I wanted to like Halloween 5, I really did. And while I think it's the worst in the series, I do hold a special place for it, as I am a fan of all of the Halloween films. More Michael Myers is all I want, period.The Basic Story:
With the shocking cliffhanger part 4 ended with you’d think Part 5 would be something special. Instead, part 5 begins with The Shape getting shot gunned into a tomb, falling in a river and being found by some bum. The bum babysits Michael for a year, but when Halloween comes he wakes up and his thirst for killing Jamie hasn’t toned down. Jamie is now in a hospital, she can’t talk and it winds up that she’s somehow psychologically linked with her uncle. Loomis is still around, waiting for the inevitable and some mysterious guy dressed in black enters the picture. Halloween becomes a bloody soap opera.
The Lowdown:
This one should be called: Halloween 5: The Sabotage Of Michael Myers. I think Dominique Othenin-Girard set out to destroy the Halloween series. No director in their right mind would direct a movie like this and actually think they’re doing a good job. Where do I begin…First off not going with the ending of Halloween 4 was a big mistake, it would have opened so many possibilities for the series, Jamie should have taken Michael’s place…I guess somebody got cold feet. This time around Loomis’s ranting feels very redundant, poor Mr. Pleasence, it shows he doesn’t want to be on set…just the paycheck (he and the director were at odds about the movie’s direction).
The movie is filled with nerve testing characters, from Jamie who can’t speak, from her stuttering sidekick, to the two comic relief bumbling cops who always show up accompanied by clown like sound effects. We are treated with the worst teen to teen dialogue, a lagging pace, awful writing, a Michael that cries and a dumber than Forrest Gump ending.
The Blood and Guts:
The kills are bloody but quite boring. The Shape’s new mask doesn’t look nearly as cool.
The Good Stuff:
A blonde bimbo with the IQ of a cockroach show us some skin.
The Music:
The "Carpenter" classic theme is remade in a blah, ho hum way.
The Bottom Line:
This is the worst Halloween of the series. Even Michael Myers looks bored in it. The previous Halloween films at least showed sign of intelligence among the carnage, this one is a donkey. The introduction of the man in black is interesting but far from enough to save this turd.
Trivia:
Donald Pleasence quote about Halloween 5: "I do think the story is a bit stupid, and there’s a lot more blood. They’re obviously taking the Halloween series in a different direction. I don’t know if I’m thrilled with that direction, but I guess it doesn’t make a difference, since I won’t be around."
I remember going to the theater to see this one with my friend Shawn. We used to stay at one-another's house often and whenever we did we would rent all kind of horror movies and watch them. I was only 14 at the time, but my mom was super-cool and let me go see it. My sisters were pissed that I was able to see a rated-R movie at an earlier age than they were, lol. Basic Story:
This is the plot from what I gather…Jamie after part 5 got kidnapped by the man in black and brought to his cult’s domicile. Six years later Jamie is all grown up, she’s pregnant (Michael you dirty dog) and once she gives birth, she runs away with her newborn. The cult send Michael after her to get the baby back. In Haddonfield, the man in black is attempting to recruit a new child. He’s the son of Kara Strode. Kara and her son now live with Kara’s parents in the old Myers house (they’re all somehow related to Laurie Strode).
Mentally unstable Tommy Doyle (he was one of the kids Laurie Strode babysat in the first one) lives across the street and is now obsessed with Michael Myers and his origins. He eventually gets his hands on the baby, joins forces with Dr. Loomis and Kara, the identity of the man in black is uncovered and Michael Myers kills a few one dimensional characters…Oops, and I forgot to mention that Haddonfield has a rally to make Halloween fun again, it’s hosted by some obnoxious radio "shock jock" (a part offered to Howard Stern).
The Lowdown:
Rumor as it this movie had lots of "suits" on the set, got butchered in the editing room and that too many cooks pissed in the stew…or something like that. After viewing this flick, I believe the rumors. It’s too bad cause you feel a good movie trying to come out. Joe Chappelle’s directing style is very different from all the other entries and is as far off from "Carpenter" as can be. That’s actually positive. This new approach brings a new kind of energy to the series, it’s bleak in a flashy way and I personally love it. But all the style in the world can’t make me ignore that the storyline is a mess.
What was once a good script (I assume) got slashed and diced. The bad seed planted by Halloween 5 grows even more sour. Associating Michael with druids or are they monks in jumpsuits is a ridiculous idea. Why complicate things so much? Michael Myers is just evil on two legs that feels compelled to kill his siblings...that's it! What’s with all this cult business? Also Michael’s tie to the clan is very blurry, is he with them, against them, who’s suppose to take over Kara’s son or Jamie’s baby…in other words: What the hell is going on? A once very simple series made overly complicated.
The Blood and Guts:
Michael is still cranky and unlike part 5 this time his heart is into the killings. Death by farm equipment, some good axe fun, an exploding head, and some good old fashion stabbing. It’s nice to see Michael enjoying himself again.
The Good Stuff:
The skanky girlfriend shows her bits.
The music:
The Halloween theme is hardly used and instead we get a mean electric guitar twang…it works very well with the way it’s directed.
The Bottom Line:
It’s a shame cause the movie looks good, is somber and very flashy. The different approach is very cool, I love the strobe light carnage at the end. The suspense scenes are decent, the actors are mostly good and Michael is in top form but alas the movie feels incomplete, the story is a jumbled mess, too many ideas not enough explanations and we don't get enough of Loomis. What started with Part 5 is complete with this entry. The last nail as been nailed in "The Shape’s" coffin as we know him.
Trivia:
Quentin Tarantino was once attached to the project.
The Shape is played by George Wilbur who played The Shape in part 4.
The man Michael chases down the hospital hall and then bangs his head against the metal door is none other than Wilbur’s dad.
There’s a version out there called the "Producer’s Cut". It’s not legally out but it contains all the footage that was cut and offers us a very different movie. We see more of Loomis and Dr. Wynn, Jamie doesn’t die the same way, it’s shown that Michael impregnated Jamie and the ending is totally different.
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