Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Dwight H. Little

Writers (WGA):

Danny Lipsius (story) &
Larry Rattner (story) ...

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Ten Years Ago HE Changed The Face Of Halloween. Tonight HE'S BACK!

Plot:

Ten years after his original massacre, the invalid Michael Myers awakens and returns to Haddonfield to kill his seven-year-old niece on Halloween. Can Dr. Loomis stop him?

Plot Keywords:

Michael Myers | Halloween | Ambulance | Murder | Knife

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20

6:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Sam Loomis
Ellie Cornell	...	Rachel Carruthers
Danielle Harris	...	Jamie Lloyd
George P. Wilbur	...	Michael Myers
Michael Pataki	...	Dr. Hoffman
Beau Starr	...	Sheriff Ben Meeker
Kathleen Kinmont	...	Kelly Meeker
Sasha Jenson	...	Brady
Gene Ross	...	Earl
Carmen Filpi	...	Rev. Jackson P. Sayer
Raymond O'Connor	...	Security Guard
Jeff Olson	...	Richard Carruthers
Karen Alston	...	Darlene Carruthers
Nancy Borgenicht	...	Woman Attendant
David Jensen	...	Man Attendant

Also Known As:

Halloween 4 (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | New Zealand:R13 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG (cut) | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Midvale, Utah, USA

Company:

Trancas International Films

Trivia:

In the original script, Sheriff Meeker was killed in a battle with Michael in the basement where the furnace was knocked over and caused the house to catch on fire. Originally, the house was supposed to be up in flames during the infamous rooftop sequence. This was eliminated due to budgetary constraints and Sheriff Meeker was kept alive.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Michael is in the ambulance car after he grabs the guy on the head he sticks his thumb in his forehead, and on the left you can see the end of the fake arm.

Quotes:

Dr. Samuel Loomis: You talk about him as if he were a human being. That part of him died years ago.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in House of the Dead (2003)

Soundtrack:

Halloween Theme

A solid slasher.

It is ten years after Michael Myers escaped from the psychiatric clinic and went on the rampage and he has been in a coma ever since being burnt at the end of Halloween 2. But one of the ambulance drivers transporting him somewhere lets slip that he has a niece in Haddonfield and before you know it he's making his way back there.

Myers has become seemingly indestructable by now. He was seen emerging from a hospital as a human fireball at the end of art 2 and yet he seems to have escaped more or less unscathed. And howcome he can see anything when he was blinded in Part 2 just before being roasted alive?

However, if you overlook these points you'll find this is an entertaining and well-made film. Dr Loomis returns to Haddonfield after his ex-patient, played by Donald Pleasance at his best, and there are plenty of interesting characters and situations.

One of the better of the Halloween series, certainly much more worthwhile than the dismal Halloween 5 or most of the repetative Friday the 13th films.