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Overall Rating : 7.5/10
Directed By : Dwight H. Little
Danielle Harris (Halloween 5)
Ellie Cornell (House Of The Dead)
Donald Pleasance (Halloween)
Sasha Jenson (Grind)
Kathleen Kinmont (Bride of Re-Animator)
Supplied By : Anchor Bay Entertainment
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Jul. 19, 2006
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| PLOT A decade ago, he butchered 16 people trying to get to his sister. He was shot and incinerated, but still the entity that Dr. Sam Loomis calls “Evil on two legs” would not die. Tonight, Michael Myers has come home again…to kill! This time, Michael returns to Haddonfield for Jamie Lloyd – the orphaned daughter of Laurie Strode – and her babysitter Rachel. Can Loomis stop Michael before the unholy slaughter reaches his innocent young niece? |
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| THE REVIEW "Jamie's Uncle's the Boogeyman!" HALLOWEEN 4, picks up exactly 10 years since Michael Myers tried to kill his sister Laurie Strode and killed many residents of the Illinois town of Haddonfield. Thought to be crippled and invalid as a result of the fire that nearly burned him alive on that very night, Michael has been held in an institution. This film introduces us to Jamie Lloyd, the daughter of Laurie Strode and Jimmy Lloyd whom has been orphaned ever since losing both parents in a car crash. She has since been adopted by the Carruthers family who have taken the trouble girl in but what they don't know is they have also welcomed the deepest darkest evil into their lives. Michael Myers soon escapes and only has one motive and one objective and that is to kill Jamie, the only living piece left of his sister Laurie. Enter the wise nemesis of Myers, Dr. Sam Loomis, together with the police force and towns people of Haddonfield he plans to take down, what he calls.....evil on two legs". This is 1988, 6 years after the travesty known as HALLOWEEN 3, seeing just how terrible it did and just how upset fans were that they'd even consider making a sequel without their beloved killer Michael Myers, the producers scrambled to do something. The answer came when the franchise's producer the late, great Moustapha Akkad gained exclusive rights to the upcoming series and in HALLOWEEN 4, Michael finally returned to Haddonfield, much to the glee of anticipating fans. A new storyline was introduced here and it was Laurie Strode is now dead and she has left behind a daughter, Jamie and the little girl holds the family curse. To me the storyline was a great way to bring the series back. Jamie would have nightmares that haunt her of the "Boogeyman" but she really does not know his identity. The kids at school torment her, saying over and over that "Jamie's Uncle's The Boogeyman" but she doesn't believe them, but later it become apparent that the taunts are true. This film presents Michael in a way that makes him look almost indestructible....and at a time that films like FRIDAY THE 13TH were hot, HALLOWEEN 4 also introduced a more gory approach inspired by such.....while still keeping it modest. To be honest this is one of my most favorite Horror films of all time, I love it's atmosphere, storyline, the wit of the incredible Donald Pleasance and is a film, I could, and have watched over and over again. The acting is great here and I really credit the movie's success to the performance of Danielle Harris and I always will. I have yet to see ANY other child actor, possess the charisma and heart as Danielle displayed in HALLOWEEN 4 and 5. Her performances in both really pull at your heart strings, you really feel her torture and confusion. Halloween wouldn't be the same without Donald Pleasance, and frankly it hasn't been since his death....he is just totally irreplaceable...there will NEVER be another Sam Loomis. Ellie Cornell, really made a breakthrough in HALLOWEEN 4 and 5 and quickly became a favorite for her portrayal of Jamie's foster sister, Rachel Carruthers, and many fans were let down when the news of the character's death in HALLOWEEN 5 arose. Here she is a bit stand-offish to Jamie as looking after her kid sister gets into the way of her boy time with boyfriend brady, but by the end Ellie's performance makes it clear that the two sisters have a loving bond. While having more gore than the previous entries in the series(at the time), HALLOWEEN 4 also introduced a little love triangle between Rachel, Brady, and "the other girl" and also the sheriff's daughter Kelly. This too was also entertaining and to me it also brings you closer to Rachel. This new Divimax edition of the film, promised to have the sharpest picture of any of the previous versions of the film - and to me it definitely does. To the occasional fan, this will be rather unnoticeable, but to fans that have watched their old DVDs countless times (like myself) you will notice that the picture is a lot more sharper and most of the dust and scratches that once existed are virtually eliminated. Also on the DVD is the Halloween 4 and 5 panel discussion that is missing from HALLOWEEN : 25 YEARS OF TERROR. Most of the answers they give are interesting, most asked to Danielle Harris as she seems and is loved by all of the HALLOWEEN fans. But I was shocked to see that no questions were asked to Jeffrey Landman who played Billy Hill in HALLOWEEN 5, I would've really liked his input but, we get nothing..... I found it kind of rude that they left him hanging. |
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| GORE
METER 4/10 To me the film is not that gory, but it was considered gory at the time. We have a dead dog, a crushed head, and my favorite, a shotgun shoved through the chest and through the wall! |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 6/10 I have always liked any of Alan Howarth's Halloween scores, he uses Carpenter's theme in various different states. It's great, but still isn't as good as Carpenter's original. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM HALLOWEEN 4, is one of the best in the series and has definitely stood the test of time. The great acting, and presence of the returning Myers, always make this film just as great, every time you see it. As I said HALLOWEEN 4 and 5 introduced a great storyline and in my opinion by number 6 it was totally blown out of proportion and rushed....and as all of you know it was later completely ignored. I highly recommend this to all who haven't seen this....if there is any. Please visit the HALLOWEEN series' official site www.halloweenmovies.com This DVD will be available on July 25th, 2006 |
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