Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)

Starring - Donald Pleasence; Ellie Cornell; Danielle Harris; George P. Wilbur & Michael Pataki Director - Dwight H. Little MPAA - R Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers picks up where Halloween II left off. (Halloween III had absolutely nothing to do with the Michael Myers character -- proving once again that movie producers are not all rocket scientists.) Anyway, it's years after the events of that infamous Halloween night (Halloween & Halloween II) when Michael Myers went on a murderous rampage and killed pretty much everyone in sight in the small town of Haddonfield Illinois. We all thought good old Mike was stopped for good at the end of Halloween II. But it's the movies, and more specifically a movie about a bloodthirsty mass murderer, so we all know it pretty much takes a howitzer to the head to stop them. For those who missed Halloween II, here's the scoop -- Myers' longtime psychiatrist, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) seemingly blew himself and Myers up to end Myers' killing spree. It ended up only scarring Loomis and putting the evil Mikey in a coma for a decade. Well, Halloween is rolling around once again, and it's time for Mikey to get up and go trick or treating again. This time he's off to a family reunion. Seems he has a niece living in Haddonfield and, as is his custom, he pretty much is forced to try to do anything he can to kill her. Like his last murderous rampage, the body count rises fast and furious as Mike knocks off anybody who happens to get within two feet of him. Unlike the first two Halloween movies, Halloween 4 has an actual budget -- at least in terms of production values anyway. The budget was obviously not used to go after the best Hollywood had to offer in terms of acting talent. With the exception of Pleasence, most of the actors seem to have been cast for their good looks as opposed to their acting skills. If you've ever seen a slasher flick, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise to you. Michael Myers again dons his Captain Kirk mask painted white and his overalls. (At least they didn't have to splurge on the wardrobe budget.) Although much to my dismay, unlike the earlier films, there were no gratuitous nude scenes. If it weren't for the enormous body count, this would be a PG movie. But there is that body count, and most of the deaths are pretty violent. I actually enjoyed Halloween 4. I really can't figure out why though. There is nothing about it that really sets it apart from any of the other cookie cutter slasher films. Perhaps I was just happy to see Michael Myers, one of my favorite horror film characters, return after all those years. It's good for a couple of hours of mindless entertainment, if nothing else. 5/10 Reviewed October 30, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain