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.
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.