Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joe Chappelle
Produced by Moustapha Akkad
Malek Akkad
Paul Freeman
Written by Screenplay:
Daniel Farrands
Joe Chappelle (uncredited)[1]
Based on characters created by:
John Carpenter
Debra Hill
Starring Donald Pleasence
Paul Rudd
Marianne Hagan
Mitch Ryan
Kim Darby
J.C. Brandy
Bradford English
Music by Alan Howarth
Cinematography Billy Dickson
Editing by Randolph K. Bricker
Distributed by Dimension Films
Release date(s) September 29, 1995
Running time Theatrical cut
88 min.
Producer's cut
131 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $5 million
Gross revenue $15,116,634
Preceded by Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Followed by Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 horror film and the sixth installment in the Halloween series. It stars Donald Pleasence (in his final film appearance as Dr. Sam Loomis) and Paul Rudd, who went on to mainstream success in such films as 1995's Clueless and 2004's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The original music score was again composed by long-time Halloween contributor Alan Howarth and executive produced by the late Moustapha Akkad. The plot of the film largely involves the "Curse of Thorn", a mystical mark, which is the source of Michael Myers' believed evil."[2]

The Curse of Michael Myers was the first of four Halloween films to be produced by Akkad and his son Malek under an exclusive production and distribution pact with Dimension Films. The film was marketed with the taglines: "Six Times the Terror... Six Times the Fear... Six Times the Thrills of the original Halloween" and "Terror Never Rests in Peace".

Contents

[edit] Plot

Six years have passed since Halloween 5. Michael Myers, his niece Jamie Lloyd, and the mysterious Man in Black have all disappeared after the end of Part 5. The Man in Black kidnaps Jamie and has her impregnated. The baby arrives on Halloween Eve, and a kind midwife named Mary helps Jamie and her baby escape. Michael Myers kills the midwife by impaling her on a spike in the wall. Michael soon chases Jamie which leads her to a bus station where she calls a Radio station and asks for help, warning of Michaels arrival, she then proceeds to hide in the bathroom where Michael almost catches her, she then drives away. As she finds herself safe, she sees some headlights behind her from a van that Michael is driving, he rams her car until she is forced to pull over into a farm. She enters the farm house in which Michael finds her and pushes her onto some sharp farm equipment, when she reaches out to him he pushes it further into her to which she says "You Can't have the Baby Michael", angered by this Michael turns to walk away but he then turns on the equipment which then begins to cut Jamies Stomach up.

Meanwhile, Tommy Doyle (the child Laurie Strode babysat for in the first film) has his eye on a family who's moved into the old Myers house. Tommy has become obsessed with Michael Myers. After hearing Jamie screaming for help on a radio show, Tommy finds her baby and hides him. The people living in the Myers' house are relatives of the Strode Family. The current residents are Kara Strode and her illegitimate son, Danny. Michael stalks each of the Strodes, trying to get to Jamie's baby. Across the street, Tommy reveals that Michael has been marked with a runic symbol called the Thorn or Thurisaz, an ancient Druid curse that drives a young man to wipe out his entire family for the good of civilization. The plot takes a turn when the Man in Black finally reveals himself as Dr. Wynn from the original Halloween. Wynn has been experimenting with pure evil all these years and has kept his work secret within the bowels of Smith's Grove Sanitarium (where Michael was held for most of his youth). Tommy and Dr. Loomis follow Wynn to the mental hospital, where a final conflict erupts between Michael, Loomis, Tommy and the others present, ending with the deaths of Wynn and Michael. The film concludes with the protagonists getting out safely, except for Dr. Loomis, who walks back inside the hospital to "take care of unfinished business". The film then cuts to inside the building with Michael's mask on the floor and Loomis' scream. A Jack O' Lantern is shown before cutting to black.

ALTERNATE ENDING:

Before Donald Pleasence died, there was a different ending. In the PRODUCER'S CUT (Originally "HALLOWEEN 666: The Origin Of Michael Myers"), Loomis and Tommy go to the hospital but go to a ceremony for the mark of THORN. During the ceremony, the baby is taken by Tommy, Danny, and Danny's mother run down the hall where they get stuck at a gate (locked). Michael continues to come after them but Tommy uses the powers of the ruins to stop him. Loomis comes in and opens the gate from the other side and they all leave the building as in the other cut. But when Loomis says, "take care of unfinished business," he goes back inside and sees Michael lying on the floor. He says, "It's all over," and rips his mask off. It's Dr. Wynn in Michael's suit and says, "Loomis, Michael's gone. It's your game now!" Loomis pulls up his sleeve and sees the mark of THORN on his wrist and screams. Michael is seen in the man in black suit and exits as a Jack O' Lantern is shown before cutting to black.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

In the early 1990s, the Halloween sequel rights were sold to Miramax Films (via its Dimension Films division). Filming of Halloween 6 started in October, 1994 and wrapped two months later. Donald Pleasance was the only actor who had returned from Halloween 5. Danielle Harris was in talks to reprise her role, but she and Dimension could not come to an agreement, so J. C. Brandy got the role instead.

In early 1995, after filming and editing was completed for what was to eventually become the infamous "Producer's Cut," Halloween 6 was given a test screening which, as described by actress Marianne Hagan, "consisted primarily of 14-year-old boys." During the Q & A afterwards, one of them expressed great displeasure at the ending of the film. As a result, the movie was rushed back into production, this time without Donald Pleasence, who passed away suddenly on February 2nd of that year.

The filmmakers re-shot and re-edited the film based on the poor response from the test screening viewers; the ending was also reworked to compensate for Pleasence's untimely passing. In the original ending, Loomis survives; the reworked ending closes the book on his character, but not necessarily the series.

Some early trailers employed the title Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers. Screenwriter Daniel Farrands has stated that the trailer came before an official title was ever decided upon and that the title used in the trailers was a combination of a title from an early script named The Origin of Michael Myers from a writer before Farrands was brought in, and his own, which was simply titled Halloween 666. At one point, executive producer Moustapha Akkad asked Farrands for a title. Due to the troubled production, he suggested The Curse of Michael Myers. Although Farrands was half-joking, Akkad took the name to heart and decided to use it. Farrands also adds that this coincidently made the subtitles similar to those in The Pink Panther film series, which also used Return, Revenge, and Curse subtitles.[3]

[edit] Reception

Halloween 6 was released on September 29th 1995, and brought in a $8,581,000 opening weekend gross. The film grossed a total of $15,116,634.

The so-called "Producer's Cut," which began circulating as a bootleg and on various fan websites shortly after the official release of the film, has received mostly favorable reviews. Those who have seen this version have said that it provides answers to many of the questions that were left unanswered in the officially-released version and that the as-yet never released Producer's Cut is vastly superior to the theatrical cut.

[edit] Continuity

The following film in the series, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, seems to effectively ignore the continuity established in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, because of characters in the film hinting that Michael Myers disappeared altogether after Halloween II. However, since no parts of H20 take place in Haddonfield, it may be that the characters of H20 have not been informed of any of Michael's previous activities, and are therefore ignorant of the events of the three previous films. Fans have been steadfast in their vehement disapproval of the continuity lapses; as a result, neither of these two films are considered to be canon. While also not considered canon to the film series, the Halloween comic book series attempts to bridge the continuity between The Curse of Michael Myers and H20, in 2001, but in doing so made the plot of Halloween: Resurrection (unreleased at the time) impossible. Halloween: Resurrection, however, made few references to Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

[edit] Music

[edit] Soundtrack

In 1995 a soundtrack album was released by Varese Sarabande Records. The score was composed by Alan Howarth. It is his last contribution to the film series, his work in the series dating back to his collaboration with John Carpenter on Halloween II. The music featured in the album is unusual in that it is a combination of the music featured in the original cut of the film, as well as that of the final theatrical cut. It is also of note that the score features "Laurie's Theme", a piece from the original film's score that had not been incorporated into any soundtrack since Halloween II and would not be used again until by Tyler Bates for the Halloween remake.

Track listing

  1. Jamie's Escape
  2. Birth Ceremony
  3. You Can't Have The Baby
  4. Empty Stomach
  5. Watching Mom
  6. Kara Returns
  7. Thorn
  8. Carnival Festival
  9. It's Raining Red
  10. Look Upstairs
  11. It's His Game
  12. Maximum Security
  13. Operating Room

[edit] Brother Cane

The music of Alabama based rock band, Brother Cane, was featured throughout the movie. The music came from their 1995 release Seeds on Virgin Records. The album's hit single "And Fools Shine On" reached number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks.

The movie also featured the following songs from Seeds: "Hung On A Rope", "20/20 Faith" and "Horses & Needles".

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was the first film in the series that incorporated a hit song into its soundtrack. It was also the only film in the series to feature a single band almost entirely throughout its soundtrack. The only non-Brother Cane song was "Disconnected" by the group, I Found God.

[edit] The Producer's Cut

Copies of the original version of the film (known as the "Producer's Cut"), without the changed ending, have long been floating around in bootleg/collectors' circles. While featuring a different ending which was intended to keep Donald Pleasence's character in the films, it also features longer scenes in several parts of the movie, as well as different music at times.

Major plot points differ between the two cuts. For example: in the "Producers Cut" Jamie Lloyd is not killed by Michael's attack in the barn; she is wounded only to be killed later on in the film by the "Man in Black" after having a dream about how she was imprisoned in Smith's Grove and impregnated with Michael's child.

Many Halloween fans prefer the Producer's Cut over the officially released theatrical cut of the film. The Producer's Cut features 43 minutes of alternate footage and takes, but has never been officially released by the studio in any format [October 2007]. Fans continue to petition Dimension Films to release the alternate cut on DVD.

Several scenes from the Producer's Cut can be seen on the "Television Cut" of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, most recently seen in the U.S. on AMC's MonsterFest (October 2007). The scenes were re-inserted to increase the running time of the film (originally a scant 88 minutes). The added scenes for the Television Cut include: a flashback to Halloween 5; Loomis in the halls of Smith's Grove begging Wynn to help him in his pursuit of Michael Myers; and an extended scene in which Kara Strode walks the college campus grounds, unaware that she is being stalked by the Shape. All other aspects of the theatrical cut (including the revised ending) remain intact, although many of the kill sequences have been edited for television.

[1] Reported on Fangoria that the Producer's Cut may get an official release.

[edit] Script developments

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
  • It was rumored that Quentin Tarantino originally wrote a draft for Halloween 6; this is untrue. Tarantino merely suggested his friend Scott Spiegel as a potential writer for the film. Spiegel's pitch for 'Halloween 6' was rejected and Tarantino was never involved in the project.
  • John Carpenter's idea for Halloween 6 was to send Michael Myers into outer space. Screenwriter Daniel Farrands made light of Carpenter's idea in the scene where one of the crazy callers on the Barry Simms radio show insists, "The CIA couldn't control Myers, so they packed him up in a rocket and shipped him off to space." The caller is unceremoniously cut off by the surly shock jock, who says, "Michael Myers in space?! Come on! Next!" Interestingly enough, New Line Cinema would later use this premise for the tenth Friday the 13th film, sending their own franchise slasher icon Jason Voorhees into space in the film Jason X.
  • Daniel Farrands' original script included a clip from Halloween III: Season of the Witch. In the screenplay, when John Strode comes home he finds the TV playing the scene from the movie where Little Buddy Kupfer is killed by the supernaturally-charged mask, to which Mr. Strode responds, "What is this shit?" Farrands, a lifelong aficionado of the Halloween series, peppered his script with a myriad of in-jokes and references from John Carpenter films and earlier entries in the franchise. A few of these references include: the names of the Strode parents (John and Debra) are an obvious homage to Halloween "parents" John Carpenter and Debra Hill; "Tim Strode's famous stomach pounder" (a reference from Carpenter's The Fog); 45 Lampkin Lane (introduced as the address of the Myers House in Halloween II); other towns and locales in proximity to the fictional Haddonfield, such as Hardin County and Russellville.
  • In the screenplay, Jamie escapes from the hospital before the Man in Black (aka Dr. Wynn) finds her, only to turn up at the end of the film in the Smith's Grove tunnels where she leads the way for Tommy, Kara and the children to escape. Mortally wounded, Jamie asks them to save her baby. As they run for safety, she turns to face off with Myers in one final fight to the death, ultimately sacrificing herself but saving the others, including her own child.

[edit] Trivia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (April 2008)
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • In the scene where Tommy confronts Michael about the baby, Michael's eyes can be seen through his mask. This is the only scene in the film in which his eyes are visible. In Halloween and in Part 4, his eyes are never visible while he is masked.
  • The character of "Minnie Blankenship" in Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers is named after a character mentioned in one scene of Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
  • Tommy Doyle records the radio talk show on a reel to reel tape recorder even though he has a cassette deck in the stereo system above it. This is odd considering the tape for the reel to reel would be dramtically more expensive than a blank cassette tape.
  • The names of the towns for the bus route "Serving Northern Illinois" are Chicago, Oak Lawn, Romeoville, Joliet, Braidwood, Gardner, Dwight, Smith's Grove, Haddonfield, Pontiac, Funks Grove, Bloomington, Lincoln, Elkhart, and Fancy Prairie. There are three continuity flaws with the bus route- (1) According to the goofs of Halloween 6 on IMDb.com, there is no scheduled bus running from Pontiac to Dwight. (2) Funks Grove in real-life should be placed between Lincoln and Bloomington, not between Bloomington and Pontiac. (3) In the first Halloween, Dr. Wynn says that "Haddonfield is 150 miles away from here" [Smith's Grove]. The route as seen in the bus depot places Haddonfield and Smith's Grove between Pontiac and Dwight. The real-life distance from Pontiac and Dwight is only 21 miles. Smith's Grove does not belong on the bus route map to begin with. This fictional town is set in real-life Warren County, Illinois in the western part of the state. Also, according to the map, Haddonfield is set in real-life Livingston County, Illinois.

[edit] References

  1. ^ An Interview with Daniel Farrands
  2. ^ Nicholas Rogers, Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 110.
  3. ^ Dan Farrands interview

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Halloween series
Films
Characters
People
Media tie-ins
Related topics
v • d • e
American films of the 1990s
 •1990 •1991 •1992 •1993 •1994 •1995 •1996 •1997 •1998 •1999