Halloween 5 — Film Review
Just one short year after Myers’ return in Halloween 4, the franchise came roaring back with Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. The second in the franchise to feature Jamie, the late Laurie Strode’s daughter, this film puts Jamie in a children’s hospital following her antics in the fourth film. Jamie no longer speaks and is haunted by the memory of Michael; she can also sense his location and actions. Rachel’s family has since left Haddonfield, but Rachel frequently visits Jamie at the hospital with her friend Tina. In a shocking turn of events, Myers survived the fourth film and returned to Haddonfield on Halloween for another round of stalk-the-niece and anyone else along the way.
Unfortunately, my love for the fourth Halloween didn’t carry over to this film. For starters, Jamie ditched the clown costume and traded it for a princess costume, which wasn’t as creepy. More importantly, she can’t speak for a significant portion of the film, detracting from the fear factor. Remember how I said children are honest and pure, and viewers have no trouble fearing what they fear? Well, that’s tough to do when your child protagonist doesn’t talk and often gasps for air and seizes. I was also not a fan of her ability to sense and see Myers's actions; it took the film down a supernatural road that didn’t seem to fit the overall theme.
