Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

(On TV, October 2019) In the grand scheme of the Halloween series, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is the one that trashed the idea of a series of unrelated Halloween-themed movies—as much as I like Halloween 3’s crazy approach to the theme, Halloween 4 is indeed the return of Michael Myers as the unstoppable, possibly supernatural serial killer with a fascination for the Stroud family. If you’re even remotely familiar with the concept of a slasher horror movie, you know what to expect: an evil killer, innocent victims, ineffectual police forces (through no fault of their own, as even gunshots at close range aren’t the kind of stuff that will stop this killer). The twist here is that the intended victim is a very young girl, introducing a not-so-cool, not-so-fun element in the template. There’s an extra twist at the very end, but it feels more distasteful and a mockery of any attempt at characterization—though I’ll note that both Halloween 4 and Friday the 13th 4 (four years apart) ended on similar notes, Halloween 4 being a bit more sadistic about it. There’s something almost interesting in the character of the doctor (Donald Pleasance) being driven mad by the idea of pure evil returning over and over again, but if you’re thinking meta-commentary about the nature of such movies, then think again: Halloween 4 really isn’t interested by such shenanigans. As the flat writing and direction suggest, this is a pure cash-in. If you’re a fan of slasher horror, this is a film for you. If you’re not, this is clearly not the film that will convince you otherwise.