HALLOWEEN 4 AND 5 Blu-ray Review By Jonny T.

Hello Folks,
Jonny T here with my reviews of the just released Halloween 4 and Halloween 5 on shiny shiny Blu-Ray!
Just released from Anchor Bay these newly restored HD prints are brilliant, in my own opinion these are the last great Halloween titles before it all went a bit wrong. Now i have owned these on DVD for a while and the DVD prints especially of Halloween 4 have always been dodgy and i have looked around at getting the complete now deleted box set of all the films but it's extremely expensive and even toyed with the idea of getting them on import but thankfully and probably because of me being a bit lazy i have never gotten around to picking them up so it was with great joy that i saw that these were being released and i am glad i have held out until now to get these on Blu-ray.So on to the 1st title Halloween 4.]

Synopsis:
John Carpenter's malevolent monster Michael Myers escapes from years of comatose incarceration whilst being transported from a maximum security institution. Myers carves his way to Haddonfield for Halloween  the original setting of Michaels massacre, leaving a bloody trail of carnage and corpses. Only one man knows of the true horrors of this mad man  Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) who also returns to Haddonfield to do battle once again with the devil incarnate. But Dr. Loomis knows only too well it will be almost impossible to outwit the skill and cunning of Michael Myers.

So the film opens up with the news that Michael Myers is to be transferred to another insane asylum and this is where we get the first glimpse of him, Strapped to a hospital trolley and loaded up on to a waiting ambulance, the scene is great because it's at night it's raining and you get the sense of impending doom as you casually hear the hospital staff casual chatting whilst Michael just lays still on the trolley with hand strapped down and bandaged face, it really is tense! Michael obviously is not totally sedated and over hears that he has a niece in Haddonfield and with this we see his hand grab the blanket and here we go, He's back! Awakes and smashes hell out of everyone in the ambulance resulting in it veering from the road.

Then (with a little cheer from me!) we see the late great Donald Pleasence emerging from his car as the classic character Dr Lommis at the site of the crash which he wanders down to and says he's gone, the police disagree that no one could have got out of the wreck but good old Loomis knows better! Then it moves on to a remote garage where a mechanic is minding his own business happily working under a car when he See's someone enter the garage so he pulls himself from under the car only to be confronted and quickly killed by a still bandaged Michael, Loomis turns up just as its all kicking off and just misses Michael and with him also knowing that he has his Niece Jamie now living in Haddonfield Loomis know where Mr Myers is most certainly heading, let the chase and kills begin!

We see his niece Jamie(introducing now horror starlet Danielle Harris) driving in a car with her step sister and saying basically that she has changed her mind and now want to go trick or treating,  Then in a great scene we see her choosing a scary clown costume from the shop whilst Michael appears to take a Michael Myers mask from the rack and as she turns he puts it on and stares at her, She has been being troubled by nightmares of him but don't know who he is or why but she certainly does now!

So Dr Loomis arrives back in Haddonfield and along with the help of Sheriff Meeker tries his best to get to the girl and protect her from Myers.Now i won't spoil anymore but for to say that over the years and seeing this a fair few times, i love this movie! Not only is it subtitled as The Return Of Michael Myers but Dr Loomis and a great debut From Danielle and as i said earlier in the post i am really glad i hung on to get this release as the picture is damn near perfect and the sound is brilliant, With loud scream, bangs, bumps bashes and slashers this is definitely the version to own!

9/10

Jonny T

So now we move onto Halloween 5:The Revenge of Michael Myers.

Synopsis:

It’s one year after the events of Halloween 4, and both Michael and Jamie have survived the horrors of the previous year’s “festivities”. Jamie is still having nightmares about her pathological uncle and, to further complicate matters, has realised she shares a telepathic bond with him, a revelation which Dr. Loomis decides to use to his advantage in tracking the seemingly unstoppable killer.

It is exactly one year after the events of Halloween 4 and Michael's niece Jamie is now in Haddonfields children's hospital severely traumatised by the events whilst Dr Loomis tries to get through to her and protect her but guess what, ah you know Michael is still around and wants more than anything to get her and finish it once and for all, Again this is yet another superb transfer!
Jamie has become mute since her encounters with her uncle but seems to have the ability and seems psychically linked to Michael which Loomis discovers and uses this to his advantage and hopefully finally stop Michael for a final time,But events take a strange turn when a mysterious stranger arrives in town and who is he, what is his plans and is in in fact the one that holds the secrets to the killer Michael Myers.
This is a great twist on the story that in my opinion was taken to ridiculous extremes in the later films in the franchise with stupid ideas of satanic cults etc but for Halloween 5 for me anyway it works perfectly well, Although not greatly received upon it's initial release this has become known as probably one of the last great films of the franchise and it is easy to see why.



 As with Halloween 4 this release on Blu-ray is a definite must have for the collection and who knows maybe i may give in and buy the others if they are released on blu-ray, and i most certainly will keep you informed if i hear any news of future Halloween movies coming out on Blu-ray.
8/10
Halloween 4 and 5 are available now on Blu-ray i have stuck a link in the Amazon side bar for you all,
Happy Halloween!!
Jonny T