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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

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Halloween 4
Original 1988 theatrical poster
Directed byDwight H. Little
Written byAlan B. McElroy(story/script)
Benjamin Ruffner (story)
Larry Rattner (story)
Danny Lipsius (story)
Produced byPaul Freeman
StarringDonald Pleasence
Danielle Harris
Music byAlan Howarth
Distributed byGalaxy Releasing
Release dates
October 21, 1988 (USA)
Running time
88 min.
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5,000,000

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 independently-released horror film and the 4th in the Halloween series. The film revolves around Michael Myers once more after his absence in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Directed by Dwight H. Little, the film stars Ellie Cornell as Rachel Carruthers,Donald Pleasence as Dr. Loomis, Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd, and George P. Wilbur as Michael Myers. The plot focuses on Michael Myers 10 years after his killing spree in Halloween 2. It is revealed he is comatose and barely alive at the Richmond Mental Institute, and his sister Laurie Strode has been killed in a car accident. While Michael is being transferred to Smith's Grove he escapes and goes to Haddonfield where he attempts to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd.[1]

Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, Halloween 4 grossed $17,768,757 at the box office in the United States,[2] becoming the fifth best performing film in the Halloween series off all time.

Halloween 4 has received a mixed critic and fan reaction.[3] Critics praised the acting performance of Danielle Harris as Michael's niece Jamie, and also praised the return of the more stalker type of character of Michael Myers from the first Halloween.On the other hand though the film was criticized much for not having anything "striking, interesting, or exceptionally memorable" moments besides the ending.[4]

Tagline

Ten Years Ago, He Changed The Face of Halloween. Tonight HE'S BACK

Plot

Template:Spoiler Michael Myers has been in a coma since the events of Halloween II (he seemed to be dead at the end of Halloween II, but his death is retconned to be a coma), when his massacre was stopped by Dr. Sam Loomis. At the beginning of this film, 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 is alive and well in Haddonfield. He kills the ambulance crew and escapes. Dr. Loomis races to Haddonfield in an attempt to stop Michael.

In Haddonfield, his niece Jamie Lloyd (played by Danielle Harris), 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, in a costume that is very similar to the clown costume worn by young Michael Myers at the beginning of the first Halloween film) with her foster sister Rachel Carruthers (played by Ellie Cornell). Her uncle, Michael, follows them.

Dr. Loomis and Ben Meeker, Haddonfield's Sheriff (played by Beau Starr), start to search the town for Michael and Jamie. They find that Myers has singlehandedly annihilated the entire police force. The girls hide in the Sheriff's house, where Michael follows them. They escape and leave Haddonfield, but Myers hides in the back of the truck that they use to escape. The sheriff's deputies catch up to them and shoot Michael several times. He falls into an abandoned mine shaft which collapses on him.

Back at the Carruthers house, Jamie puts on her clown mask and stabs her foster mother. It turns out that she was possessed by Myers' rage. Dr. Loomis attempts to shoot her, but Sheriff Meeker prevents it. The film ends with a shot of Jamie, wearing the clown mask, holding bloody scissors. This shot is very similar to the shot near the beginning of the original Halloween, where young Michael Myers is seen holding a bloody knife after killing his older sister, Judith.

Production

Produced on a budget of $2.5 million, Halloween 4 grossed $17,768,757 at the box office in the United States,[2] becoming the fifth best performing film in the Halloween series off all time.

This movie was made to cater to fans who wanted more Michael Myers (since the character did not appear in Halloween III: Season of the Witch). It was also made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release of the original movie.

Although the film takes place in Illinois, it was actually filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Writing

It was rumored that the filmmakers were thinking about having Jamie kill her adoptive older sister in similar fashion to how Michael did in the first Halloween, which would somewhat explain the irony in her wearing the clown costume for Halloween (as Michael was also wearing a clown costume when he killed his sister).

Casting

Halloween survivor Lindsey Wallace makes her return here in this film as Rachel's friend. Since she was seven years old in the first film, and this one takes place ten years later, it makes sense that she would be about 17 years old. She can be seen with Rachel picking up Jamie from school and driving them to the Discount Mart in the film. She is the one driving the car. Rachel asks Jamie in the scene: "You remember Lindsey don't you?" She is played by Leslie L. Rohland and this is the only film the young actress has ever appeared in since. The official Halloween Website has officially stated this as being confirmed by the writer.

Reaction

Halloween 4 has received a mixed critic and fan reaction.[3] Critics praised the acting performance of Danielle Harris as Michael's niece Jamie, and also praised the return of the more stalker type of character of Michael Myers from the first Halloween.On the other hand though the film was criticized much for not having anything "striking, interesting, or exceptionally memorable" moments besides the ending.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers plot summary at IMDb.com;retrieved on September 1 2006
  2. ^ Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Box Office Performance Information at IMDb.com;retrieved on September 1 2006
  3. ^ Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Critic Reviews at Metacritic.com;retrieved on September 1 2006
  4. ^ Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers Review at Reelviews.net;retrieved on September 1 2006
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