After 1983's Michael-less HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH, HALLOWEEN 4's subtitle says it all for this follow-up: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS. (Audiences were confused and infuriated that the white masked maniac failed to have a presence in the third entry.) Basically this flick is a carbon copy return to the roots of the original film to satisfy fans and profits, of course. Taking place 10 years after HALLOWEEN II, Michael escapes once again, this time to go after his young niece, played by an enthusiastic tiger of a little girl named Danielle Harris, who would grow up to become a hot scream queen, ironically appearing in both the Rob Zombie HALLOWEEN remakes. Hot on Michael's trail, naturally, is Doctor Loomis, essayed once again by genre icon Donald Pleasance, who never seems to be heard by other authorities unless he gets all bent out of shape and screams about how EVIL Michael really is! Loomis sports a small silly putty burn scar on his face (which alternates to the left or right cheek throughout the movie!) from the incinerating hospital explosion that endcapped HALLOWEEN II.( He must have more Terminator in him than shrink!) Michael stalks Jamie and her foster sister, played by cutie Ellie Cornell. Cornell's best friend steals her boyfriend and we get an eyeful of artfully shot beautiful breasts and ass courtesy of hot stuff Kathleen Kinmont, playing Cornell's rival "Ms. Hot Panties". Kinmont would go on to steam up TV screens in the RENEGADE television show and play the titular monster in BRIDE OF THE RE-ANIMATOR. Most of HALLOWEEN 4 is pretty formulaic slasher setpieces, with a few gruesome kills and a really cool ending where Michael passes his EVIL on to his niece! Then she stabs someone to death at the end of the movie, thereby restarting the Myers family cycle of murder once again. Sadly, this twist is largely ignored in the fifth entry of the series and is chalked off as a simple Freddy nightmare. (Sic!) Anyway, there's nothing wrong with HALLOWEEN 4, if you like the series you'll surely dig more of the same. It's competently directed, the ambient Halloween mood feels right, and it's Michael on the prowl, stalking and slashing his way through Haddonfield again. And the added bonus of pretty Ms. Hot Panties is just sweet icing on the cake!
After 1983's Michael-less HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH, HALLOWEEN 4's subtitle says it all for this follow-up: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS. (Audiences were confused and infuriated that the white masked maniac failed to have a presence in the third entry.) Basically this flick is a carbon copy return to the roots of the original film to satisfy fans and profits, of course. Taking place 10 years after HALLOWEEN II, Michael escapes once again, this time to go after his young niece, played by an enthusiastic tiger of a little girl named Danielle Harris, who would grow up to become a hot scream queen, ironically appearing in both the Rob Zombie HALLOWEEN remakes. Hot on Michael's trail, naturally, is Doctor Loomis, essayed once again by genre icon Donald Pleasance, who never seems to be heard by other authorities unless he gets all bent out of shape and screams about how EVIL Michael really is! Loomis sports a small silly putty burn scar on his face (which alternates to the left or right cheek throughout the movie!) from the incinerating hospital explosion that endcapped HALLOWEEN II.( He must have more Terminator in him than shrink!) Michael stalks Jamie and her foster sister, played by cutie Ellie Cornell. Cornell's best friend steals her boyfriend and we get an eyeful of artfully shot beautiful breasts and ass courtesy of hot stuff Kathleen Kinmont, playing Cornell's rival "Ms. Hot Panties". Kinmont would go on to steam up TV screens in the RENEGADE television show and play the titular monster in BRIDE OF THE RE-ANIMATOR. Most of HALLOWEEN 4 is pretty formulaic slasher setpieces, with a few gruesome kills and a really cool ending where Michael passes his EVIL on to his niece! Then she stabs someone to death at the end of the movie, thereby restarting the Myers family cycle of murder once again. Sadly, this twist is largely ignored in the fifth entry of the series and is chalked off as a simple Freddy nightmare. (Sic!) Anyway, there's nothing wrong with HALLOWEEN 4, if you like the series you'll surely dig more of the same. It's competently directed, the ambient Halloween mood feels right, and it's Michael on the prowl, stalking and slashing his way through Haddonfield again. And the added bonus of pretty Ms. Hot Panties is just sweet icing on the cake!
