Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) starring Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Wendy Foxworth, Don Shanks directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard Movie Review

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd in  Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

A Black Day for Halloween

Whilst "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers" was just a commercial slasher movie it worked, it had pace and entertainment two things which are sadly lacking from "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers". This movie which continues on the story a year later with Michael having survived and still after his niece Jamie has a different director behind the camera and it shows as he tries to deliver original style with shaky hand held cameras but never achieves it. It also features some unimaginative writing when it is not making up excuses for how Michael can survive whilst introducing us to and never explaining a "Man in Black" Character. But the biggest disappointment is that it is never scary, it never even shocks you with gore and in the entire movie there are only a couple of reasonably decent scenes.

A year has passed and young Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris) is being cared for and monitored in Haddonfield Children's clinic where she is prone to what appear to be seizures. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is obsessed with Jamie as he believes she has some sort of telepathic connection to the cold eyed monster because somehow Michael managed to survive the shooting. With Halloween approaching things start kicking off again as it appears Michael has returned and is looking for Jamie but so has a mysterious man in black.

Michael Myers in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

I could say that the storyline to "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" is a problem because what we get is more of the previous movie with Michael trying to get to Jamie whilst Dr. Loomis tries to stop him. But in truth that is exactly what you expect and anything different to Michael going after a relative wouldn't work. I could also say the daft explanation to how Michael survived is a problem but again you expect something outrageous when it comes to the indestructible monster so that's not a problem. And whilst the whole telepathic connection thing between Jamie and Michael is never explained it provides some sort of reasoning.

But here is the thing nothing which is added to this is interesting and the whole aspect of the mysterious man in black is frustrating because it is never explained in this movie. It ends up making "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" a very dull horror movie which throws some cliches at us such as teens at a Halloween party and another dead dog but does little to make them exciting. The only real excitement comes from a scene where Jamie is trying to escape down a laundry chute and it is the only scene in the movie which really grabs your attention.

There is one other thing which gets your attention and that is the evolution of Dr. Loomis because he is so obsessed with Michael now that there is a nasty streak to him, using Jamie to lure him into a trap. It means that Donald Pleasence is the only actor who really has a character to get their teeth into and he certainly does when showing Loomis's nasty side. Aside from Pleasence well most of the actors walk through playing cliche characters with the exception of Danielle Harris as Jamie who is saddled with a character who this time has been seriously underwritten to be scared girl who has convulsions.

What this all boils down to is that "Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers" is a poor movie and lacks pretty much everything you expect from a horror movie. It just has no atmosphere and very few frights which makes it a dull procession through a lot of cliche.


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