'Halloween 4 & 5 - Special Divimax Editions'
(Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, Donald Pleasence, et al / DVD / R / (1988-1989) 2006 / Anchor Bay Ent.)
Overview & Verdict: Following on from Halloween II, Michael Myers escapes from Richmond Mental Institute whilst being transferred, this time going after his niece, Jamie Lloyd. Doctor Loomis follows him back to Haddonfield, and attempts to stop him once and for all. Let's face it, horror movies usually suck, and it was always inevitable that a sequel about Michael Myers coming back to Haddonfield in Illinois was a given. Halloween 2 valiantly continued the story of the killer and it was supposed to end with that one as it truly ended with a true bang. But of course the money hungry hands of Hollywood could only keep Michael at bay for so long. Skipping over III completely, (which had nothing to do with Michael Myers, we have Part 4, The Return of Michael Myers. John Carpenter is gone, with the exception of his themed music, we have director Dwight Little taking a stab at the Halloween story. Carpenter is sorely missed, but amazingly, this is a scary movie and keeps the faith of Carpenters original, well almost. Carpenter agreed after Part II that there simply wasn't really any storyline left for the character. Looks like Part 4 proved that wrong. With the exception of Donald Pleasance (Loomis), the original cast of characters from 1978 are totally gone. Loomis renews his role as Michael's doctor. As stated in another review, basically ignore the end of part II, as both Michael and Loomis should be dead, literally. (they were basically burned alive). Part 4 concerns the daughter of (Jamie Lee Curtis) Lorie Strode. Jamie Lee supposedly died and her daughter was adopted by a new family in Haddonfield. Michael Myers of course, laying nearly dead from Part II, hears about the little girl in his dark asylum. He, of course, wants to kill finish off the rest of the family, so of course he now gets out, and goes after the daughter of Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee is nowhere to be found in the movie as her character was believed to have died in car wreck, but we certainly find that to be untrue with the future release of H20 - 20 Years Later. Halloween 4 is a very dark movie. Nearly 75%, not surprisingly takes place at night. The movie, similar to the original, focuses more on suspense and only a small amount of gore. The pacing is fast and keeps you in suspense for most of the movie. Also true to the Halloween genre, there really isn't much blood in this one as proven once before that you don't need gore and guts to make a good scary movie.
Overview & Verdict: It's one year since Halloween 4, and Michael survives being shot by the police. He continues his search for his niece, who is in a childrens' hospital. Oh man, now Remastered in HD And featuring an all-new Audio Commentary, the series creeps ever onwards! Because Hell would not have him, Michael Myers survived the mine explosion thought to have killed him. One year later, his traumatized young niece Jamie (Danielle Harris of HALLOWEEN 4) is horrified to discover she has a telepathic bond with her evil Uncle…and that Uncle Michael is on his way back to Haddonfield. But Dr. Loomis (the late, great Donald Pleasence) has a new plan to destroy The Boogey Man in his childhood home using Jamie as bait. Tonight, the carnage begins again! With the success of the Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, it was inevitable that the money hungry boys in Hollywood wanted him to come back. First of all, how he came back from 200 bullets at the end of 4 is beyond me. When they replay the scene in 5, they made it look like 20 bullets, but nonetheless, he's back and alive and well. The problem with 5 is that it's simply not very scary. It takes place a year after 4, and again, Michael is after "the little girl from part 4". It's a pet peave for Halloween fans, but the mask in 5 is the worst the series as seen. It looks like a mask I could buy at Kmart on a blue light special. It looks nothing like the mask he had on in 1, 2 or 4. But annoying mask aside, the real sense of chills and thrills is really missing from this cheap imatation. They even infected the classic Halloween theme music with a horrible casio keyboard and is sorely missing from the already boring movie. Even Donald Pleasance (Loomis) looks bored throughout his stay in 5. Again, Michael is after his little niece (Laurie Stroade's daughter), sigh,again. She obviously got away in 4. This time around she's a mute and she only regains her speach near the end of the movie. A crying shame becuase she's a good little actor. Michael once again goes on another killing spree on Halloween to get the little girl in his clutches. Plot is weak, acting is subpar, and the murder scenes are anything but creative. They actually made it more gory than 1, 2 and 4 combined, but once again, gore does not mean better, its' about suspense, and Part V has none of that. These are all Widescreen Presentations (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and come with the Special Features of:
'Halloween 4'
Audio Commentary by actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris
Audio Commentary by writer Alan B. McElroy
Halloween 4/5 Discussion Panel
"Halloween 4: Final Cut" making-of featurette
Theatrical Trailer
'Halloween 5'
Audio Commentary by director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman
Introduction by stars Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell
"Inside Halloween 5" featurette
"On The Set of Halloween 5" Documentary
Theatrical Trailer
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