Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth instalment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the ‘Curse of Thorn’, a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and revealed in the film to be the source of Michael Myers’ immortality. The cast includes Paul Rudd (in his film debut) as Tommy Doyle, a returning character from the original Halloween film, and Donald Pleasence again reprising his role as protagonist Dr. Sam Loomis in his final film appearance. Jamie Lloyd’s appearance in the beginning of the film ties up loose ends to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.
The sixth installment is known for its controversial behind-the-scenes history, suffering from re-shoots in production and numerous cuts and arrangements made in the editing room; the workprint of the film, with 43 minutes of alternate footage including a different ending, was eventually discovered by fans of the series. This version, dubbed “The Producer’s Cut” (as it was the original intended version of the film) developed a strong cult following.
Six years after the events of Halloween 5, the “Man in Black” seen throughout the previous movie has rescued Michael from the Haddonfield Police Station and abducted his niece Jamie Lloyd (J.C. Brandy). Jamie, now fifteen, has been impregnated and her baby is born on October 30, 1995. The baby is carried away by the Man in Black who appears to be the leader of a Druid-like cult. Later that night, Mary (Susan Swift), a nurse, helps Jamie escape with her baby whom she warns is in harms way. Michael (George P. Wilbur), in pursuit of Jamie and her newborn, kills the nurse. Jamie and the baby flee in a stolen pickup of a drunk motorist (who quickly becomes Michael’s next victim) and hides at a dark and deserted bus station.
Meanwhile, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), now retired, is visited by Dr. Terence Wynn (Mitch Ryan), a character who appeared briefly in the first film and now the chief administrator of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, who wants him to return. During their conversation they overhear Jamie’s plea for help on the radio after calling into a local radio station, only to be ignored by the DJ Barry Simms (Leo Geter) who is doing a broadcast on the Haddonfield murders…
‘You know you’re in trouble when they stop numbering the sequels; this is the sixth, if anyone’s counting. The unkillable chappie remains unkilled after offing a host of unknown faces on Halloween, only this time he’s egged on by evil doctors and black magic. A series of competently engineered shock moments jollied along by a jazzed-up version of John Carpenter’s original electronic score: slicker than crude oil and just as unattractive.’ Derek Adams, Time Out
‘The film is at its best whenever it treats Michael like an invisible trauma. Director Joe Chappelle infrequently proves that he gets Carpenter’s original Halloween is all about a mythic terror that periodically pops up to remind suburbanites that it’s real. But when he does, Chappelle capably repurposes visual cues used in the first film, like the terror of white sheets hanging out to dry or of a rattling washing machine.’ Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine
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‘ … the picture never quite comes together beyond its efforts to give further shape to the story of The Shape. Most damaging, the film simply lacks scares. The action is terribly routine even in light of a surprisingly strong atmosphere and solid direction at the capable hands of Joe Chappelle (Phantoms). The picture plays with a predictable cadence, with the only surprises coming from the backstory, not the stalking and hacking and slashing and whatever else it is Michael does to his victims. Yet the script is largely poor and the narrative sometimes awkward.’ Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com
