Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

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Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Chappelle
Written byScreenplay:
Daniel Farrands
Joe Chappelle (uncredited)[1]
Based on characters created by:
John Carpenter
Debra Hill
Produced byMoustapha Akkad
Malek Akkad
Paul Freeman
StarringDonald Pleasence
Paul Rudd
Marianne Hagan
Mitch Ryan
Kim Darby
J.C. Brandy
Bradford English
CinematographyBilly Dickson
Edited byRandolph K. Bricker
Music byAlan Howarth
Distributed byDimension Films
Release dates
September 29, 1995
Running time
Theatrical cut
88 min.
Producer's cut
131 min.
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million
Box office$15,116,634

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) and Paul Rudd. The original music score composed by long-time Halloween contributor Alan Howarth. 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 Moustapha Akkadand 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".

Plot

Michael Myers, his niece Jamie Lloyd, and the mysterious Man in Black have all been in hiding for six years. The Man in Black had kidnaped Jamie and impregnated her. 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 Jamie's 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 Myer's 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.

Cast

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]

Music

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

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.

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 "Producer's Cut" began circulating as a bootleg and on various fan websites shortly after the official release of the film.

On the Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror DVD, it was stated that Dimension was trying to plan an official release of the Producers Cut, however, no updates have been made on that plan.

Continuity

The following film in the series, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, ignored the continuity established in the previous three films with characters stating that Michael Myers disappeared altogether after Halloween II. Chaos' Halloween comic book series attempted 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.

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.

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].

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.

Fangoria reported that the Producer's Cut may get an official release.[4]

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
  4. ^ "[http://www.esplatter.com/news.php?id=256 'Halloween 6' Producer's Cut May Be Heading to DVD]"; "Halloween 6: Producers Cut To DVD?"

External links

Template:Americanfilms1990s

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