Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Director:

Dwight H. Little

Writers (WGA):

Danny Lipsius (story) &
Larry Rattner (story) ...

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Ten Years Ago HE Changed The Face Of Halloween. Tonight HE'S BACK!

Plot:

Ten years after his original massacre, the invalid Michael Myers awakens and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece on Halloween. Can Dr. Loomis stop him?

Plot Keywords:

Michael Myers | Halloween | Murder | Ambulance | Knife

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Sam Loomis
Ellie Cornell	...	Rachel Carruthers
Danielle Harris	...	Jamie Lloyd
George P. Wilbur	...	Michael Myers
Michael Pataki	...	Dr. Hoffman
Beau Starr	...	Sheriff Ben Meeker
Kathleen Kinmont	...	Kelly Meeker
Sasha Jenson	...	Brady
Gene Ross	...	Earl
Carmen Filpi	...	Rev. Jackson P. Sayer
Raymond O'Connor	...	Security Guard
Jeff Olson	...	Richard Carruthers
Karen Alston	...	Darlene Carruthers
Nancy Borgenicht	...	Woman Attendant
David Jensen	...	Man Attendant

Also Known As:

Halloween 4 (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | New Zealand:R13 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG (cut) | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Midvale, Utah, USA

Company:

Trancas International Films

Trivia:

In the original script, Rachel hit Michael with the truck five times. While shooting they reduced it to three and in editing it came out as one.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blue sedan Dr. Loomis parks at the pumps outside the gas station is different than the one that blows up minutes later in the same location during a fire. The vehicle he parks is a 1982-1983 Chevy Malibu with four headlamps and one kind of grille. The vehicle that explodes in the fire is a 1980-1981 Malibu with two headlamps and a different grille.

Quotes:

[at Ridgemont; a loud, distant shriek]
Man Attendant: Jesus!
Security Guard: Jesus ain't got nothin' to do with this place!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Soundtrack:

Halloween Theme

Scary, and full of suspense

Scary, Scary, Scary! And FAR superior to part 5 The Revenge Of Michael Myers. I love the scene where Kelly Meeker brings the coffee to who she *thinks* is the deputy sitting in the rocking chair. SCARY stuff. That scene ALWAYS scares the crap out of me. This movie is loaded with suspense, and it has an absolutely SHOCKING, although unexplained ending. Just hearing Dr. Loomis saying "no, no, nooo..." then crying can spook you out! The truck scene towards the end is very scary and suspenseful as well. The scene where he bashes his head through the windshield still makes me jump.

Also, the heroines in this movie are almost as good as Laurie and her girlfriends in the first movie. Ellie Cornell is superb as Rachel (I was very sorry to see her get killed off in the next movie), and the relationship between her and her stepsister Jamie is wonderful.

For a Halloween movie, I'd definitely give it a 9 out of a 10!

(I always wondered and hoped that there really was a Haddonfield here in Illinois!)