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:

Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady) of "The Brady Bunch" (1969) was the production assistant. His wife, Kelly Lookinland, played the dead waitress.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In every scene before he is shot at or struck, it is obvious that there is protective padding under his coveralls.

Quotes:

Richard Carruthers: I want Jamie to be in bed by 9:30.
Rachel Carruthers: You're gonna be late. You don't want to blow your promotion.
Darlene Carruthers: Don't make fun. Tonight is the difference between vacations in Bermuda, and spending another two weeks with your grandmother in Cleveland.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Faces of Death: The Make-Up Effects of 'All Souls Day' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Halloween Theme

Yes, 'tis true! Michael is back! And he wants revenge for his death! Huh?

After the failure that was the 3rd Halloween sequel, the writers knew that was mainly due to the absence of Michael Myers. So what did they do? They invited Michael back in for the 4th sequel and back into the story of Halloween. Even though I did enjoy the 3rd sequel, I do agree that I missed Michael. He's my favorite boogeyman, so it'd be cool to see him return and do what he does best, slice and dice and scare the heck out of me. Well is this really scary? Not too much, but still it's a fun sequel to get into and watch in the dark. I like the story and how they are continuing into the Myer's past and how far Michael will go to destroy this blood line. Although I was disappointed to not have Laurie Strode in this one, it was interesting to see how her legacy lives on with her daughter and now she will have the struggle with Michael Myers.

Michael Myers has been in a coma for ten years, when his massacre was stopped by Dr. Samuel J. Loomis and Laurie Strode. Myers is being transferred from Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium to Smith's Grove Sanitarium. He awakens when he hears that Laurie Strode, his sister, is deceased, but her daughter, Jamie Lloyd is alive and well in Haddonfield. He kills the ambulance crew and escapes. Dr. Loomis races to Haddonfield in an attempt to bring Myers' killing spree to an end once and for all. In Haddonfield, his niece Jamie Lloyd, has been adopted by the Carruthers family. She has frequent nightmares about Michael, though she does not know who he is. On Halloween night, Jamie goes out trick-or-treating dressed as a clown with her teenage foster sister Rachel. Her uncle, Michael, follows them. Meanwhile, Loomis arrives in Haddonfield after an exhausting journey, and contacts the police department to inform them of Myers' escape. He and Haddonfield's new Sheriff Ben Meeker begin to search the town for Michael and Jamie. Myers has also blacked out the town's electricity by throwing a technician onto a electrical box and singlehandedly annihilated the entire police force. The girls barricade themselves in the Sheriff's house, while awaiting the arrival of the state police where Michael follows them and you'll have to see the movie to see the exciting conclusion.

So over all Halloween 4 is a good sequel, it's not the strongest in the series, but it's one of the better stories of the franchise. I do like Jamie Lloyd, she was an interesting addition to the story and the writers are making these movies very interesting. I'm glad they brought Dr. Loomis back in, it brings us back into the original Halloween and he'll never give up until Michael Myers is gone for good, which we know is not going to happen since we still have 4 more sequels after this one. But the 4th installment into the Halloween franchise is a good one so I do recommend that you see it if you get the chance.

6/10