No surprises that Michael Myers didn't actually die at the end of "Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers" in a blaze of gun fire, causing him to tumble down a cave and throwing in some dynamite to hopefully finish him off. Well that didn't work, as he barely escapes and finding himself floating down a river to be rescued by some old hermit who looks after him for a year to bring him back to health. Now it's close to Halloween again, Michael awakes to pay him back for his troubles. Myers gets back to his brutal business and heads back to Haddonfield with the intention of killing his niece Jamie. After the horrific ordeal of stabbing her step-mother, she's now at a children's hospital and left with the inability to speak but somehow shares a telepathic link with her uncle to know when he would kill. Dr. Loomis sees this in Jamie and tries everything to get her to use it so he can finally destroy Michael Myers.
"Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" was one of the sequels that I wasn't to fond of when first watched it, but after continuous repeat viewings its slightly growing on me, nonetheless still it's not without its problems in what is an unsatisfying exercise. While a little more grittier being very misogynistic and graphic (which the previous sequel wasn't) with its deaths, it's run-of-the-mill formula fell on the dull, lumpy side with it being less punctuated with grinding suspense and moody atmosphere (as some of it takes place in full daylight) concentrating on visceral unpleasantness and plastered jump scares. This low-budget production feels like a rushed job, and the misguided, wishy washy script just doesn't cut it even with a decent concept for its basis and a few unsettling surprises that caught me off guard. However there are some odd out of character moments involving Michael (toying with his victims, driving after them in what I guess beats slowly walking after them and showing a glimpse of emotion is just to name a few), useless comic routine police officers with ridiculous sound effects backing them up and a cloudy inclusion of a man dressed in black that seems to be following Michael around. The performances are simply mediocre, however the like of Danielle Harris radiates again and Ellie Cornell proves how much of a bold talent she is with a terrifically wholesome turn. Donald Pleasance looks ragged, but he passionately camps it up (with some morbid streaks) to show the obsessive strangle hold Myers has over Loomis' personally and mentally. As now he would do anything to get his man, even risking the life of Jamie to do so. Outside these three, there's not much else. I didn't find the teens here as agreeably likable. Dominique Othenin-Girard's direction is competent, but generically flat with little visual styling (which was an imprint of "Return") and few intensity filled pockets of shocks, which you only wished it could hold it throughout. Still Michael is used unnervingly as a foreshadow within the background of many shots and it always seems to work as he could be lurking anywhere. Also the creative novelty of the film's opening credits is a nice touch.
It's more of the same, but an watchable pedestrian slasher blanketed with shocks.
"Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" was one of the sequels that I wasn't to fond of when first watched it, but after continuous repeat viewings its slightly growing on me, nonetheless still it's not without its problems in what is an unsatisfying exercise. While a little more grittier being very misogynistic and graphic (which the previous sequel wasn't) with its deaths, it's run-of-the-mill formula fell on the dull, lumpy side with it being less punctuated with grinding suspense and moody atmosphere (as some of it takes place in full daylight) concentrating on visceral unpleasantness and plastered jump scares. This low-budget production feels like a rushed job, and the misguided, wishy washy script just doesn't cut it even with a decent concept for its basis and a few unsettling surprises that caught me off guard. However there are some odd out of character moments involving Michael (toying with his victims, driving after them in what I guess beats slowly walking after them and showing a glimpse of emotion is just to name a few), useless comic routine police officers with ridiculous sound effects backing them up and a cloudy inclusion of a man dressed in black that seems to be following Michael around. The performances are simply mediocre, however the like of Danielle Harris radiates again and Ellie Cornell proves how much of a bold talent she is with a terrifically wholesome turn. Donald Pleasance looks ragged, but he passionately camps it up (with some morbid streaks) to show the obsessive strangle hold Myers has over Loomis' personally and mentally. As now he would do anything to get his man, even risking the life of Jamie to do so. Outside these three, there's not much else. I didn't find the teens here as agreeably likable. Dominique Othenin-Girard's direction is competent, but generically flat with little visual styling (which was an imprint of "Return") and few intensity filled pockets of shocks, which you only wished it could hold it throughout. Still Michael is used unnervingly as a foreshadow within the background of many shots and it always seems to work as he could be lurking anywhere. Also the creative novelty of the film's opening credits is a nice touch.
It's more of the same, but an watchable pedestrian slasher blanketed with shocks.