Halloween 5 (1989)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Directors:

Dominique Othenin-Girard
Arthur Speer

Writers:

John Carpenter (characters) and
Debra Hill (characters) ...

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Michael Lives, And This Time They're Ready!

Plot:

It's one year later after the events of Halloween 4. Michael survives the shootings and on October 31st he returns with a vengeance...

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | Friend | Michael Myers | Heroine | Party

Cast

Ellie Cornell	...	Rachel Carruthers
Beau Starr	...	Sheriff Ben Meeker
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Sam Loomis
Danielle Harris	...	Jamie Lloyd
Harper Roisman	...	Mountain Man
Karen Alston	...	Darlene Carruthers (archive footage)
Betty Carvalho	...	Nurse Patsey
Max Robinson	...	Dr. Max Hart
Wendy Kaplan	...	Tina Williams
Jeffrey Landman	...	Billy Hill
Frank Como	...	Deputy Nick Ross
David Ursin	...	Deputy Tom Farrah
Tamara Glynn	...	Samantha Thomas
Stanton Davis	...	Young Policeman
Jonathan Chapin	...	Mikey

Also Known As:

Halloween 5: Michael Myers' Revenge (USA) (working title)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG (cut) | USA:R (#29954) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (video re-release) | Sweden:15 (1998 re-release) | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Layton, Utah, USA

Company:

Magnum Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

For some reason, the directors chose to renovate one of the homes in Utah to recreate the Myers house instead of using the original Myers home, which would be later used in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).

Goofs:

Continuity: Dr. Loomis shoots tranquilizer darts at Michael from a bolt-action rifle. He makes two shots in a row without reloading.

Quotes:

[Michael Myers advances towards the deputies with a pitch fork]
Deputy Nick: Somebody could get hurt with that thing.
Deputy Tom: Hey! Somebody's gonna get hurt with that thing!
Deputy Nick: Amazing, no respect for authority!
Deputy Tom: Must be the parents.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Name Is Bruce (2007)

Soundtrack:

Willie On The Washboard

Actually, I liked it . . .

Sure, they wasted their one chance to change the direction of the Halloween series (the right way). The year long coma is BS, yes, indeed. Sure, the psychic connection between Jamie and Michael is a little goofy, ill-explained, beyond the scope of a Halloween movie, and exists for no real reason, and yes, other people wearing a mask similar to Michael and pretending to be Michael is getting old (not to mention predictable.) The mask doesn't resemble any of the previous masks really, the Myers house had an inexplicable make-over . . . I could keep these complaints rolling for some time (don't even get me started on the man in black), but despite all my reasons to not like this film . . . I prefer it over #4.

I found Halloween 5 to be strangely fun, which horror tends to be when you stop caring for the cast. While I like Danielle Harris and Donald Pleasance in the leads, most of the supporting characters I didn't really like at all, so when Myers starts the party rolling I'm rooting for team Thorn. And this time around, Miky proves he has a dark sense of humor. I especially like his choice in masks in Halloween 5 . . .

But is it scary? No, but there are a few genuine intense moments towards the end as Michael inevitably runs out of victims and closes in on the stars. I liked all the chases involving Danielle Harris and confrontations between Donald Pleasence and evil personified . . . even if said confrontations are on the silly side.

Speaking of Harris, despite her character not being able to talk in the script, she manages to rise far above the material and actually pull it off. Or in other words, while her character was written by a hack and sloppily thrown together, she works wonders with the very little she's given. It makes me really wish she got writing worthy of her performance, but like a professional, she makes the best of it . . . and to think the studio wouldn't let her reprise her role after this? A slap to the face after an insult . . . oy.

I remember reading on the VHS box of Halloween 5 the exclamation, `Michael finally unmasked!' And couldn't help but chuckle as I recalled him being mask-less at least once in every Myers-inclusive Halloween until this film. Granted, this is the first time he, himself, takes it off. Oh well.

As for the film's ending, I can't forgive because it lead to the atrocity known as Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers which felt Halloween 5 was extremely flawed but still fun . . . so it set out to make a sequel that was all flaw and no fun . . . or something.