Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

  After the relative failure of Halloween III, producer Moustapha Akkad (Lion of the Desert) wanted to return the series to its slasher roots and thus brought Michael Myers back to the franchise. Ultimately John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return to the franchise.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers was written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn) and directed by Dwight H. Little (Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home). Halloween 4 was released on October 21, 1988 to generally negative reviews (though contemporary analyses of the film are decidedly more mixed). Halloween 4 was made on a budget of $5 million, made $6,831,250 upon opening, and went on to make $17,768,757 worldwide. 

Halloween 4 picks up ten years after the events of the first two films. Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child) has been in a coma and Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence, You Only Live Twice) has suffered serious injuries from the explosion at the end of Halloween II. Predictably, Michael awakes on the night before Halloween and escapes. Michael hunts down his niece, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris, The Wild Thornberrys), the daughter of the late Laurie Strode (killed in a car accident between films). Jamie’s foster sister Rachel (Ellie Cornell, House of the Dead) must protect her from Michael while Dr. Loomis hunts him down.

As I mentioned above, Halloween 4 is one of the more divisive entries in the franchise. For some it’s a welcome return to the formula (and antagonist) of the first two films. For others it’s an unwelcome return to the formula (and antagonist) of the first two films. While I share the desire to see what this franchise could have been had it followed the anthology format of Halloween III, there are some installments of the post-three years that I really enjoy and this is one of them.

Where Halloween 4 really succeeds is in the creation and performances of its two leads, Rachel and Jamie. Rachel is smart, tough, and engaging and Cornell is excellent in the role (I’ll have quite a bit to say in a year when discussing her treatment in Halloween 5). While I typically find children in horror movies irritating, Harris is incredible at Jamie (who is the absolute heart of the film). The sisterly bond anchors the film and allows it to stand out from the original, especially when the film is retracing old ground.

While I generally enjoy Halloween 4 some of the criticisms it faces are fair, particularly that in many ways it’s a remake of the original. It’s true that Halloween 4 is very familiar, sometimes to the point of parody, but ultimately it’s strong character work makes it stand out from some of the others. 

Halloween 4 is familiar and sometimes familiarity breeds contempt, but not in this case. This is a fun entry in the franchise anchored by excellent performances by Cornell and Harris.

Rating: 3.5 city-wide blackouts out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Yes, but not killed on screen.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Kelly (Kathleen Kinmont, Bride of Re-Animator) discovering the deputy’s body and her subsequent impaling via shotgun. Yikes.

• The end of this film is great (Pleasence’s overacting aside) and it’s a shame that the sequel doesn’t truly follow up on it.

• Next Week: The Halloween theme month has come to an end (we’ll revisit the franchise next October) and we’re starting a new theme month with Friday the 13th (as the 13th of November falls upon the titular date).