Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

***Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers*** is a 1988 American slasher film directed by Dwight H. Little, written by Alan B. McElroy, and starring Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, and Danielle Harris. The fourth installment in the *Halloween* franchise, it follows Michael Myers returning to Haddonfield to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd, the daughter of Laurie Strode, with his former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis again pursuing him.

As its title suggests, the film marks the return of Michael Myers after his absence in *Halloween III: Season of the Witch* (1982). It is a direct sequel to *Halloween II* (1981), ignoring the events of *Season of the Witch*, which took place in a different continuity from the first two films. Initially, John Carpenter and co-producer Debra Hill intended to create an anthology series, with only the first two films being connected. *Halloween 4* was originally intended to be a ghost story, but after the poor reception of *Halloween III* due to not being a continuation of Michael's story, the film reintroduced him, and he remained the main antagonist of the series ever since.

Released in the United States on October 21, 1988, *Halloween 4* grossed $17.8 million domestically on a budget of $5 million, and received mostly negative reviews from critics. However, the film, much like the series in general, has developed a strong cult following since its release. A direct sequel, *Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers*, was released one year later.

Plot

On October 30, 1988, Michael Myers, who has been in a comatose state for ten years since the explosion at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, is transferred to Smith's Grove Sanitarium by ambulance from his current residence in the Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium. Upon hearing that he has a niece, Michael awakens, kills the ambulance personnel which loses control then crashes into a river, and makes his way to Haddonfield. Michael's former psychiatrist, Samuel Loomis, learns of Michael's escape and gives chase. He follows Michael to a gas station, where he has killed a mechanic for his clothes, along with a clerk and disabled the phones. Michael then escapes in a tow truck and causes an explosion, destroying Loomis's car provided by Ridgemont in the process and disabling the phone lines. Loomis is then forced to catch a ride to Haddonfield to continue pursuing Michael.

Meanwhile, Jamie Lloyd, Laurie Strode's daughter and Michael's niece, is living in Haddonfield with her foster family, Richard and Darlene Carruthers, and their teenage daughter, Rachel. Although Jamie knows about Michael, she does not realize he is the man she has nightmares about. On Halloween night, Richard and Darlene head out to a party and leave Rachel to babysit, which forces her to cancel a date with her boyfriend Brady. After school, Rachel takes Jamie to buy ice cream and a Halloween costume. Michael arrives in Haddonfield and steals a mask from the same store where Jamie and Rachel happen to be; he almost attacks the former, but is forced to flee when Jamie screams and alerts Rachel.

That night, as Rachel takes Jamie trick-or-treating, Michael goes to the power station and kills a worker by throwing him into a transformer, plunging the town into darkness. Meanwhile, Loomis arrives in Haddonfield and warns the new sheriff Ben Meeker that Michael has returned. Michael attacks the police station and kills all of the officers. A lynch mob is formed by the town's men to kill Michael once Loomis reveals Michael has returned. Rachel discovers Brady cheating on her with her friend and Meeker's daughter Kelly, and loses track of Jamie. After being chased by Michael, Rachel finds Jamie.

Sheriff Meeker and Loomis arrive and take the girls to the sheriff's house with Brady, Kelly, and a deputy. They barricade the house, and Loomis departs to look for Michael. With Sheriff Meeker in the basement awaiting the arrival of the state police before heading out to deal with the lynch mob, Michael sneaks in and kills the deputy and Kelly. Discovering the bodies, Rachel, Jamie, and Brady realize they are trapped in the house. Rachel and Jamie flee to the attic when Michael appears, but Brady stays to fend him off and is killed. The girls climb through a window onto the roof and Jamie is lowered down safely, but Michael attacks Rachel and knocks her off the roof.

Pursued by Michael, Jamie runs down the street and finds Loomis. They take shelter in the school, but Michael appears and subdues Loomis by throwing him through a classroom door, then chases Jamie through the building. Jamie trips and falls down a flight of stairs. Before Michael can kill her, Rachel subdues him with a fire extinguisher then vanishes. The lynch mob arrive at the school after hearing the alarm go off. The mob agrees to take the girls to the next town in a pickup truck, meeting up with the state police as they head for Haddonfield to reinforce Sheriff Meeker. A trooper tells them a substation just up the road however, Michael climbs aboard the truck and kills three of the men including Earl. Rachel is forced to drive, continuously attempting to throw Michael off. She succeeds in doing so and then rams him with the truck, sending him flying into a ditch near an abandoned mine. Sheriff Meeker, Loomis, the rest of the lynch mob, and the state police arrive, but when Jamie approaches Michael and touches his hand, he rises. Meeker, the state police, and the lynch mob relentlessly shoot Michael until he falls down the mine.

Loomis and Sheriff Meeker take the girls back home; Darlene and Richard, who have arrived home, console their traumatized children. As Darlene goes upstairs to run Jamie a bath, she is suddenly attacked by Jamie. When Loomis goes to see what happened, he finds an emotionless Jamie holding a pair of bloody scissors on the top of the stairs, reminiscent of Michael when he killed his own sister. Loomis screams "No!" repeatedly and attempts to shoot Jamie, but Sheriff Meeker stops him. Loomis then sinks to the floor, sobbing, as Rachel, Richard, and Meeker stare in horror.

Cast

Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis

Ellie Cornell as Rachel Carruthers

Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd

Nick Castle as Michael Myers

Tom Morga as Michael Myers (ambulance & gas station scenes)

Erik Preston as young Michael Myers (uncredited)

Michael Pataki as Dr. Hoffman

Beau Starr as Sheriff Ben Meeker

Kathleen Kinmont as Kelly Meeker

Sasha Jenson as Brady

Kyle Richards as Lindsey

Gene Ross as Earl Ford

Carmen Filpi as Rev. Jackson P. Sayer

Raymond O'Connor as Security Guard

Jeff Olson as Richard Carruthers

Karen Alston as Darlene Carruthers

Nancy Borgenicht as Woman Attendant

David Jansen as Man Attendant

George Sullivan as Deputy Logan

Michael Ruud as Alan "Big Al" Gateway

Eric Hart as Orrin Gateway

Logan Field as Unger (as Walt Logan Field)

Alan B. McElroy as State Trooper at ambulance crash site (uncredited)

Danny Ray as Tommy