HALLOWEEN 5
A film review by baumgart@esquire.dpw.com
Copyright 1989 baumgart@esquire.dpw.com
HALLOWEEN 5: THE REVENGE OF MICHAEL MYERS
You know going into any film with a numeral in the title that you're bound to be a little disappointed, but the Phantom was a bit surprised at what a state the "Halloween" series is in. Certainly he believed that the awful HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH should have killed the series once and for all, and that if the irrelevant and boring Silver Shamrock shenanigans in that film didn't do it, then the mechanical, clockwork Jasonized killings of HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS would be the final nail in the series' coffin. The fact that more people were involved in the making of these films than attended them should have helped the series' timely demise.
But no, it seems that neither Michael nor Mustapha (Akaad, the series' producer now that John Carpenter is long gone) can be stopped. And yet the Phantom finds that he himself can't stop going; he was hooked at the tender age of 14 and has made it a lifelong habit. He faithfully attends opening night showings of even the most horrible horror film, in the hope that *this* one will be an unexpected pleasure, this year's HELLRAISER or EVIL DEAD. But HALLOWEEN 5 raises no hell, and it's a toss-up as to what's more dead about the film: the plot, the script, or Donald Pleasence's performance.
If by now you get the feeling that the Phantom was less than satisfied with the latest "Halloween," well, you're right. But the film has it's good points, and although they aren't enough to salvage the film, they do make watching it a little more enjoyable (or at least tolerable).
The camera work and cinematography are good and inventive (as they were in HALLOWEEN 4). Although there are far too many false alarms, most of Michael's scenes are well set up; unlike the "Friday the 13th" series, wherein people are dispatched left and right by an all but unseen Jason, the "Halloween" series has always had Michael skulk around a bit before getting down to business. This adds greatly to the suspense, and some of the scenes in HALLOWEEN 5 are done with nearly as much flair as the original HALLOWEEN. The opening credits are also very nicely done; it's a shame that no one spent as much time on the rest of the film as was spent on its first 90 seconds.
But the film (and the series) looks tired; the producers are just going through the motions now, hoping to spend as little as possible on each film and just enough on advertising to promote sufficient video sales and rentals to turn a profit. Worse, the film has one of the most bogus endings of any in recent memory. To those concerned with spoilers, let me just say that there's a tall man dressed in black who steps off a bus mid way through the film and that he doesn't help matters any. To anyone planning to see HALLOWEEN 5, the Phantom strongly recommends getting up and leaving the theater just before the final scene; you'll be glad you did. If you hang around the concession stand, you'll be able to hear clearly the audience's collective reaction to the scene you missed, aptly summarized by a greatly underaged boy in the audience: "Aw man, that's bullsh*t."
If it weren't for that final scene, the Phantom would have given HALLOWEEN 5 a star and half (out of 4), but Michael sends us all home with such an air of disappointment that 1 star is all it deserves.
Better to wait for this one to hit your local Blockbusters and save your money for SHOCKER, Wes Craven's latest due out a few days before Halloween. This one looks very good; it looks like Craven is trying to recreate the success he had with the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. And since NIGHTMARE 5 was so disappointing, the Phantom is glad that Craven is coming back to remind us all how good a horror film can be.
Also on the horizon is Robert Englund in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (the ads for which prominently display a disclaimer to the effect that the film is not based upon any previous "Phantom of the Opera" film, stage show, or book); it's due out a week after SHOCKER, but it doesn't look nearly as promising, not the least because Menachem Golan, half of the now defunct Cannon Films, is associated with the film.
The Phantom will be back in a couple of weeks with reviews for both. Until then, he welcomes Phan mail from anyone interested in the, shall we say, non-mainstream films he so loves.
: The Phantom
: baumgart@esquire.dpw.com
: {cmcl2,uunet}!esquire!baumgart
.
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