is a lot of fun: Loomis is back and crazier than ever, you have the classic horror tropes and a final set piece that makes sense and is super effective. Instead of feeling dated, it almost feels...comforting.

The Bad: Unfortunately, this movie is pretty weak when it comes to kills, an important metric for any slasher. A lot of them are bloodless and generic, save for the opening kill and...well, the final one. It's also more than a little annoying as to how Michael can just teleport wherever he needs to be and becomes outright hilarious by the end.

The Ugly: Not gonna lie, I absolutely lost it at the sight of dozens of schoolchildren running after a little girl chanting: "Jaimie's an orphan!" The 1980s were not a subtle decade, that's for sure.

Guess who's back!

[Hotstar · 7/10 · 20 December 2004]

So, it transpires that Michael Myers survived being blown up on Halloween night 1978, and ten years later HE wakes from a decade of comatose to kill again.

OK, the premise is laughable but the decision to resurrect deranged serial killer Michael Myers is vindicated through a fine movie with several memorable moments and a shocking finale.

Donald Pleasence is on fine form as Myer's increasingly crazed doctor, Sam Loomis, who also survived being blown up in Halloween II. Loomis now walks with the aid of a stick and has burns to his face and hands but is otherwise fine. Blimey! He's almost as indestructible as Myers himself!

Halloween 4 racks up the jumps and gore but loses none of the thrills and excitement form the original movies. Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris are excellent support for Pleasence in one of the best in the Halloween franchise.

Not bad . . .

[jaywolfenstien · 2 December 2003]

. . . considering Halloween 4 came some eight years after the previous Myers-inclusive Halloween, considering Carpenter had even less influence, considering the plot took a slightly different direction, considering most other franchises really suck before they even get to 3 sequels.

The problem I have with most horror sequels is the fact it switches over to new characters every film, and none of the characters really get much sympathy. I dunno if I ever cared about anyone in Friday the 13th. But in the Halloweens (1,2,4,and 5), they've always taken the time to get to know the main characters first and stick with them for at least one sequel. Also in Halloween, we had a staple character besides Myers - Donald Pleasence - who returned to battle Myers every time until his untimely death.

I really liked the Jamie Lloyd character (I mean, getting decent actors in horror is difficult enough, but getting a good child actor in horror? Look at Child's Play! We struck gold with Danielle), her storyline, and the rest of the new characters for Michael to stalk. Oh yes, and of course, Donald Pleasence.

Alan Howarth parts with Carpenter, and takes the score solo, playing some fun twists to the main Halloween and the stalking theme, giving Jamie a theme appropriately derivative of Laurie's theme and intermingling all the themes in various places for an original sound with music that's been with us for 2 movies now.

Hopefully the viewer won't remember the end of Halloween 2 well enough to recall Laurie shooting Michael's eyes out, and him stumbling around slicing blindly as blood ran down his mask--wait, this is horror, everyone's accustomed to inconsistency with horror. Nevermind. Besides, compared to the plot holes of Curse of Michael Myers and then H20 neglecting Halloween 4 & 5, who cares about that minor detail.

Despite the new look, new characters, new tweaks, Halloween 4 can't escape the fact that it is a sequel slasher and so despite everything that's new (that works) . . . it's all the same. That's where my problem with the film lay, and that's why I can't rank this up there with some of my favorite horror films of all time. It's a good Halloween sequel, but there are better, more original films, within this series and especially in other series. Oh well.

It's surprising how good this film is.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 12 November 2020]

After Halloween three, it was obvious that for this franchise to work on.any level, it needed The Boogeyman, it needed Michael Myers.

Ignore the plot, there isn't one, and there is no logic to any of the films, but this film, against all odds, is pretty good. I'd argue it's better than Halloween II, it's certainly less cliché ridden.

The question you'll be asking, what is Michael Myers now, he was shot, blown up, he's clearly not a man anymore. Anyway, he's back, and that's a good thing.

It's well paced, menacing, if features some nice references to the past, including the clown costume. They naturally increased the levels of violence, some scene ls are pretty nasty. The rocking chair scene is an outstanding moment of Horror, and the ending is really rather good.

Sometimes the sound is very tinny, hard to believe it was produced ten years after the first, which is so slick.

It's not perfect, but it is a very good horror film. 7/10

Danielle Harris is Fantastic!

[kayrannells · 7/10 · 17 October 2020]

After serial killer Michael Myers wakes up during a routine transfer to a different hospital, he goes running back to Haddonfield and his former doctor, Dr. Loomis, tries to make it there before Michael can begin yet another bloodbath and murder his niece, Jamie.

Having a young child as the lead victim in a slasher movie is a brave choice. Some will find it tacky and offensive right from the start or, even worse, the child actor might not be seasoned enough to be effective in the role and could just come across as annoying, but young Danielle Harris is so wonderful and winning in the role that you really get invested in her character and want her to make it out alive. Most of the other characters aren't developed enough for you to give a hoot about them, but the filmmakers do handle the suspense sequences well.

The watchable return of Michael Myers

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 15 January 2018]

John Carpenter's 1978 'Halloween' is wholly deserving of its status as a horror classic. To this day it's still one of the freakiest films personally seen and introduced the world to one of horror's most iconic villainous characters Michael Myers.

Which is why it is such a shame that not only are all of the sequels nowhere near as good but that the decline in quality is so drastic. Ok, the original 'Halloween' is very difficult to follow on from, but most of the sequels could at least looked like effort was made into them. 'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers' may still be no great shakes but actually is one of the better and more watchable 'Halloween' sequels, better than the previous two sequels and much better than most of the ones that were to follow.

Lets start with what is good first. Donald Pleasance and Danielle Harris are very good, particularly Pleasance, who is just as creepy and deranged as Michael Myers himself. Ellie Cornell is sweet without being too much so and doesn't overdo it too much.

A few of the deaths are unsettling, especially the first one, and the settings and the music score are suitably eerie. Things are taken more seriously than the previous two sequels and it's not as stupid or illogical while the characters are nowhere near as annoying as before. Praise is given for returning back to its roots somewhat and it feels more of a 'Halloween' film than 'Season of the Witch' which tried to do something different but failed.

However, 'Halloween 4' has its issues. Pleasance, Harris and Cornell aside, the acting really isn't worth mentioning, something that was expected but even by 'Halloween' sequel standards it was really terrible. The less said about the even worse script the better, was not expecting much from the dialogue in the first place but again by the sequel standards the cringe factor was high. The characters may not be as annoying here but they are incredibly dull.

Praise is to be given for returning back to its roots, as said, but like the second film it is too much of a bland retread with very little, if anything new, with scares, chills and suspense seriously lacking and most of the deaths having little imagination or the shock factor. The ending didn't feel that well rounded off, some of the film is sluggishly paced and directed (but not as inept as in 'Season of the Witch') and the cinematography on the most part is too dark.

In conclusion, watchable if no great shakes. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Great performances by all, excellent sequel

[duce122 · 7/10 · 23 August 1999]

The first time I saw this film, I was bored. I thought it was uneventful. But then, I watched it a second time and loved it. This movie is very suspenseful, has very little blood/gore, and the acting by Danielle Harris is just incredible. I also love Ellis Cornell, she is such a doll! Brady was an idiot to let go of such a cute girl.

Rent this! It's better than II and V.

It all goes downhill from here

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 27 February 2011]

To my mind, HALLOWEEN 4 marks the beginning of the 'unnecessary' sequel stage in the Halloween franchise – from this film onwards, none of the films were required, and none add anything to the canon or display any kind of artistic merit on their own grounds. The first movie is, of course, one of the best horror films of all time, and the sequel was a fun follow-up that held true in its own right. The third film admirably went off in a different direction, and perhaps the series would have done better to stick with this unrelated theme, but it wasn't to be and the endless Michael Myers reruns were to follow from here.

Compared to later films, HALLOWEEN 4 isn't all that bad. It holds fairly true as a standalone slasher film, throwing in various cheesy set-pieces, a couple of bits of unpleasant gore and a mini siege scenario at the climax whereby the survivors hide out in a house. A lot of the goodwill I feel towards this film comes from the presence of good old Donald Pleasence, really the only actor of note appearing here; he chews the scenery with relish and provides all of the movie's best lines. With his scarred face and pronounced limp, Pleasence has turned into a larger than life character, displaying even more presence than Michael himself. The sub-plot involving Danielle Harris as Michael's niece is by-the-by, to be honest.

A Good Halloween Sequel!

[coconutkungfu-30704 · 7/10 · 18 February 2020]

A well-made Halloween sequel that reintroduces viewers to legendary Michael Myers while also introducing us to Jamie, which is an interesting character in her own right. This film is very memorable and the ending is great!

A must for fans of the series!

Michael's Back. Take a Wild Guess Where He's Heading...

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 4/10 · 24 February 2010]

As such, "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" (1988) isn't a bad film. However, it suffers from the major problem that it has pretty much exactly the same story as parts 1 and 2, only that there's no Jamie Lee Curtis and a lot less suspense. After the third part, "Season of the Witch", had no Michael Myers in it and flopped, the producers decided to bring Michael back in. So this film is simply more of the exact same, which, kindly stated, becomes slightly unoriginal after some time.

After ten years in a high security prison for dangerous mental screwups, Michael gets transferred to another prison and - Surprise! - he escapes, killing all his guards on the way. He wastes no time and hurries to Haddonfield, where the little daughter of his sister Laurie Strode is waiting to be terrorized by uncle Mike... Luckily, good old Dr. Sam Loomis has seen it all coming, and is also on his way to Haddonfield...

As mentioned above, "The Return of Michael Myers" has little new to offer. The majority of late 80s slashers were blatant imitations of "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th", but they usually made up in gore for what they lacked in originality. Since this film was intended for wider mainstream audiences, however, it isn't even really gory. Heck, a large part of the murders in this one are not even seen, as they take part off-screen, and those that are seen are scandalously un-bloody. The film does have some positive aspects though, the most welcome being the return of the great Donald Pleasence in the role of Dr. Sam Loomis. Pleasence is great as always, but that doesn't change that he does exactly the same things as in parts 1 and 2. Michael is still a menacing villain, but then, he does nothing that he didn't already do in a scarier manner in parts 1 and 2. Ellie Connel, who plays the teenage victim protagonist isn't bad, but she hardly is a replacement for Jamie Lee Curtis. One very welcome new face is then 10-year old Danielle Harris, who is very likable and cute in the role of little Jamie Lloyd, a character it is easy to be scared for. Furthermore, John Carpenter's brilliant original theme tune simply never gets old.

"The Return of Michael Myers" isn't a terrible failure; it isn't even really a bad film, but it suffers from being nothing but a duller, less suspenseful copy of its predecessors. John Carpenters original "Halloween" of 1978 is a classic and absolute must-see, of course, and "Halloween II" of 1981 is incredibly suspenseful and doubtlessly also a must-see for every Horror fan. All other sequels may be seen or skipped, in my opinion. "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" maybe could have been more entertaining with more gore and brutality, but sadly it is overall pretty dull.

Underated horror flick

[ddevine-75172 · 8/10 · 5 May 2021]

This movie usally gets overshadowed by the previous movies of the same franchice, but this one stands on its own as a solid scary fun and unpridicitible movie.

"You can't kill damnation, mister. It don't die like a man dies."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 5 November 2014]

After the disappointing box office results for "Halloween III: Season of the Witch", the producers realized what they had to do to bring in the bucks again: bring back their unstoppable franchise psycho, Michael Myers, and time it to coincide with the 10th anniversary of John Carpenters' groundbreaking original film.

The result is a pretty routine slasher. By this time, of course, we know damn well what to expect, and the makers of "Halloween 4" aren't about to muck with a winning formula. As scripted by Alan B. McElroy and directed by Dwight H. Little, this isn't without its moments (the rooftop chase scene is one that people remember) even if it's not exactly inspired.

After the hospital explosion that concluded "Halloween II", 10 years go by, and the comatose Michael Myers revives while being transported by ambulance. He learns that he's got a niece, sired by his now apparently deceased sister Laurie Strode. So he heads back to his old stamping ground of Haddonfield for the usual murder and mayhem, all in the name of killing this young relative of his.

Fortunately, the movie benefits a lot from the presence of the late Donald Pleasence, who truly was the heart and soul of this franchise for 17 years. Once again he lends tons of gravitas to the proceedings, and we root for him to exorcise this demon from his life. It's also easy enough to root for our young characters; Ellie Cornell as teenager Rachel Carruthers is cute and appealing in a wholesome, non-flashy way, and film-debuting Danielle Harris is adorable as the niece Jamie. This time Michael Myers is played by stuntman George P. Wilbur, who fails to make Myers particularly creepy. (The horrible mask is another debit.) Character actors Beau Starr and Michael Pataki lend solid support, and the delectable Kathleen Kinmont adds a great deal of sex appeal as the self-serving Kelly. There is an extremely memorable supporting character in the form of Carmen Filpi's wandering reverend, Jack Sayer. It's a nice sequence where Loomis meets Sayer and realizes that he's found a kindred spirit.

There is some genuine suspense and atmosphere to enjoy here (those opening credits are brilliant), although there's not very much gore. The climactic action is exciting and ridiculous in about equal measure. The ending is very striking and effective. Longtime Carpenter associate Alan Howarth does the music, using the classic themes as well as composing some of his own.

Basically, "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" is good of its type, with enough filmmaking competence to counteract the familiar scenario.

Seven out of 10.

Violent and bloody sequel with the usual and eerie carnage

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 29 July 2005]

It has passed longtime since the psycho Michael Meyers executed the butcher in Haddonfield (Illinois) at Halloween night . Nowadays , one decade later , Myers is found inmate at a psychiatric asylum , although he is transfered to another hospital . Myers escapes during the travel , and once again starting a savage and brutal slaughter . Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasence) , Dr. Hoffman (Michael Pataki) and a sheriff (Beau Starr) set off in pursuit of him . Myers has only an objective , kill his niece Jamie (Danielle Harris) who's cared by her sister (Elie Cornell) . The new destination is Haddonfield and the arrival date , Halloween night.

From the presentation Michael Myers mask wearing executes a series of body-count with a lot of people being scabrously and cruelly assassinated . The film is a spine-tingler shocker that has grisly horror , suspense , terrifying screams , tense , shocks and great loads of blood , guts and gore . Myers makes a real massacre and are used in the gruesome and nauseating killings : knifes , cleaver and the supernatural brute force causing an astonishingly gory massacre . From start to finish horror and terror is continued and very varied. John Carpenter musical score , habitual and basic element of the series is electrifying and frightening . In the storyline remains the similar happenings and characters developed in predecessor and successor films with the sole exception of ¨Halloween 3: season of witch¨(by Tommy Lee Wallace) that changes the events . The same protagonists , Elie Cornell , Danielle Harris and , of course , Donald Pleasence , will play the follow-up ¨Halloween 5 the revenge of Michael Myers¨(by Dominique Othenin Gerard) . The picture was regularly directed by Dwight H. Little . The movie will appeal to Halloween series hardcore fans.

what a return it is

[MichaelM24 · 29 June 2001]

After a seven year absence from the screen, Michael Myers returns. Set ten years after the first two films (#2 was filmed in 1981, but set immediately after #1 in 1978), THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS opens with the infamous killer being transfered between psyhiciatric hospitals. Naturally, he escapes, and, tipped off that he has a niece (daugther of the now-deceased Jamie Lee Curtis character) living in Haddonfield, sets out to find her. Hot on his trail, as always, is Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence). After some were turned off by the more-gruesome deaths in HALLOWEEN 2, this film is more in-line with the original, relying more heavily on suspense and honest scares than blood and gore. For a nine-year-old, Harris delivers a good performance, and Donald Pleasence (as usual) is also good, with a performance that lets you know this is a been-there-don't-want-to-go-through-that-again character. Director Dwight H. Little brings a sense of atmosphere to the film and creates a number of suspenseful scenes. Thankfully, the make-shirt mob of gun-toting beer-guzzlers isn't as bad as it could have been. HALLOWEEN 4 is one of the best of the series.

Fairly enjoyable horror continuation of the legend Micheal Myers

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 1 January 2020]

Danielle Harris is so cute in her first role I'm so glad I got her autograph last year at MonsterCon! Donald Presence is great as the epic Dr. Samuel Loomis, you can tell how old he was though. Some decent kills and definitely watchable film experience all around! I'm glad this is available on Shudder although they need more to watch on it.

Technically the best so far

[mieriks · 7/10 · 8 January 2023]

This movie, about the invalid Michael Myers who awakens on Halloween Eve and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece, is barely a good fourth installment of the Halloween polylogy (1978-2022). This one felt like a better movie when it comes to the technical quality because of better cameras, sounds, music and more. I really liked the first half, where Dr. Sam Loomis was hunting Michael, but Michael wasn't interested in Dr. Loomis at all! Very interesting. Maybe it was because Dr. Loomis wasn't Michael's target at all, that he wasn't looking at Dr. Loomis as an enemy, but maybe as a voice in his head. Maybe his memories of Dr. Loomis from when he was a child made him have some kind of respect for Dr. Loomis? It was exciting to continue Michael's story, and that this story had something to do with Laurie Strode. However, I had high expectations for the second half, but I was a little disappointed because it was sometimes a little boring, and not very unique. It just felt like a usual hunt. Anyway, the twist did everything. What a surprise! Except from the twist, my favorite part of the movie was Danielle Harris' (as Jamie Lloyd) acting! She did such a fantastic job, and she was only 11 years old! She spoke, cried and screamed like a real child, and it was so convincing! It really brought some life to the movie. Overall, I think this movie had a good first half, mostly a weak second half, but a fantastic twist!

pointless rubbish, only to be viewed as a time waster

[CalDexter · 1/10 · 2 August 2004]

What the hell is the point of Halloween sequels if they just keep bringing back Michael Myers from the dead?

I know they make money but from a creative and artistic perspective Halloween and Halloween II were the one film cut into two volumes like the way Tarintino's Kill Bill saga is today. I know Rick Rosenthal directed Halloween II but John Carpenter's team were 90% involved in the production of that picture and they produced a brilliant sequel with a brilliant conclusion.

Lets get this straight. Sam Loomis and Michael Myers were killed in the gas explosion in the operating room at Haddonfield memorial, Myer's demise was classic, he strolled out in flames, and collapsed in a heap burning to ash. right! The End!

Halloween 4 is full of heart but has no power of the first two films.

Myers looks comical in his new white mask and overalls and he stomps around like he has piles, the soundtrack has been remixed and revamped to make it new i guess, but it just does not work. Awful.

Underrated and a must watch

[sinisteridk · 7/10 · 2 April 2021]

This movie is very entertaining and really gets you hyped. I recommend this to any horror fan or any one looking for something to watch.

Halloween: Mediocre Edition

[Gresh854 · 3/10 · 28 June 2018]

It's quite humorous when you think about it. Halloween III tried to be completely different from the original Halloween which resulted in pissed off fans, and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers tried to be nearly the same as the original Halloween but still resulted in pissed off fans like myself. The only difference between Halloween 4 and the original, is that this reimagining is drastically worse. They should've just called this one "John Carpenter's Halloween: Mediocre Edition" if I'm being frank. The newer films simply can't capture the raw and evenly paced direction that at least the first two entries enticed.

With that aside, I'm glad they at least beefed up Michael Myers in this one. This is the #1 Myers you don't want to mess around with. Well, that aside Austin Powers.

Also, the ending was cute as hell. You'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen the film.

As a Halloween slasher, it delivers the goods...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 25 October 2007]

The Michael Meyers figure in the mask is more sinister than ever in this better than average remake of the original HALLOWEEN movie. It's a slasher that has enough real thrills for anyone who wants to see the gore and many plot twists and turns.

DONALD PLEASANCE is still Dr. Loomis, alerting the police that Meyers has escaped and is back in Haddonfield looking to murder his niece, DANIELLE HARRIS. Harris is a wonderful child actress who looks genuinely frightened throughout the story and convincingly goes through the paces, as do all the other members of an excellent cast. ELLIE CORNELL and SASHA JENSON do well as the conventional teen-aged leads.

If slasher films of this genre are your thing, this is a better script than you might expect from this franchise.

On the other hand, if you've seen the original film with Jamie Lee Curtis, there's an awful lot of familiarity in the plot line. But as a Halloween slasher, it delivers the goods.

Summing up: Probably one of the best sequels in this series.

Michael Myers is back... now can he please go away again?

[mentalcritic · 1/10 · 24 October 2004]

Sixteen years and four sequels later, with a fifth apparently on the table, Halloween 4 has a similar nostalgic impact nowadays as Police Academy 2. Because the previous episode in the franchise bombed at the box office, the decision was made at this point to make all future sequels to the same formula as one of the first two films in the canon. Unfortunately, they chose to base Halloween 4 upon the second, formulaic episode. Or at least, that's the impression one gets from the story, which is so basic I am surprised anyone is credited with writing it.

According to trivia, inserts were filmed after principal photography in order to increase the blood and gore factor of this episode. The problem with this is that even with these inserts, there is precious little blood in the film. I can only recall one sequence in which anything resembling blood is even in front of the camera, if that. I'd therefore hate to see what kind of cut the director originally had in mind.

All kidding aside, the original Halloween did not need to rely upon gore to catch the viewer's attention. Instead, it created a cast of characters that the viewer could have an emotional investment in, and an atmosphere to go with them. Halloween 4 brings us new characters, and Jamie Lloyd notwithstanding, few of them are even interesting. The mysterious long-lost relative plot device, so ruthlessly murdered by its overuse to justify so many lame horror sequels, gets dragged out one more time here. When one looks at the producer's output to date, it becomes obvious that there are so many Halloween sequels because said producer cannot create anything else.

Donald Pleasance gets another turn in a role I'm sure he wishes he'd never taken. With Jamie Lee Curtis' absence from the film, he is pretty much the only actor in this episode who has appeared in anything of substance. Given that the script gives him sod all to do, it makes one wonder exactly why he bothered to appear in two other sequels. Then again, after the overacting he puts on in the final twist sequence, I doubt that too many productions would be going out of their way to ask for his participation.

In the end, Halloween 4 is a one out of ten film. It isn't bad enough to be good, it's merely bland enough to be horrible. Determined completists, fanatical fans of Michael Myers, and insomniacs only need apply.

The only good Sequel of the 4-6 set

[MissCzarChasm · 8/10 · 29 April 2002]

The Halloween series has always been a mixed bag in my opinion. We have the pure greatness that is the original, then we get the decent, yet slow, second installment, and the dreadful stand alone third installment of the series. After the mistake that was the third feature of the series the filmmakers knew the only thing they could do to give the series some justice would be to bring Michael Myers back. I'm happy to say that in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers he comes back with a vengeance.

The 4th installment, and some may disagree with me, is way better than Halloween 2. If any of the sequels comes close to matching the pace of the original it's this installment. The film follows the firs film's pace by adding more suspense than a high body count, unlike the second film, and manages to make Michael Myers scary again.

The aspect that works best about the film are its characters. Donald Pleasance returns as Dr. Loomis, adding a slightly more deranged/mad scientist vibe to his role. In this film he is consumed with stopping Micahel. A trend that would continue, with less success, in the 5th and 6th installment. Danielle Harris is added to the series as Michael's niece, Jamie. Danielle gives a truly amazing performance for someone of such a young age at the time. It's not an annoying child performance, but a captivating one. Ellie Cornell plays one of the few not so annoying teenagers in the Halloween series. Her portrayal of Rachel starts out like this however but soon transforms into a strong character who is determined to protect her sister. There are other spporting characters but they mostly are just there to add to a relatively low body count. Even Michael Myers is given some life as portrayed by George P. Wilbur. Some say he moved at a snailspace but i thought he was truly menancing and almost as effective as the Michael in the original film.

The stalk scens are also another highlight. A chase through a house and eventually onto a roof is a huge highlight of the film. The climatic battle on the truck is also worth mentioning.

Halloween 4 works better than most horror sequels. i just wish the trend couldn't last throughout the entire series. 5-6 most definitely killed the series when they were released. My advice jsut watch 1,2,4, and H20 to find out what the Halloween craze is all about.

Michael Myers needs to diet

[stephen.coverdale · 6/10 · 22 October 2000]

Lets cut to the chase here. If you watch a film with the title Halloween 4, you know its not going to be Citizen Kane and as the critics have remarked how the sequel was responsible for the decline of the horror/slasher movies in the mid eighties then H4 is surely guilty as charged. However H4 is not the worst film in the series.The acting is mediocre and the script is littered with some horrendous dialogue(Check out Dr Loomis`s description of Michael Myers as "Evil on two legs") but hey, lighten up, this isn`t Shakespeare. H4 to an extent delivers the goods. Its short for starters, were not waiting an hour for the action to begin, its straight into it after a classy opening credits sequence. The characters are stock horror movie characters and thus we can relate to them. The gore is kept to a minimum (is that a good thing?) and there are a few minor shocks and twists along the way. The late great Donald Pleasance is at his eye bulging best and the film treats us to some dark humour involving some vigilante Rednecks out to nail Michael Myers but for me the major plus of this film is the John Carpenter penned music that was so well used in the first film. Surely this is one of the great movie theme tunes in history. In a nutshell H4 offers us nothing new but you pay your money and you get what you expect, a standard run of the mill low budget horror flick. hey I quite enjoyed it but don`t you think that Myers bloke is putting a bit of weight on.

Halloween the 13th?

[mentalcritic · 1/10 · 23 October 2004]

As I have said before, an astute critic once noted that the Friday The 13th series was the ultimate in recycling, so much so that one often had trouble telling which sequel they were watching after a while. The fact that Friday The 13th was basically plagiarized (and not very well at that) from Halloween didn't save the Halloween franchise from falling victim to the same repetition curse. It's somewhat ironic, and troubling, that the one Halloween sequel that dared to be different from episodes two, four, and the other four dozen, generally gets the harshest criticism.

Halloween 4 picks up years after the end of Halloween II, a film that decided to follow an atmospheric original with a clichéd gorefest that is so devoid of impact it is a wonder the franchise has lasted at all. In a regurgitation of the anonymous-relative cliché that proves Moustapha Akkad was watching The Empire Strikes Back just a little too closely, we are told that Laurie Strode was killed in a car accident, but not before she gave birth to Jamie, who is played in this and the next episode by Danielle "If I Only Had A Career" Harris. Doctor Loomis is there, naturally, to give us his usual melodramatic spiel.

According to something I just read, the makers of Halloween 4 felt that the finished film was too soft, and added some pickups to increase the gore factor. I must have blinked and missed these inserts, because in comparison to Halloween parts two and five, there is really very little to get carried away about here. Even the footage at the end of this episode is presented in a very tame fashion compared to when it appears in the next.

A popular defence of Halloween 4 is that it at least has the titular Shatner-masked character in it. This, however, is a poor defense for formulaic dribble that brings nothing new to the genre. We keep hearing about how Michael escapes from this or that unnamed facility, and how he drives the requisite overnight drive to Haddonfield, are left to our imaginations. As in they show us absolutely nothing that gives us a clear idea of how Michael achieved these small goals. We're simply told Michael does these things, and expected to take it as read. Still, the things that we are being told aren't completely ludicrous, as happens in later sequels.

I gave Halloween 4 a one out of ten. There are far better serial killer-based films out there. This one is only worth investigating if you're really bored.