Halloween 4 was released right before Halloween in 1988 and was an instant classic. The producers of the Halloween franchise had decided to ditch the Michael Myers storyline for part 3 and go in a completely different direction, which turned out to be an awful idea. Nobody wanted to see a Halloween movie that didn't involve Michael Myers, so part 3 became a legendary flop (although it does have a cult following today). Part 4 in many ways was a return to the original movie's formula. They even used one of the original houses from part 1 in the movie poster, even though that movie is not featured in part 4 at all.
Part 4 takes place 10 years after the events of the first 2 Halloween movies. In that time, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis' character) has been killed in a car accident along with her husband, leaving behind a daughter named Jamie. Jamie has been adopted by the Carruthers family, who have a teenage daughter named Rachel. All hell breaks loose when Michael Myers escapes the ambulance that is trying to transfer him to a new residential facility and ends up back in Haddonfield. Michael's mission is of course to find/kill Jamie, his last living relative. He completely shuts down the whole town of Haddonfield by destroying their power station (while killing someone of course) and ransacks their police station. Rachel and Jamie manage to fight him off though and by the end of the movie Michael is supposedly dead. But does his evil live on??? Watch part 5 and find out...
I've always liked this sequel better than the others because it is probably the most "80's" ish without being ultra-cheesy (like part 5), and the fact that the movie actually has a Halloween atmosphere. I love how the movie begins with shots of a deserted farm decorated for Halloween, resembling the eeriness of "Children of the Corn." Rachel is an awesome heroine because she is not only fighting for herself against Michael Myers, but also her foster sister, and she succeeds awesomely. Sasha Jenson from "Dazed and Confused" plays Rachel's two-timing boyfriend with an awesome mullet. When I was watching this today with a friend, who had never seen it before, he was surprised that this movie wasn't as bloody as some of the others. This movie, like the original, relies more on suspense than gore (it does have some good kills though).
About that ending...some people love it, some hate it. It leaves me more confused than anything else.
So, if you're going to watch any of the Halloween sequels this fall, make it part 4! I'm actually looking forward to watching the hot mess that is Halloween 5 though....
Posted by xchazx (Member # 7158) on :
i saw 4 years and years ago and loved it. never saw 5. my only question is:
who the hell is the guy with the cowboy boots at the end?!?!?!?!?(hopefully i'm thinking of the right movie)
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I'm not sure if they ever really revealed who that was, but for some reason I'm thinking it was Michael's doctor from the beginning of part 4??
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Always liked Halloween 4. You´re right, it has the Halloween atmosphere and i also like the characters.
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
This is my favorite from all the Halloween movies.
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
After the original and best, this is probably the best film in the series.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
The original "Halloween" is still my all time fav scary flick! I watch it almost every Halloween night..
Veronica.. I'm with you on "Halloween 3", I realize it has a cult following and if you separate it now from the other Halloween movies it might be considered decent. But I was beyond disappointed on the first viewing, I was told ahead of time to expect something different.. it was such a disappointment!!
On the other hand, Halloween 4 is a brilliant comeback and a true 80's classic.
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
Veronica awesome write up! I haven't seen this in a long time and i'd just remembered Danielle Harris played Jamie........you've gotten me wanting to see it again Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
Well I'll be the first I guess I liked this one when I was younger, but find it all a bit rubbish now.
Totally disagree on 3, I've loved it forever I'm always changing my mind on which I like more, 1 or 3. I wished they'd carried on doing different things instead of all the Myers tripe that only really works for me in 1. And H20 is ok.
*Darts out thread* Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Helen, Halloween 3 has some cool stuff in it. Like Valley said, I really think they should have released it outside of the Halloween series and it probably would have done a little bit better. I love how they show a trailer for Halloween 1 playing on a TV in the background!
Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
quote:Originally posted by Helen_S: Well I'll be the first I guess I liked this one when I was younger, but find it all a bit rubbish now.
Totally disagree on 3, I've loved it forever I'm always changing my mind on which I like more, 1 or 3. I wished they'd carried on doing different things instead of all the Myers tripe that only really works for me in 1. And H20 is ok.
*Darts out thread*
i feel the same way. i used to love part 4 and now i find it completely unwatchable. i loved the halloween franchise years back, and maybe it's me getting older.. but i can only watch parts 1 through 3. and like helen, i love part 3. i am just very glad that rob zombie's halloween remake brought a new light for me to the series.
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
Someone agreed hehe
Love your new title
Yeah I love how they put that on the TV in 3 as well Veronica Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Helen and Ronnie obviously paid too much attention to the tv at the end of "Halloween 3".. I should have warned you about the brainwashing if you failed to look away! Sorry
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
I liked all the Halloween sequels, except for part 2. As for part 3, I loved it when I was a kid. I would go around singing that Silver Shamrock song for days (I've been known to do it as an adult too!).
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I try to watch the entire series each year. I even tolerate part 5. I have part 6, but as I'm looking at the DVD cover, I don't think I've ever watched it. I pretend H2O and Resurrection don't even exist.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Kev, part 6 is pretty hokey and nonsensical most of the time, but it does have some good Halloween atmosphere and death scenes. If anything, it's worth watching to see a very young Paul Rudd in his first starring role.
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I'll definitely watch it this Halloween season Veronica....thanks for the heads up....
Posted by Mike. (Member # 7179) on :
quote:Originally posted by Valley: The original "Halloween" is still my all time fav scary flick! I watch it almost every Halloween night..
Veronica.. I'm with you on "Halloween 3", I realize it has a cult following and if you separate it now from the other Halloween movies it might be considered decent. But I was beyond disappointed on the first viewing, I was told ahead of time to expect something different.. it was such a disappointment!!
Valley
I'm the same as you Halloween night wouldn't be right without watching the original.The whole atmosphere is what you want Halloween to be like.
On the other hand, Halloween 4 is a brilliant comeback and a true 80's classic.
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![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
I liked this one when I was younger, but find it all a bit rubbish now.
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Someone agreed hehe![[Smile]](smile.gif)
