Customer Reviews

Halloween 5 - The Revenge of Michael Myers (Widescreen Edition) [VHS]

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(58)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(37)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

Halloween is the best horror movie series. This DVD will be perfect even if it only included the High Def transfers. I hope they are working on the Blu-Ray Halloweens.

What is included:

* Widescreen Presentation enhanced for 16x9 TVs

* Audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman (HALLOWEEN 5)

* Inside Halloween 5: Documentary featuring rare behind the scenes footage, a cut scene, and interviews with Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Don Shanks, Executive Producer Moustapha Akkad and Cinematographer Rob Draper

* Introduction by stars Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell

* On-Set Halloween 5 Footage: Rare, never-before-seen footage taken on the set

* Theatrical trailer

Halloween 5, The Revenge of Michael Myers, is among the best in the series, if you're a Halloween nut like me. With the exception of part III, the entire series graces my video collection, and I display it proudly. I was disappointed to see Rachel die so early in the movie, but at least we had Jamie and Loomis to move the story along. Donald Pleasance seems to have changed his approach to stopping Michael in this movie, trying to reach the 6-yr-old boy buried beneath the madness that makes Michael a killer, rather than killing The Shape. Danielle Harris again gives an excellent performance as Jamie Lee Curtis' daughter, although I did think the entire mute thing was stretching credibility just a bit. The two self-described lousy cops added the perfect amount of humor, especially with the goofy sound effects heard whenever they show up, until Michael hacked 'em with a pitchfork. The only thing I disliked about this movie was the transformed Myers house. At times, the movie moves somewhat slowly, such as in the barn, or when Jamie's in the laundry chute, but Halloween 5 does an excellent job of continuing the story begun in Halloween 4 and sets up the storyline for Halloween, The Curse of Michael Myers. By the way, if they release the alternate cut of Curse on video or DVD, please tell me!

Rated "R". Only allowed to see this if you are 17 years old or older. Not for children to see. Includes nudity and sexual situations, voilence and gore.

Don Shanks plays "Michael Myers" this time around. Don Shanks is best remembered as the Indian in Life and Times of Grizzly Adams [VHS] (1976), the movie and the tv series (1977-78).

Donald Pleasence returns as "Dr. Sam Loomis". Danielle Harris returns as the terrorized girl "Jamie". Ellie Cornell continues as "Rachel". Karen Alston is briefly seen as "Mrs. Carruthers" in new footage and Beau Starr continues as "Sheriff Ben Meeker".

The movie continues with the same night showing you how Michael Myers escaped his fate (not shown in previous film).

Then the film forwards to one year later as we see Jamie in the Haddonfield's Children's Clinic. Her nightmares are horrid. In fact, she can see what Michael Myers is doing. Jamie is unable to speak.

Michael wants revenge and is going to kill several more people.

Don Shanks also played the mysterious character of the man in black.

The next "Halloween" films are:

Halloween - The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Halloween H20 - Twenty Years Later (Dimension Collector's Series) (1998)

Halloween: Resurrection [VHS] (2002)

Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007)

Rob Zombie's Halloween II (2009).

Update: Halloween III will be released October 26, 2012. Director is Patrick Lussier.

I have noticed that Halloween 5 tends to absorb a lot of abuse. I believe that happens because people judge it by inappropriate standards. After all, this is a story about the Bogeyman. This is horror fantasy. Halloween 5 makes no pretense of being a realistic crime drama. I judge films of this sort by atmosphere and suspense. Halloween 5 is very strong by the first standard and pretty good by the second. The film is shot in such a way that it actually feels like Halloween. The lighting and coloration are beautifully done. As regards suspense, no slasher film can match the original Halloween, but this one does have a couple of exceptional moments. The part where Michael Myers pursues the little girl, and also where he kills Tina, are presented in such a way that it feels like people are actually dying.Contrast that with the by-the-numbers feel of most slasher films, where you see so many killings that they kind of become a blur. And Donald Pleasence is brilliant as Dr. Loomis. He is yet another factor that separates Halloween from other slasher movies.
I certainly agree that this film could have done without the two dumb cops. And the telepathy. And the mysterious man in black. But the Halloween movies, when they are at their best, revolve around building a spooky atmosphere, effective stalking scenes, and big finales in which Dr. Loomis manages to salvage at least one person's life. Halloween 5 scores well in each of those areas. If you want real-life crime drama, tv is pretty well-stocked with shows that depict that.You won't find that in a Halloween movie. There are so many other places where you can find that, there's no point in looking for it in a slasher film.
For those, who, like myself, prefer to watch movies with the imagination and emotion, rather than logic, then Halloween 5 is outstanding. If you think logic should dominate a movie, I doubt that you'd spend much time watching slasher films anyway.
To recap, I agree with some of the criticisms that have been leveled at this film. But most of those things are simply not priorities. In fact, while the first half of the movie is up and down, I firmly believe that the second half is as good as anything i've seen in this genre since the original Halloween. Watch the action in the barn, or the chase through the field, culminating in the death of Tina. Or the incredible last act at the Myers' house.(And, yes, I realize that it doesn't look like the original Myers' house, but, once again, does it matter?) Dr. Loomis is kind of like Samson here, as he summons all his strength for one last time to defeat the Bogeyman.
No, this is not Silence of the Lambs, but it doesn't intend to be. For example, if you look back to the original Wolf Man, many people see that as the quintessential werewolf film. Now, if you've seen it, do you really believe that it is likely that there would be that much low-lying fog? Probably not. But it works. And that, in essence, is my whole argument for Halloween 5. Not all of it makes sense, but, taken as a whole, I loved this film. It works, but only as a work of the imagination.
Also, bear in mind that the creative team had to commence work behind the 8 ball,so to speak.The ending of part 4 seemed to be taking the series in a new direction. Then, they backtracked, and basically said,'Nevermind!' I suppose they decided that keeping michael as the villain offered more possibilities than switching over to the exploits of the little girl. When you consider that, there was really no way that they could have proceeded that would not have been somewhat awkward. That's why the first half of this film is weaker. They had to spend a lot of time at the opening trying to explain away the ending of the last film.
Final analysis: A beautifully made film, a great performance by Donald Pleasence, great cinematography, and an incredible finale. Like I said, the last forty-five minutes or so are as good as anything you'll see in a film of this type.And that blonde in the devil costume provides a nice dose of eroticism. Check out the expression on her face as her boyfriend is about to 'commence' That alone will have you wearing out your 'pause' button.
If you watch it, approach it in the tradition of Dracula or the Wolf Man. It works on the horror-fantasy level. These films have always revolved around a triangular hunt: The Bogeyman stalking his victim, and Dr. Loomis stalking him. If you look back to the original Halloween, it also centered on such a formula. If you like that formula, I believe you'll like part 5. My favorites have always been Halloween, Halloween 2, and Halloween 5, with Halloween 4 being outstanding as well. Simply put, Halloween 5 is the last Halloween movie that I regard as great. In other words, good enough to watch 100 times or so. If you respond to this 'triangular hunt' scenario, as I do, then give Halloween 5 a try.

Michael Myers (Don Shanks) returns a year later after being shot to pieces in a cemetary and buried in a mine shaft to pursie his niece (Danielle Harris. This installment into the Halloween series was panned by quite a lot of critics and recieved quite a bit of abuse from a number of Halloween fans. This movie is not as bad as it has been credited. It still has plenty of scares, thrills and action for any horror fan. This DVD edition was a great tribute to the all the fans of the Halloween series. The edition that I have looked at is the limited edition. This means that it comes in a tin case and contains a 48 page booklet whcih contains some really good and rather interesting photos. The DVD itself is presented well. Although the movie was originally going to be THX Mastered, the picture quality is still very clean, not showing any signs grain or wear and tear, and the audio is a very well presented 5.1 Dolby track which really adds a loud slicing sound to the pumkin cutting in the opening credits. The extras are a very short introduction by Danielle Harris and Elle Cornell, a very interesting documentary with interviews with Director Dominique Othenin-Girard, Director of Photography Robert Draper, Don Shanks, Danielle Harris, Elle Cornell and Executive Producer Moustapha Akkad. It also contains a trailer which looks more like a TV Spot than a theatrical. It would have been good to see a commentary track by Dominique Othenin-Girard, Robert Draper, Elle Cornell and Danielle Harris. But overall its a very pleasing treatment of a very under-rated horror film.

Why are people so insane and critical about every little thing in every film? How many times have you personally heard people bash a film on the basis of high expectations? There is no number high enough to even begin to reach the amount of phlack that films get from some of the stupidest people you'll ever meet. Sometimes, I wish there was no such thing has preview trailers, television spots, and people expressing what doesn't need to be expressed.

So is the case with "Halloween 5:The Revenge of Michale Myers." The first 'Halloween" film was an unexpected success. People flocked to it on the basis of small coments and reviews: "brilliant, smart, too real to beleive." But, as a matter of fact, these same reviews had previously called it everything besides those three comments and any sensible word that Webster can think up. So my question of the day: should we delete these beautiful things we call reviews?

Sure, it's great that everyone gets an opinion. Without that fact, I wouldn't even be able to be writing this now. But sometimes I wish that people either weren't allowed to read reviews before watching films. I beleive people should go into a movie theatre with an open mind and sense of what they're saying.

Obviously, the other reviews failed to realise this fact when writing their desription of the fifth film in the "Halloween" series. It is not the best film ever made which seems to be the standard these so-called reviews made when judging this great film. I love little Danielle Harris and the up-and-coming Ellie Cornell. Donal Pleasance is at a great peak, and the script is wonderful. End of story.

Sure, this isn't the best, but it's not supposed to be. So, I've given this film a five on it's content and everything therin.

This review is a little long, so please bare with me. There are also Spoilers.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a movie that has the fans split in the middle. A lot of people see this as the downfall of the series, while others praise it as the last great Halloween movie. I have to admit Halloween 5 is a movie I like a lot more than I should and I sometimes think I like the movie for more what it could have been instead of what it is. The one thing I will say is Halloween 5 is probably the most flawed of the series.

The script written by Michael Jacobs, Dominique Othenin-Girard & Shem Bitterman was rather weak and filled with numerous clichés; John Carpenter & Debra Hill they aren't. While not the worst script ever written, Halloween 5 has a lot of great ideas that never quite seem to work as well as they should. Bottom line is Halloween 5 feels more like a first draft rather than final shooting script.

They had some excellent ideas that if just re-worked a bit would have made Halloween 5 a very strong and solid movie despite being yet another sequel to long running franchises that dominated the 80s. I love when Loomis says, "I prayed that he would burn in hell. But in my heart, I knew that hell would not have him." That does show some decent writing right there, though it is very much Carpenter/Hill.

The first half of the movie Jamie is a mute and she also has a psychic link with Michael Myers. While that may have turned off some fans I think it was actually a solid idea. Jamie is helpless and afraid, but the problem is when all is said and done the psychic link between the two never really seems to go anywhere. At the end of the day it didn't advance the plot. It seems the makers had some good ideas, but abandoned them along the way. Halloween 5 feels more like an early draft rather than final. Halloween 5 had some interesting ideas, but the execution wasn't really working well.

Some problems with the movie are just simple little things. The opening scene was kind of idiotic, which apparently was re-shot with somebody else and not done by Dominique Othenin-Girard; why would the old hermit just keep Michael is his house for a whole year? It was obvious the guy was hurt and the way the scene plays out the hermit doesn't seem to know who Michael Myers is. Its things that like are what bring down Halloween 5.

The hermit just lets Michael lay on the floor in a coma, logic would tell you to maybe go and get some help. The scene just really doesn't make any sense and bottom line is quite silly. The characters unlike the past Halloween movies are more of your standard slasher movie characters. One can argue so was the original, but that was the original the one that helped kick these movies into high gear.

The characters lack the depth of some of the previous characters and seem to be there just to add to the body count. The one thing I did learn is the makers really must have liked Happy Days, since Mikey is obviously inspired by the Fonz. Tina is a character like the movie that fans love or hate; personally I liked Tina a lot. Ok, sure at times she was a bit annoying, but at the same time I found her quite likeable as well.

The character of Sam had potential to be more than what she was, but she ends up being becoming the typical character in this type of movie, still she does the best she can and elevates the character just a bit. The one thing the makers did get right was the Loomis character; the guy is pretty much at a breaking point. We always knew he was obsessed with stopping Michael and here it shows even more. All the years and violence finally caught up to him and he's pretty much willing to do anything to stop Michael.

Donald Pleasence is over the top at times, but that is exactly how the character is meant to be played. After the original Halloween, Loomis seemed to only be there since he was a fan favorite. Bottom line is he didn't really add much to the plot. But Halloween 5 actually does something with his character instead of standing around spitting out the same lines. Donald Pleasence is one of my very favorite actors. He can play a role straight, but also over the top when it's meant to be played that way.

One of the biggest flaws is also the biggest asset for Halloween 5; The Myers house went from a normal sized house to a gothic like size mansion. Houses do not grow; I would have liked to have seen some kind of explanation on why the house is so big. Maybe someone was building there? May not be a great idea, but better than nothing.

As a director Dominique Othenin-Girard fairs a bit better, while he isn't John Carpenter by any means he is able to put together some fairly decent scenes, but again the script really brings down the movie. While Dominique Othenin-Girard isn't a very good filmmaker he does show some signs of life. The pacing of Halloween 5 is very much mixed. There were too many scenes that take place is the daylight. While those scenes worked well in the original and were quite creepy they don't work quite as well here and some tension is lost due to that.

As I said the pacing was very mixed; despite a running time of 95-minutes there were too many scenes that were a bit pointless and slow the pace down rather than moving it forward. The scene with Sammy and Tina, which seems to be outside the children's clinic where Jamie is, was just pointless. It didn't add anything to the movie and slowed down the pace. The introduction of Mikey could have been cut as well. In his next scene, which thankfully also happens to be his last would have served as a better intro and nothing plot wise would have been lost.

Another debate with fans is the two cops who offer up the comedy relief. I actually did like the characters, but they did break up the tension. A lot of their scenes could have been edited out or edited down and even if only a few seconds here and there it would have greatly helped Halloween 5. That also brings me back to Tina, even though I did like her I will admit that at times she can be annoying in some spots. Editing would have helped there as well. Even if it was just one or two lines cut in some areas it would have taken away the more annoying scenes that Tina had.

The prank Tina, Sam and Spitz play on the cops really could have been taken out as well. At this point in the movie the false scare really wasn't needed and plus it was fairly obvious it was a prank being pulled so due to that there was no suspense on the scene, which just makes it pointless. A lot of the scenes I brought up do greatly bring down the pacing; cutting those scenes wouldn't make Halloween 5 a classic of the genre, but I do think it would have made the movie a lot better.

What so many people hate about Halloween 5 is what I love the most, and that's the death of Rachel. Now let me explain that. It's not that I didn't like the character, because I did. But killing off Rachel who was a major character in the previous so early on shows us anything is possible. Too many times the makers of these types of movies are afraid to take chances. They aren't willing to kill characters off because they are thinking about the next installment.

Rachel was a great character, but her death also helped Halloween 5 in other ways as well. It made Jamie more vulnerable. I understand why so many fans were upset, but I felt it helped the movie in some ways. Of course the downside is we lost a great character, but like I said I liked her death early on because it showed nobody is safe.

Director Dominique Othenin-Girard may not be a master of the horror genre, but he crafted several scenes that are the strongest of the series. The barn scene with Sam and Spitz was one of the more solid scenes in the movie. The barn scene does go on a bit too long and does drag in some spots, but it was also one of the more suspenseful moments of the movie. It had great tension and very creepy feel. It could have been trimmed down just a bit though.

The car chase scene while a bit silly considering Michael really should have been able to run them down was a cool scene. It had some really great moments of suspense. Tina's death I thought was actually one of the finer moments in the sequels. She sacrifices herself for Jamie and Jamie watches as Michael stabs Tina. The way Michael holds Tina for a moment afterwards as she is dying and telling Jamie to run. Then Michael simply lays her down and turns his attention to Jamie. I think that scene was excellent and quite creepy.

The final act to Halloween 5 was really strong as well. It was actually rather suspenseful and well-done. Again Dominique Othenin-Girard isn't what I would call a great director, but he does get some things right here and the chase scene in the final act he very much delivers. I still to this day feel the final act is a strong as any other final act in a horror movie. This is where the house being so big greatly adds to the movie; Having Michael chasing Jamie around was very creepy and very well done.

Dominique Othenin-Girard and cinematographer Rob Draper do create a solid visual look. Halloween 5 isn't the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen, but it does look good. It has a European look much like the original Halloween did. Some people say Halloween 4 captured the style of the original. I have to disagree. Go back and watch Halloween 5. The look of the movie was very much crafted like the original Halloween.

I think the mid-west look is captured but it's quite clear this movie was shot in the spring since the leaves are all green. But it's not a big deal since in the original we can see the fall look, but at times it's clear it's spring time. I do feel the night scenes had more of a fall look; spring nights can sometimes be cool out much like fall nights. So that wasn't so much the makers as it is mother nature.

Another thing that has fans spilt is the man in black. Now you see this really was a double edged sword. Judging the man in black only in Halloween 5 and ignoring what he became it does add a great mystery to the movie. While, yes Halloween 5 is your typical stalk and slash movie the man in black gave it something a bit different. We have no idea who this guy is; he just appears out of nowhere. That added some mystery to the movie. But the problem was I really don't think there were many directions to take the character. I believe it was bound to be a letdown for fans.

But judging it based only on Halloween 5 it was a solid mystery and the ending was a great cliffhanger and it was a shocking moment. The really funny thing though is how the man in black was able to take out the whole Haddonfield PD. Who was this guy really Jack Bauer?

So that does show you the writers had some decent ideas, but again the script feels more like an early draft rather then a final draft. Halloween 5 clearly needed some more work done. Had the script been polished up in some areas I don't think it would be one of the all time greats, but the final product would have worked more. I'm not sure why there is so much hate for Halloween 5. In many ways it's your typical slasher movie that actually tries to be more than that. Halloween 5 has a solid plot, but gets lost due to the poor script. Halloween 5 has great music and a great villain and that helps elevate it over most slasher flicks released back in the 80s

Despite all the flaws in Halloween 5 it also has some really strong points as well. It won't rate as one of my all time favorites, but I think it's a fun watch and a movie I like a lot more than I should. Don't go in expecting anything like the original. Just watch it as a slasher movie and it works; not a perfect movie, but when all is said and done it's a fun movie.

I was kind of disappointed with this movie. There was a REALLY great cliffhanger ending at the end of pt. 4 that could have been used so well in this movie that was just completely ignored. Instead, Michael comes back to do his routine and to stalk his now-mute niece. True, this isn't a very bad film. The directing style is really good. The movie actually feels like it is Halloween. Of course, it's typical 80's slasher, so if you hate that, you'll hate this. I hated almost every character in this movie, especially Tina, so this was the first time I found myself cheering Michael on. There is a minor subplot of Michael and some guy in a black coat following him around (Watch pt. 6) that should have, in my opinion, been left out of the movie. And what is up with the Myer's house? I'm not the only one who noticed how big this place has gotten since the first movie! In the original it was just a regular looking house, like you or I would live in. In this one, it's a freaking mansion! But flaws aside, Halloween 5 is good slasher fun. Just turn off your brain during viewing and you'll be just fine.

A year after "Halloween 4", Jamie (Danielle Harris) is traumatized and is sent to a children's hospital for treatment but what they don't know is that she has a special telepathic link with her uncle Michael whom she thought was dead last time. Michael returns to Haddonfield for more murderous mayhem and to destroy her neice, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) returns as well to confront the hellish phantom.

Some say it's one of the worst entries of the series with part 3, 6 and Resurrection but i don't think it really is. I thought this was a fun mindless sequel with some good splatter effects by KNB Efx (the company that did "Hostel" and "Kill Bill") and has a good storyline to it, it's not as good as the first, second, fourth and H2O but it's still an enjoyable entry in it's own right.

This Divamax special edition DVD has excellent picture and sound quality with some nifty extras like audio commentary, an introduction, two featurettes and the theatrical trailer.

Halloween 5 has had alot of negative reviews over the years but IMO this and part 4 are the best sequels in the series and it's my personal favorite of the franchise. It was the only Halloween film that scared me when I was a kid in the late 90's, It's got some really great scenes in it. The late great Donald Pleasence gives his best performance as the tormented Dr. Sam Loomis trying almost anything to stop his evil patient. I highly recommend this to any fans of the series :)

This was probably the last great Halloween film. The Man in Black storyline actually was a good idea because well for one thing it brought a sense of story to the series.