Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers sees the return of Michael Myers and his niece Jamie. What sets this installment apart from the rest of the series is its amped up violence. This time The Shape is not content just using a butcher’s knife to murder his victims. Arguably, the characters and storyline used in this film have found many a reincarnation in today’s modern slasher films.
What’s The Story?
After having survived the fall from a mineshaft, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield to get his revenge. He has somehow developed a psychic connection with his niece, Jamie. But because of severe trauma, Jamie has suddenly become mute and has been confined in a children’s psychiatric hospital for treatment. Her nightmares reach fever pitch when The Shape is about to kill one of his victims. And with a more determined Dr. Loomis still on Michael’s tail, he tries to convince Jamie to use her telepathic link with her evil uncle to finally put a stop to his evil.
Why We Love It
The straight answer is Dominique Othenin-Girard’s directorial style. Released just a year after Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers didn’t offer anything new to the Halloween franchise. There weren’t any new expositions in the plot such as in Halloween II, where it was revealed that Laurie was Michael’s sister. However, Dominique Othenin-Girard’s fast and furious camera stylistics give the story a much more different look and feel than any of the other Halloween movies.
Did You Know?
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers was supposed to have more violence and gore if it was up to director Dominique Othenin-Girard. However, the film’s producer Moustapha Akkad didn’t quite agree with the direction that Othenin-Girard was taking the film. And the reviews committee didn’t as well. A lot of death scenes were trimmed just so the movie could make the R rating (boooh).
Overall, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a good, scary film. It has become the precedent to the way slasher movies are made today, which is more violence, more blood, more gore equals summer blockbuster hit.