I just love Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. I have seen it so many times now, I must have grown practically blind for its flaunts. And yes, consequently I DO think Michael would be able to stop someone's life with the press of one thumb. No, seriously. This film is a great watch. The opening credits, accompanied by Alan Howarth's sober score, set the right mood and the very first scenes are already highly atmospheric. I cannot but notice that the location scouts have done a wonderful job and Peter Lyons Collister's beautiful camera work only adds to the joy.
The first 45 minutes contain the one stylish scene after the other, focusing on Loomis (Pleasence) trying to get to Haddonfield before nightfall and on Jamie (Harris), Michael's unfortunate and lonely young niece who is not only haunted by nasty images and nightmares but also has to deal with cruel classmates bullying her to tears (a comment on a society that despises individuals who aren't one of the crowd). It's done marvellous on suspense as well as drama level and highlights include the scenes where Pleasence stops at a secluded filling station and the ones where Harris is running from the school building, bawled by children in Halloween outfits, only to find a costume in the store that looks frightfully familiar. And who is that adorable little contemporary she sees in the mirror? Right. It is impossible not to notice the chemistry between actor, camera and music here. The story is constructed well and has the right pace and there are some nice minor parts for Carmen Filpi and Michael Pataki.
The second half is a lot less interesting, less stylish and more predictable. It seems as if they had to do all these night scenes in one night and were afraid the sun could come up any minute. The editing is sometimes really off and this takes the sting out of a lot of scenes. The story is not very consistent, for instance: we see the Sheriff bravely doing his job while only half an hour ago he has suffered the traumatic loss of a close relative, which is something he must be aware of. There should have been at least one sign of grief. But, hey.there are enough thrills left and Harris's acting skills are praiseworthy: especially in desperate situations she holds her ground. To go with that the very last -highly cynical and unexpected- scene makes up for a relatively lame second half. Bravo Dwight H. Little!
The first 45 minutes contain the one stylish scene after the other, focusing on Loomis (Pleasence) trying to get to Haddonfield before nightfall and on Jamie (Harris), Michael's unfortunate and lonely young niece who is not only haunted by nasty images and nightmares but also has to deal with cruel classmates bullying her to tears (a comment on a society that despises individuals who aren't one of the crowd). It's done marvellous on suspense as well as drama level and highlights include the scenes where Pleasence stops at a secluded filling station and the ones where Harris is running from the school building, bawled by children in Halloween outfits, only to find a costume in the store that looks frightfully familiar. And who is that adorable little contemporary she sees in the mirror? Right. It is impossible not to notice the chemistry between actor, camera and music here. The story is constructed well and has the right pace and there are some nice minor parts for Carmen Filpi and Michael Pataki.
The second half is a lot less interesting, less stylish and more predictable. It seems as if they had to do all these night scenes in one night and were afraid the sun could come up any minute. The editing is sometimes really off and this takes the sting out of a lot of scenes. The story is not very consistent, for instance: we see the Sheriff bravely doing his job while only half an hour ago he has suffered the traumatic loss of a close relative, which is something he must be aware of. There should have been at least one sign of grief. But, hey.there are enough thrills left and Harris's acting skills are praiseworthy: especially in desperate situations she holds her ground. To go with that the very last -highly cynical and unexpected- scene makes up for a relatively lame second half. Bravo Dwight H. Little!
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