Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers **1/2 out of **** Spill Rating: MATINEE!

After Season of the Witch flopped it 1982, the Halloween franchise was dead in the water. While Michael Myers lied dead, Jason and Freddy were dominating the Cineplex and were making huge profits. So in 1988, producer Moustapha Akkad decided to bring Michael back to breath some life into the franchise. Akkad then hired Dwight E. Little to direct and Alan B. McElroy to write. With the writer's strike coming up, Alan wrote the script in 11 days and Dwight filmed it 42 days. Sounds like the recipe for success. Right?

Mostly, it is. Besides the fact that Laurie shot both of Michael's eyes out and Loomis blowing him and Michael to smithereens at the end of Halloween II, the script for part 4 is preety solid, especially considering it was written in 11 days.

The film begins 10 years after the events of Halloween II. Michael has been in solitary confinement and hasn't moved at all in the last decade. but when he learns that he has a niece, (Laurie dies in a car crash) he puts his sight on little 9 year old Jamie and kills everyone in his way. Like always, Dr. Loomis does what he always does. Runing around and shouting "He's evil" and "No one can stop him".

Although not scary by any means, Halloween 4 is able to rise above the average 80's slasher because of an amazing performance by young Danielle Harris, characters avoiding some of the most tiresome horror cliché's and a genius twist ending.

The little things in the movie are the ones that make this one of the best Halloween sequels. When Dr. Loomis goes to tell the county sheriif that Michael is coming, instead of calling him crazy like you expect they would, the sheriff immediately sends the entire police force after Michael. Don't even get me started on the lynch redneck mob!

Normally, child actors annoy the living shit out of me. Most of them can't act and even when they can, they still get on my nerves. As Jamie, Danielle Harris gives one of the best child performances I have ever seen. She is surprisingly mature and is probably the best actor in the movie.

Halloween 4 also has some creative sequences including a tense rooftop chase and Michael fighting four rednecks on top of a moving car. I have saved the best for last though. The ending. Holy #%#&* shit! What a great ending. It's pure genius. Not only is creative but it brings the series full circle. If the series continued off of it, the Halloween series would have been very different today.

Unfortunately, this is the last good Halloween film. It's all downhill after this.