Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers Review

Much maligned yet quite underrated, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myersfollows The Shape (George P. Wilbur) as he arrives in Haddonfield to finish off his last surviving relatives - with his efforts confounded on an ongoing basis by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and a survivor from the first film (Paul Rudd's Tommy Doyle). Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers opens with an unexpectedly tense stretch revolving around Myers' final confrontation with niece Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy), which effectively establishes a better-than-anticipated atmosphere that compensates for the rather disappointing nature of its immediate predecessor. The film subsequently segues into a perfectly watchable narrative detailing the title character's return to Haddonfield, with the continuing emphasis on stand-alone set pieces - ie Myers stalks and kills an inhabitant of his former house - ensuring that the movie generally feels like an attempt to return to the series' roots. Joe Chappelle's atmospheric, stylish directorial choices heighten the movie's surprisingly involving vibe, while Pleasence's typically sterling work as the haunted Dr. Loomis stands as an obvious highlight within the proceedings (and, it's worth noting, Pleasence's character does indeed refer to Myers as "pure evil.") It's only asHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers moves into its disappointingly tedious third act that one's interest begins to wane, as the entirety of the film's final half hour follows Myers as he doggedly pursues a pair of survivors through the original movie's expansive sanitarium. It's a repetitive and fairly needless capper to an otherwise solid slasher effort, and it's ultimately rather difficult to understand why the film has amassed such an odious reputation in the years since its release.