Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

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?

Director:

Dwight H. Little

Writers:

Dhani Lipsius (story), Larry Rattner (story)

Stars:

Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

It's October 30, 1988 and Michael Myers has been in a coma since his pursuit of Laurie Strode, 10 years ago, was finally stopped (events of H1 and H2). However when he is transfered from Richmond Mental Institute to Smith's Grove he awakes when he hears that he has a niece in Haddonfield and after killing the transfer crew he escapes. In Haddonfield, the niece, Jamie, has been adopted by the Carruthers family but keeps having nightmares about Michael (but she doesn't know who he is). On Halloween night, Jamie goes out trick and treating, little knowing that her murdering Uncle is following her and her step-sister Rachel. Rushing to her aid is Dr. Loomis and with the help of Sheriff Meeker starts to search the town for Michael and to find Jamie to protect her. But can anything stop Michael this time?

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | fourth part | gore | slasher | sequel | 

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Taglines:

Ten years ago, on the night of October 31st, a small Midwestern town fell victim to an escaped killer. Under the cover of darkness, he carried out the most horrifying mass murder on record. Sixteen people, in cold blood! Ever since that night, no one has forgotten his name... and Halloween has never been the same. Now, Michael Myers has come home. He has returned for one more night of unholy TERROR!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Trancas International Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Halloween 4

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,831,250, 23 October 1988, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,768,757

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trancas International Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Earl's (Gene Ross) truck is a 1971 Ford F-100.

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Goofs

(at around 45 mins) After the power goes out, Jamie is on the sidewalk and hears Rachel calling for her. In the background, you can see tulips getting ready to bloom. Filming was obviously done in the spring rather than the fall.

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Quotes

Deputy Logan: What are we doin'?
Sheriff Meeker: Making sure no one can get in here.
Deputy Logan: Isn't all this a little paranoid?
Sheriff Meeker: If you'd seen that police station, you wouldn't even ask.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (2012)

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Soundtracks

Halloween Theme
by John Carpenter

User Reviews

Yes, 'tis true! Michael is back! And he wants revenge for his death! Huh?

After the failure that was the 3rd Halloween sequel, the writers knew that was mainly due to the absence of Michael Myers. So what did they do? They invited Michael back in for the 4th sequel and back into the story of Halloween. Even though I did enjoy the 3rd sequel, I do agree that I missed Michael. He's my favorite boogeyman, so it'd be cool to see him return and do what he does best, slice and dice and scare the heck out of me. Well is this really scary? Not too much, but still it's a fun sequel to get into and watch in the dark. I like the story and how they are continuing into the Myer's past and how far Michael will go to destroy this blood line. Although I was disappointed to not have Laurie Strode in this one, it was interesting to see how her legacy lives on with her daughter and now she will have the struggle with Michael Myers.

Michael Myers has been in a coma for ten years, when his massacre was stopped by Dr. Samuel J. Loomis and Laurie Strode. Myers is being transferred from Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium to Smith's Grove Sanitarium. He awakens when he hears that Laurie Strode, his sister, is deceased, but her daughter, Jamie Lloyd is alive and well in Haddonfield. He kills the ambulance crew and escapes. Dr. Loomis races to Haddonfield in an attempt to bring Myers' killing spree to an end once and for all. In Haddonfield, his niece Jamie Lloyd, has been adopted by the Carruthers family. She has frequent nightmares about Michael, though she does not know who he is. On Halloween night, Jamie goes out trick-or-treating dressed as a clown with her teenage foster sister Rachel. Her uncle, Michael, follows them. Meanwhile, Loomis arrives in Haddonfield after an exhausting journey, and contacts the police department to inform them of Myers' escape. He and Haddonfield's new Sheriff Ben Meeker begin to search the town for Michael and Jamie. Myers has also blacked out the town's electricity by throwing a technician onto a electrical box and singlehandedly annihilated the entire police force. The girls barricade themselves in the Sheriff's house, while awaiting the arrival of the state police where Michael follows them and you'll have to see the movie to see the exciting conclusion.

So over all Halloween 4 is a good sequel, it's not the strongest in the series, but it's one of the better stories of the franchise. I do like Jamie Lloyd, she was an interesting addition to the story and the writers are making these movies very interesting. I'm glad they brought Dr. Loomis back in, it brings us back into the original Halloween and he'll never give up until Michael Myers is gone for good, which we know is not going to happen since we still have 4 more sequels after this one. But the 4th installment into the Halloween franchise is a good one so I do recommend that you see it if you get the chance.

6/10