Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers | |
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Directed by | Dwight H. Little |
Screenplay by | Alan B. McElroy |
Story by |
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Based on | |
Produced by | Paul Freeman [1] |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
Edited by | Curtiss Clayton |
Music by | Alan Howarth |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Galaxy International Releasing [3] |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes [4] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million |
Box office | $17.8 million (US) |
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, Danielle Harris in her film debut, and Michael Pataki. It is the fourth entry in the Halloween franchise and a direct sequel to Halloween II (1981), and marks the return of Michael Myers as the primary antagonist, ignoring the events of Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).
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, the idea was abandoned.[ citation needed ]
Halloween 4 released in the United States on October 21, 1988. Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, the film grossed $17.8 million domestically on a budget of $5 million. It has developed a strong cult following since its release and has enjoyed positive reappraisals in the years since its release.[ citation needed ]
The film begins the "Thorn Trilogy" story arc which would be continued in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995). [5] [6]
In 1998, the franchise did a soft reboot with the release of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later , which serves as a direct sequel to Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) and thereby ignores the events, themes and new characters introduced in the Thorn Trilogy story arc. [7]
On October 30, 1988, Michael Myers, who has been comatose for ten years since the explosion at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, is being transferred from Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium to Smith's Grove Sanitarium. During the transfer, when Michael overhears that he has a niece living in Haddonfield, he awakens, kills the ambulance personnel and heads back to his hometown to kill her. Dr. Loomis, who also survived the explosion, learns of Michael's escape and gives chase once again.
Loomis follows Michael to a gas station and diner, where Michael has killed a mechanic for his coveralls, along with a female clerk. Michael escapes in a tow truck, igniting the gas pumps causing an explosion, destroying Loomis's car given by Ridgemont in the process and disabling the phone lines. Loomis continues to pursue Michael on foot. Loomis then hitches a ride with a priest in a pick-up truck.
In Haddonfield, Laurie's daughter Jamie Lloyd suffers from nightmares about The Shape and is bullied at school for being the niece of "the boogeyman." On Halloween night, her foster parents Richard and Darlene go to a party and leave their teenage daughter Rachel to babysit, forcing her to cancel a date with her boyfriend Brady. Rachel picks Jamie up after school to buy ice cream and a Halloween costume. Jamie decides on a clown costume when Michael suddenly appears to steal a new mask. He goes after his niece but flees when she screams in horror.
That night, as Rachel and Jamie are trick-or-treating, Michael breaks into the Carruthers' house and kills the family dog. Loomis arrives in Haddonfield and warns the new sheriff, Ben Meeker, that Michael has returned. They immediately go out to search for the girls. At the power station Michael throws an electrician into a transformer, plunging the entire town into darkness. He proceeds to kill most of the town's police force, prompting the locals to form a lynch mob.
Meeker and Loomis find Rachel and Jamie and take them to the sheriff's house, where Brady is having an affair with Meeker's daughter Kelly. They barricade the premises as Loomis departs to find Michael, who has already snuck into the house. The lynch mob accidentally killed a teenager who they thought was Michael. After Meeker leaves to respond to the shooting, Michael kills Brady, Kelly, and a deputy as Rachel and Jamie flee to the attic and onto the roof. Rachel lowers Jamie down to safety but is attacked by Michael, falling to the ground and losing consciousness.
Pursued by Michael, Jamie runs down the street and runs into Loomis. They seek shelter at the school, but Michael finds them and tosses Loomis through a glass door. He chases Jamie through the school, until she falls down a flight of stairs, Michael prepares to kill her when Rachel reappears and subdues him with a fire extinguisher. The lynch mob arrives and agrees to help the girls get out of Haddonfield. Along the way they meet a lone trooper who tells them there's a substation up the road where they'll be safe. Michael, who has been hidden underneath their truck, climbs aboard and kills the men, including Earl. Rachel takes the wheel, throws Michael off the truck, and rams into him. Meeker and Loomis arrive with the rest of lynch mob and the state police, while Jamie approaches her uncle and touches his hand. As he rises, Meeker and the others shoot him until he falls down an abandoned mine.
Back at the Carruthers' house, Darlene goes upstairs to run a bath for Jamie when she is suddenly attacked. Loomis hears her cries and sees Jamie in her clown costume holding a pair of bloody scissors, reminiscent of when Michael killed his older sister. Rachel, Richard, and Meeker look on in horror as Loomis sobs, realizing that the evil inside of Michael has infected Jamie.
Halloween was banned in Haddonfield and I think that the basic idea was that if you tried to suppress something, it would only rear its head more strongly. By the very [attempt] of trying to erase the memory of Michael Myers, [the teenagers] were going to ironically bring him back into existence.
After Halloween III: Season of the Witch , executive producer Moustapha Akkad wanted to move further with the series, and bring back Michael Myers. Producer Paul Freeman, a friend of Akkad with a long list of credits to his name, explained to Fangoria magazine in 1988 that everybody came out of Halloween III saying, "Where's Michael?" [9] John Carpenter was approached by Cannon Films, who had just finished 1986's release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 , to write and direct Halloween 4. Debra Hill planned to produce the film, while Carpenter teamed up with Dennis Etchison who, under the pseudonym Jack Martin, had written novelizations of both Halloween II (1981) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) to write a script to Halloween 4. Originally, Joe Dante was Carpenter's choice in mind of director for the project. [10]
However, Akkad rejected the Etchison script, calling it "too cerebral" and insisting that any new Halloween sequel must feature Myers as a flesh and blood killer. [11] In an interview, Etchison explained how he received the phone call informing him of the rejection of his script. Etchison said, "I received a call from Debra Hill and she said, 'Dennis, I just wanted you to know that John and I have sold our interest in the title 'Halloween' and unfortunately, your script was not part of the deal." [8]
Carpenter and Hill had signed all of their rights away to Akkad, who gained ownership. Akkad said, "I just went back to the basics of Halloween on Halloween 4 and it was the most successful." [12] As Carpenter refused to continue his involvement with the series, a new director was sought out. Dwight H. Little, a native of Ohio, replaced Carpenter. Little had previously directed episodes for Freddy's Nightmares and the film Getting Even.
On February 25, 1988, writer Alan B. McElroy, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, was brought in to write the script for Halloween 4. [13] The writer's strike was to begin on March 7 that year. This forced McElroy to develop a concept, pitch the story, and send in the final draft in under eleven days. [14] [15] McElroy came up with the idea of Brittany "Britti" Lloyd, Laurie Strode's daughter, to be chased by her uncle, who has escaped from Ridgemont after being in a coma for ten years. Dr. Samuel Loomis goes looking for Michael with Sheriff Meeker. The setting of the place was once again Haddonfield, Illinois. The character of Laurie Strode was revealed to have died, leaving Britti with the Carruthers family, which included Rachel, the family's seventeen-year-old daughter. Britti's name was later changed to Jamie, a homage to Laurie Strode actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
McElroy told Fangoria :
When I first saw the original, I was dating a girl and took her to a theater in Boston to see it. We were the only ones in the place, but she was climbing all over me. When Halloween II came out, I got completely blitzed and saw it, and I had the best time. So when the director, Dwight Little, asked me to write the script, I jumped at the chance. Here I was going to bring the Shape — Michael Myers — back to life. It's a piece of film history. He's truly an icon. [13]
In the original draft, Sheriff Ben Meeker was to be killed during the Shape's attack on the Meeker house. A fire would have started in the basement and burnt down the entire house. The scene on top of the roof with the Shape, Rachel, and Jamie was supposed to be engulfed in flames. This idea was scrapped due to budget issues.[ citation needed ] Instead, a more "soap opera" feel was incorporated, which included a love triangle subplot between Rachel, Brady, and Kelly Meeker, the sheriff's daughter.
Director Dwight H. Little stated in 2006 that his interpretation of McElroy's screenplay had the Michael Myers character played as a literal escaped mental patient, not a supernatural figure. [16] Little approached the screenplay as though Myers was pursuing Jamie as a means of "connecting with her", but that he had no social capacity to interact with her, and thus resorted to violence. [17] The screenplay references the events of Halloween II (1981), in which a fire breaks out in Haddonfield Hospital, by having both Myers and Loomis display burn scars on their respective hands and faces. [18]
The cast of Halloween 4 included only one actor from the first two films, Donald Pleasence, who reprised his role as Samuel Loomis, Michael Myers' psychiatrist. [19] According to Little, Pleasence was "committed conceptually" to the role, but did not sign on to the project until having read a finished screenplay. [20] Before McElroy's script was chosen, the producers asked Jamie Lee Curtis, another original cast member, to reprise her role as Laurie Strode, the original's heroine. Curtis had become a success in the film industry and had established a career with her roles in films like Trading Places (1983) and A Fish Called Wanda (1988). Curtis declined and did not want to continue her participation in the film, although she did return for the seventh Halloween film. As a result, her character was written out and died, which is briefly explained in the film.
The script introduced Laurie Strode's seven-year-old daughter, Jamie Lloyd. Melissa Joan Hart had auditioned for the role, among various other girls. [21] Danielle Harris, who previously had a reoccurring role on the ABC daytime soap opera, One Life to Live (as Samantha Garretson) was ultimately cast in the role after auditioning in New York. [22] Rebecca Schaeffer had auditioned for the role of Rachel Carruthers, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. [23] Twenty-three-year-old Ellie Cornell had also auditioned. [24] Cornell had chosen to audition for Halloween 4 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) as the role of Kristen Parker. [21] Cornell chose Halloween 4 and successfully landed the role of Rachel. Beau Starr was cast as the new Sheriff, Ben Meeker, replacing Sheriff Lee Brackett (Charles Cyphers), and Kathleen Kinmont was cast as the Sheriff's daughter, Kelly. George P. Wilbur was cast to play Michael Myers. [25]
Principal photography began on April 11, 1988. Instead of filming in Pasadena, California (the original filming location and stand in for Haddonfield) due to high-rising costs, filming took place in and around Salt Lake City, Utah. [26] As filming was taking place in March, [13] during springtime, the producers were forced to import leaves and big squash, which they would use to create pumpkins by painting them orange. [27] "One of the obvious challenges in making a part four of anything is to interest a contemporary audience in old characters and themes," said director Dwight H. Little. "What I'm trying to do is capture the mood of the original Halloween and yet take a lot of new chances. What we're attempting to do is walk a fine line between horror and mystery. Halloween 4 will not be an ax-in-the-forehead kind of movie." Paul Freeman agreed. "This film does contain some humorous moments, but it's not of the spoof or send-up variety. It's humor that rises out of the film's situations and quickly turns back into terror." [9]
George P. Wilbur, who was cast as Michael Myers, wore hockey pads under the costume to make himself look more physically imposing, and he was often filmed in mirror reflections or off-center so that the audience could witness him "in pieces" rather than have an encompassing view. [28] During filming, the cast and crew made it a point to take it easy on Danielle Harris, as she was only a young child at the time, and made sure that she was not scared too badly and knew that none of it was real; to this end, Wilbur regularly removed the mask in front of her in order to remind her that it was just a movie and he was not going to hurt her. [29]
The late night scenes caused issues with the cast. Garlan Wilde, a gaffer for the film, was injured during the scene between Brady and the Shape when he dropped a light and accidentally slit his wrists. He was rushed to the hospital. In addition, while filming the rooftop scene, Ellie Cornell cut her stomach open on a large nail while sliding down the roof, though she continued filming the scene despite losing a sizable amount of blood. During most of the night scenes, Donald Pleasence became so cold that he wore a hat for most of the scenes, unbeknownst to the crew. This caused over six hours of footage to be re-shot. The shoot lasted about 41 days and Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris were required to be on set for 36 of those days.[ citation needed ]
During filming, the customized 1975 Captain Kirk mask was unavailable and a new one was purchased from a local costume shop. The producers wanted to test what it would look like without the edits. The school scene was filmed and when reviewing the producers did not like how the mask turned out. It was allegedly customized again but did not live up to the original, and the producers felt it was too old and went for a new mask. Some scenes had to be re-shot with the new mask. [30] The only scene left in is when Loomis is thrown through a glass door; as Michael comes up behind him, the unaltered face and blonde hair is visible. Director Dwight H. Little thought the use of the blond mask stemmed from a tired crew member grabbing an incorrect mask from the prop area. Though nobody on set caught the error, it was acknowledged in the later stages of production. Little confirmed the mistake was left in the film and would have been fixed if his team had more time. [31]
After viewing the film's rough cut, director Dwight H. Little and producer Moustapha Akkad decided that the film's violence was too soft, and so an extra day of "blood filming" commenced. Special effects make-up artist John Carl Buechler (director of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood ) was brought in to create the thumb in the forehead kill and neck-twisting of the redneck seen in the film's final cut.
The score was performed by Alan Howarth, who had assisted John Carpenter on Halloween II and Halloween III. Howarth gained approval from Dwight H. Little before he could accept the offer, creating a new score that referenced the original's but with a synthesizer twist. Howarth also included new tracks such as "Jamie's Nightmare", "Return of the Shape", and "Police Station". The soundtrack was released to Compact Disc, LP Vinyl Record, and Cassette Tape on September 28, 1988.
Halloween 4 opened in 1,679 theaters on October 21, 1988 and grossed $6,831,250 in its opening weekend, ranking number one at the box office. It held the top spot in its second weekend. The total domestic gross was $17,768,757 in the United States with approximately 4,323,299 tickets sold during its initial theatrical run. [32]
The film garnered a negative critical reception upon release. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 39% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers may bring the series' masked killer back into the fold, but fails to offer the visceral scares and inventiveness of the original." [33] On Metacritic it has a score of 34 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, which indicates "generally unfavorable reviews". [34]
Caryn James of The New York Times criticized the film for abandoning the original film's strengths saying "suspense and psychological horror have given way to superhuman strength and resilience." [35] Variety found the film to be "a no-frills, workmanlike picture." [36] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post declared the film "very much the cheap knockoff of its prototype, but not half as visceral." [37] Kim Newman for Empire said "It's incredible that a film could be so closely patterned on Carpenter's still-thrilling original movie and yet be so stupid, unscary and plodding as Halloween 4 is." [38] In 2000, Kim Newman for Empire Magazine rated the film, 1 out of 5 stars calling it "unimaginative, uninspiring, predictable and dumb." [39]
Over two decades after its release, the film received some positive reception from reviews by online horror centric websites such as JoBlo.com said, "The movie is tight, has good murders and a kicked my butt ending. The Shape is back and in good form; this is my favorite Halloween next to the first one." [40] IGN declared "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers stands out as the second best film in the entire series." [41] In 2017, Davey Conner (now attributed to Alan Smithee as of 2023) writing for Dread Central said, "Halloween 4 is a strong sequel, horror film and Halloween movie." [42] DVD Talk said "Despite its flaws, Halloween 4 is one of the best slashers from the late 1980s, standing out in an era when the sub genre was in steep decline." [43]
In retrospect, director Dwight Little said:
“That's another movie that was not received very well. It did well commercially, but the critic response was not great. I don't know what the expectations were with Michael Myers. There's an initial resistance to that movie, but later over the years, there have been several reissues on DVD and Blu-ray, and so forth. And of course, it plays every year, and I think people really love it now.“ [44]
The film was first released on VHS in May 1989 as a rental title by CBS/FOX home entertainment. [45] It was made available for sell-through in October 1989 to coincide with the theatrical release of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers . In 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment released special editions of this film and its sequel on DVD. [2] Supplements include the Halloween 4/5 panel at the "Return to Haddonfield" convention in 2003, a documentary titled "Halloween 4 Final Cut", a commentary with Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell, another commentary by Alan B. McElroy and Anthony Masi and the film's theatrical trailer. Halloween 4, Halloween 5, a Blu-ray, standard DVD and extended edition of Halloween and the documentary Halloween: 25 Years of Terror were released together with a replica Michael Myers mask in a limited edition 30th anniversary box set of the first film. The film was released on Blu-ray in Germany on May 4, 2012, [46] and in the US on August 21, 2012. [47]
In the United Kingdom, Halloween 4 was originally released on VHS format by Braveworld in the early 1990s, and then, Legend distribution. On June 17, 2002, Digital Entertainment released the film on VHS, [48] while a second version from the company containing a "Widescreen Presentation" was released on September 5, 2002. [49] Anchor Bay Entertainment released the film for the first time on DVD in a "Special Edition" on January 28, 2002, while Digital Entertainment released the film several months later on September 5, 2002 to coincide with their newest VHS release. [50] Hollywood released the film individually on October 27, 2003, and released a set containing the film with Ulli Lommel's The Boogeyman , Boogeyman II , and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. [51] Hollywood also released a double feature containing the film alongside Mario Bava's A Bay of Blood . [52] Anchor Bay then acquired rights to all subsequent home video releases, and released Halloween 4 with the 1986 film House in another double feature on February 6, 2006. [53] Anchor Bay re-issued the DVD on October 11, 2010, which features the theatrical trailer and the featurette, "Inside Halloween 4". [54] Anchor Bay released the film again as part of a DVD set, which contains the first five films in the franchise, on October 15, 2012. [55] This release contains new special features: audio commentary with actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris, audio commentary with director Dwight H. Little and author Justin Beahm, Halloween 4/5 discussion panel, and theatrical trailer. [56] Shout! Factory also released the first ten films on Blu-ray in a limited edition box set in addition to Halloween 4 on Ultra HD Blu-ray under the Scream Factory label.
The film was also released on Blu-ray in Australia on October 2, 2013. [57]
To tie in with the film's release, a novelization by Nicholas Grabowsky was published, containing 224 pages. The novel closely follows the film's events, with a few alterations. In 2003, the novel was re-issued with new material and cover art, titled Halloween IV: The Special Limited Edition. In 2013, a hardcover version was released, titled Halloween IV: The Ultimate Authorized Edition which includes a never-before-published epilogue that changes the original ending.
Guitarist Brian Carroll, known as Buckethead, was inspired to create his Buckethead character after seeing the film. [58]
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the first film to be written and directed by Tommy Lee Wallace. John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of Halloween and Halloween II, return as producers. The film stars Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, and Dan O'Herlihy. Halloween III is the only entry in the series that does not feature the series antagonist, Michael Myers. After the film's disappointing reception and box office performance, Michael Myers was brought back six years later in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).
Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later is a 1998 American slasher film directed by Steve Miner, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, LL Cool J, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Janet Leigh, and Josh Hartnett, in his film debut. It is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. H20 is a direct sequel to Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981), ignoring the Jamie Lloyd story arc of the previous three installments. It follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode, who has faked her death in order to go into hiding from her murderous brother, Michael Myers, who finds her working at a private boarding school in California.
Michael Myers is a character from the slasher film series Halloween. He first appears in 1978 in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his elder sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he returns home to Haddonfield, Illinois, to murder more teenagers. In the original Halloween, the adult Michael Myers, referred to as The Shape in the closing credits, was portrayed by Nick Castle for most of the film and substituted by Tony Moran in the final scene where Michael's face is revealed. The character was created by John Carpenter and has been featured in twelve films, as well as novels, video games, and comic books.
Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II (1981), was written by Larry Brand and Sean Hood, and is a direct sequel to Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later and the eighth installment of the Halloween franchise. It stars Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks, and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Brad Loree as Michael Myers. This was the final installment of the H20 timeline of the Halloween franchise, which had just been rebooted with the previous film in 1998, before it was rebooted again in 2007 with a remake and again in 2018. The film follows Myers continuing his murderous rampage in his hometown of Haddonfield when his childhood house is used for a live internet horror show.
Halloween II is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and serves as a direct sequel to Halloween (1978). The story picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending of the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a 1989 American slasher film co-written and directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard, and starring Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Beau Starr, Wendy Kaplan, and Tamara Glynn. The fifth installment in the Halloween series, it follows serial killer Michael Myers who again returns to the town of Haddonfield to murder his traumatized niece, Jamie Lloyd, with whom he now shares a telepathic connection.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American slasher film directed by Joe Chappelle, written by Daniel Farrands, and starring Donald Pleasence, Paul Rudd, Marianne Hagan, and Mitch Ryan. The sixth installment in the Halloween film series, the plot depicts Michael Myers hunting down the infant son of his niece, Jamie Lloyd. It expands significantly upon the supernatural horror elements that were sparsely introduced in the previous film, mainly the subplot of a cult that controls Myers and drives him to murder his bloodline using the ancient rune of Thorn. It marks the final appearance of Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis before his death, as well as the feature film debut of Rudd, who portrays an adult Tommy Doyle from the original Halloween (1978). This also marks the last major role of George P. Wilbur before his death in 2023.
Dennis William Etchison was an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction. Etchison referred to his own work as "rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world". Stephen King has called Dennis Etchison "one hell of a fiction writer" and he has been called "the most original living horror writer in America".
Jamie Lloyd is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the Halloween franchise. Introduced in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers as the series' new protagonist after Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return as Laurie Strode, the character also appears in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Jamie was created by Alan B. McElroy and portrayed by child actress Danielle Harris in the fourth and fifth films of the series, and J.C. Brandy in the sixth film of the series. Originally, the character was named Brittany "Britti" Lloyd, before her name was changed to Jamie, in an homage to Jamie Lee Curtis.
Laurie Strode is a character from the Halloween series. She first appeared in Halloween (1978) as a high school student who becomes targeted by serial killer Michael Myers, in which she was portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis. Created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Laurie appeared in nine of thirteen films in the series. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books.
Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. It is a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 horror film of the same name and the ninth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, and William Forsythe. The "reimagining" follows Michael Myers who murdered his family as a child and becomes institutionalized at an asylum, before breaking out and stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.
Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.
Dr. Samuel J. Loomis is a fictional character in the Halloween franchise. A main protagonist of the overall series, Loomis appears on-screen in eight of the thirteen Halloween films, first appearing in John Carpenter's original 1978 film. Donald Pleasence portrayed the character in five films, with Malcolm McDowell taking on the role in the 2007 reimagining and its sequel. In both portrayals, Loomis is introduced as the psychiatrist of series antagonist Michael Myers, driven to pursue and restrain his murderous former patient. He also appears in a flashback in Halloween Kills.
Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, who co-wrote it with its producer Debra Hill. It stars Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P. J. Soles, and Nancy Loomis. Set mostly in the fictional Illinois town of Haddonfield, the film follows mental patient Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister one Halloween night during his childhood; he escapes 15 years later and returns to Haddonfield, where he stalks teenage babysitter Laurie Strode and her friends while his psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis pursues him.
Halloween II is a 2009 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is the sequel to Zombie's 2007 remake of 1978's Halloween and the tenth installment in the Halloween franchise. The story follows Laurie Strode as she deals with the aftermath of the events of the previous film, Dr. Loomis trying to capitalize on those events with a new book, and Michael Myers as he seeks to reunite with his sister. The film sees the return of lead cast members from the 2007 film; Tyler Mane as Michael Myers, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis, respectively. Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Douriff, and Danielle Harris also return from the 2007 film.
Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, and co-written by Green, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a sequel to the 1978 film of the same name, while disregarding all previous sequels. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis who reprises her role as Laurie Strode. James Jude Courtney portrays Michael Myers, with Nick Castle returning to the role for a cameo. Halloween also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, and Virginia Gardner. Its plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face an escaped Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.
Halloween Kills is a 2021 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, and co-written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. It is the sequel to Halloween (2018) and the twelfth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, and Anthony Michael Hall. The film begins on the same night where the previous film ended with James Jude Courtney reprising his role as Michael Myers whose presence has become apparent to the residents of Haddonfield.
Rachel Carruthers is a fictional character in the Halloween series of slasher films, and is the final girl of the film Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988). Rachel is the foster sister of Jamie Lloyd, who is the niece of serial killer Michael Myers. In Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), she becomes Myers' 35th victim. Rachel was portrayed by actress Ellie Cornell.
Halloween Ends is a 2022 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, and co-written by Green, Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bernier. It is the sequel to Halloween Kills (2021), the thirteenth installment in the Halloween franchise, and the final film in the trilogy of sequels that started with the 2018 film, which directly follows the 1978 film. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Rohan Campbell, Will Patton, Kyle Richards, and James Jude Courtney. The plot follows the outcast Corey Cunningham who falls in love with Laurie Strode's granddaughter while a series of events, including crossing paths with Michael Myers, drives him to become a serial killer.