Halloween V: The Revenge of Michael Myers [DVD] [1989]

I have nothing but the greatest respect for nine-year-old Danielle Harris. The makers of Halloween 5 put this poor girl through the wringer, and she shines from start to finish in one of the most physical roles I have ever seen man, woman, or child play. As the movie opens, she is living in a children's clinic, unable to talk since the shocking events of the previous Halloween night and increasingly prone to seizures and fits brought on by some kind of psychic connection with her uncle Michael. Eventually, she finds herself running for her life as her uncle chases her down with a car and then his trusty knife. Then toward the end comes the unforgettable scene in which she finds herself lodged in a laundry chute inside the abandoned Myers house desperately trying to stay alive. The depth of emotion and sense of utter terror she is able to convey is really quite extraordinary

I have to admit I didn't particularly care for this incarnation of Michael. No man can compare to the original Shape, Nick Castle, but the real problem for me in this movie is Michael's mask. It just hangs loosely around his neck, and the sight of it flopping out on both sides like an extra pair of very large earlobes really kept me from seeing this masked killer as the Michael I know and love. Donald Pleasance is, as usual, incredible as Dr. Loomis. I admit, Loomis seems to be getting a little bit loony by this point in the series, but who can blame him? Every time, he tells the authorities what is going to happen, yet no one ever believes him until it is too late. Bearing the scars of previous encounters with Michael, his bravery and obsession with Michael Myers earns him five stars in my book every single time.

Here are a few "problems" with this movie. Let's start with the obvious. What is wrong with the people in Haddonfield? It is very important to keep in mind the fact that no body was ever found of a seemingly vanquished Michael after the events of the previous year. Rachel, having barely lived through Halloween 4, not only leaves a spare key to her house on top of the doorframe, she leaves the door wide open while she is taking a shower. Then there are these moronic teenagers consuming far too much of our time. They insist on playing practical jokes on each other and even on the cops, finding the whole Boogeyman subject incredibly funny for some reason unknown to me. It's hard not to cheer for Michael as he goes after these goofs. Tina is incredibly immature, her boyfriend with the car fetish is unbearable, and her horny friends annoyed me as much as they apparently annoyed Michael. Then we come to the cops. Apparently, Michael's previous adventures have decimated the local police force because they are letting some incompetent people wear a badge these days. Hearing some type of obvious clown music play when the two "super cops" first appear is basically unforgivable as far as I'm concerned. Apparently, these two characters were supposed to supply some comic relief to a movie that needed nothing of the kind.

Overall, I think this movie has moments of greatness that, for the most part, make up for its flaws. Danielle Harris is amazing, and the final 10-15 minutes are riveting. More than anything, though, I have to return to the fact that I left the movie theatre all those years ago totally excited about this movie and its mysterious twists and turns. Any slasher movie that can inspire untold hours of speculation after the fact has achieved something quite rare indeed.