10 Things You Learn Rewatching Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)
1. In Summary
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is hit-and-miss. While its heart is in the right place, featuring great characters and delivering some real stand-out moments, it's easily the worst of the franchise thus far.
It's writing is often undercooked and lazy and the visuals are nowhere near the quality that cinematographer Dean Cundey consistently delivered across the first three films. And worst of all, the Michael Myers characterization delivered here is so far removed from the original intent that he might as well be a completely different character.
Overall, it's a better-than-average '80s slasher film but a disappointing Halloween film. This was the first time in the series that I thought, "If the new film isn't at least better than this, then it's a failure".
Haddonfield High Superlatives:
Best Kill: Michael turning Kelly into wall art by impaling her with a shotgun.
Funniest Scene: Jamie hearing sounds in the night and responding with "Whoever you are, I have a big dog with me. And he bites!".
Biggest Dick of a Character: Brady wins the award for biggest dick of the whole damn franchise so far.
How Awful of a Town is Haddonfield?: 8 out of 10 (able to be completely overthrown by one man over the course of a few hours, home to a terrible strand of trigger-happy rednecks, has one of the worst police forces imaginable)
Scream Queen Award: Ellie Cornell as Rachel Carruthers. Danielle Harris gives her some competition, but this film is Cornell's only moment to shine and it'd be a shame to not acknowledge her stellar work here.
Ranking of Films Revisited Thus Far From Best to Worst: Halloween (1978), Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Check out our previous Halloween Retrospectives below:
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch