Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

• Co-Written and Directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard
• October 13, 1989

Having survived the events of the previous film, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield to kill his niece Jamie and anyone that gets between them.

To say Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers has problems is bordering on understatement. Not as many as Rob Zombie’s Halloween II or the most recent set of Halloween reboot films but it has problems. From story to characterization, it is confusing and rather unfocused with a tone at points that did not fit with a slasher horror film. Reportedly the script was still being revised when this went into production meaning the final product is a bit of a kit bash of an undone script and a completed script.

One thing that jumped out at me right away were the characters of Deputy Nick Ross (Frank Como) and Deputy Tom Farrah (David Ursin). While comic relief can be okay what we got from these two was something found in a film from the 40s and worse they had their own theme music to highlight the punchline of whatever cringeworthy joke they were a part of. Really? Halloween is not a horror comedy of any type.

The second issue is The Man in Black (Don Shanks who also played Michael Myers here). Supposedly his storyline was minimized to the point of non-existence (clearly), so you just see this mysterious figure in shadows dressed in black popping in and out from time-to-time walking by and observing events and then wondering away with a briefcase in hand. What is his purpose? Why is he there? As far as the movie is concerned not a whole lot until the finale when he sets things up for an obvious sequel. And it is such an out of left field event you are left scratching your head.

The Revenge of Michael Myers confirms something only hinted at in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and that’s a psychic connection between Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) and Michael Myers. There is nothing leading up to the revelation that there is a psychic link. It just is. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) believes it from the get-go based on no apparent evidence and with little effort convinces others of the same.

In the original Halloween II, there was a brief hint in my opinion of possibly a psychic connection between Laurie and Michael during a weird vision/dream sequence. At least that was how I took it. The revelation with Jamie implies it is a familial thing. This confirmation of a psychic link also pretty much says that the reason Michael Myers returned to Haddonfield was to kill Laurie because she could take away the rage as can her daughter Jamie and that is a bad thing in the eyes of the cult whose storyline was pretty much wiped away. The thing is that connection is never made here quite possibly because of the haphazard nature of this production.

Donald Pleasance was a magnificent actor. He had a great deal of talent and unfortunately at the end of his career he became largely connected to the Halloween films and Dr. Loomis though he was so much more than that. While he does sell his material the problem is Dr. Loomis alternates between frantically panicked and ready to smack the crap out of Jamie because she isn’t helping him get Michael and fatherly towards Jamie because she is unsafe and the focus of Michael’s killing spree. Holy bipolar, Batman!

I found the ending a bit reminiscent of Black Christmas with the bodies of assorted victims being stored in the house. In this case rather than being stored in the attic of a sorority the bodies of the assorted victims are being stored in the attic of Michael’s home. Now would have been a good time to explain why he keeps coming back to this one building and the town does not demolish it or turn it into a macabre tourist attraction.

The kills are just rather “Meh.” We see plenty of very bright blood but no real gore. We get some splotches on shirts and what looks more like red paint than fake blood. I’m not sure who was behind these effects, but it was not quality at all. Even if it’s low budget you still need to be mindful of appearance.

An ending can hurt or harm a film. This ending harmed the film because in the context of everything else it makes very little sense. The mysterious Man in Black who has been simply walking across the screen or seen in an exterior shot places an explosive on the side of the jail cell holding Michael Myers and sets him free and comes in with guns blazing to kill the entire police department. Who is this mysterious man? Why did he go through so much trouble just to free a killer? Why was the killer Michael Myers allowed to sit in a jail cell with his Halloween mask on? Oh, I do not know. And neither will you.

The film itself is competently directed given the material that they had to work with. The problem is it’s just bad material. You can polish a turd only so much but no matter how much you polish it, it will still be a turd. Things are just confused and mixed up and it’s clear they were mostly winging it from start to finish.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a significantly weak entry for an iconic character. It’s confusing because of the rushed nature. It is not something that will satisfy horror fans in general nor individuals who find enjoyment in 80s horror. The only reason to watch this is to get a complete look at the original Halloween narrative. Other than that you can probably skip it.