Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Dwight H. Little

Starring: Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, George P. Wilbur, Beau Starr

From: Trancas International Films

While it wasn't the plan a few weeks ago, I decided to continue on the quest of going through the Halloween franchise and this was the next on the list. I once saw this on the big screen after the fact, but I'll explain all that and why this is great unintentional comedy in my Letterboxd review below:

Remember how I said it would be awhile (like October) before I continued watching the Halloween films again?

I lied.

After a break of almost a week I decided I should continue on the quest of watching horror flicks up to Halloween, so I might as well watch the next Halloween film as I go through the Blu set I got recently; it happened to be this one, something I last saw back in like '07; I believe it was Cinedigm who held screenings across the country one night where this and the 5th one were shown back to back. While appropriate to see them one right after the other, I always thought it was random to screen those movies almost 20 years after the fact as I never thought 4 and 5 had a lot of fans. I remember there was more than a few people there, though.

Viewing it again last night, technically rating this at 2 ½ is being generous. This tale of Michael and Dr. Loomis (them surviving the end of II is rather preposterous) returning and Mr. Myers going after the young daughter of the late Laurie Strode is pretty dopey and makes little sense far too often. The Shape pops up and disappears at totally random moments, and also can teleport all across Haddonfield. The general idea of little Jamie Lloyd having to live with a foster family and having a big sis who is a teenager and acts like a moody teenager is fine; it's just that the overall execution isn't great, despite a chilling ending that of course wasn't really follwed

At first I presumed that because it was the late 80's that's why there was little gore and most of the kills are of the tame and off screen variety... when actually they just filmed it that way and they realized they screwed up so they brought in famed 80's horror special effects maestro John Carl Buechler to add the few moments of bloody carnage.

Yet, this movie I found to be unintentionally hilarious often, and not just for the stupidity of the plot. It was moments such as:

* There being a band of beer-drinking rednecks who decide to form a posse to go after The Shape... I used to live in Illinois and yeah, there actually were people around who were like these characters! I've seen it with my own eyes.

* Characters such as Brady and Wade were hilarious in their 80's-ness and how they acted like such douchey teens. Wade's mullet was pretty spectacular, though.

* Lindsey (who at first they wanted to be the girl that Laurie ended up babysitting in the original) was amazing in her 80's hair and dress.

* That character who said he was a preacher... what a strange dude and what a strange character to have randomly for a 2 minute scene.

* I was personally amused by the young boy who wore a M.A.S.K outfit for Halloween.

But to me the most hilarious thing was something I never noticed before. How that scene at the gas station/restaurant ends is astounding for several reasons. But before that, as you follow around Donald Pleasence (who of course delivers the best performance in the picture) in the restaurant, I guess the filmmakers wanted to remind us that even though it was obviously filmed in California that this is supposed to be set in Illinois, so to accomplish this they decided to fill the wall with pictures of a famous Illinois resident... and the first person that came to mind was ABRAHAM LINCOLN. I never saw any walls in any establishment filled with photos of Honest Abe in all the years I lived in the Land of Lincoln.

So, what a film. It's great for laughs. How I did not realize how dopey it was back when I saw it on the big screen... I am not quite sure. I can tell you that the 5th one isn't as good, so I am not looking too forward to seeing that again.