Home :: DVD :: Horror :: General  

Classic Horror & Monsters
Cult Classics
Frighteningly Funny
General

Series & Sequels
Slasher Flicks
Teen Terror
Television
Things That Go Bump
Halloween 4 - The Return of Michael Myers

Halloween 4 - The Return of Michael Myers

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 23 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Night, The Town, The Shape...
Review: After the mistep of HALLOWEEN III, which had nothing to do with Michael Myers, the producers went back to the original premise for HALLOWEEN 4. Ten years after the events of the first two films, killer Myers (George P. Wilbur) returns to his home town of Haddonfield, this time to stalk his niece, Jamie (Dannielle Harris) and her step family. Hot on his trail, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), tries to stop "evil on two legs" from completing his murderous task. Of the three Michael sequels without Jamie Lee Curtis, this is my favorite. The script by Alan B. McElroy is pretty straight forward and doesn't get bogged down, the way number 5 did. Harris does a superb as Jamie and this really feels like a Halloween film, thanks to the always great Pleasence, who can make anything seem believable, no matter what's going on. Directed by Dwight Little, the film has plenty of tips of the hat to the original, for it to be a worthy sequel in the series.

The DVD contains a well done 17 minute retrospective featurette called "Final Cut" and a theatical trailer. While not 'loaded with extras' as the back cover promises, this is still a solid release, that is time well spent. HALLOWEEN 4 is recommended for purchase or rental

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Halloween 4, Return of the Shape!
Review: Halloween 4, The Return of Michael Myers, in my opinion, is a spectacular beginning for the story told in 4-6. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, actress Danielle Harris makes her big debut with Michael Myers in this excellent sequel. Also returning is Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis, the hero, not 'the mad doctor'. This movie had one of the best actors playing Michael, George P. Wilbur. His portrayal of Myers was well-acted, although the loud muffled breathing heard in 1 & 2 is absent. This movie had just the right pace for me, with great drama and a great remix of the Halloween theme written by John Carpenter. However, if Loomis couldn't stop Michael with eleven gunshots and a fire, what makes the State Troopers think they can kill him with a few dozen shots? One thing they don't understand is that Michael is not a normal human being. Get that through your skulls! Of course he can't be killed, or else it would be the end of what becomes a great horror series. The Halloween movies are well-acted and filmed, unlike most of the Friday the 13th movies. By the way, does anyone else think that Jason Voorhees, while intimidating, is just a cheap knockoff of Michael? Michael debuted in 1978, while Jason didn't show up until 1981.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HALLOWEEN 4...ROCKS!
Review: A decade ago michael myers killed on haddonfield...now he is back!!! Michael myers has been in coma but when he heards about his little niece (daughter of "killed" laurie strode) he scapes again and he arrives to haddonfield to get her...jamie lloyd has been adopted by a new family and her sister rachel will go for candies with jamie that night...meanwile dr loomis (who also survived the explosion of the second film) is searching about michael myers and trying with haddonfield to stop the terror...

the movie is great...the best of the sequels to the critics...creepy and scary!!! Bonus materials are acceptable, it includes "trailer", and "halloween 4 final cut" like a behind the scences very good...

STORY: 5/5
ACTING: 5/5
DIRECTING: 4.8/5
GORE:4.9/5
DVD: 4/5

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Almost unwatchable...
Review: Lame excuse of a script to bring Myers back. How do you screw up a film with a formula of this kind. Reminds me of how they screwed up another simple formula film, Smokey and the Bandit 2. Watch and see....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: October 31, 1988...the horror is unleashed again...
Review: "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" is a fantastic sequel that lives up to the original's roots of suspense, creepy music and cool performances by the cast. It sets up the story for what I like to call the "Thorn Trilogy" of the Halloween series.

The Plot: Ten years after trying to kill his sister, Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur), awakens from his coma (remember, he was set on fire in Part II) after hearing his niece, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris), is living in Haddonfield. He escapes the mental institution once again and returns home to find her. Hot on his trail is Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) who teams up with Sheriff Meeker (Beau Starr) to stop The Shape from piling on more bodies.

This sequel has everything going for it. It continues the story nicely (picking up from 1981's "Halloween II", the previous entry, "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" had nothing to do with Michael Myers), has a nice, sympathetic lead in Danielle Harris and has a strong heroine in Ellie Cornell as her foster sister, Rachel. Donald Pleasence is also a bit loonier in this one, but still puts on a well acted performance. Composer Alan Howarth took over the reigns from John Carpenter and redesigned some of the themes to suit this movie well. All in all, this is a great movie, but make sure you watch the other ones to get this story or you might be totally lost!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Welcome home, Michael
Review: Halloween 4 is a terrific entry in the best slasher series of all time. While it doesn't have quite the all-pervading atmosphere, suspense, and general gloom and doom of the incomparable original, it more than lives up to the Halloween tradition. To me, the key to this movie's success is the acting talent of both Donald Pleasance (Dr. Loomis) and young newcomer Danielle Harris (Michael's niece Jamey). Disfigured from his encounter with Michael ten years earlier, Dr. Loomis strides through this movie as the avenging hero he is, having to convince foolish minds that Michael has returned home to wreak havoc yet again. Of course, you can blame a couple of paramedics for tipping Michael off that he still has a living relative, namely his sister Laurie's little girl Jamie (Laurie has supposedly died in an accident a year earlier). After Michael is transferred out from under Loomis' nose, he naturally escapes and begins leaving a trail of bodies on his way to Haddonfield. Loomis is right behind him, intent on saving the little girl from her evil uncle. The young Danielle Harris gives an incredible performance for someone so young, conveying emotion and fear quite convincingly. After this movie came out, I remember hearing some criticism of terrorizing such a young person in this type of horror atmosphere, and Harris spoke quite eloquently on the subject from her perspective. She brings to this movie talent well beyond her years.

Surprisingly, this movie is not altogether that graphic. We rarely get to see the actual coup de grace of each killing (and in a couple of cases we don't even see the actual murder), and even the remains of the slain never exhibit much blood loss. Of course, Michael uses a variety of means (including his bare hands) to murder his victims here. I for one missed the guy's trademark knifings. He does get hold of a knife eventually, but, sadly, he doesn't get much of a chance to use it. As for Michael himself, it is easy to see that the man behind the mask is not the original "shape" Nick Castle. George P. Wilbur has a slightly different build, and he just doesn't have the malevolent presence Castle possessed. He is strong in the category of standing still and watching from the shadows, but he is a little awkward in his movements and often seems to be patterning them on those of King Kong.

This movie has some really nice touches to it, several that strongly call to mind pivotal scenes from the original. Another master stroke is the conclusion, which certainly surprised me when I first saw it. Far too often a trite ending can ruin one's impression of an otherwise good horror movie, but Halloween 4 offers evidence of how much a terrific ending can increase one's enjoyment of an already satisfying experience. By inserting a whole new chapter in the Michael Myers saga, Halloween 4 actually injected the series with newfound life (and blood); it certainly excited me as a fan, and that is something that most sequels of sequels simply do not do.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A shockingly good attempt
Review: AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THE ORIGINAL HALLOWEEN, THERE ARE ONLY THREE SEQUELS THAT MANAGED TO RECIEVE GOOD CRITICS REVIEWS (HALLOWEEN 2,4 AND H20) BUT IN MY OPINION HALLOWEEN 4 IS DEFINETLY ONE OF THE BEST SEQUELS OF THE LOT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

First of all, the director Dwight H. Little knew, unlike most of the other directors that the original structure of the first film could not be bettered and for this reason he decided to loosely stick to the story whilst introducing some fresh new concepts and direction. Whats more interesting is that as the story is aimed at a more modern audience, Little blends in the mythology and sinister take of the halloween season like in the original two whilst introducing a much more fast paced storyline that is much more action packed as well as bloodier, gorier and to a certain extent scarier with a few memorable shocks which the other sequels (apart from part 2) failed to do. Ultimately, this is what makes halloween 4 a cut above the rest.

All in all it is a worthy sequel to the original which accepts that it is just a sequel and using this manages to breathe some fresh new life into the halloween franchise. A MUST SEE!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Evil on two legs!
Review: Michael Myers has been under strict surveillance while recovering from the burn wounds received ten years ago. During his transfer, on Halloween of course, someone lets him know that he has a surviving niece living in Haddonfield and once again Michael goes on the rampage. Jamie Lee Curtis didn't return for this sequel, as her character (Laurie Strode) was killed years ago in a car crash. Her daughter, Jamie (Danielle Harris), is living with a foster family. Donald Pleasance returns as the ever-so-cautious Dr. Loomis who makes it his mission to stop the otherworldly abomination known as Michael Myers.

At first glance, this movie seems like a mere rehashing of the original film and it's first sequel (as part three had little to do with the Michael Myers saga). Time and again we horror fans keep coming back for more of the same with insatiable thirst. However, this film has a twist at the end that makes it all worthwhile. Besides, what fan of the genre doesn't want to see an unkillable monster repeatedly returning from the dead to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting small suburban town?

The acting in this movie is great. Donald Pleasance turns in his usual stellar performance, cheesy lines and all. Danielle Harris does a great job as Jamie, and George P. Wilbur does a superb job of being the line-less Michael Myers. The pace maintains the suspenseful atmosphere quite well, and the soundtrack only serves to complement in that respect. Furthermore, this film is yet another example of how you don't need spectacularly ridiculous effects and a mega-sized budget to make a great horror film. With a well-written script, decent and dedicated actors and directors, and good cinematography (and some decent gore has never been a hindrance either), the fans will just keep lining up for more. Though cheesy at times, this film is well worth some attention, especially on a dark and stormy Halloween night!

Overall a great film to add to your horror library, and one of the better Halloween sequels by far.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Halloween 4:THE Curse of Michael Myers
Review: Halloween four is an incredible movie.It has been ten years after the first babysitter blood bath.Since HALLOWEEN 3, you think there is no more Michael after the second one.Then, it hits you!Michael is back, stalking Laurie Strode's daughter, Jamie Lloyd.{the movie never said why laurie strode died, but in H2O, you find out that she faked her death to hide from michael, leaving jamie in care of the Corothers family}This halloween is my fave, because it shows the real meaning of halloween,trick or treating.This movie is full of suspence and bone chilling scenes.WATCH THIS MOVIE, you'lllove it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HALLOWEEN 4...ROCKS!
Review: A decade ago michael myers killed on haddonfield...now he is back!!! Michael myers has been in coma but when he heards about his little niece (daughter of "killed" laurie strode) he scapes again and he arrives to haddonfield to get her...jamie lloyd has been adopted by a new family and her sister rachel will go for candies with jamie that night...meanwile dr loomis (who also survived the explosion of the second film) is searching about michael myers and trying with haddonfield to stop the terror...

the movie is great...the best of the sequels to the critics...creepy and scary!!! Bonus materials are acceptable, it includes "trailer", and "halloween 4 final cut" like a behind the scences very good...

STORY: 5/5
ACTING: 5/5
DIRECTING: 4.8/5
GORE:4.9/5
DVD: 4/5


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 23 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates