Summary:
Michael Meyers returns to Haddonfield once again to try to kill his niece, Jamie.
My Thoughts:
Let me start this review right out by saying that this has been my personal favorite entry in the “Halloween” franchise thus far after the original film. Let me also clarify and say that I don’t actually know if, from a cinematic standpoint, “Halloween V” better than “Halloween II”, but it’s certainly the most interesting. I think John Carpenter must’ve known that Michael Meyer’s character- a psychotic, unstoppable man- only has so much he can do before he gets boring, and that’s why Carpenter tried to shift the series to an anthology franchise with “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”, which, for the record, I didn’t find all that appealing either. “Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers” brought Mikey back (who’d have thunk?), but it didn’t really do much with Michael’s character other than toss him into the same murderous situations over and over again, only this time he was also after his niece, Jamie (Danielle Harris, “Halloween IV”).
Jamie added a bit of interest to the last film, but she was a bit underutilized up until the end. The film hinted at a kind of psychic connection between Jamie and Michael, and that connection is expanded upon in this film. If you’re only a fan of the original film because Michael was a shadowy shape that was an unstoppable force, then the psychic elements probably won’t do much for you, but if you’ve drank the franchise kool aid, this development is actually kind of cool. This film utilizes that psychic connections for some twists that seem incredibly farfetched, but at the same time it sort of works in the universe of the film. For example there’s one scene where Jamie has a vision of a gas station, and she’s able to convince the police to arrive at this station to stop Michael from convincing a murder. Now, if you think about this scene logically, it doesn’t make a lick of sense: Do you really think that police are going to take the word of a little girl who claims she has a psychic link to a serial killer? Furthermore, do you think even if the police did take Jamie’s word, that they would be able to get to this particular gas station instantly? Probably not. There are plenty of logic issues with the film, but if you sort of just roll with the idea that Michael’s world doesn’t really line up with the laws of nature anymore, the film isn’t terrible.
I think one of the main reasons I enjoyed this particular entry as much as I did was because of what they chose to do with Loomis (Donald Pleasence, “The Great Escape”). Loomis has made appearances in all but “Halloween III” so far, but really he hasn’t done a whole lot other than complain whenever Michael gets away (and occasionally he’ll shoot Michael a lot, but that doesn’t really seem to have any effect on him). This entry is the first time his character has had a significant change; he seems to be slowly going mad from all of his encounters with Michael, and now he’s completely obsessive about the Myers case, to the point that he’s willing to endanger the lives of others in order to get a shot at killing Michael again. That sort of development, where Loomis has almost become a kind of antihero willing to throw all reason out the window, adds a bit of a wild card to this film, and I certainly loved Pleasence’s commitment to the character.
Just as a minor side note, I also thought some of the side characters whom were there just as fodder for Michael to kill were actually pretty funny. The writers’ willingness to put a bit more effort into those whom Michael offs adds to the overall enjoyment of the movie as well. Particularly, Tina Williams’ character was pretty funny. The way she treats Loomis as if he’s just a nut job had me in stitches in a few scenes.
SOME SPOILERS
I think the end of the movie will probably polarize some audience members as well. Again, if you want realism, just don’t look to this series anymore, it’s completely gone. But, if you’re able to accept the more fantastical elements the later entries have started to infuse, then you might sort of enjoy the ending; I thought it was fun. Towards the end of the film, people again try to kill Michael, and again fail, and Michael winds up in jail. Right before the credits roll, a shadowy man with silver-tipped shoes puts out a cigarette, walks into the police station, murders everyone there and sets Michael free. Michael has quite literally made a deal with the devil. I liked the ending, but it is super schmaltzy.
Verdict:
Other than the first “Halloween”, the series isn’t all that great to begin with, but for whatever reason people seem to love Michael Myers. It’s took me a few times watching through the first film to really appreciate Mike, but now that I’ve watched a few more sequels I find his character easier to enjoy. Myers’s films aren’t ever particularly complex or compelling, but they can be fun, and this one, in my opinion, is one of the more entertaining entries in the series thus far.
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