Perhaps it’s the season that’s gotten to us, but it just feels like the right time for a nostalgic post. And what better to be nostalgic about than the 38th anniversary of the release of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers?
The movie was released on October 21, 1988, and as we write this, we’re now 38 years removed from a film that, for a lot of people, was a game changer.
Kids of the ’80s weren’t even alive when the original Halloween came out in 1978, but they were certainly around ten years later when Michael Myers made his triumphant return. And quite frankly, despite what some might say, perhaps this movie was even better than the original!
Now, nothing could really ever compete with the original or even the second film for some fans. But there was a certain magic that Halloween 4 had. Something that made it special. Something that, even 38 years later, still holds up remarkably well.
Picture it. We’re in the middle of a Michael Myers drought. Halloween III: Season of the Witch didn’t exactly quench our thirst because it didn’t even feature the white-faced horror icon. And by 1988, fans were more than ready to see the Shape return.
Then came Halloween 4, and the promotional poster showcased that familiar original mask. We all got excited.
And then we actually saw the mask.
It was like a brutal insult.
But George P. Wilbur did his best to become the Shape of a new age, and in 1988, the opening sequence of Halloween 4 gave us what might very well be the greatest October scene in movie history. Arguably the best. We’ll get back to that in a moment.
Critics at the time panned the movie. They hated it. Critics always seem to hate horror movies, but this one especially seemed to get under their skin. Yet despite their disapproval, the movie was a huge commercial success, opening at number one across the nation.
And why wouldn’t it?
It was released at exactly the right time, during the Halloween season, and it gave audiences precisely what they wanted. The name of the movie said it all: The Return of Michael Myers!
When you go back and watch the movie today, it still holds its own. It didn’t overuse cheesy special effects or try to become something it wasn’t. Instead, it gave us a pretty great storyline, a wonderful atmosphere, and the remarkable and impeccable Danielle Harris, who has long been heralded as one of the greatest actresses to ever appear in the franchise.
We’re not going to talk about what happened in Halloween 5 and Halloween 6. That’s an entirely different conversation, and perhaps one best avoided on an otherwise pleasant October evening.
But Halloween 4 gave us a great storyline, a great atmosphere, and, in our opinion, a really worthwhile movie.
Heck, we even got to meet Bucky, the electrical worker who met an unfortunate demise when he crossed paths with Michael Myers. Poor Bucky. Just another guy trying to do his job.
But now let’s talk about that mask.
The funny thing is, 38 years later, it almost looks like it’s aging better than it did when the movie first came out.
It’s aging, nonetheless. I mean, heck, 38 years is a long time.
In a strange way, the mask at 38 almost looks better than it did at age one.
And that was perhaps the most insulting part about this movie. The promotional posters, and eventually the VHS artwork, featured the original Michael Myers mask. That sinister, haunting, unforgettable face.
But what we actually got in the movie was something we can now effectively describe as the Temu version of Michael Myers.
Seriously. Look at it.
That might be the least forgivable part of the entire production.
That being said, some people actually like the mask. And we’re not going to get too deep into that debate because, frankly, it’s been going on for nearly four decades and nobody is changing anybody’s mind at this point.
But let’s end this with something that really matters.
Go back and watch the opening sequence of Halloween 4.
Those empty rural landscapes. The autumn decorations. The farm equipment. The gray skies. The lonely roads. The feeling that summer is long gone and winter is just around the corner.
And that haunting music.
There is something about that opening that captures October better than almost anything ever put on film. It doesn’t need Michael Myers. It doesn’t need blood. It doesn’t even need a single person.
It just needs autumn.
And I dare you to watch it without feeling nostalgic. Without feeling a little sad. A little vacant. And, strangely enough, a little comforted.
Maybe it’s because we’re getting older. Maybe it’s because those October days of 1988 are now so far behind us. Or maybe it’s because that opening sequence reminds us of a time when the world seemed a little different, the seasons seemed a little longer, and Halloween itself seemed to have a certain magic that is increasingly difficult to find.
Whatever the reason, that opening still works. It might even work better today than it did 38 years ago.
Halloween 4 was a great movie.
But it also gave us what may very well be the greatest opening sequence in horror movie history.
And 38 years later, that’s something worth returning to.
