Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers [Blu-ray]

"Halloween 4" was a modest hit, when it came out in theaters but it had an large cult following on video. It is well made, it has some good moments, here and there. Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris are good in their roles as Rachel and Jamie. It is always nice to see Donald Pleasence back in the role of Dr. Loomis. A character, who was supposed to be burn to death, along with Michael Myers from "Halloween 2". This sequel certainly forget logic and the story isn't very promising. But audiences certainly went back to see this movie, thanks to Pleasence's role and the Michael Myers character.

It is watchable enough, it has some suspenseful moments but nearly falls apart in the third act. Especially, an extremely almost unintentionally funny moment... when Michael Myers quietly get on the moving truck and kills these nednecks almost without making an sound! Some of these vigilante don't even move at all! It almost makes you wander, since when Michael Myers did become an quiet ninja assassin! But the final shock twist with Harris' character is quite a surprise.

The blu-ray has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) 1080p transfer and an decent but disappointing remastered Dolby 5.1 Tru HD Sound. I was expecting the sound to be louder at times but not at all. I don't think, Anchor Bay didn't do a good remastering job for the sound. Since it was recorded cheaply back in the late 1980's in Ultra-Stereo. I think "Halloween 5" from Anchor Bay for the Blu-ray actually sounded much better! The blu-ray also includes an new running commentary track by the director:Dwight H. Little (Free Willy 2:The Adventure Home, The Phantom of the Opera "1989", Rapid Fire) and moderated Justin Beahm. Beahm asks some rather interesting questions to the director, it is a lively commentary track but i liked the commentary track better from the screenwriter:Alan B. McElroy (Spawn, Wrong Turn) and moderated by Anthony Massey is missing from the Blu-ray. If you enjoy commentary tracks, keep your 2006 Anchor Bay DVD. The second commentary track by Cornell and Harris is a hoot, especially for fans of this movie. An featurette titled "Halloween 4:Final Cut" is missing from the Blu-ray but they kept Halloween 4/5 Cast Panel from the 25th Anniversay Halloween Convention in 2003 and the original theatrical trailer is included.

"Halloween 4:The Return of Michael Myers" is well made, it is fairly paced, it is nice to see Pleasence in the role of Dr. Loomis but the movie has its highs and lows. Michael Myers' mask doesn't really look that good at times and also, Myers is pretty big guy in this one! Still for all its flaws, it is pretty good with a nice shock twist at the end. Where "Halloween 5" should have taken that direction but didn't. The opening sequence is atmosphere as well with an nice music score by Alan Howarth (Who composed music with John Carpenter in a couple of films). Grade:B+ for the movie. Grade:B+ for the picture quality. Grade:B for the sound.

(this is actually the third Michael Myers film i)found Halloween 4:the
Return of Michael Myers to be a better movie than the first two Michael
Myers movies.i actually felt there were some tense and suspenseful
moments in this one,unlike the previous two.i'm not including number
three here,because it is a stand alone movie that has nothing to do
with the Michael Myers character.the movie also has a much eerier feel
to it.i also thought the acting was actually pretty good in this one.in
the first two,i didn't think too much of the acting.even though i found
the movie to be good overall,the best part for me,was the ending.i
thought it was great.maybe predictable,but still great.for,me this
movie came closest in the series to delivering the goods for this
genre.i didn't find it scary,but like i said,it was tense and
suspenseful,and had a great atmosphere.for me,Halloween 4:The Return of
Michael Myers is a 4/5

If you thought the nightmare was over- you were DEAD wrong. Michael Myers is alive and well, and coming back to Haddonfield in "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers", the fourth installment to the "Halloween" series and the third appearance of the sadistic Michael Myers. Without a doubt, "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" is the best "Halloween" sequel. It is just almost as good as the original in so many ways. "Halloween 4" sticks to a simple formula of the original but doesn't copy, it is well acted and direcred, and it is scary as they come. Halloween has returned to Haddonfield, and HE has come home... again.
First, "Halloween 4" stays with a simple, chilling story like the original "Halloween" but does not completely copy the film. It is hard for sequels to not stray too far from the series basics or not to just completely rewrite the original. Many series, such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Friday the 13th", and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" tend to get repetative with their many sequels. "Halloween" however finds something new to add into the mix. Here, in "Halloween 4", the babysitter's nightmare comes true again. It's been ten years since Michael Myers killed 16 people until finally being stopped by Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance). Myers and Loomis were both burned nearly to death, but they both lived, with Loomis gaining a limp and Myers being put into a coma. In those ten years, Lourie Strode has died with her husband Jimmy (from "Halloween II") in a car accident and left their daughter, Jamie (Danielle Harris) behind. Jamie has just arrived in a foster family under the care of the Curruthers', with Rachel Curruthers (Ellie Cornell) as her foster sister. Jamie has lived in fear of her uncle Michael waking up, but she hasn't had to worry... until now. While being transported to a different hospital, Michael awakes from his coma and brutally escapes, heading back to Haddonfield. No believes Loomis (again) that Myers is alive and heading to Haddonfield, but they are proven wrong when he arrives there, on Halloween night, and goes after little Jamie, plus anyone who gets in his way. Now this may sound like the original a bit, but the difference comes when this time Haddonfield is prepared for Myers, and when Loomis comes and warns Sheriff Meeker (Beau Starr, who has replaced Charles Cyphers as the Sheriff of Haddonfield), Haddonfield citizens and police get ready, but how is anyone safe. Meanwhie, Rachel has been assigned to take Jamie trick-or-treating, and soon enough, she looses her. Different twist from "Halloween" when Michael stalked babysitters with their children.
Second, this film is great because of its acting. The original "Halloween" had excellent acting in it, creating very believable characters. The second "Halloween" had bad acting for the most (with the exception of Donald Pleasance, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Charles Cyphers). Here, we have some very talented young people. Donald Pleasance is of course great as Dr. Loomis who is now even more obsessed with killing Michael. Pleasance is convincing and great, and without him the "Halloween" series most likely wouldn't be what turned out to be. Joining the cast of the "Halloween" series is Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris, both young, aspiring stars. Cornell is a perfect cast for Rachel and she is both beautiful and gifted as an actress. Cornell can play the pissed girlfriend, the protective older sister, and the terrified damsil in distress all in this one movie. Harris makes herself a horror icon in this movie. I have never seen a child actor more convincing than Harris in this movie. She will have you fear for her and her character runs along the lines of 1978's Lourie. Beau Starr doesn't replace Charles Cyphers, but he does hold a candle on his own. He is a great Sheriff and a memorable one at that. Sasha Jensen plays Rache's boyfriend Brady, Kathleen Kinmont plays the cruel daughter of Sheriff Meeker, and George P. Wilbur plays the sadistic Michael Myers. This is a cast that could only be accompanied by Dwight H. Little for a director and Alan B. McElroy as the writer.
Thridly, this movie is scary. It is not disturbing or really gory, but like the first "Halloween", it is scary because it just is. Unlike the second, "Halloween 4" doesn't rely on gross out death scenes to get its point across. Yes, there are some 'creative' deaths, but none truly disgusting. There is very little blood shown and the amount of thrills shown takes care of the lack of gore. Michael is once again merciless. He goes from the hospital, to the ambulence, to the gas station, to the open road, to the electic company, to the town of Haddonfield, where he wreaks havoc on its citizens. The suspense builds to the climax where Michael is chasing his final victims while ontop a truck. Michael also continues to pop out at people and appear suddenly, making him once again just plain old creepy. A lot of times, by the fourth sequel in a series, the chills are worn out, but "Halloween" proves that theory wrong.
In conclusion, if you are going to buy any two "Halloween" movies, make sure its 1978's "Halloween" and 1988's "Halloween 4: The Curse of Michael Myers". Overall, "Halloween 4" is a sure thing for any thriller fan. It is scary, entertaining, well acted, well done, well written, and just well overall. Michael Myers returns with a bang, and the series isn't even close to being over. From its suspense driven opening to its shocking and horrifying climax, you wil be sure to scream! Get the second night HE came home and continue your collection of great films.