Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers(1988)

You can see why some people love Halloween 4, and going to the Alamo’s sixth year showing, in a room with Owen Edgerton giving a good defense, and a crowd full of fans, it would be easy to be swayed. Halloween 4 also made a lot of money, and brought back Michael Myers again, putting him, like Halloween 1, 2 and H20, in a secure position to survive as a franchise through some less than stellar installments- Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers(1995) anyone? I hated Halloween 4 when I first saw it on video, but a couple of theatrical experiences later, I can see its limited charms, it does try hard to plug any holes from Halloween 2(1981), and continue the story with as few bumps as possible, some shots are very good, the characters are not as annoying or as thinly drawn as they later became, and of course Donald Pleasence is still fantastic value( although for my money, he’s the only thing that actually improved between this and Halloween 5:The Revenge of Michael Myers(1989), where he roughs up a child and beats Michael Myers while screaming at him, with a four by four- the Inspector Dreyfus of the Horror world, Halloween 5 is his Curse of the Pink Panther(1976). Even how 80s it looks, which originally used to irk me, now gives it a period charm. Against this though, sorry Owen, but you must be on crack to think this is better than Carpenter’s original, the kills seem toned down and tame compared to Part 2, the hunters are very annoying, as are nearly all of the characters with the exception of the Jaime and Rachel- making you not really care who gets killed, and Michael himself looks slightly off. Here is the first mask that looks wrong to me- a problem that caused reshoots on Halloween H20(1998). The climax also seems strangely anti-climatic after the great endings of the first two installments(Halloween 3:Season of the Witch(1983) was of course a totally different story), or even later sequels, like H20. In the history of the franchise, Halloween 4 deserves recognition for keeping it, like Michael himself, alive and kicking, but not much else. 6/10

Far from Brain Dead

Dead Alive, Braindead(UK)(1992)

This is the movie that made me fall in love with Peter Jackson. It was love at first sight as I rented the video to tide me over a damp, cold, early Christmas holiday in my deserted student house. I got this and Map of the Human Heart(1993), simply on the strength of good reviews, I hadn’t seen Bad Taste(1987) or Meet the Feebles(1990) yet, so had no idea of the anarchy to expect. Five minutes in, I was smitten, by the end I was ready to search out or go and see any film Jackson had made. Some people are snooty that Braindead is played more for laughs and gore than genuine horror, but even they have to respect the sheer invention on display here. Jackson, armed with a love of slapstick and horror movies, unleashes his imagination on a mock-up 50s New Zealand- Brits in particular will love the references, to The Archers, the Queen and custard- “no pudding,” as Lionel and his mother try to keep up appearances while literally falling apart, and being attacked by zombies. Like Monsters, which I saw the same weekend, both contain love stories at their centers, although while Monsters is awkwardly realistic, Braindead is the usual cheesy Hollywood romance, sweetly innocent when not hacking up bodies. Also, it has a Freudian angle second only to Pink Floyd’s The Wall when it comes to suffocating and literally monstrous mothers. Very quotable, very funny and I would guess still unsurpassed in the amount of body limbs and blood used. 10/10

Who are the real Monsters?

Monsters(2010)

Described by many critics as an artier Cloverfield(2008), or Before Sunrise(1995) with special effects, Monsters gets along way on its premise, and certainly manages a lot of bang for its buck on a small budget, however, ultimately not enough seems to really happen, horror and action junkies may feel short changed while drama fans might baulk at the silly creatures. I personally must admit that this wasn’t the film I was hoping or expecting, but once I had readjusted my expectations, I did enjoy it and was impressed at the very realistic genre mix. Worth supporting and a good alternative date movie. 7/10

Almost an Angel (1990)

…or Crocodile Dundee(1986) without the hat. Terry Dean(Hogan) is hardly a stretch for the actor, being basically him playing himself again- the easy charm, the snappy wisecracks, the cheeky grin. Sadly, whereas after the world conquering Dundee, and it’s first sequel, he really needed a strong concept film to cement his position as a star. The fact that Almost an Angel feels like a briefly sketched idea, probably caused it to flop badly, and Hogan never had another hit movie. Or perhaps audiences only liked him as Mick Dundee. The film skims along very inoffensively, but is held up single handedly by Hogan, lacking any real forward momentum, subplots or characters we care about. Linda Kozlowski funnily enough(and yes, I am being sarcastic) plays the love interest, while a young(and with added hair), Elias Koteas embarrasses himself but at least gets some experience on the way to becoming the great actor he is today. Then we have the totally mad ending, which comes out of nowhere and doesn’t make any sense, but is the most memorable part of the film. 5/10