In 1988, it was hard to negotiate seven years of dormancy for one of the most acclaimed horror franchises on the market (notice I didn't include a concession for 1982's Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch, a watchable but ultimately unsuccessful addition to the fold). But it was inevitable that someone would eventually take the reigns of the Halloween franchise and make a sequel that would, in a few ways, surpass Halloween 2, never quite equal the original, but remind the cynical mainsteam critics that low-budget slasher films still have the potential to raise a hairs on the back of the neck. That's just what Dwight Little did, thankfully.
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The prologue to Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers shows the comatose Myers being transported by ambulance out of Smith's Grove and to an awaiting federal institution. In the confines of the ambulance, a loose-lipped attendant mentions that a relative of Myers still lives. And that's all it takes for the sleeping giant to awake and make mincemeat of his custodians.
Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) isn't in good shape these days. Having nearly killed himself in an explosion meant to kill Myers at the end of Halloween 2, Loomis is not only still alive, but also still functioning as a psychiatrist at Smith's Grove. Unfortunately, his most-observed patient, Michael Myers (now played by George Wilbur), is also now functioning again. And after making short work of ambulance attendants, coffee shop workers and anyone else who crosses his path, the madman ends up back in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illionois.
In Haddonfield, there is a lonely child named Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris). She is the "orphaned" daughter of Laurie Strode, although a later installment (H20) will reveal her mother to be alive and well; too bad it won't do the same for the child. But now Jamie suffers from nightmares in which her uncle "The Bogeyman" pursues her. And as this film unfolds, the true Bogeyman pursues her, plus her new foster sister Rachel (Ellie Cornell), who quickly becomes the new heroine in this installment.
It would be redundant to harp on about what happens in this movie. Suffice to say, it's beautifully shot and competently performed, and Wilbur's portrayal of Michael Myers is very faithful to the performances of Castle and Warlock in the earlier films. Surprise of surprises, George Wilbur was the only "Shape" actor who ever reprised the role, the next time being in 1995's Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers. Here, he's very effective.
And so is the movie, particularly in its chilling final scene, whereby a devastating plot twist leaves the viewer with a harrowing image that recalls the prologue to the original film. The next installment, Dominique Othenin-Girard's Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers, would explain the event away, however, and Pleasance vocally expressed disappointment because of that; Halloween 4's conclusion, had they run with the concept, would have altered the course of the entire series.
