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. It is the sequel to Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and the fifth installment in the Halloween series. The story 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.
After the success of the previous installment, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers was rushed into production by executive producer Moustapha Akkad. The original screenplay, which was still under revision at the time filming began, introduced elements of supernatural horror, including Jamie possessing a telepathic link to Michael Myers, as well as a storied subplot in which Myers, under the influence of a cult centered around the ancient rune of Thorn, is driven to kill his bloodline. While the final cut of the film features a mysterious "Man in Black" character, the "Curse of Thorn" subplot was largely minimized, resulting in audiences and critics expressing some confusion, though it was expanded upon in the following film, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).
Filmed in Salt Lake City in mid-1989, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers was released theatrically in North America in October of that year by the independent studio Galaxy Releasing. The film was a box office disappointment, only grossing $11.6 million domestically against a $5.5 million budget, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the franchise, and received generally negative reviews from critics. Common criticism was for the screenplay, acting, and story decisions, though some praised the film for its artistic and gothic visuals, which marked a stylistic shift from the previous film.
Plot On October 31, 1988, Michael Myers is shot down a mine shaft by Sheriff Ben Meeker and the Illinois state police, but manages to crawl out before dynamite is dropped down to assure his death. He floats down a river and stumbles upon the shack of an elderly hermit who nurses him back to health. One year later, he awakens and kills the hermit before returning to Haddonfield to resume the hunt for his niece, Jamie Lloyd.
Jamie has been admitted to the Haddonfield Children's Clinic after attacking her foster mother. She has been rendered mute due to psychological trauma and exhibits signs of a telepathic link with her uncle. Dr. Sam Loomis learns of this connection and wants to use it to defeat Michael for good. Meanwhile, Michael kills Jamie's foster sister Rachel and begins stalking her friend, Tina Williams. Jamie senses whenever her loved ones are in danger, triggering episodes of convulsions that disturb those around her.
After unknowingly encountering Michael posing as her boyfriend that he killed, Tina attends a Halloween party at the Tower Farm with her friends, Samantha (Sammy) and Spitz. Sensing that Michael is following them, Jamie (having partially regained her ability to speak) escapes the clinic with her stuttering friend, Billy Hill, to warn Tina of the danger. As Spitz and Samantha have sex in a barn, Michael impales Spitz with a pitchfork and slices Samantha's face with a scythe, and also kills two bumbling deputies Loomis had entrusted to protect Tina. Jamie and Billy find Tina as Michael tries to run them down with a car. Tina ultimately sacrifices herself to save Jamie. With nothing left to lose, Jamie agrees to help Loomis stop Michael once and for all.
Loomis and Meeker create a set up at the abandoned Myers house to lure Michael back to his childhood home. The police receive a call saying Michael has broken into the clinic, prompting Meeker and most of the officers to leave; however, this call is merely a diversion. Michael appears and kills the remaining officers. Loomis tries to reason with him, but Michael slashes him and throws him over the stair banister. He pursues Jamie throughout the house, attacking her as she hides in a laundry chute. Michael chases Jamie up to the attic, where she finds the bodies of Rachel, her dog Max, and Tina's boyfriend. As Michael raises his knife to stab her, Jamie addresses him as "Uncle", causing him to pause. He agrees to remove his mask and let Jamie see his face, shedding a brief tear. However, when Jamie touches his face he goes into a fit of rage and chases her again. Loomis reappears and uses Jamie as live bait to lure Michael into a trap. He shoots Michael with a tranquilizer gun and beats him unconscious with a wooden plank before suffering from a stroke and collapsing on top of him. Meeker and the police return and take Michael into custody.
Michael is locked in a cell at the police station until he can be transferred to a maximum security facility for the rest of his life, though Jamie asserts that “he never die”. As Jamie prepares to return to the clinic, a mysterious man in black who has been quietly observing all day arrives and attacks the police station: Jamie walks into the station to find the bodies of Meeker and his men shot and killed, as well as Michael's cell broken open and empty. Realizing he will chase her again, she sobs in horror.
Cast
Production Development Development on a fifth Halloween was fast tracked to meet a pre-set release deadline of October 1989. Producer Moustapha Akkad turned to Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers writer and director Alan B. McElroy and Dwight H. Little to return for their respective duties on the fifth film, however both declined. Ramsey Thomas assumed producing responsibilities from the fourth film's Paul Freeman, and opted to hire playwright Shem Bitterman as screenwriter. Bitterman's script, entitled Halloween 5: The Killer Inside Me, which was written in the span of three days, featured an evil Jamie Lloyd and resurrected Michael Myers once again. However, Akkad was adamant about making Myers the sole antagonist of the film. Nevertheless, Bitterman penned a second draft by February 1989 and Jeff Burr, director of From a Whisper to a Scream, was being courted to helm the film. Burr's producing partners Darin Scott and William Burr were also in the mix to co-produce alongside Thomas. The directing job was seemingly Burr's until series co-creator Debra Hill met director Dominique Othenin-Girard at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival, and recommended him to Akkad.
After being instated as director, he infamously threw Bitterman's draft into a trashcan in front of Akkad. He brought in Robert Harders, of Home Movies, to write an entirely new draft, which saw a Frankenstein inspired story where Myers is resurrected and no longer evil but is pursued by an angry mob. Harders's pitch was rejected, leading Othenin-Girard to pitch a new concept with co-writer Michael Jacobs. The duo's initial title was Halloween 5... And Things That Go Bump In the Night. After reviewing the screenplay, director Othenin-Girard added Jamie's inability to speak to the draft, along with the supernatural plot device of her telepathic visions connected to Michael.
Another departure from previous films in the series was Othenin-Girard's attempt to persuade the audience to relate to the Michael Myers character, whom he intended to appear "more human [...] even vulnerable, with contradicting feelings inside of him." He illustrated these feelings with a scene where Michael removes his mask and sheds a tear. Girard explains, "Again, to humanize him, to give him a tear. If Evil or in this case our boogeyman knows pain, or love or demonstrate a feeling of regrets; he becomes even more scary to me if he pursues his malefic action. He shows an evil determination beyond his feelings. Dr. Loomis tries to reach his emotional side several times in [Halloween 5]. He thinks he could cure Michael through his feelings."
In the original closing scene, after Jamie finds that Michael has escaped from the police station, she is approached by a black-cloaked figure. At the time of filming, it was unknown who this figure was. It would only be expanded on and explained in the subsequent film, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), and the scene in question was attached to the beginning of the Producer's Cut of that film as a flashback. Though the cuts made to the beginning and ending of the film largely diminish this subplot, the "Man in Black" character still appears momentarily on several occasions in the film, which led to some confusion among audiences upon its original release. Reflecting on his creation of the character, Othenin-Girard commented:
Casting
Returning from Halloween 4 was Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis, along with Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, and Beau Starr, as Jamie Lloyd, Rachel Carruthers, and Sheriff Ben Meeker, respectively.
Though enthusiastic of reprising her role as Rachel, Cornell was disappointed to learn that her character would be killed early in the film. In the original screenplay, her character died after Michael shoved a pair of scissors down her throat, but Cornell felt that this would be too gruesome, and requested that the writers change it; as a result, she is instead stabbed in the chest. "They sent me the script," Cornell recalled, "and I knew what was coming. I knew it was Rachel's demise. It's just formula."
Karen Alston, who portrayed Darlene Carruthers in the previous film, reprised her role in the beginning of the film showing the anonymous person in the mask stabbing her as she falls into the bathtub of water. Her voice-over was recorded by Wendy Kaplan. Kaplan won the role of Tina Williams, the loud and wily friend of Rachel's. After Rachel's demise, Tina inherits the role of Jamie's protector.
George P. Wilbur, who had portrayed Michael Myers in the previous film, did not express interest in returning to play the role, though he did serve as a stunt player on the film. Instead, Don Shanks was cast to play the role of Michael Myers. Shanks also portrayed the mysterious Man in Black character in the film. According to Shanks, Othenin-Girard requested that he not study the physicality or previous portrayals of Michael Myers, as he wanted a different visual look for the villain. Wilbur would later reprise the role of Michael Myers again in the next installment, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.
Max Robinson would play Maxwell Hart, the doctor who assists Jamie when she is having one of her nightmares in the beginning of the film. Betty Carvalho appears as his assistant, Nurse Patsey, who has a "motherly" feel to Jamie. Jeffrey Landman portrayed Billy Hill, Jamie's best friend, who has a stutter. Landman worked with a coach who taught him about stuttering to help him prepare for the role.
Newcomers such as Tamara Glynn, Matthew Walker, and Jonathan Chapin appear as Samantha Thomas, Spitz, and Mike, who are friends of Tina and Rachel. Walker would later appear in another slasher film, Child's Play 3 (1991).
Filming
Principal photography began on May 1, 1989, in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as the surrounding communities of Provo and Ogden. Several prior filming locations from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers are featured in the film, including the Carruthers residence, as well as the local general store. At the time the shoot began, the film's screenplay was still unfinished. Unable to find a lookalike Myers house that matched the original Halloween, the filmmakers chose a bigger, more mansion-like house because they needed one that could provide wide rooms, hallways, an attic, a basement, and a laundry chute. The film's opening sequence in which Michael is carried down a river was filmed in rural Snowbird in the Rocky Mountains. Small pine trees were brought in and planted at the film's farm location for the scene in which Michael pursues Jamie in a car, mowing down the trees in the process.