User reviews

After the success of HALLOWEEN 4, it was predictable that the studio would go on with another sequel. The only good thing about this one is that it picks up the story exactly where the last film left off, giving an explanation for the fact that little DANIELLE HARRIS is behind bars in a clinic for disturbed children. But within the first half-hour of the story, it's obvious that this is no HALLOWEEN 4.

As someone else pointed out, DONALD PLEASANCE is just about as psychotic as Michael Meyers in his quest to find the serial killer who seems to be eradicating all the citizens of Haddonfield every time it's Halloween. ELLIE CORNELL as Rachel is killed off early in the story and, unfortunately, there are no other likable members among the youthful cast to root for. It's as if they were scripted, all of them, to deserve their fate.

Without a good plot structure and much too much repetition, this one begins to sink before the midway point. All of the fright sequences are done competently enough but just don't have the same tension or creepiness of the better ones in this series.

Summing up: Not helped by Donald Pleasance's decision to ham it up unmercifully to draw attention--but it doesn't work. They should have quit after HALLOWEEN 4.

'Halloween 5' begins immediately where part 4 ended. We see that Michael Myers has indeed survived being shot by state troopers, and has fallen down a mine shaft. He travels along a small river and makes his way to some tent that a homeless person is living in. He falls unconscious for an entire year, until Halloween 1989. Jamie meanwhile has spent the entire year in a state facility for children. She has not spoken one word the whole time. She can now however sense when Michael is near or when he is ready to strike. Anyways,Halloween night approaches and Michael is back in Haddonfield ready to hack and slash anything that gets in his way of murdering Jamie. We meet a younger set of characters (only there to add to the body count) which connect to Rachel from 'Halloween 4'. The film follows them along with Jamie/Loomis leading to an interesting conclusion.

'Halloween 5' is definitely the weakest of the original series. So many things that separate it from the rest, and make it less of a worthwhile watch. First of all, this one was scary or even that creepy in the slightest. The previous instalment actually did a great job at creating and establishing an eerie atmosphere. This was a rushed attempt at scary in my opinion. The acting was questionable (to say the least) from the supporting cast. Other than Pleasance and Harris, it wasn't anything to write home about. They also kill off an important character (to me anyways) EARLY on which I hated.

Michael Myers himself is also not intimidating at all. Don Shanks did a lackluster job in the role of the shadow. And the Myers house looked like some mausoleum/crypt mansion, nothing like the original. It's an insult to viewers to not even attempt to make it similar. And the kills were not well done, they felt cheap when compared to the first four films (even 'Halloween III' did a greater job...). It's still one that should be seen by all horror and 'Halloween' fans. It has it's moments plus establishes a storyline (the man in black) that carries on into the sixth film.

5/10

Though episode 5 is probably my least favourite of the Halloween saga (not counting H3) i still really enjoyed watching it, because i love the series as a whole and took it for what it was, something most people don't seem to do. Sure, there's some mediocre acting and the usual holes in the plot, but it's an 80's slasher film, what else would you expect? I think its obvious imperfection is its charm. Besides that, it has a few original killings and the scenes where Michael chases Jamie in the Myers house are chilling. The last half hour makes it worth watching. I'd say give it a try if you've seen other Halloween movies and liked them, if not then don't start with this one because it's certainly not one of the best. 6 out of 10 =)

There are some cool scenes in this movie. And there are some neat ideas. But it falls flat because of large number of plot holes and it's too fast for it's own good. I feel the movie would have been better if it focused more on the children. Scenes where the kids are in danger are one of the best in the movie. Danielle Harris is perfect in her role as little Jamie and Donald Pleasence gives his best, but it's not enough to save this movie from being a little more than a regular slasher, which is a shame given the greatness of character and setting. It's not the worst thing you will watch, it's just OK. Sadly, though I still haven't watched the rest, I feel that story elements introduced in this movie will take things too far. But I digress. 6/10 from me. If you are horror movie fan, watch it for fun :)

When the original Halloween was made it was scary because of its gritty realism and believable characters. Part 2 was also an edge-of-seater. But by the time you reach this, Part 5, the tension has gone from the series and Michael Myers has descended from a believable shadow-stalking figure into an unkillable Jason 'Friday the 13th' Voorhees clone.

For what its worth, the plot of this film involves Myers coming after Jamie, who is now in a childrens' psychiatric hospital after attacking her stepmother. The concept of Jamie having a psychic bond with her deranged uncle is interesting, but it's all completely ruined by the constant unfunny attempts at humour, the tedious padding and the lack of likeable would-be victims. Instead of genuine characters all we have here are Porky-style sex-mad teenagers with nothing approaching an IQ between them. There's even a scene set in a barn similar to the one in some of the Friday the 13th films. And Rachel from Part 4 seems to have been reduced to a stereotype blonde airhead whose only purpose in the film is to run around half-naked before being slaughtered. And why does Myers' mask look nothing like the one he wore in the previous films?

One good point in this film is Donald Pleasence, who is at his best as an overwhelming Dr Loomis who dominates his every scene and makes the film worth viewing. There is also an enigmatic Man in the Black Fedora-type figure who leads the film into the far superior Part 6.

One of the worse Halloween sequels. The plot went a little off the original plot from the first two movies. The mask in this one looked weird and the man in the black suit was introduced in this part. (THORN) Also I didn't like how Jamie knew what Michael was going to do, that was really bad. the whole THORN thing should have been brought into the series, although that does make Michael's motive make more sense. All up an average sequel but still watch it because Michael Myers is in it.

Michael returns again in this rushed sequel that's still quite a bit of fun. Picking up a year after the events of its superior sequel. Jamie now lives in a foster home and is mute. Once again played by a solid Danielle Harris. After falling down the well in the last film he's saved by a homeless dude and awakens a year later to try and get Jamie once again. This entry is a little uneven tone wise. There are weird lapses in humor most because of two goofy cops. Michael is still in pretty strong form but his victims are mostly forgettable. Sadly Ellie Cornell is only in a small part and the new final girl Tina isn't as strong. It all leads up to a questionable finale and although nothing is on par with the rooftop sequence from the last film. The laundry schute scene is pretty terrifying.

Halloween 5, yeah, this was a disappointment, most fans don't really dig this sequel which is understandable. It is kind of stupid or just plain stupid; this is the story that most horror movie sequels try to rip off, the telepathic powers that get really annoying. It seems like every horror movie sequel has to have it, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street had it, why not include the Halloween franchise as well? Unfortunately I didn't get into it, I think because it was extremely unoriginal and not to mention that the story didn't really continue from the 4th sequel. The ending of Halloween 4 had Jamie turning evil, I guess they just totally dropped that idea which could have been great to see, instead we got a silly and typical horror story that was badly acted, edited, and directed.

Michael Myers makes his way into a small shack by the river owned by a local hermit. Once there, Michael collapses and remains in a comatose state for a full year. On October 30th Michael awakens, kills the hermit, and returns to terrorize Haddonfield, where his young niece, Jamie Lloyd continues to live after nearly being killed by Michael the year before. Jamie has been mute since attacking her foster mother at the end of film 4, but exhibits signs of a telepathic link with her evil uncle. Dr. Sam Loomis realizes that this link exists, and plans to use it to put an end to Michael's reign of terror. Michael begins stalking Rachel and her friend Tina. After both are killed Jamie agrees to put herself in danger to help Loomis stop Michael for good. With Jamie's help, Loomis lures Michael back to the old Myers house. Michael makes many attempts at killing Jamie, finally getting the chance to in the attic. Jamie tries appealing to Michael's humanity by calling him "Uncle". Myers pauses, prompting Jamie to ask to see his face. He takes off his mask, and a lone tear runs down his face. Jamie reaches up to wipe it away, and Michael is thrown into a rage. The killer pursues Jamie, who runs into Loomis. The doctor seems to turn on the girl as he shouts for Michael to come and take her. It turns out that he has used the girl as bait, thus leading Michael to walk beneath a heavy chain net. But you have to see what happens next by watching the movie.

While granted that this movie isn't the worst movie in the world, I do enjoy the Halloween sequels, I think this was a fall in the story line for the Halloween series. It really could have had a lot of potential, but since they dropped a few ideas that were presented in the previous Halloween sequel. Not to mention this is one of the rare times that I wasn't scared by Michael, he's loosing his touch… no, I can't say that, please I can't say that… it's the writing! It's the blasted writing! So if you wanna see the sequels, yeah, do watch it just to see the story continue, but if you are just looking for a scary movie in general, you can skip Halloween 5.

5/10

Halloween 5 is my third favorite in the series (Kinda-sorta tied with the recent Halloween: Resurrection)and while its nowhere near as great as part 4 or the original, its not as poor as H20 or 6.

The acting was good in some parts, bad in others. Danielle Harris, as always, did a wonderful job, and is probably the best aspect of the film. Ellie Cornell has a much smaller role in the movie, than she did in part 4, but she still does quite well in her few scenes. And of course, Donald Pleasence was excellent, but at this point Dr. Loomis' rants are gettin' kinda old. Oh yeah...and I cant tell whether it was her character or just her, but Wendy Kaplan was amazingly annoying.

Theres no storyline in this film, beyond "Myers is back, and he's still killin' people." But thats alright, because who really would be expecting a thought-provoking storyline from a movie called "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers)

At least the movie has some good kills in it. Any death involving a scythe is cool. Although it still seems pretty tame compared to most other slasher flicks. Also, its not scary at all. Myers drives in a car a couple of that times, and I think that was supposed to be tense, but it wasnt, and I ended up muting it because Wendy Kaplan wouldn't stop screaming. Ugh.

Lastly, although this isnt too bad, the Tagline is a lie. "Michael Lives, And This Time They're Ready!" Ahem. Maybe Jamie Lloyd and Dr. Loomis are ready, but everybody else is as unprepared as they come. At the very end, they finally seem ready. They even call in the Haddonfield SWAT team or something. But the entire team is outsmarted by Myers, and they end up leaving one stinkin' cop to watch over the little girl. Yes, they are so ready...Myers is going down! *Cough..cough*

Although I will admit, the end of the movie is pretty good. Overall, if you're a fan of the movies you should check it out.

I feel that I didn't really say what I wanted to say the first time I reviewed it so I'm going to write another one.

One thing I liked about this film was it's directing and style. Some would say that it's style over substance and maybe their right, but I liked the gothic look of the film. For example, I dug Michael's look in the film when he was unmasked. You can see him without the mask very well at the beginning of the film...long black hair, very Trent Reznorish looking...the way he sits up on the bed surrounded by candles is GREAT. The entire scene is done very well. [BTW, did anyone notice the thorn symbol appearing on Michael's hand? I'm sure you did...which leads me to my next point. People say that the man in black was stupid because he never appeared in prior films and had no real connection with the series...people say this assuming that Michael had the thorn symbol since the beginning...he didn't...(the hermit had Michael laid in a bed surrounded by candles and he kept him there for a year without telling anyone...The hermit was one of them? And maybe he was protecting Michael?) anyways it was just a subplot in this film that turned into a major plot point in Halloween VI.

Anyways, Don Shanks Michael Myers is one of my favs. In the first one, he was a normal man behind a mask. In part two, he was somewhat the same only he seemed more evil. In part four, he was Jason Version 2.0 but in this one, while still retaining toughness and strength, he is a human walking time bomb...very aggressive...very angry. Not as scary as the Halloween I+II version but it makes for an entertaining movie.

And that's what this movie is: entertaining. Despite it's obvious flaws, Halloween 5 is the best of the parts 3-7 era and with a few improvements could have been the best of the series. Sadly, fans didn't dig the gothic style or the interperatation of Michael Myers and his series, so a direct follow up to this film wasn't able to be filmed until five years later and it was under the worst of conditions in the worst possible hands [Joe Chapelle, Dimension Films]

So Halloween Fans: Don't judge Halloween 5 on any of the other films in the series...it attempts to be different from all of them. It wasn't anything like the original because it never tries to be.

Not to mention the good acting and decent storyline, there is also a lot of suspense which was missing from later entries..

Halloween 5 is a disappointing movie for Halloween fans and horror movie fans. It lacks in plot, scares and suspense.

It's one year later after the events of Halloween 4. Michael survives the shootings and on October 31st he returns to Haddonfield. Jamie (the heroine of H4) is in Haddonfield's Children's Hospital after attacking her step-mother the previous year. She is being treated by Dr. Loomis with the aid of her step-sister Rachel and Rachel's friend Tina. Lurking and stalking, Michael forms a plan to lure Jamie out of the children's hospital where events lead up to a confrontation at Michael's childhood house.

OK, I like Donald Pleasence even though his performance went down a little and is a little cheesy. Danielle Harris does the best spending half the movie being mute. It's a great performance. Ellie Cornell is back as Rachael. She is a great character but gets killed off in the first ten minutes. The rest of the movie is filled with terribly acted, stupid teenagers. Even some of the characters from the Friday the 13th movies are better. The characters are all hateful and the script doesn't make much sense.

It's a typical slasher movie, which I don't like that much. Halloween 5 spends too much time on teenagers with silly teen lust combined with slasher stuff. There's even a part with 2 bumbling cops with three stooges like music playing in the background. It's just stupid. The story feels like it doesn't know what to do next. But it does excel when it cuts to the real story of Meyers chasing the girl and the doctor's relentless pursuit.

But the climax wasn't that bad, even though Michael's "demise" was absolutely ridicules with Loomis beating Michael with a piece of wood. Michael's childhood home looks completely different than how it looked in the first. The chase scenes with Jamie and Michael were pretty good. And a scene with Jamie hiding in a vent and Michael stabbing at it was pretty suspenseful. And it was different while being believable. That was the best part in the whole movie. Also the atmosphere is pretty good and very creepy. I would have given this 1 star if it wasn't for that.

So besides the climax Halloween 5 is pretty bad. You can tell it was rushed because of the success of Halloween 4.

2 stars (out of 4)

It's good that Halloween 5 picks up where Halloween 4 left off but that doesn't save the film from almost bombing in my opinion. I really love the Halloween franchise, it was a great idea by John Carpenter and Debra Hill that was then dissected by other directors (with the exception of Rick Rosenthal). The direction the director went with this movie is strange, there are still the same old themes (murders, Halloween time, Dr. Loomis, the Strode/Myers Family dispute) but this time the movie and Michael both take on a whole new image. I will not spoil this movie for anyone so I will let you just watch it and make your own assessment as to what you think. Overall it wasn't bad at all.

Awful sequel. When it's not borrowing from other films (Bride of Frankenstein, The Eyes of Laura Mars), it's outright ripping them off (Friday the 13th Part 2). There's not a suspenseful or scary moment in the whole movie. Every new character is unlikeable. One of the somewhat likable characters from part 4 is killed off early and needlessly. Danielle Harris improves from the last film but spends a significant portion of the movie unable to speak. So take that for what it's worth. Donald Pleasence, the saving grace of most of these films, is here reduced to full-blown caricature. Still he tries to elevate the material by treating it seriously. Points for trying but it's a lost cause. Oh and the two bumbling comic relief cops: what were they thinking with that? There's even goofy sound effects the first time they show up. Moronic.

Another annoying thing are the constant red herring jumps. You know, where they lead you to believe Michael is about to attack someone, only to have it turn out to be a janitor or somebody's boyfriend acting like an ass. This movie is full of those cheap tricks. It gets old fast.

Then there's the mystery character. Throughout the movie we get glimpses of him and his steel-tipped cowboy boots. He even helps Michael in the film's climax. We NEVER find out who he is. It's laughable. What a mess of a movie. Incompetently scripted and crudely directed. This is easily the worst of the series.

Halloween 5 was a step down compared to others. A better director probally would have done better with the script, which wasn't that bad.

Donald Pleasence again trys to put away Michael Myers, but this time takes a swat team into the Myers house with him. Well of course they are no match for Myers, but Loomis does manage to capture Myers in chains and beat him to a pulp.

Good performances, but badly filmed. It looks like a made for cable movie.

**/****

While on the whole a poorly-made film that does little to help the "Halloween" series, this installment definitely delivers in regards to action and suspense. Most notably is the finale scene that takes place in the Myers house, with Michael and Jamie working well together to create a tense game of cat-and-mouse. Of course, the film could not have been made without the brilliance of main star Donald Pleasence - his fourth outing as Dr. Loomis is still on par with the original.

The continual focus on the most annoying Tina and her teeny-bopper friends drags the film through the mud more often than not. Most of the characters are annoying, one-dimensional idiots who deserve to get the chop (particularly the boyfriends and those two "clown" cops). The ending was a surprise and worked quite well, and a special mention goes to Beau Starr for another excellent performance as Sheriff Ben Meeker.

All in all, an average effort but nothing to get excited about.

Best thing about this one is the soundtrack otherwise it's alright. I absolutely love how someone said Samuel Loomis is the best and everyone else is going through the motions that's excellent! Lacking kills, nudity, and suspense which is disappointing to me. Honestly I think the original and remakes are the best ones otherwise the sequels get worse although Halloween II is pretty good!