Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Assumed to be dead after getting showered with bullets by the Haddonfield police, Michael Myers, played by Don Shanks, is secretly taken care of – and returns a year later to start back with his murder. He once again goes after his young niece, Jamie, who’s recovering in the local children’s hospital after attacking her stepmother, played by Karen Alston, and losing her voice. Jamie’s mental link with Michael may be the key to continuing the family trait.

The residents of Haddonfield, Illinois now have to go up against the revenge of Michael Myers. Doing exactly the same thing “Halloween II” did, this installment picks up exactly where “Halloween 4” left off. “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers,” released in 1989, exactly one year after the last one, with many characters return in here as well. Dr. Loomis returns along with Ellie Cornelle, Danielle Harris and Tina Williams (Wendy Kaplan).

After the traumatizing events of “Halloween 4,” Jamie is now in a children’s clinic being watched by Dr. Loomis. This nightmare was evidently a lot for the 9-year-old to take in, so she has not spoken a word. Michael, assumed dead after being blown by dynamite in a mine shaft, has been in a coma for an entire year while being taken care of by a hermit, played by Harper Roisman, on the edge of town. (Apparently the Haddonfield police department did not go for a good search in the town.) To continue with the Myers’ story and to make another sequel, Michael awakens on Halloween Eve, kills the hermit, and then goes to find his nice. Only this time Jamie can feel what killings her uncle is doing.

Jamie’s mental connection with Michael gives the story an interesting twist, and is not a complete redoing of the “good overcome with evil” trait. Her stepsister Rachel is back, but only for a short time. Michael ends up killing her in the first 20 minutes. Austin Hinderliter stated in his review, “Can you say BIG mistake? After the release the producers acknowledged their error by killing off Cornelle’s character. Hey, at least they admitted a fault. But it was nevertheless sad to see such a beloved character go.” Now that Rachel has bought the farm, we see her friends for the rest of the film: the 80’s icon Tina, the airhead Samantha (Tamara Glynn) and their boyfriends Michael (Jonathan Chapin) and Spitz (Matthew Walker). Hinderliter said, “For the first time in a Halloween movie, the characters are all cardboard cutouts.” The only thing they want to do is get drunk and make out. Somehow everything still seems to work. That might be because every character is surpassed by the amazing performances from Pleasence and Harris.

Continuing the story, “Halloween 5” is also famous for bringing a new character – the mysterious “Man in Black,” also played by Shanks. He has a Celtic symbol tattooed on his wrist, which looks exactly like the one Michael has on. (I think that was seen in the later sequels.) Nobody, even the crew during production, knew what his reason was. This character would be responsible for leaving the ending with questions for a sequel. Many say this subplot ruins this film. I agree with Hinderliter when he said, “But the “Man In Black” does not bother me, in fact I think he works to Halloween 5’s advantage.” The movie has a mysterious theme in it anyway, and this just does that.

In between the “Man in Black” walking through the streets of Haddonfield, Michael edges toward Jamie. She continues to feel he’s there throughout the film and with the help of a friend, Billy Hill, played by Jeffrey Landman, tries really hard to save Tina and her friends from being murdered by Michael. With most franchises, “Halloween 5” tries to give Michael some human feelings. Hinderliter said, “I find it to be effective here, because we as the audience feel the family connection between Jamie and Michael. Family is forever after all. Although I am not too fond of Michael being unmasked.” The final scene has a three-way fight between Jamie, Michael and Dr. Loomis in the old Myers’ house that is sure to please any fans of the Halloween franchise.

Hinderliter stated, “Now, let me enumerate the flaws of the film. Bottom line, it feels rushed. Going into preproduction directly after the release of Halloween 4, there was not much time to get the script perfected. And sadly it shows. The pacing is irregular at times, and some mistakes in continuity and editing are strikingly obvious. At times the words do not match up with the actors mouth even. Apart for the sparse Halloween decorations the movie doesn’t have much of a seasonal theme. Even though the film is set in October, the leaves are all green. But they were the same in the original, so I’m willing to overlook that. Overall though, this was a solid and grounded film.”

There are obvious errors in continuity connecting this with the fourth movie. The major one being Michael’s mask, because they change it from film to film. Hinderliter said, “I actually favor the mask in this entry over the lackluster one in H4. Another drastic difference is the Myers’ house, which has been transformed from a humble two story house into a multiple story Gothic mansion with wrap around porches and towers. Again, a change I do not have a problem with. The sequence with Dr. Loomis exploring the mansion is a personal favorite of mine.” Let’s not forget about the famous laundry chute part. That is suspenseful, claustrophobic and undeniably one of the more edge-of-your-seat scary moments in the series. Could all of that worked in the small house they made in the original? Most likely it would not have.

“Halloween 5” separates itself from the franchise when it comes to atmosphere and story. In all honesty, this actually works very well. Hinderliter said, “Girard brings a European feel to make this film stand out from the rest.” Let’s not forget the interesting opening credits, with the severe carving of a pumpkin with a butcher knife. That is, hands down, the strongest credit sequence in the franchise. Hazy lighting, Gothic houses, dropping shadows, and creaking barns give “Halloween 5” a stylish and successful sequel in this ongoing horror series.

I know that people didn’t like this film, but I personally thought this was better than the fourth. I do acknowledge the faults, like throwing away the idea of how the fourth film ended. However, I think the makers thought that they would be repeating the same plot threads if they made Jamie go down the same path as Michael. With her not speaking for the first 45 minutes, I thought was really effective. I actually feared for her throughout the film, and I liked the connection she tried to make with Michael in order to make him human. I do get that he should look more burnt and zombie like, but I don’t know why they made his face look normal. Plus, I think he was trying to be human, especially since he didn’t really hurt Jamie, seeing how it was his niece, so he was being like Two-Face that was fighting his split personality. Goes with the Thorn symbol they were doing. Definitely see this one and give it a chance.

Well, I’m sad to say it’s all downhill from here. If you want to know what I mean, check in tomorrow for the continuation of “Halloween-a-thon” in this year’s “Halloween Month.” Also, review to come later today since my brother and I went to see a movie that is based on our favorite toy product.