The Night He Came Home...

In 1978, John Carpenter (The Fog, The Thing, Prince of Darkness, In The Mouth Of Madness) brought us a slasher movie that would break the mould, Halloween. This film is about a pschysophrenic (Michael Myers) who stalks a babysitter (Laurie Strohd, played by Jamie Lee Curtis) while hacking up anyone unfortunate enough to be in his path. Donald Pleasnace (The Late, Great) plays Michael's doctor who has tried to break his catatonic state for 15 years. The movie begins with a little boy stabbing his older sister to death. 15 years later this little boy is 21, loose and extremely dangerous. In contrast to many other slasher films Halloween dispenses with the gore. It focuses on scaring the audience with authentic, nightmarish realism. This made Halloween a unique horror film, which even the harsh critics enjoyed. (Trivial note): Michael Myers' mask is made from a mold of actor William Shatner. Click here for a clip from Halloween in Real Player format (538K)

Halloween II, the sequel to end the first era of Michael Myers. Oh, but don't worry. He DOES come back. This film starts off right where part one left off. Same night, same characters and thankfully...same writers. We get introduced as to why Myers is so destined to get Laurie. After six bullets I would have left her alone. 80% of this film takes place in a Haddonfield Hospital, where Laurie is admitted for trauma. Myers role doesn't deviate that much. Other than the fact that this movie has the most oblivious hospital staff I have ever seen, Halloween II delivers the same tasteful slasher movie. One of the best sequels in horror history. So good, I hazard to say.. If Empire Strikes Back never existed and star wars was a bi-ilogy of part 4 and 6, Halloween 1 & 2 would match the calibre. Watch the theatrical trailer for Halloween II in AVI format by clicking here.

Eh!! Mikey!! Quit grabbin' that ass and go kill a few more unsuspecting victims, we got a climax to shoot here!!

This film has absolutley nothing to do with the prior two. No mention of Mr. Myers, no mention of Doctor Loomis. I have no idea how the title came to be. Obviously the title was sold or used to promote a not so good film with an infamous name. Halloween III: The Season of the Witch, is about a heavily marketed line of Halloween masks being sold by a company called Silver Shamrock. This company is headed by a wealthy industrialist named Conchran. As all of America is getting ready for Silver Shamrock's Halloween T.V. special, the story unfolds with a horrific discovery by the hero. Conchran's company is made of robots and the masks they sell will be triggered into killing the wearer when the T.V. special is aired. Some of the special effects are pretty gross, and the hero, Tom Atkins, is an actor that John Carpenter has used on more than one occasion. It's not a bad film, but it isn't Halloween.

This is what happens to the wearer of the mask. You convulse, you scream, you emit many creatures from your skull. The most horrifying scene...

Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers, takes place ten years after the original two. Michael Myers didn't die after part two but he stayed in a tight coma. Halloween night is quickly approaching and Michael comes to while being transferred to another psychiatric hospital. Doctor Loomis (thankfully played again by Donald Pleasance) is alerted to the escape and quickly urges Haddonfield's sherriff to prepare for Michael's coming. Dr. Loomis is the only person who realizes that what they are dealing with isn't a man. It's purely and simply evil. Michael wants something in Haddonfield. This time it's his neice (Laurie Strohd's daughter), Jamie. What is it that pulls Michael to killing his kin? Will Loomis protect her? Watch the movie!! As far as sequels get, Halloween IV isn't that bad. It holds Michael's character true to the original's and gives us another Haddonfield Halloween full of death. Watch the theatrical trailer for Halloween IV in AVI format by clicking here.

Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers, starts us off right where part IV left off. After thinking Michael dead from the massed damage that was inflicted upon him, we find that he survived. The stream carries him to a hermit's hut in the woods where he is found and kept. Another year of catatonic nothing comes out of him, oh, but what's this? Halloween's coming...again...and Mr. Myer's awakes from his annual slumber. Refreshed after a nice snooze he only has one thing on his mind. Jamie, his neice that survived the last film, will have a harder time fending him off. Now that she's quasi-bonkers herself. Not to mention, we are introduced to a new character. A dark individual who has an evil agenda that includes Michael Myers. But this won't stop Loomis. Coming to terms with the fact that Michael just won't die, Loomis will use the girl as bait, try to trap the devil, and hope for the best.

Cheers Donald!! We'll miss you.

Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers. A few years have gone by since Michael's mysterious disappearance. Jamie, a little older with a child of her own, finds herself running away from Michael at the beginning of the film. Finally Michael gets her!! Uh, I mean, Damn!! She dies, but not before hiding her child and getting the attention of Tommy Doyle (little boy Laurie Strohd was babysitting in part 1). After using the clues left behind, Tommy finds the child and seeks out the very old and "very much retired" Dr. Loomis. Loomis is again brought into the Myers madness. Only this time there is a bigger picture involved. For years Tommy has linked Michael's events with occultism and astrology. Will the relentless Halloween massacres be explained? Will we find out who the dark image helping Myers is? Watch the movie!! Sadly, Mr. Donald Pleasance passed away during the filming of the movie. You can tell the very end was a little rushed. But overall, this chapter in the Halloween saga is at the very least, entertaining horror. Watch the theatrical trailer for Halloween VI in AVI format by clicking here.

Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later I don't know how they got her to do it, but Jamie Lee Curtis comes back to give us a severely definitive Halloween movie. In part 4 we learn that Laurie Strohd was dead. In a sense that's true. In another sense Laurie faked her death and started a new life with a new name. Somewhere far away where she prays her brother never finds her. Good luck. After killing the nurse that accompanied Dr. Loomis at the beginning of part 1, Michael gets a hold of her whereabouts and begins his journey. Meanwhile, back at the private school Curtis' character is the head mistress of, we find that she is still cursed with horrid backflashes of that night of terror. And with her son turning seventeen (the same age she was in part 1) she's getting a little edgy around Halloween. This movie has a wonderful climax as Michael and Laurie meet once again. Realizing that only killing him will end the nightmares and give her peace, Laurie faces the unstoppable brother and will test the limits to destroy him for good. So far this is the last halloween film in the series. After watching it I wonder how they will make another sequel that other sites are expecting. The conclusion is just too damned conclusive! Watch the theatrical trailer for H20 in AVI format by clicking here.

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