Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers functions perfectly as a standalone introduction to the horror genre. This movie was my introduction, admittedly I watched it when I was far too young. The pacing, the meticulous storytelling and the way it establishes dread before Michael even throws a punch, is what immediately hooked me. The movie inspired me to write my own stories within the genre, but it was the ending, which is when I knew one day I would write a continuation.
The film understands that evil in the Halloween universe is not just a man with a knife. It is a creeping psychological infection which preys on trauma and isolation.
Jamie Lloyd is completely alienated, terrified and surrounded by a town that treats her family legacy like a ghost story. As the locals whisper and the bullies tournament, “Every night is Halloween at Jamie’s house.” This tragic alienation makes her the perfect vessel for that darkness to eventually take root.
Beyond the scares, the script shines in its character dynamics and self-awareness. There is a brilliant quiet moment for Dr Loomis when he hitches a ride with Reverend Sayer. After a decade of screaming at bureaucrats that Michael is the boogeyman, Loomis listens to a man preaching about the apocalypse and true evil. Loomis suddenly realises this is exactly what he sounds like to everyone else. Meanwhile the town descends into dangerous chaos with a vigilante mob of “beer bellies running around with shotguns” desperately trying to stop history from repeating itself.
The third act is a relentless lesson in building tension. The horror scales perfectly from the deputy’s assumption of paranoia to claustrophobia, to the impaling shotgun at the police chief’s house, to the desperate struggle on the back of the escaping truck.
Through it all our hero Rachel completely redeems herself. Initially unsure of how to handle her new foster sister, she transforms into a fierce protector. She does everything she can to save Jamie, culminating in a terrifying sequence on the roof where she attempts to lower the child to safety, full knowing she is actually only trying to lower Jamie as close to the ground as possible before Michael brutally ends her life.
Just when the characters believe “Michael Myers is in hell, buried where he belongs” the film delivers its most devastating psychological blow. The climax reveals that the infection of The Shape has successfully transferred. Seeing Jamie standing at the top of the stairs in the clown mask completely breaks Loomis. It is a tragic culmination of trauma that cements the film as a masterpiece. Watching this flawless execution of suspense is exactly what drives my passion to craft my own narratives within this terrifying universe.
Anyone else think the images of these posters should be swapped?
