Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers represents the series’ sixth entry and was released six years after Halloween 5 concluded with a cliffhanger. This installment sought to explore the origins of Michael Myers, while also featuring some of the most brutal killings in the franchise’s history.
And I must say, I enjoyed this one.
Halloween 6 has garnered a reputation for its convoluted mythology, particularly concerning the Cult of Thorn. There’s also the issue of multiple different cuts of the film existing, including the theatrical release, the Producer’s Cut and the unofficial 666 version.
I have seen the various cuts and while I do think there’s some fascinating material included in the alternative versions, I personally prefer the theatrical release.
In particular, the Producer’s Cut veers into mythology that I felt was unnecessary.
The whole business surrounding Michael’s connection to the cult, Jamie Lloyd’s pregnancy and the implications of how her child was conceived gets rather unhinged.
I believe that Michael Myers is more frightening when it’s not explained why he does what he does.
This is what makes John Carpenter’s original so special – Michael was simply evil. There was no need for lengthy explanations or for an ancient organisation to be responsible for his actions.
He was the Shape and sometimes that’s all you need.
Nevertheless, there is a bloody entertaining horror movie lurking beneath the surface of this entry in the franchise.
The film takes place several years after the events of Halloween 5, with Jamie Lloyd having been captured by a mysterious cult. As a young mother, Jamie manages to escape with her newborn baby with the help of a nurse.
Unfortunately for Jamie, Michael Myers is not far away.
And he’s in a particularly foul mood.
This opening sequence makes it very clear just how vicious Michael Myers has become. We witness some particularly nasty killings, including an impalement of the skull, as he tracks down Jamie and her infant.
Jamie eventually meets a grisly end after Michael catches up with her at a farm and impales her on various agricultural equipment.
It’s a brutal end for a character who has starred in two of the previous entries and serves as a solid reminder that no one is safe.
However, prior to her death Jamie manages to make a desperate plea for help over a radio.
And the one person who hears her call is Dr. Samuel Loomis.
Donald Pleasance returns for what would be his final appearance as the character, and there’s a wonderful sense of melancholy as he re-enters the fray.
Loomis is older, tired and supposedly retired from his life as a tracker of Michael Myers.
There’s a wonderful little moment early on in the film where a radio presenter speculates on what could have happened to the doctor, even going so far as to refer to him as a quack.
The film then cuts to Loomis, who reveals that he isn’t dead, just retired.
And he really does look like he’s ready to retire.
After everything he’s been through, you can’t blame the man for wanting to put his feet up.
He’s survived bombs, endured a long and grueling chase of Michael Myers and witnessed the deaths of those who had crossed him.
But the moment Jamie’s distress call reaches him, you know that Loomis is about to be thrust back into this nightmare yet again.
Because no matter how hard he tries to walk away, Michael Myers will always find a way to bring him back.
And this time, Loomis has crossed paths with another familiar face from the franchise’s past.
Tommy Doyle.
Yes, the same Tommy Doyle who Laurie Strode babysat in the very first Halloween film.
Only now he’s grown up and starring in the film as an adult, played by Paul Rudd.
That’s right. Before he was busy donning the costume of Ant-Man, Paul Rudd was trying to survive a homicidal drifter.
It’s one of his earliest film roles and I really enjoyed seeing Tommy brought back into the fold.
He has become obsessed with uncovering the mystery of Michael Myers and the strange circumstances surrounding his murders, eventually leading him to cross paths with Loomis and Jamie’s missing child.
The two men find themselves working together to protect the boy while also uncovering the truth surrounding Michael’s return.
Meanwhile, Michael has returned to Haddonfield.
And he’s discovered something most interesting.
There is now another family living within the old Myers house.
The Strodes have moved in, completely unaware that they’ve just moved into one of the most infamous houses in horror history.
This family consists of John Strode, an unpleasant, dominating man who seems intent on making everyone around him miserable.
He’s particularly vile toward his daughter Kara, who has a young son of her own.
John is such an odious character that you almost wish Michael would come along and kill him.
And thankfully, he does.
Michael electrocutes him in a wonderfully gruesome set piece that serves as one of the film’s most satisfying kills.
That’s one thing I really enjoyed about Halloween 6.
The kills are absolutely savage.
George P. Wilbur returns as Michael Myers and I think he delivers one of the most aggressive performances as the Shape we’ve seen in the series.
Michael is angry in this film.
Very angry.
There’s a sense of menace to the way he moves and the way he deals with his victims that makes him incredibly intimidating.
But the film also remembers that Michael can be a frightening presence without necessarily always killing someone.
We get some fantastic stalking sequences, including the excellent ones surrounding the Myers house as Michael stealthily stalks his potential victims.
There’s also the memorable sequence involving the washing on the line, with Michael appearing among the white clothes before he makes his move and delivers yet another brutal killing.
It’s all very classic Halloween.
The Shape doesn’t need to announce himself. He simply appears and by the time you realise he’s there, it’s usually too late.
And then there’s the final act.
Ah, the hospital massacre.
This is easily one of my favourite sequences in the film as Michael finally loses control and goes on a murderous rampage, using the medical equipment to devastating effect.
It’s absolutely vicious as he uses the tools of his victims against them, with blood splattered everywhere.
But the moment that stands out the most is when one doctor tries to escape.
Michael gives chase and catches up with him, repeatedly smashing his head against a barred metal door in a display of frightening strength.
There’s something that’s particularly terrifying about witnessing Michael move with such speed and aggression. He’s usually portrayed as a methodical killer who stalks his prey, but here he displays some truly monstrous qualities.
And I bloody loved it.
The climax of the film sees Tommy Doyle manage to confront Michael within the medical facility, eventually subduing him before delivering a beating with a metal pipe.
It’s a satisfying end result, particularly as Tommy was one of the children that Michael haunted years previously.
It’s fitting that he gets to finally stand up to the monster that plagued his childhood.
The theatrical version then offers up a wonderfully ominous epilogue as Michael’s mask is left behind and we hear Loomis screaming somewhere within the facility.
What exactly happened?
Did Michael catch up with Loomis?
Has the nightmare finally ended?
We are left to wonder.
And I don’t mind that one bit.
The Producer’s Cut offers up an entirely different take on events, delving into the mythology of the Cult of Thorn and also establishing Dr. Wynn as the Man in Black introduced in Halloween 5.
It also suggests that Loomis has inherited the burden of Michael’s curse, as if he’s become Michael’s new keeper.
It’s an interesting concept, but I don’t think the series needed to go this far.
The more we see attempts to explain Michael Myers, the less frightening he becomes.
I don’t need to know that he’s being influenced by an ancient cult or that his killings have some sort of ritualistic significance.
I just want Michael Myers to be Michael Myers.
And when Halloween 6 allows him to do exactly that, it’s a bloody effective horror movie.
There’s also something bittersweet about Donald Pleasance’s final appearance.
He had become the heart of this series, right alongside Michael Myers, and his increasingly desperate portrayal of Loomis was always one of the highlights.
To see him as an older man, desperate to put an end to the nightmare but being dragged back in for one last performance is an emotional experience.
Pleasance passed away before this film was released and the franchise would never be quite the same again without him.
Ultimately, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a sequel that I think deserved more appreciation than it often received.
There are certainly aspects of this entry that I felt were unnecessary, such as the convoluted mythology and the inclusion of elements I really could have done without.
But the theatrical version delivers an aggressive, frightening performance from Michael Myers, some excellent stalking sequences, a wonderfully nasty array of kills and a truly spectacular final act.
Paul Rudd is a welcome addition as Tommy Doyle, Donald Pleasance remains an absolute legend and George P. Wilbur makes the Shape more terrifying than ever.
Michael Myers doesn’t need an ancient cult to explain his existence. He’s far more frightening when he’s simply evil, and Halloween 6 is at its best when it lets him loose.
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