Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1995 film by Joe Chappelle}} |
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{{Infobox Film |
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{{Infobox film |
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| name = Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers |
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| name = Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers |
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| image = Halloween6cover.JPG |
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| image = Halloween6cover.JPG |
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| caption = [[Movie poster]]. |
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| caption = Theatrical release poster |
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| director = [[Joe Chappelle]] |
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| director = [[Joe Chappelle]] |
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| producer = [[Moustapha Akkad]]<br>Malek Akkad<br>[[Paul Freeman]] |
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| producer = Paul Freeman |
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| writer = Daniel Farrands<br> |
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| writer = [[Daniel Farrands]] |
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| starring = [[Donald Pleasence]]<br>[[Paul Rudd]]<br>[[Marianne Hagan]]<br> |
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| based_on = {{Based on|Characters|[[John Carpenter]] and [[Debra Hill]]}} |
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| music = Alan Howarth |
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| starring = {{Plainlist| |
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| cinematography = Billy Dickson |
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* [[Donald Pleasence]] |
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| editing = Randolph K. Bricker |
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* [[Paul Rudd]] |
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| distributor = [[Dimension Films]] |
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* [[Marianne Hagan]] |
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| released = [[September 29]], [[1995]] |
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* [[Mitchell Ryan|Mitch Ryan]] |
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| runtime = '''Theatrical cut'''<br>88 min.<br>'''Producer's cut'''<br>131 min. |
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}}<!--PER BILLING BLOCK--> |
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| country = {{USA}} |
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| music = [[Alan Howarth (composer)|Alan Howarth]] |
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| language = [[English language|English]] |
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| cinematography = [[Billy Dickson]] |
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| budget = $5 million |
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| editing = Randolph K. Bricker |
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| gross = $15,116,634 |
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| studio = {{plainlist| |
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| website = http://www.halloweenmovies.com/ |
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* Nightfall Productions<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150428234|work=[[British Film Institute]]|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers|url-status=live|archive-date=October 22, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231022193548/https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150428234}}</ref> |
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| preceded_by = ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers]]'' |
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* [[Compass International Pictures|Trancas International]] |
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| followed_by = ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later]]'' |
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* Halloween VI Productions{{sfn|Etling|2014|p=200}} |
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| amg_id = 1:135827 |
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| imdb_id = 0113253 |
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}} |
}} |
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| distributor = [[Dimension Films]] |
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| released = {{Film date|1995|9|29}} |
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| runtime = 88 minutes{{sfn|Etling|2014|p=200}}<!-- Only the theatrical version runtime belongs here--> |
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| country = United States |
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| language = English |
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| budget = $5 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/series-halloween6.html|title=Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)|publisher=[[Filmsite.org]]|access-date=May 3, 2019}}</ref> |
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| gross = $15.1 million (U.S.)<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl978748929/weekend/|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Financial Information|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=May 3, 2019}}</ref> |
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}} |
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'''''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'''''{{efn-lr|The [[#The Producer's Cut|Producer's Cut]] uses the on-screen title ''Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers'', and originally titled ''Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers''.}} is a 1995 American [[slasher film]] directed by [[Joe Chappelle]], written by [[Daniel Farrands]], and starring [[Donald Pleasence]], [[Paul Rudd]], [[Marianne Hagan]], and [[Mitchell Ryan|Mitch Ryan]]. The sixth installment in the [[Halloween (franchise)|''Halloween'' film series]],{{sfn|Norman|2014|p=180}} the plot depicts [[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]] hunting down the infant son of his niece, [[Jamie Lloyd]].{{sfn|Rogers|2003|p=110}} It expands significantly upon the [[supernatural horror]] elements that were sparsely introduced in the [[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers|previous film]], mainly the subplot of a [[cult]] that controls Myers and drives him to murder his bloodline using the ancient [[rune]] of [[Thurisaz|Thorn]]. It marks the final appearance of Pleasence as [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Sam Loomis]] before his death, as well as the feature film debut of Rudd, who portrays an adult Tommy Doyle from the original ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]'' (1978). This also marks the last major role of [[George P. Wilbur]] before his death in 2023. |
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''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' had a protracted development that spanned several years, comprising numerous revisions, drafts, and contributions from different screenwriters, including Daniel Farrands and [[Scott Rosenberg]]. Farrands ultimately completed the final version of the screenplay shortly before filming began in [[Salt Lake City]] in the fall of 1994. The film also had a troubled post-production: Its original cut performed poorly with test audiences, leading to the film undergoing a series of reshoots and edits. The finished film was distributed by [[Dimension Films]], who would go on to distribute the rest of the series until 2018's ''[[Halloween (2018 film)|Halloween]].'' Pleasence died on February 2, 1995, nearly eight months before the film was released. The film was dedicated to his memory. |
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'''''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers''''' is a [[1995 in film|1995]] [[horror film]] and the sixth installment in the [[Halloween (film series)|''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 (Halloween)|Michael Myers]]' evil.<ref>Nicholas Rogers, ''Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 110.</ref> The cast includes [[Paul Rudd]] as [[List of characters in the Halloween film series#Tommy Doyle|Tommy Dolye]], a returning character from the original [[Halloween (1978 film)|''Hallowen'' film]], and [[Donald Pleasence]] reprising his role as protagonist [[Dr. Sam Loomis]]. |
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''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' was released on September 29, 1995, grossing $15.1 million at the domestic box office on a budget of $5 million. It was lambasted by critics, with criticism focused on its weak story, ending, Rudd's performance, and the origin story given to Michael Myers, though Pleasence's performance was better received. After the film's home media release, the original [[workprint]] of the film, which featured 45 minutes of alternative footage and a different ending, was discovered by [[Fan (person)|fans]] of the series. This version, dubbed the ''Producer's Cut'', developed a [[cult following]], with [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] [[DVD]] copies sold on [[eBay]] and [[online petition]]s targeting for an official release of it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=407|work=[[JoBlo.com|Arrow in the Head]]|title=Halloween 6, The Producer's Cut|archive-date=December 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218144143/http://www.joblo.com/arrow/reviews.php?id=407|url-status=dead}}</ref> In September 2014, the ''Producer's Cut'' received its first official home media release by [[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]] as part of a Blu-ray box set of the ''Halloween'' series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3303965/full-specs-halloween-complete-collection/|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|title=Full Specs For 'Halloween: The Complete Collection'!!|date=July 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430085944/https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3303965/full-specs-halloween-complete-collection/|archive-date=April 30, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Opening to a respectable 7.3 million dollars on September 29, 1995, coming in second to New Line's seminal serial killer thriller [[Seven]] <ref> http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=1995&wknd=39&p=.htm</ref> |
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, ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' and the Thorn plotline would be ignored in succeeding installments [[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later|later installment]] and [[Halloween: Resurrection]]. However, the 2001 [[Halloween (comics)|''Halloween'' comic book series]] published by [[Chaos Comics]] - and based on Daniel Farrands' concept for the eight ''Halloween'' film - attempts to bridge the continuity between ''The Curse of Michael Myers'' and ''Halloween H20''. |
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''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' was followed by ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later]]'' in 1998, which does not contain any references to the Jamie Lloyd storyline of the prior three films (although they were featured in the original script and comic book tie-ins published by [[Chaos! Comics]]), instead serving as a direct sequel to ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]'' (1981). |
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The sixth installement is known for its controversial behind-the-scenes history, suffering from re-shoots in production and the editing room; the [[workprint]] of the film, with 43 minutes of alternate footage including a different ending, was eventually discovered and restored by [[fan]]s. This version, dubbed "The Producer's Cut", developed a strong [[cult following]], with [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] [[DVD]] copies sold on [[eBay]]. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Six years after the events of [[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers|the previous film]], [[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]] and his nine-year-old niece [[Jamie Lloyd]] have been abducted by the Man in Black and his [[Druid]]-like [[cult]] at an unknown facility with medical staff. By Halloween Eve, a now fifteen-year-old Jamie has been impregnated and gives birth. With a help of a nurse, who soon becomes Michael's first victim, she escapes with her baby in a stolen pickup truck with Michael in pursuit. |
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[[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]], his niece [[Jamie Lloyd]], and the mysterious [[List of characters in the Halloween film series#Dr. Terence Wynn|Man in Black]] have all been in hiding for six years. It is revealed that the Man in Black is the leader of a [[Druid]]-like [[cult]], and that after the fiery climax of ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers|Halloween 5]]'', the Man in Black kidnapped Jamie and had her impregnated. The baby is born on Halloween Eve and is carried away by the Man in Black. Later that night, however, a nurse helps Jamie and her baby escape. Michael Myers, in pursuit of Jamie and her [[newborn]], kills the nurse by impaling the back of her head to a metal spike in the wall. Jamie, meanwhile, steals the truck of an angry motorist (who quickly becomes Michael's next victim) and flees to a dark and empty bus station where she calls in to a radio show that happens to be doing a broadcast about the [[Haddonfield]] murders. Jamie gets on the air, begging for help and warning of Michael's imminent return. Trapped, she proceeds to hide in the bathroom where Michael nearly catches her. She narrowly makes it out alive and again drives away. Jamie is still not safe, as she is forced off the road by a presumably stolen van driven by Michael Myers. Beaten and exhausted, she makes her way inside of an old barn where Michael is waiting for her. He kills Jamie by pushing her into a corn [[thresher]], only to find that Jamie does not have the baby. Meanwhile, [[List of characters in the Halloween film series#Tommy Doyle|Tommy Doyle]] (the child Laurie Strode babysat in the first film) has his eye on a family who's moved into the old Myers house across the street from the [[boarding house]] where he lives. The boarding house is run by a mysterious old woman named Minnie Blankenship. |
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Meanwhile, a now retired [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Loomis]] is visited by his friend Dr. Terence Wynn, the chief administrator of Smith's Grove Sanitarium, where Michael had been incarcerated as a boy. As Wynn asks Loomis to return to Smith's Grove, they overhear Jamie's plea for help on a local radio station. Michael catches up with Jamie and kills her, only to find that she has hidden her child elsewhere. |
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For seventeen years, Tommy has been obsessed with finding the truth behind the murderous motives of Michael Myers. After hearing Jamie begging for help on a local radio show, Tommy finds her baby at the bus station and takes him into hiding. The people living in the Myers house are relatives of the Strode family (Laurie Strode's adoptive parents), and among the current residents are Kara Strode and her son Danny, Kara's [[teenage]] brother Tim, and her parents, the doting mother Debra and her abusive husband and Kara's father John. One by one, Michael stalks each of the Strodes, trying to get to Jamie's baby. Across the street, Tommy reveals to Kara that Michael has been marked with ''[[Thorn (letter)|Thorn]]'' (or ''[[Thurisaz]]''), a runic symbol that [[druid|druid astronomers]] claimed was originated from a constellation of stars that appear on Halloween night from time to time (whenever it appears, Michael appears, explaining why Michael appears a few number of years after he's been in a near-death-experience). It is an ancient Druid curse that represented a demon that spread sickness and caused mad destruction on druid tribes. In order to prevent the tribes from dying, each tribe had to inflict the curse on ''one'' child from each tribe, so each child can offer the blood sacrifice of its next of kin on the night of [[Samhain]] (A.K.A. Halloween), because the sacrifice of one family meant sparing the lives of an entire tribe, which is the reason why Michael is trying to kill Stephen. If Michael did succeed in killing his entire family, the curse would be passed on to another child. While Tommy is out looking for Dr. Loomis, Mrs. Blankenship reveals to Kara (after talking to Danny) that she was babysitting Michael Myers when he killed his sister 32 years ago, and Danny hears the "voice", just like Michael Myers heard when she was babysitting him (implying that Danny is the next "child" to be cursed with Thorn). |
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In Haddonfield, the old Myers house is now owned by relatives of [[Laurie Strode]]'s adoptive family: John and Debra Strode, their adult children Kara and Tim, and Kara's six-year-old son Danny, who is tormented by visions of the Man in Black telling him to kill. At the Blankenship [[boarding house]] across the street lives Tommy Doyle, the boy Laurie babysat in 1978, now a recluse obsessed with Michael's motives. Also hearing Jamie's cry for help, Tommy tracks the call down to a bus station and finds the baby, whom he names Steven. Tommy crosses paths with Loomis, who visits Debra to warn her. After Loomis leaves, Michael kills Debra with an axe. |
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The plot takes a turn when the "Man in Black" finally reveals himself as Dr. Wynn from the original ''[[Halloween (1978 film)|Halloween]]''. After a terrifying showdown between Kara and Michael Myers, Tommy and Dr. Loomis follow Wynn to Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium. Loomis tells Tommy to go get Kara and the children and get out while he confronts Dr. Wynn, who knocks him out shortly after. Tommy finds Kara locked in a room in the maxium security ward, and they continue to find the children, who are found in an operating room. In the other room, through a two-way mirror, they can see Dr. Wynn and the cultists performing some sort of an operation on someone. But Michael interrupts the procedure, walking in with a surgical machete in hand and promptly slaughtering them all (with the possible exception of Dr. Wynn). Tommy, Kara and the kids run with Michael in hot pursuit until they come to a locked gate. With nowhere to go, the group hides in another room. Inside the room, Kara finds some tanks with what looks like to be baby fetus' inside each one of them, with a chart with numbers and runes sticking onto it. Michael breaks into the room and out of nowhere Tommy injects him with tranquilizers of corrosive chemicals and beats him in the head with a lead pipe. As Dr. Loomis, Tommy, Kara, Danny, and the baby Stephen are about to escape, Loomis tells them to go on without him because he has "unfinished business" to do. The film cuts back inside the building, where Michael's mask is shown on the floor, and we hear Dr. Loomis's fateful, final scream. |
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Tommy locates Kara and Danny and takes them to safety at the boarding house. He tells Kara that he believes Michael is under the influence of ''[[Thorn (letter)|Thorn]]'', an ancient Druid curse that drives a person to kill their family on Halloween, and that Steven will be his final sacrifice. Tommy then leaves to meet Loomis at the local harvest festival. Michael electrocutes John in his home before going to the harvest festival and killing radio host Barry Simms, after which he follows Kara's brother Tim and his girlfriend Beth back to the house. |
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Meanwhile, Mrs. Blankenship recounts the history of Halloween to Danny and tells Kara she was babysitting Michael the night he killed his sister in which he heard a voice telling him to do so. Mrs. Blankenship also states how Danny hears the same voice, implying that Danny is to follow down the same path. The Man in Black beckons Danny to the Myers house. Kara rescues Danny, discovering the corpses of Tim, Beth, and Debra upstairs, and is pursued by Michael. Upon returning to the boarding house, they discover the Man in Black to be Dr. Wynn. Cult members burst in and, with the help of Mrs. Blankenship, abduct Kara, Danny, and Steven and take them to Smith's Grove. Kara is locked in a maximum-security ward while the boys are kept in an operating room. |
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Tommy and Loomis go to the sanitarium where Loomis confronts Wynn, who insinuates that the Smith's Grove staff have been studying evil to learn how to control it and Steven is implied to be the successful result of this. Wynn wants Loomis to join him, as he was the first to recognize Michael's evil. Loomis refuses and is knocked out by a doctor. Meanwhile, Tommy frees Kara as Michael pursues them through the sanitarium. They watch as Wynn and his team prepare for a surgical procedure before Michael suddenly appears and turns against the cult, killing them all. |
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Tommy and Kara rescue the kids as Michael chases them into a laboratory containing [[fetus]]es from Wynn's failed experiments to clone Michael's [[DNA]]. Tommy injects Michael with corrosive liquid and beats him unconscious with a lead pipe. Tommy, Kara, and the children leave Smith's Grove while Loomis stays behind, stating he has "some business to attend to." Inside, Michael's mask lies alone on the lab floor as Loomis screams in the background, leaving their fates unknown. |
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==Cast== |
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{{Main|List of Halloween (franchise) characters|l1 = List of ''Halloween'' characters}} |
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{{Cast list| |
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* [[Donald Pleasence]] as [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Sam Loomis]] |
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* [[Paul Rudd]] as [[List of Halloween (franchise) characters#Tommy Doyle|Tommy Doyle]] (credited as Paul Stephen Rudd) |
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* [[Marianne Hagan]] as Kara Strode |
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* [[Mitchell Ryan|Mitch Ryan]] as [[Dr. Terence Wynn]] |
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* Devin Gardner as Danny Strode |
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* [[J. C. Brandy]] as [[Jamie Lloyd]] |
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** [[Danielle Harris]] as young Jamie Lloyd (archive footage, The Producer's Cut only) |
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* Keith Bogart as Tim Strode |
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* [[Mariah O'Brien]] as Beth |
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* [[Kim Darby]] as Debra Strode |
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* [[Bradford English]] as John Strode |
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* Leo Geter as Barry Simms |
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* [[Susan Swift]] as Nurse Mary |
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* [[George P. Wilbur]] as [[Michael Myers (Halloween)|Michael Myers]] |
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* [[Janice Knickrehm]] as Mrs. Blankenship |
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* Alan Echeverria as Dr. Bonham |
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* Hildur Ruriks as Dawn |
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* Sheri Hicks as Paramedic |
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* [[Tom Proctor (actor)|Tom Proctor]] as Motorist |
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* Bryan Morris as Attendant |
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* Lee Ju Chew as Nurse |
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* Raquelle Anderson as Ballerina |
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* Kristine Summers as College Coed |
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* Elyse Donalson as Lunatic |
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* A. Michael Lerner as Additional Shape |
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* Jimmy Chunga as Drunk College Student |
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* Brad Hardin as The Shape - Second Unit additional photography |
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* Fred Lerner as Smith's Grove Doctor |
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* James Woodson as Deputy |
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}} |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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===Development=== |
===Development and screenplay=== |
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====Early drafts==== |
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In 1990, screenwriter, and long-time ''Halloween'' fan, Daniel Farrands had set out to write the sixth sequel in the ''Halloween'' series. Farrands gave his horror movie scripts to the producer of ''Halloween 5'', Ramsey Thomas; impressed by his writing, Thomas set a meeting for Farrands with executive producer [[Moustapha Akkad]]. Farrands described the meeting: |
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[[File:Mark of Thorn.svg|thumb|95px|The [[Runic]] symbol of [[Thurisaz|Thorn]], which is a major theme in the film.]] |
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After an unfavorable critical and commercial response to ''[[Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers]]'' which came out only a year after ''[[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers]]'', producer [[Moustapha Akkad]] put the series on hold to re-evaluate its potential. Akkad felt ''Halloween 5'' had strayed too far from ''Halloween 4'' and the box office response was much lower than expected. As early as 1990, both [[Danielle Harris]] and [[Don Shanks (stuntman)|Don Shanks]] were expected to return as Jamie Lloyd and The Shape, with the possibility of [[Donald Pleasence]] and [[Wendy Kaplan]] reprising their roles as well.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=146}} That same year, screenwriter and long-time ''Halloween'' fan [[Daniel Farrands]] set out to write the sixth entry in the ''Halloween'' series.<ref name=garcia>{{cite news|work=[[The Press Democrat]]|last=Garcia|first=Chris|title='Halloween' dreamer|date=October 1, 1995|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-press-democrat/157073862/|pages=15–{{url|https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-press-democrat/157074015/|16}}|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Farrands gave his horror film scripts to the producer of ''Halloween 5'', Ramsey Thomas; impressed by his writing, Thomas set a meeting for Farrands with executive producer Moustapha Akkad. Farrands described the meeting: |
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{{blockquote|I spent weeks preparing for the meeting and came in with a huge notebook filled with ''Halloween'' research – I had the entire series laid out in a timeline, a bio of every character, a "family tree" of the Myers and Strode clans, as well as all of the research I had compiled about the runic symbol (Thorn) that was briefly shown in ''Halloween 5''. I then laid out how I thought all of this might be explored in ''Halloween 6''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.halloweenmovies.com/h6retro_interview.html|website=HalloweenMovies™: The Official Halloween Website|access-date=December 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926230605/http://halloweenmovies.com/h6retro_interview.html|archive-date=September 26, 2006|title=Daniel Farrands Interview: Halloween 6}}</ref>}} |
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Farrands, who knew the films, as well as [[Dennis Etchison]]'s novelizations intimately, constructed a bible of the entire franchise and presented it to the studio.<ref>{{cite web|last=Murr|first=Tim|url=https://biffbampop.com/2018/10/21/31-days-of-horror-tim-murr-on-halloween-6-the-curse-of-michael-myers-producers-cut/|title=31 Days of Horror – Tim Murr on ''Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers'' Producer's Cut|date=October 21, 2018|website=Biff Bam Pop|access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> The film lingered in development as a planned October 1990 release was missed, but Akkad persisted and began courting [[Michele Soavi]] in 1992.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=146}} Soavi would reject the offer and not long after the producers entered a series of complicated [[legal battle]]s ensued which delayed plans for a sequel; eventually [[Miramax]] Films (via its [[Dimension Films]] division) bought the rights to the ''Halloween'' series. Concurrently with the legal battle, series co-creator [[John Carpenter]] had teamed up with [[New Line Cinema]] to outbid Miramax. Carpenter's proposal saw the film take place on a [[space station]].{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=147}} |
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Although the producers at the time had already sought to make a sixth ''Halloween'' film, a series of complicated [[legal battle]]s ensued which delayed plans for a sequel; eventually [[Miramax]] Films (via its [[Dimension Films]] division) bought the rights to the ''Halloween'' franchise. |
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Following Miramax's acquisition of the series, the studio hoped to start production by October 1993, but again, this did not materialize. [[Bob Weinstein]] subsequently hired [[Gary Fleder]] to direct.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=148}} Fleder recommended screenwriter Phil Rosenberg, who became the first writer hired for the project.<ref name=mullins/> Rosenberg's screenplay, titled ''Halloween 666: The Origin'', follows a Chicago news reporter who arrives in Haddonfield to cover the town's first Halloween celebration in five years, during which a series of killings begins.<ref name=mullins/><ref name=jenkins>{{cite web|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3637108/scott-spiegel-cuts-quentin-tarantino-produced-alternate-version-halloween-6-phantom-limbs/|title=Scott Spiegel Cuts Into the Quentin Tarantino-Produced Alternate Version of 'Halloween 6' |last=Jenkins|first=Jason|date=October 16, 2020|url-status=live|archive-date=October 21, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021005252/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3637108/scott-spiegel-cuts-quentin-tarantino-produced-alternate-version-halloween-6-phantom-limbs/}}</ref> Akkad expressly disliked the screenplay,<ref name=mullins>{{cite web|last=Mullins|first=Travis|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/264226/early-draft-halloween-6-released-interesting/|title=An Early Draft of ''Halloween 6'' Has Been Released And It's… Interesting|date=January 17, 2018|website=[[Dread Central]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031133100/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/264226/early-draft-halloween-6-released-interesting/|archive-date=October 31, 2022}}</ref> but Miramax responded to it favorably and opted to continue moving forward until Fleder eventually dropped out, citing "creative differences".{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=148}} |
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===Writing=== |
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In 1994, Akkad called Daniel Farrands for him to write the sixth ''Halloween'' film, after several screenplays from writers were deemed insufficent. Farrands describe his inital intent for ''Halloween 6'' was to "''bridge the later films (4-5) in the series to the earlier films (1-2) while at the same time taking the story into new territory so that the series could expand for future installments.''" <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2260/int-farrands.html?200724]</ref> Daniel Farrands had written several drafts to the film. His final draft, originally titled ''Halloween 666'', went through eleven different drafts. |
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Miramax then approached [[Quentin Tarantino]], who had recently completed ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'' (1994) for the studio.<ref name=konda/><ref name=squirestarantino/> Though a screenplay was never completed,<ref name="Millman">{{Cite web|last=Millman|first=Ashleigh|date=May 8, 2019|title=Every Halloween Movie (They Never Actually Made)|url=https://whatculture.com/film/every-halloween-movie-they-never-actually-made|access-date=January 5, 2021|website=WhatCulture.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Halloween VI Behind The Scenes|url=http://cwc.cyf.mybluehost.me/films/halloweenvi-1995/halloween-vi-behind-the-scenes/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241020211127/https://cwc.cyf.mybluehost.me/films/halloweenvi-1995/halloween-vi-behind-the-scenes/|archive-date=October 20, 2024|url-status=live|website=HalloweenMovies™: The Official Halloween Website|language=en-US}}</ref> Tarantino pitched a story idea involving Michael Myers and the Man in Black fleeing Haddonfield together and going on a [[road trip]] down [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]] while murdering people,<ref>{{cite web|last=Roffman|first=Michael|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/12/filmmaker-of-the-year-quentin-tarantino/2/|title=Filmmaker of the Year Quentin Tarantino on Finding the Right Story, What Streaming is Missing, and His 10th Film |
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|date=December 16, 2019|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217171820/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/12/filmmaker-of-the-year-quentin-tarantino/2/|archive-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=December 16, 2019|title=Quentin Tarantino Shares His Killer 'Halloween 6' Idea That Went Nowhere|url=https://movieweb.com/halloween-6-quentin-tarantino/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218142627/https://movieweb.com/halloween-6-quentin-tarantino/|archive-date=December 18, 2019|website=[[MovieWeb]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=May 13, 2020|title=Halloween 6: The Quentin Tarantino Version That Almost Happened|url=https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-quentin-tarantino-ideas-plans/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622194437/https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-quentin-tarantino-ideas-plans/|archive-date=June 22, 2023|url-status=live|website=[[Screen Rant]]|language=en-US}}</ref> events which bear resemblance to those depicted in his screenplay for ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'', which he was pitching to Miramax Films at the same time.<ref name=":0" /> Tarantino ultimately declined the offer, but suggested ''[[Evil Dead II]]'' co-writer [[Scott Spiegel]] as a potential director.<ref name=konda>{{cite web|last=Konda|first=Kelly|url=https://weminoredinfilm.com/2017/10/31/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-halloween-6-the-curse-of-michael-myers/|title=9 Things You May Not Know About ''Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers''|date=October 31, 2017|website=We Minored in Film|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref><ref name=squirestarantino>{{cite web|last=Squires|first=John|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3597953/quentin-tarantino-talks-halloween-6-toyed-writing-back-early-1990s/|title=Quentin Tarantino Talks ''Halloween 6'', Which He Toyed With Writing Back in the Early 1990s|date=December 16, 2019|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118031100/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3597953/quentin-tarantino-talks-halloween-6-toyed-writing-back-early-1990s/|archive-date=November 18, 2022}}</ref> Spiegel was unenthusiastic about Phil Rosenberg's screenplay ultimately departed the project. |
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By April 1994, Phil Rosenberg's brother, [[Scott Rosenberg|Scott]] was tasked with revising the script, but failed to satisfy Akkad.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=151}} With Scott Rosenberg's draft rejected, the studio pursued upcoming writers [[Irving Belateche]] and [[Lawrence Guterman]] to completely overhaul ''Halloween 666''.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=179}} With an October 1994 release window instilled by Weinstein, Matthew Patrick of ''[[Hider in the House (1989 film)|Hider in the House]]'' was selected as director.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=179}} Upon his hiring, Patrick immediately flew to [[Salt Lake City]] for [[location scouting]] and brought in his frequent cinematographer [[Billy Dickson]]. However, neither Patrick or Akkad were appeased by the script, with the former even referring to it as "unfinished".{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=194}} Patrick was granted his own revision of the script, but tensions rose between Akkad and Weinstein. With production gearing up to begin in two weeks without a finalized cast, Patrick would ultimately quit the project in May 1994.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=195}} |
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====Farrands' re-drafting==== |
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In June 1994, Daniel Farrands was hired to write a new screenplay, as the film had an impending shooting date scheduled for that October in Salt Lake City.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 18:34}} At this time, [[Fred Walton (director)|Fred Walton]] was attached to direct.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:09:27}}<ref name=iof>{{cite web|url=http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Dan.htm|work=Icons of Fright|title=Fright Exclusive Interview: Daniel Farrands|access-date=October 1, 2017|date=June 2005|archive-date=December 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221164142/http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Dan.htm}}</ref> Walton soon became reluctant to take on a "movie about a guy with a knife killing people". Instead, the filmmaker envisioned a plot akin to ''[[Friday the 13th: A New Beginning]]'', with Jamie Lloyd living in a [[halfway house]] and committing suicide in the film's opening scene.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2020|p=188}} The Weinsteins swiftly moved onto [[Joe Chappelle]] after being impressed with his debut film, ''[[Thieves Quartet]]''.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Staci|url=http://www.redriverhorror.com/2020/09/29/halloween-6-25-years-later/|title=''Halloween 6'' - 25 Years Later|date=September 29, 2020|website=Red River Horror|access-date=May 28, 2022}}</ref> Farrands has said his initial intent for the film was to "bridge the later films (4–5) in the series to the earlier films (1–2) while at the same time taking the story into new territory so that the series could expand for future installments."<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview With Daniel Farrands|work=73 Miles to Haddonfield Fansite|access-date= September 29, 2009|url=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2260/int-farrands.html?200724|archive-url=https://archive.today/20091025120548/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/2260/int-farrands.html?200724|archive-date=October 25, 2009}}</ref> This in part meant expanding on the presence of the "Man in Black" as well as the appearance of the [[Thurisaz|Thorn]] symbol, both of which appear without explanation at the end of ''Halloween 5''.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 3:00}} When beginning the script, Farrands contacted the writers of ''Halloween 4'' and ''5'' for additional information, but they were unable to provide clear answers, leaving him to "pick up the pieces."{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 31:01}} |
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Farrands himself envisioned the Michael Myers character as a "[[Paraphilia|sexual deviant]]," theorizing that, as a child, Michael became fixated on the murder of his sister Judith, and for his own twisted reasons felt the need to repeat that action over and over again, finding a sister-like figure in Laurie who excited him sexually. He also theorized that by making Laurie Michael's literal sister, the sequels took away from the simplicity and relatability of the original ''Halloween''. Nevertheless, when writing ''Curse'', Farrands was tasked with creating a mythology for Myers which defined his motives and why he could not be killed. He says, "He can't just be a man anymore, he's gone beyond that. He's mythical. He's supernatural. So, I took it from that standpoint that there's something else driving him. A force that goes beyond that five senses that has infected this boy's soul and now is driving him." As the script developed and more people became involved, Farrands admits that the film went too far in explaining Myers and that he himself was not completely satisfied with the finished product.<ref name="iof"/> |
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Farrands expanded the "Curse of Thorn" plot line, in which Jamie Lloyd is kidnapped by a covert [[cult]] who has cursed Michael Myers via the [[Runic]] symbol of Thorn, which compels him to kill and also affords him [[immortality]].{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 20:26}} Farrands had in part based the idea on dialogue present in ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]'' (1981) about the night of [[Samhain]], during which the "veil between the living and the dead is thinnest," the one time of the year during which Myers became "active, and seeks out his bloodline."{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 20:44}} References to [[Druidry (modern)|Druidism]] as well as Myers's grandfather "hearing voices" had also appeared in the 1978 novelization of ''Halloween'' by Curtis Richards.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:01:40}} While the character of Jamie Lloyd dies early in the film, the initial versions of Farrands' script had her character surviving until the final act, at which point she was ultimately killed by Michael.<ref name=harris/> Other elements of Farrands' working script that ultimately had to be trimmed down included an extension of the Curse of Thorn subplot, which had the entire town of Haddonfield in collusion with the cult, an idea Akkad wanted to use for the series' seventh installment.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 22:48}} However, this idea was scrapped in favor of the ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later|Halloween H20]]'' script in 1997.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 22:55}} |
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According to Farrands, there were around ten different drafts of his script between June 1994 and the October 1994 film shoot, and much of the finale that appears in the theatrical version (including the events at the hospital, as well as the references to the cult using Myers's power as a means of [[scientific method|scientific investigation]]), was not written by him, and had been written and shot in post-production under the supervision of Dimension Films.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 22:19}} |
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====Allusions and references==== |
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Farrands, a long-time fan of the series, sought to incorporate various references and [[allusion]]s to the previous ''Halloween'' films, particularly the original, to play with the "''Halloween'' mythology."{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 49:30}} These range from situational allusions, such as Tommy Doyle living across the street from the Strode house (a play on the events in the original ''Halloween'', which take place between the Wallace and Doyle residences, which are across the street from one another){{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 49:25}} to minor references, such as the naming of an address from ''Halloween II'' (1981), and the character of Mrs. Blankenship, a name referred to in passing in ''[[Halloween III: Season of the Witch]]'' (1982).{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 43:10}} Other references outside the narrative diegeses of the series include the names of characters, such as John and Debra Strode (referencing John Carpenter and [[Debra Hill]]),{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 41:18}} as well as the naming of Danny Strode, a character Farrands has said was modeled after [[Danny Torrance]] in ''[[The Shining (film)|The Shining]]'' (1980). |
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Farrands also referenced Carpenter's ''[[The Fog]]'' (1980) with the line referring to a "stomach pounder" (a protein milkshake Tim drinks early in the film),{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 41:35}} and Beth's murder scene was modeled after a scene from [[Fred Walton (director)|Fred Walton]]'s ''[[When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls]]'' (1979) (Farrands wrote the scene upon hearing that Walton had been attached to direct the project, though Walton would eventually drop out of the production).{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:09:27}} Additionally, extended scenes of Kara walking on the college campus and en route to her home were intended to allude to scenes featuring Laurie Strode in the first film,{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 37:10}} while Danny dropping his [[pumpkin]] while walking home alludes to a scene in the first film in which a group of bullies force Tommy to drop his pumpkin outside the elementary school.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 48:28}} |
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===Casting=== |
===Casting=== |
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[[File:Donald Pleasence Allan Warren edit.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Donald Pleasence]] reprised his role as Dr. Loomis, in what would be one of his final film appearances.]] |
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[[Donald Pleasance]] returned as Dr. Loomis, in his last performance; according to Farrands, Pleasance "loved the script for 6, however, and told me that he felt it was the best story since the original." [[Danielle Harris]] was asked to reprise her role as [[Jamie Lloyd]], but she and [[Dimension Films|Dimension]] could not come to an agreement over did not want to pay Danielle more than she received in ''Halloween 4''; and [[J. C. Brandy]] got the role instead. The producers wanted [[Brian Andrews]] to reprise his role as Tommy Doyle. However, without an agent, they could not get in contact with Andrews. |
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[[Donald Pleasence]] returned to play [[Samuel Loomis|Dr. Loomis]], in what would be one of his final film performances; according to Farrands, Pleasence was fond of the script.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 14:09}} [[Danielle Harris]], who was seventeen at the time, contacted producer Paul Freeman about reprising her role as [[Jamie Lloyd]], and went so far as completing paperwork to become [[Emancipation of minors|legally emancipated]] in order to shoot the film.<ref name=harris>{{cite AV media|title=Jamie's Story|work=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut|medium=Blu-ray documentary short|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|year=2014|people=[[Danielle Harris|Harris, Danielle]]|oclc=904440200}}</ref> She was officially cast in the role,{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 2:38}} but Dimension Films could not come to an agreement over her salary; Harris alleges that Dimension offered her a [[Pay scale|scaled]] $1,000 to shoot the part over the course of a week, which was less than the amount of money she had paid for her emancipation.<ref name=harris/> Farrands and Freeman both had wanted Harris for the part, but at that point "had their hands tied."<ref name=harris/> |
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According to Harris, the head of the casting department refused to negotiate her salary, stating that she was a "scale character who dies in the first twenty minutes."<ref name=harris/> This ultimately led to her dropping out of the project.<ref name="halloween25">{{cite video |
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For the role of Dr. Terence Wynn, [[Mitch Ryan]] was cast; Farrands originally urged the producers to cast [[Christoper Lee]], having had the veteran horror actor in mind when writing the character. [[Denise Richards]] also auditioned for the part of Beth, but the studio passed on her. |
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| people = [[Danielle Harris|Harris, Danielle]]; [[Marianne Hagan|Hagan, Marianne]] |
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| title = Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror |
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| medium = Documentary |
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| section = ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' |
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| publisher = Anchor Bay Entertainment |
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| year = 2006 }}</ref> "People automatically assume I wanted some crazy amount of money, or something," Harris commented in 2014, "[but] it's not like I [was] demanding of anything, really ... When you've been asked to do something and then they insult you by saying, "You're a piece of shit, you die in the first act—I don't give a fuck that you were in two other ''Halloween'' movies, who cares?"... I was in shock."<ref name=harris/> Actress [[J. C. Brandy]] was cast as Harris's replacement.<ref name=harris/> |
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[[File:Paul Rudd 2009.jpg|thumb|150px|right|The adult Tommy Doyle was portrayed by [[Paul Rudd|Paul Stephen Rudd]], in what would be one of his first film appearances.]] |
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[[stunt double|Stunt performer]] [[George P. Wilbur]], who portrayed Michael Myers in the [[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers|fourth installment]], reprises his role as the silent unstoppable killer in the film. |
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The producers initially wanted [[Brian Andrews (actor)|Brian Andrews]] to reprise his role as Tommy Doyle. However, with Andrews not having an agent, they were unable to contact him.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 12:41}} [[Paul Rudd|Paul Stephen Rudd]] was cast in the part of Tommy, which marked his first starring role before he appeared in ''[[Clueless (film)|Clueless]]'' (1995).{{sfn|Chaney|2015|p=45}} The leading female role, Kara, was given to [[Marianne Hagan]]; however, Hagan has since stated that Miramax executives [[Bob Weinstein|Bob]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] did not favor her for the part, and made aesthetic criticisms about her being "too thin" and her chin being "too pointy".<ref name="halloween25" /> Farrands, however, had wanted Hagan for the part because he felt she possessed an "every-girl" quality of having "lived a little, and had a hard time," and likened her screen presence to that of Jamie Lee Curtis.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 10:02}} The filmmakers also approached [[Howard Stern]] to make a cameo appearance as the radio DJ Barry Sims, but he declined in order to appear in ''[[Private Parts (1997 film)|Private Parts]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evans|first=Bradford|date=February 9, 2012|title=The Lost Roles of Howard Stern|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/the-lost-roles-of-howard-stern.html|url-status=live|archive-date=January 22, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200122220414/https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/the-lost-roles-of-howard-stern.html|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|language=en-us}}</ref> |
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For the role of Dr. Terence Wynn, [[Mitch Ryan]] was cast, based on his performance in ''[[Lethal Weapon]]'' (1987); Farrands originally urged the producers to cast [[Christopher Lee]], having had the veteran horror actor in mind when writing the character. This is a reference on Carpenter's initial choice for role of Dr. Loomis during film making of Halloween from 1978 where he was offered that role, but declined due to low pay, only to regret it in later years.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 14:50}} [[Denise Richards]] also auditioned for the part of Beth, but the studio passed on her, giving the role to Mariah O'Brien.<ref name=actingscared>{{cite AV media|title=Acting Scared|work=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut|medium=Blu-ray documentary short|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|oclc=904440200|year=2014|people=[[Mariah O'Brien|O'Brien, Mariah]]; [[J. C. Brandy|Brandy, J.C.]]}}</ref> [[Stunt double|Stunt performer]] [[George P. Wilbur]], who portrayed Michael in the [[Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers|fourth installment]], reprised his role as Michael Myers. However, once reshoots took place, Wilbur was replaced by A. Michael Lerner as director Joe Chapelle found Wilbur to be "too bulky."<ref name=shape>{{cite AV media|title=The Shape of Things|work=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut|medium=Blu-ray documentary short|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|oclc=904440200|year=2014|people=[[John Carl Buechler|Buechler, John Carl]]; Hardin, Brad; [[George P. Wilbur|Wilbur, George P.]]}}</ref> |
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===Filming=== |
===Filming=== |
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Filming began on October 31, 1994 in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 31, 1994|last=Kleid|first=Beth|title=Morning Report: Quick Takes|via=Newspapers.com|page=F2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/157282510/}}</ref> Within the first week of shooting, however, the city experienced an early winter [[snowstorm]], which complicated the production.<ref name=actingscared/>{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 34:31}} As a result, several scenes which were supposed to take place on exterior locations had to be transferred to interiors.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 34:35}} The original hospital scenes were shot at the abandoned Old [[Primary Children's Hospital]] in [[The Avenues, Salt Lake City|The Avenues]] section of Salt Lake City.<ref name="patterson"/> |
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Fred Walton (''[[When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)|When a Stranger Calls]]'' and ''[[April Fool's Day (film)|April Fools Day]]'') was originally attached to direct ''Halloween 6'' but dropped out. <ref>http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Dan.htm</ref> |
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Special effects artist [[John Carl Buechler]] created the mask for the film, which was based heavily on the mask featured in the poster for ''Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers''.<ref name=shape/> Buechler hand-crafted the mask over actor George P. Wilbur's face.<ref name=shape/> |
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Filming started in October, [[1994]] and was shot mostly in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]; the city was experiencing an early winter at the time which proved troublesome for the production company. Producer [[Paul Freeman]] and director Chappelle reportedly rewrote the ending on-set, even from shot to shot as production deadlines loomed large. Producer [[Paul Freeman]] also sent the crew home when crucial scenes needed to be shot; deleting scripted scenes indiscriminately, rewrote dialogue and action sequences; and took it upon himself to direct second-unit shot as well supervised the post-production phase of the original cut and made a series of blunders that resulted in Miramax taking control of the film, ordering reshoots. |
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Producer Paul Freeman and director Chappelle reportedly rewrote the ending on-set, even from shot-to-shot as production deadlines loomed.<ref name=curse/> Freeman also sent the crew home when crucial scenes needed to be shot; deleted scripted scenes indiscriminately; rewrote dialogue and action sequences; and assumed the responsibility of directing second-unit shots and the supervision of post-production of the original cut. These complications resulted in Dimension Films' parent company (and the film's co-production company) Miramax, taking over the film's production, and ordering many of the reworked sequences to be reshot.<ref name="halloween25" /> |
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In early 1995, after filming and editing was completed, ''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 afterward, 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 2]], [[1995]]. |
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Associated producer Malek Akkad explained the film's lack of a cohesive "vision" being the result of director Chappelle "answering" to the visions of the distributor, Dimension Films; [[Moustapha Akkad]]'s production company, Nightfall Productions; and writer Daniel Farrands.<ref name=curse/> Tensions between what Dimension, Nightfall, and Farrands envisioned for the film resulted in a finished product that had needed "more forethought," according to Akkad.<ref name=curse/> |
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===Music=== |
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The original music score is composed by long-time ''Halloween'' contributor Alan Howarth, his work in the series dating back to his collaboration with [[John Carpenter]] on ''[[Halloween II]]''. However, Howarth's score was redone when the film went through reshoots. A soundtrack album was released by [[Varese Sarabande Records]], and is an unusual combination of the music featured in the original cut of the film, as well as that of the final theatrical cut. |
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===Post-production=== |
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{{See also|#Alternate versions}} |
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In early 1995, after filming and editing was completed, ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' was given a test screening in [[New York City]] which, as described by actress Marianne Hagan, "consisted primarily of fourteen-year-old boys."<ref name="halloween25" /> During the Q&A afterward, one of the audience members expressed great displeasure at the ending of the film, which entailed a [[Celt]]ic ritual and the passing on of the "Curse of Thorn" to the Dr. Loomis character. As a result of the audience's disapproval toward the film's finale, the movie was rushed back into production, this time without Donald Pleasence, who died on February 2, 1995.<ref name=horrors>{{cite AV media|title=Haddonfield's Horrors: The Visual Design of "Halloween 6"|work=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut|format=Documentary|medium=Blu-ray|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|oclc=904440200|year=2014|people=Dickson, Billy; Ryman, Brad; Callaway, Thomas | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=untIE2iNbf8}}</ref> Pleasence had been in ill health during the shooting of the film.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 35:31}} |
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Reshoots took place in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:35:56}} According to Farrands, the reshoots occurred with a new [[director of photography]] and spanned a total of four days.<ref>{{cite web|last=Artz|first=Matt|url=https://halloweendailynews.com/2014/10/interview-halloween-6-daniel-farrands/|title=[Interview] Daniel Farrands Reveals ''Halloween 6'' and ''Halloween 7'' That Could Have Been|date=October 24, 2014|website=Halloween Daily News|access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> At this time, the Akkads were sidelined as Dimension Films took over the film. With only three months out from the film's release date, Farrands and Chappelle concurrently rewrote the script. Chappelle's revisions recharacterized Kara as a "machine gun-toting heroine", similar to "[[Linda Hamilton]] in ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]''".{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|pages=176–177}} Farrands dropped the recharacterization of Kara as well as "thunderous voices of God" added into a newly scripted climax.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|pages=176–177}} Meanwhile, a subplot involving a group of doctors seeking to harness "scientifically-engineered evil" was added into the rewrites and survived into the finished film.<ref name="Wilson"/>{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|pages=176-178}} Farrands' pages would be dropped in favor for [[Rand Ravich]], who previously rewrote ''[[Hellraiser: Bloodline]]'' for the studio and Chappelle just one month prior.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|p=176}} The ending of the theatrical cut stems from Ravich's rewrites, which added an extended chase sequence, the higher body count, and Tommy Doyle's fight with Myers.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|p=177}} However, Ravich's rewritten ending, which saw Tommy hoisting The Shape in the air with chains, was never fully adapted from the script. During the last night of filming, the crew were far behind schedule and decided to save on overtime payments, the yet-to-be-shot pages were scrapped entirely and instead the final shot of Michael's mask on the ground was done at the last minute.{{sfn|McNeill|Mullins|2019|p=178}} |
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A. Michael Lerner replaced George P. Wilbur in the role of Michael Myers, as the studio executives wanted him to appear less bulky.<ref name=shape/> This resulted in [[continuity errors]] as the last third of the film features a slimmer Myers.<ref name=shape/> Some of the additional footage incorporated into the finale of the film was shot at [[Queen of Angels Hospital]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="patterson">{{cite web| url = https://www.set-jetter.com/ontheset/halloween6| work = Set-Jetter | title = Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) | date = July 21, 2015 | url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241014011321/https://www.set-jetter.com/ontheset/halloween6|archive-date=October 14, 2024| first = Robert | last = Patterson}}</ref> |
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In addition to the re-shoots prompted by the poor test screening, the film also underwent significant editing in post-production, resulting in brisker pacing and a "flashier" cinematic style that favored "blood and guts," but, according to Farrands, ultimately resulted in a "more confusing" movie.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 38:45, 39:47}} According to writer Farrands, the stylized flash cuts prominent in the final theatrical cut of ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' were not originally intended, and he likened the style of the final product to an "[[MTV]] video rather than a ''Halloween'' film."{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 38:03}} Composer Alan Howarth similarly called the final product a "fix job," with numerous elements of the production being in flux both during and after principal photography.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 38:19}} In addition to Howarth's score being redone, the film's [[sound design]] was also significantly altered from Howarth's original "minimalist" design.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:10:58}} |
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==Soundtrack== |
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{{Main|Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (soundtrack)}} |
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==Release== |
==Release== |
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The film's troubled production resulted in two cuts of the film, which prompted a legal battle between the film's production company, Nightfall, who wanted to release the original cut, and its distributor, Dimension Films, who had incorporated reshoots and additional material.<ref name=curse/> Ultimately, Dimension Films won the dispute, and their cut of the film was officiated for theatrical release.<ref name=curse/> |
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An earlier [[teaser trailer]] of the film employed the title '''''Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers''''', which accordingly to Daniel Farrands, came before an official title had been decided, and that the trailer title was a combination of an earlier script titled ''The Origin of Michael Myers'' by an other writer, and Farrand's original script titled ''Halloween 666''. At one point, executive producer Moustapha Akkad asked Farrands for a title, who suggested ''The Curse of Michael Myers'' due to the troubled production. Although Farrands was half-joking, Akkad took the name to heart and decided upon it. Farrands also adds that this coincidentally made the subtitles similar to those in ''[[The Pink Panther]]'' films, which also used ''Return'', ''Revenge'', and ''Curse'' subtitles.<ref>[http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Dan.htm Dan Farrands interview]</ref> |
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An earlier [[Teaser campaign|teaser trailer]] of the film employed the title ''Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers'', which according to Daniel Farrands, came before an official title had been decided, and that the trailer title was a combination of an earlier script titled ''The Origin of Michael Myers'' by another writer, and Farrands' original script titled ''Halloween 666''. At one point, executive producer Moustapha Akkad asked Farrands for a title, who suggested ''The Curse of Michael Myers'' due to the troubled production. Although Farrands's comment was in jest, Akkad took the name to heart and decided upon it. Farrands also added that this coincidentally made the subtitles similar to those in ''[[The Pink Panther (film series)|The Pink Panther]]'' films, which also used ''[[The Return of the Pink Panther|Return]]'', ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther|Revenge]]'', and ''[[Curse of the Pink Panther|Curse]]'' subtitles as ''Halloween''{{'}}s fourth, fifth and sixth films, respectively.<ref name=iof/> |
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===Reception=== |
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''Halloween 6'' was released on [[September 29]] [[1995]], and brought in a $8,581,000 opening weekend gross, being the first film in the series to out beat ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]'''s opening weekend gross. However, the film only grossed a total of $15,116,634 in U.S. box office. |
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===Home media=== |
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Screenwriter Daniel Farrands generally dislikes the film, due to its devations from his original script. Although Farrands thinks both versions are poor, he considers the Producer's Cut to be the superior version. |
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The film was first released for home media on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]] on September 10, 1996, from [[Miramax|Miramax Home Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune/157061880/|date=September 1, 1996|work=[[Minnesota Star Tribune|Star Tribune]]|title=New releases|via=Newspapers.com|page=F15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk/157062014/|work=The Town Talk|date=September 1, 1996|page=C-7|via=Newspapers.com|title='Mulholland Falls': All film, no noir|last=Pearson|first=Mike}}</ref> A DVD followed on October 10, 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldcat.org/title/45416987|work=[[WorldCat]]|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers DVD|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231022185121/https://worldcat.org/title/45416987|archive-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> In January 2010, the film was released for the first time on Blu-ray in Canada from [[Alliance Films]] alongside ''[[Halloween H20: 20 Years Later]]'' and ''[[Halloween: Resurrection]]'' with no bonus material.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35467/halloween-6-7-and-8-available-blu-ray-canada|title=Halloween 6, 7 and 8 Available on Blu-ray in Canada without the inclusion of the Producer's Cut or any of the deleted scenes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123180538/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35467/halloween-6-7-and-8-available-blu-ray-canada|archive-date=January 23, 2010|url-status=dead|date=January 20, 2020|last=Fini|first=Matt|work=[[Dread Central]]}}</ref> The film was released on Blu-ray and again on DVD in the United States on May 10, 2011, by [[Echo Bridge Home Entertainment]], once again with no bonus features.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/halloween-the-curse-of-michael-myers/|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=May 6, 2011|url-status=live|title=Review: Joe Chappelle's Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers on Echo Bridge DVD|last=Abrams|first=Simon|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021010006/https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/halloween-the-curse-of-michael-myers/|archive-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref> |
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[[Anchor Bay Entertainment]] and [[Shout! Factory]] once again released the film on Blu-ray on September 23, 2014, as a part of their 15-disc box set containing every film in the franchise, up to Rob Zombie's ''[[Halloween II (2009 film)|Halloween II]]'' (2009).<ref name=jobloset>{{cite web|work=[[JoBlo.com]]|title=Halloween 6 Producer's Cut coming to Blu-ray from Lionsgate in September|last=Hamman|first=Cody|date=July 16, 2015|url=https://www.joblo.com/halloween-6-producers-cut-coming-to-blu-ray-from-lionsgate-100/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221008074357/https://www.joblo.com/halloween-6-producers-cut-coming-to-blu-ray-from-lionsgate-100/|archive-date=October 8, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> This release features both the theatrical cut of the film and the alternate ''Producer's Cut'' (marking the first official release of the latter),<ref name=jobloset/> and contained extensive bonus features, such as a commentary from writer Daniel Farrands and composer Alan Howarth, interviews with various cast and crew, deleted scenes, archival behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, and a tribute to Donald Pleasence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Halloween-The-Curse-of-Michael-Myers-Blu-ray/32768/ |title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Blu-ray: Theatrical & Producer's Cut | Halloween 666: The Curse of Michael Myers | The Complete Collection Edition |website=Blu-ray.com |access-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=14709|work=Blu-ray.com|date=August 12, 2014|title=Halloween: The Complete Collection Blu-ray – Additional Special Features Revealed|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231022184726/https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=14709|archive-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> On September 15, 2015, [[Lionsgate]] released another standalone Blu-ray of ''The Producer's Cut'', but without any of the bonus features featured on the 15-disc release.<ref name="dread">{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/113784/halloween-6-the-producers-cut-getting-a-stand-alone-release/|work=[[Dread Central]]|title=Halloween 6: The Producer's Cut Getting a Stand-Alone Release|author=Barton, Steve|date=July 16, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231022184608/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/113784/halloween-6-the-producers-cut-getting-a-stand-alone-release/|archive-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> On October 4, 2022, Shout! Factory reissued both the theatrical and ''Producer's Cut'' editions on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K UHD Blu-ray]] in a box set also featuring ''Halloween H20: 20 Years Later'' and ''Halloween: Resurrection''.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/halloween-4k-collection-blu-ray-box-set-1235148398/|url-status=live|archive-date=October 8, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221008073845/https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/halloween-4k-collection-blu-ray-box-set-1235148398/|title=This 'Halloween' 4K Collection Blu-ray Box Set Is Perfect for Spooky Season: Pre-Order It Now|date=September 30, 2022|last=Muhammad|first=Latifah}}</ref> |
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===The Producer's Cut=== |
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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 Producer's 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. |
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===Alternate versions=== |
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Several scenes from the Producer's Cut can be seen on the television version of the film, seen in the U.S. on [[AMC (TV network)|AMC's MonsterFest]]. The scenes were re-inserted to increase the running time of the film (originally a scant 88 minutes). |
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{{anchor|Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Producer's Cut)}} |
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Aside from the theatrically-released final cut, two alternate versions of ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' exist.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 2:30}} The ''Producer's Cut'' is the best known; however, a Director's Cut also exists with footage excised by the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]]. The theatrical version was the only version commercially available (with the Director and ''Producer''{{'}}s cuts existing as low-quality bootlegs) until the ''Producer's Cut'' was included in the official ''Complete Collection'' box set released by Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iconsoffright.com/2014/05/19/scream-factory-announces-halloween-the-complete-collection-includes-long-waited-producers-cut-of-halloween-6/|title=Scream Factory Announces Halloween: The Complete Collection Includes Long-awaited Producer's Cut of Halloween-6/|work=Icons of Fright|author=Smith, Jerry|date=May 19, 2014|access-date=May 19, 2014|archive-date=November 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130211725/http://iconsoffright.com/2014/05/19/scream-factory-announces-halloween-the-complete-collection-includes-long-waited-producers-cut-of-halloween-6/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|bgcolor=cornsilk|quote=[It is] [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] and creepy, but you kind of lose the intensity of where we've been ... I think we could've gone in and given it more intensity and more of a scare [factor].|source= —Writer Farrands on the film's finale in the original cut, which was ultimately re-written and re-shot.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:23:20}} }} |
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On the ''Halloween: 25 Years of Terror'' DVD, it was stated that Dimension was trying to plan an official release of the Producer's Cut ''[[Fangoria]]'' reported that the Producer's Cut may get an official release, <ref>[http://www.esplatter.com/news.php?id=256 ''Halloween 6'' Producer's Cut May Be Heading to DVD]</ref><ref>[http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_10201.html ''Halloween 6: Producers Cut'' To DVD?]</ref> and on the Halloween 30th Anniversary convention they said that [[Anchor Bay Entertainment]] is in talks with [[Buena Vista Home Entertainment]] to release the Unrated Producer's Cut, and also Unrated and Extended versions of ''[[Halloween H20]]'' and ''[[Halloween: Resurrection]]''. |
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The original cut of the film that screened for test audiences prior to the reshoots became known colloquially as ''The Producer's Cut'', and [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]]ged copies of it surfaced among film collectors.<ref name=curse>{{cite AV media|title=The Cursed 'Curse'|work=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut|medium=Blu-ray documentary short|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|oclc=904440200|year=2014|people=Akkad, Malek; Freeman, Paul}}</ref>{{sfn|Armstrong|2003|p=151}} This cut of ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' features numerous differences, ranging from different scores and musical cues to substantial shifts in plot, particularly regarding the film's conclusion.<ref name=pc>{{cite AV media|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (The Producer's Cut)|publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]]|oclc=904440200|year=2014|people=Chappelle, Joe (director)|medium=Blu-ray}}</ref> In a retrospective interview, Farrands noted that the finale in this cut of the film was sufficiently "creepy" and "Gothic," but conceded that it lacked intensity, which is largely what prompted Dimension Films to begin reshoots.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:23:20}} ''The Producer's Cut'' of the film garnered a cult following, according to writer Farrands: "It's amazing the life that [''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers''] has continued to have because there is this alternate version that has been, kind of in-the-vault all these years."{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 59:09}} |
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In the finale of ''The Producer's Cut'', Kara awakens at Smith's Grove Sanitarium on a concrete slab, surrounded by the cult's members, including Mrs. Blankenship, Wynn's secretary Dawn, and other Haddonfield residents. Wynn conducts a ceremony in which Michael will kill Steven as a final sacrifice of innocent blood, after which the curse will pass on to Danny with Kara as his first sacrifice. Kara stalls by appealing to Michael with the revelation that Steven is his [[incest|biological child]].<ref name=pc/> Tommy takes Wynn hostage and forces the cult to free Kara and the children. Pursued by Michael, they run through the sanitarium to a locked gate. Tommy uses the power of the ancient [[rune]]s to stop Michael in his tracks as Loomis helps them escape. After telling the others he has unfinished business, Loomis finds what appears to be Michael lying on the floor. He removes the mask to reveal Wynn, with whom Michael switched clothes and then escaped. As he dies, Wynn passes on the Thorn symbol, which appears on Loomis' wrist. Realizing that he is the new cult leader, Loomis screams in despair (this is heard as [[ambient noise]] in the final frame of the theatrical cut).<ref name=loomissr>{{cite web|work=[[Screen Rant]]|url=https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-dr-loomis-death-script-fog/|title=Halloween 6: How Dr Loomis Died In The Original Script|date=September 9, 2021|last=Davidson|first=Tyler|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231022193940/https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-dr-loomis-death-script-fog/|archive-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> Michael is shown escaping into the night in Wynn's Man in Black outfit.<ref name=pc/> |
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Another substantial difference in ''The Producer's Cut'' is the death of Jamie Lloyd: she does not die at the beginning of the film, but survives being stabbed by Michael in the barn. She remains in a [[coma]] and is taken to the hospital, where Loomis and Wynn visit her. Midway through the film, a "Gothic" [[Montage (filmmaking)|montage]] occurs, which reveals in fragmented detail the conception of Jamie's child among the cult. After the sequence, an unseen person, later revealed to be Wynn, shoots the unconscious Jamie in the head with a silenced pistol.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 55:09}} Additionally, John's death scene in ''The Producer's Cut'' was shorter; in the theatrical cut, an additional shot (completed during the reshoots) was incorporated of his head graphically exploding from an electrical power surge.{{sfn|Farrands|Howarth|2014|loc=event occurs at 1:05:09}} Other various transitional shots throughout ''The Producer's Cut'' version were extracted or truncated in the theatrical cut.<ref name=pc/> |
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''The Producer's Cut'' remained officially unreleased for nearly 20 years. It had its first public exhibition on October 27, 2013, at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fangoria.com/new/los-angeles-producers-cut-of-halloween-6-the-curse-of-michael-myers-screening-this-weekend|title=Los Angeles! Producer's Cut of "HALLOWEEN 6: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS" Screening this Weekend|work=[[Fangoria]]|author=Zimmerman, Samuel|date=October 25, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140510040155/https://www.fangoria.com/new/los-angeles-producers-cut-of-halloween-6-the-curse-of-michael-myers-screening-this-weekend/|archive-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref> Screenwriter Farrands was present for a short Q&A, in which he stressed that there was still a major push in the works to get this version a proper release. He also said that the studio allowing this version to be screened in public for the first time, and the overwhelmingly positive response, were both huge steps in the right direction.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} [[Anchor Bay Entertainment|Anchor Bay Media]] and [[Scream Factory]] gave ''The Producer's Cut'' its first official release on [[Blu-ray]] in September 2014 as part of their ''Halloween: The Complete Collection'' box set.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Dread Central]]|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/66997/a-clear-look-at-halloween-6-the-producers-cut-from-the-halloween-the-complete-collection-blu-ray-set-new-features-added/|title=A Clear Look at Halloween 6 The Producer's Cut from the Halloween The Complete Collection Blu-ray Set; NEW Features Added!|last=Barton|first=Steve|date=September 7, 2014|url-status=live|archive-date=October 8, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221008074201/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/66997/a-clear-look-at-halloween-6-the-producers-cut-from-the-halloween-the-complete-collection-blu-ray-set-new-features-added/}}</ref> |
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A few select scenes from ''The Producer's Cut'' can be seen in the television version of the film. The scenes were re-inserted to increase the running time of the film.<ref>{{cite web|work=Movie-Censorship.com|url=https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=303920|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers|date=November 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425075422/https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=303920|archive-date=April 25, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Reception== |
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===Box office=== |
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''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' was released on September 29, 1995, in the United States, and brought in a $7,308,529 opening weekend gross, coming in second to [[serial killer]] [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]] ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Seven]]'', being the first film in the series to be on par with ''[[Halloween II (1981 film)|Halloween II]]''{{'}}s opening weekend gross (both ''Halloween 4'' and ''5'' had earned under $7 million).<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=Halloween Movies|access-date=October 2, 2017|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=halloween.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041205051554/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=halloween.htm| archive-date=December 5, 2004}}</ref> The film was a modest financial success, going on to gross a total of $15,116,634 at the U.S. box office, with an estimated $5 million budget.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[/Film]]|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1688250/paul-rudd-hollywood-start-halloween-franchise-biggest-flop/|title=Paul Rudd Got His Hollywood Start In The Halloween Franchise's Biggest Flop|date=October 20, 2024|last=Seibold|first=Whitney|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021010413/https://www.slashfilm.com/1688250/paul-rudd-hollywood-start-halloween-franchise-biggest-flop/|archive-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref> With having sold approximately 3,475,088 tickets during its initial theatrical run, the film is the second-lowest grossing entry in the franchise, ahead of only ''Halloween 5''.<ref name="BOM"/> |
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===Critical response=== |
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{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|8|3.6|36|''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' trades the simple, brutal effectiveness of the original for convoluted mysticism, with disastrously dull results.|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}<ref name="rt">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/halloween_the_curse_of_michael_myers|title=Halloween – The Curse of Michael Myers (Halloween 6) (1995)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> On Metacritic, the film holds a 10/100 based on 13 reviews, signifying as "overwhelming dislike".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/halloween-the-curse-of-michael-myers|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=December 6, 2018}}</ref> It is the lowest rated ''Halloween'' film on both sites. |
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[[Daniel Kimmel]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film "tired" and "run-of-the-mill",<ref>{{cite web|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|author=Kimmel, Daniel|date= October 2, 1995|url=https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/halloween-the-curse-of-michael-myers-1200443601/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322211004/http://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/halloween-the-curse-of-michael-myers-1200443601/|archive-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> while [[Mick LaSalle]] of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' said the film lacked suspense and said that "not even the presence of the late, gloriously histrionic Donald Pleasence can liven things up," deeming it "bland", "deadening", and "by far the worst in the series."<ref>{{cite web|title=FILM REVIEW: Latest 'Halloween' is No Treat|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|author=LaSalle, Mick|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124042158/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Latest-Halloween-Is-No-Treat-3022549.php|archive-date=November 24, 2022|url-status=live|url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Latest-Halloween-Is-No-Treat-3022549.php|date=October 2, 1995}}</ref> |
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[[Stephen Holden]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film's script "impossibly convoluted", and wrote that "shock effects are applied with such hamfisted regularity that they quickly backfire."<ref>{{cite web|author=Holden, Stephen|author-link=Stephen Holden|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 30, 1995|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020232327/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/30/movies/film-review-midwestern-druids-did-it.html|archive-date=October 20, 2023|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/30/movies/film-review-midwestern-druids-did-it.html|title=FILM REVIEW; Midwestern Druids Did It}}</ref> Josh Hartl of ''[[The Seattle Times]]'' criticized the film's conventionality, writing: "instead of sending up the current glut of serial-killer movies, the filmmakers trot out the old slasher tactics."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950930&slug=2144204|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|author=Hartl, Josh|title=Slashing It Up In 'Halloween 6'|date=September 30, 1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124042155/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950930&slug=2144204|archive-date=November 24, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Jack Mathews of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' similarly criticized the film's lack of originality, comparing it negatively to its predecessors and describing it as a "[[body count]]" film.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mathews, Jack|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 2, 1995|title=Horrors! Michael Myers Has Returned|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-02-ca-52340-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020223725/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-02-ca-52340-story.html|archive-date=October 20, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Tom Maurstad of ''[[The News-Press]]'' gave the film a half-star rating out of four, criticizing it for its lack of plot and emphasis on gore: "The movie, as directed by fresh-from-film-school Joe Chappelle, tosses out a few odd snippets of storyline... but there is no follow through, no real attempt at story."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The News-Press]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press/157076254/|title=Moviegoers cursed with this 'Halloween'|last=Maurstad|first=Tom|date=October 2, 1995|page=4D|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |
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Richard Harrington of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' also criticized the script, writing: "While director Joe Chapelle and writer Daniel Farrands took advantage of a clearance sale at the Horror Cliche Emporium, they forgot to stop in at Plots R Us."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/halloweencurseofmichaelmyersrharrington_c03028.htm|date=January 2, 1995|author=Harrington, Richard|title=Halloween: Curse of Michael Myers|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119032640/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/halloweencurseofmichaelmyersrharrington_c03028.htm|archive-date=November 19, 2008}}</ref> The ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out London]]'' film guide deemed the film "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."<ref>{{cite web|url-status=dead|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out London]]|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108192619/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71640/halloween-the_curse_of_michael_myers.html|archive-date=January 8, 2009|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71640/halloween-the_curse_of_michael_myers.html|access-date=December 26, 2010}}</ref> ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]''{{'}}s Sean Means made a similar assessment of the screenplay, observing that "the mayhem is presented routinely, with little imagination or even logic. Even the promised explanation for Michael's evil is muddled. The mix of runic stones, Satan-worship, DNA testing and old-fashioned boogyman stories never gels."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|page=C3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune/157076518/|date=October 2, 1995|title=Another 'Halloween': Will Someone Show Michael Myers the Door?|last=Means|first=Sean P.|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |
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===Legacy and modern assessment=== |
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After bootlegged versions of the ''Producer's Cut'' began to surface, some fans and film critics argued that it was the superior version of the film.<ref name=divincenzo>{{cite web|work=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3736903/halloween-6-reanalyzing-the-two-different-cuts-via-scream-factorys-new-4k-ultra-hd-set/|title='Halloween 6' – Reanalyzing the Two Different Cuts Via Scream Factory's New 4K Ultra HD Set|last=DiVincenzo|first=Alex|date=October 22, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021024834/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3736903/halloween-6-reanalyzing-the-two-different-cuts-via-scream-factorys-new-4k-ultra-hd-set/|archive-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref> Writing in a ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' retrospective, Alex DiVincenzo noted that the ''Producer's Cut'' benefits from its more significant featuring of the Dr. Loomis character, and that it is ultimately a better film.<ref name=divincenzo/> Jessica Beebe of ''[[Screen Rant]]'' made a similar assessment, noting that the cult of Thorn subplot is more clearly presented in the ''Producer's Cut'', and that its finale better contextualizes the cult.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Screen Rant]]|last=Beebe|first=Jessica|title=Halloween 6: Why The Producer's Cut Is The Superior Version|date=November 2, 2020|url-status=live|url=https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-producers-cut-best-version-reason/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021025356/https://screenrant.com/halloween-6-movie-producers-cut-best-version-reason/|archive-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref> |
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In their comprehensive book ''The Films of the Nineties'' (2001), writers Robert and Gwendolyn Nowlan positively described the film as an "atmospheric and suspenseful thriller."{{sfn|Nowlan|Nowlan|2001|p=1255}} |
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In a 2022 ranking of every film in the ''Halloween'' franchise by ''[[IndieWire]]'', ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' was ranked number five, with writer Jamie Righetti praising the film: "The Curse of Thorn. The return of Tommy Doyle. Even more members of the Strode family. A final goodbye to the unforgettable Donald {{sic|Pleasance}} and his irascible Dr. Loomis. ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' really does have it all, and it's one of the most underrated sequels in the franchise."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/halloween-jamie-lee-curtis-john-carpenter-movies-ranked/msdhall-ec018/|last1=Foreman|first1=Alison|last2=Righetti|first2=Jamie|date=October 15, 2022|website=[[IndieWire]]|url-status=live|title=Ranking All 13 'Halloween' Films in Michael Myers and Laurie Strode's Legendary Horror Franchise|archive-date=November 2, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241102065852/https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/halloween-jamie-lee-curtis-john-carpenter-movies-ranked/halloween-resurrection-jamie-lee-curtis-brad-loree-2002-c-miramax-courtesy-everett-collection/}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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* [[List of films set around Halloween]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{notelist-lr}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==Sources== |
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{{Refbegin|30em}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Armstrong|first=Keith Byron|title=Slasher Films: An International Filmography, 1960 Through 2001|year=2003|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn= 978-0-786-41462-8}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Chaney|first=Jen|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York City, New York|title=As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew|year=2015|isbn= 978-1-476-79909-4}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Etling|first=Laurence|title=Radio in the Movies: A History and Filmography, 1926-2010|year=2014|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-786-48616-8}} |
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* {{cite AV media|last1=Farrands|first1=Daniel|last2=Howarth|first2=Alan|author2-link= Alan Howarth (composer)|year=2014|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The Producer's Cut|work=Halloween: The Ultimate Collection|medium=[[Blu-ray]] [[audio commentary]]| publisher=[[Shout! Factory|Scream Factory]] and Anchor Bay Entertainment}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=McNeill|first1=Dustin|last2=Mullins|first2=Travis|title=Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream|year=2019|isbn=978-0-578-58681-6|publisher=Harker Press|location=Greensboro, North Carolina}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=McNeill|first1=Dustin|last2=Mullins|first2=Travis|title=Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels|date=2020|publisher=Harker Press|location=Greensboro, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-578-74526-8}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=Nowlan|first1=Robert A.|last2=Nowlan|first2=Gwendolyn L.|year=2001|title=The Films of the Nineties|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-786-40974-7|url=https://archive.org/details/filmsofninetiesc0000nowl}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Norman|first=Jason|year=2014|title=Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors|isbn=978-0-786-47986-3|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina}} |
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* {{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Nicholas|year=2003|title=Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, England|isbn=978-0-195-16896-9}} |
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{{Refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{Official website|https://halloweenmovies.com/}} |
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* {{ |
* {{IMDb title|0113253}} |
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* {{ Rotten Tomatoes|halloween_the_curse_of_michael_myers}} |
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* {{amg title|id=1:135827|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers}} |
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* {{Metacritic film}} |
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* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=halloween_6_the_curse_of_michael_myers|title=Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers}} |
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* {{mojo title| |
* {{mojo title|halloween6}} |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110925081236/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/77241/Halloween-The-Curse-of-Michael-Myers/ ''Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers''] at the [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM Movie Database]] |
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{{Wikiquote}} |
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{{Halloween series}} |
{{Halloween series}} |
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{{Joe Chappelle}} |
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{{Portal bar|Illinois|Speculative fiction/Horror|1990s}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Halloween 6}} |
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[[Category:1990s serial killer films]] |
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[[Category:1990s slasher films]] |
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[[de:Halloween VI – Der Fluch des Michael Myers]] |
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[[Category:American sequel films]] |
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[[es:Halloween: La maldición de Michael Myers]] |
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[[Category:American serial killer films]] |
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[[fr:Halloween 6 : La Malédiction de Michael Myers]] |
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[[Category:American slasher films]] |
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[[pl:Halloween 6: Przekleństwo Michaela Myersa]] |
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[[Category:American supernatural horror films]] |
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[[pt:Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers]] |
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[[Category:English-language crime films]] |
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[[Category:Films about children]] |
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[[Category:Films about cults]] |
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[[Category:Films about curses]] |
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[[Category:Films about genetic engineering]] |
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[[Category:Films about domestic violence]] |
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[[Category:Films about dysfunctional families]] |
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[[Category:Films about incest]] |
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[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]] |
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[[Category:Films about radio people]] |
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[[Category:Films directed by Joe Chappelle]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Alan Howarth (composer)]] |
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[[Category:Films set in 1989]] |
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[[Category:Films set in 1995]] |
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[[Category:Films set in the 1990s]] |
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[[Category:Films set in Illinois]] |
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[[Category:Mad scientist films]] |
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[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:21, 24 December 2024
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers | |
---|---|
Directed by | Joe Chappelle |
Written by | Daniel Farrands |
Based on | Characters by John Carpenter and Debra Hill |
Produced by | Paul Freeman |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Billy Dickson |
Edited by | Randolph K. Bricker |
Music by | Alan Howarth |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Dimension Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million[3] |
Box office | $15.1 million (U.S.)[4] |
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers[i] is a 1995 American slasher film directed by Joe Chappelle, written by Daniel Farrands, and starring Donald Pleasence, Paul Rudd, Marianne Hagan, and Mitch Ryan. The sixth installment in the Halloween film series,[5] the plot depicts Michael Myers hunting down the infant son of his niece, Jamie Lloyd.[6] It expands significantly upon the supernatural horror elements that were sparsely introduced in the previous film, mainly the subplot of a cult that controls Myers and drives him to murder his bloodline using the ancient rune of Thorn. It marks the final appearance of Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis before his death, as well as the feature film debut of Rudd, who portrays an adult Tommy Doyle from the original Halloween (1978). This also marks the last major role of George P. Wilbur before his death in 2023.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers had a protracted development that spanned several years, comprising numerous revisions, drafts, and contributions from different screenwriters, including Daniel Farrands and Scott Rosenberg. Farrands ultimately completed the final version of the screenplay shortly before filming began in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1994. The film also had a troubled post-production: Its original cut performed poorly with test audiences, leading to the film undergoing a series of reshoots and edits. The finished film was distributed by Dimension Films, who would go on to distribute the rest of the series until 2018's Halloween. Pleasence died on February 2, 1995, nearly eight months before the film was released. The film was dedicated to his memory.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was released on September 29, 1995, grossing $15.1 million at the domestic box office on a budget of $5 million. It was lambasted by critics, with criticism focused on its weak story, ending, Rudd's performance, and the origin story given to Michael Myers, though Pleasence's performance was better received. After the film's home media release, the original workprint of the film, which featured 45 minutes of alternative footage and a different ending, was discovered by fans of the series. This version, dubbed the Producer's Cut, developed a cult following, with bootleg DVD copies sold on eBay and online petitions targeting for an official release of it.[7] In September 2014, the Producer's Cut received its first official home media release by Scream Factory as part of a Blu-ray box set of the Halloween series.[8]
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was followed by Halloween H20: 20 Years Later in 1998, which does not contain any references to the Jamie Lloyd storyline of the prior three films (although they were featured in the original script and comic book tie-ins published by Chaos! Comics), instead serving as a direct sequel to Halloween II (1981).
Plot
[edit]Six years after the events of the previous film, Michael Myers and his nine-year-old niece Jamie Lloyd have been abducted by the Man in Black and his Druid-like cult at an unknown facility with medical staff. By Halloween Eve, a now fifteen-year-old Jamie has been impregnated and gives birth. With a help of a nurse, who soon becomes Michael's first victim, she escapes with her baby in a stolen pickup truck with Michael in pursuit.
Meanwhile, a now retired Dr. Loomis is visited by his friend Dr. Terence Wynn, the chief administrator of Smith's Grove Sanitarium, where Michael had been incarcerated as a boy. As Wynn asks Loomis to return to Smith's Grove, they overhear Jamie's plea for help on a local radio station. Michael catches up with Jamie and kills her, only to find that she has hidden her child elsewhere.
In Haddonfield, the old Myers house is now owned by relatives of Laurie Strode's adoptive family: John and Debra Strode, their adult children Kara and Tim, and Kara's six-year-old son Danny, who is tormented by visions of the Man in Black telling him to kill. At the Blankenship boarding house across the street lives Tommy Doyle, the boy Laurie babysat in 1978, now a recluse obsessed with Michael's motives. Also hearing Jamie's cry for help, Tommy tracks the call down to a bus station and finds the baby, whom he names Steven. Tommy crosses paths with Loomis, who visits Debra to warn her. After Loomis leaves, Michael kills Debra with an axe.
Tommy locates Kara and Danny and takes them to safety at the boarding house. He tells Kara that he believes Michael is under the influence of Thorn, an ancient Druid curse that drives a person to kill their family on Halloween, and that Steven will be his final sacrifice. Tommy then leaves to meet Loomis at the local harvest festival. Michael electrocutes John in his home before going to the harvest festival and killing radio host Barry Simms, after which he follows Kara's brother Tim and his girlfriend Beth back to the house.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Blankenship recounts the history of Halloween to Danny and tells Kara she was babysitting Michael the night he killed his sister in which he heard a voice telling him to do so. Mrs. Blankenship also states how Danny hears the same voice, implying that Danny is to follow down the same path. The Man in Black beckons Danny to the Myers house. Kara rescues Danny, discovering the corpses of Tim, Beth, and Debra upstairs, and is pursued by Michael. Upon returning to the boarding house, they discover the Man in Black to be Dr. Wynn. Cult members burst in and, with the help of Mrs. Blankenship, abduct Kara, Danny, and Steven and take them to Smith's Grove. Kara is locked in a maximum-security ward while the boys are kept in an operating room.
Tommy and Loomis go to the sanitarium where Loomis confronts Wynn, who insinuates that the Smith's Grove staff have been studying evil to learn how to control it and Steven is implied to be the successful result of this. Wynn wants Loomis to join him, as he was the first to recognize Michael's evil. Loomis refuses and is knocked out by a doctor. Meanwhile, Tommy frees Kara as Michael pursues them through the sanitarium. They watch as Wynn and his team prepare for a surgical procedure before Michael suddenly appears and turns against the cult, killing them all.
Tommy and Kara rescue the kids as Michael chases them into a laboratory containing fetuses from Wynn's failed experiments to clone Michael's DNA. Tommy injects Michael with corrosive liquid and beats him unconscious with a lead pipe. Tommy, Kara, and the children leave Smith's Grove while Loomis stays behind, stating he has "some business to attend to." Inside, Michael's mask lies alone on the lab floor as Loomis screams in the background, leaving their fates unknown.
Cast
[edit]- Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis
- Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle (credited as Paul Stephen Rudd)
- Marianne Hagan as Kara Strode
- Mitch Ryan as Dr. Terence Wynn
- Devin Gardner as Danny Strode
- J. C. Brandy as Jamie Lloyd
- Danielle Harris as young Jamie Lloyd (archive footage, The Producer's Cut only)
- Keith Bogart as Tim Strode
- Mariah O'Brien as Beth
- Kim Darby as Debra Strode
- Bradford English as John Strode
- Leo Geter as Barry Simms
- Susan Swift as Nurse Mary
- George P. Wilbur as Michael Myers
- Janice Knickrehm as Mrs. Blankenship
- Alan Echeverria as Dr. Bonham
- Hildur Ruriks as Dawn
- Sheri Hicks as Paramedic
- Tom Proctor as Motorist
- Bryan Morris as Attendant
- Lee Ju Chew as Nurse
- Raquelle Anderson as Ballerina
- Kristine Summers as College Coed
- Elyse Donalson as Lunatic
- A. Michael Lerner as Additional Shape
- Jimmy Chunga as Drunk College Student
- Brad Hardin as The Shape - Second Unit additional photography
- Fred Lerner as Smith's Grove Doctor
- James Woodson as Deputy
Production
[edit]Development and screenplay
[edit]Early drafts
[edit]After an unfavorable critical and commercial response to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers which came out only a year after Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, producer Moustapha Akkad put the series on hold to re-evaluate its potential. Akkad felt Halloween 5 had strayed too far from Halloween 4 and the box office response was much lower than expected. As early as 1990, both Danielle Harris and Don Shanks were expected to return as Jamie Lloyd and The Shape, with the possibility of Donald Pleasence and Wendy Kaplan reprising their roles as well.[9] That same year, screenwriter and long-time Halloween fan Daniel Farrands set out to write the sixth entry in the Halloween series.[10] Farrands gave his horror film scripts to the producer of Halloween 5, Ramsey Thomas; impressed by his writing, Thomas set a meeting for Farrands with executive producer Moustapha Akkad. Farrands described the meeting:
I spent weeks preparing for the meeting and came in with a huge notebook filled with Halloween research – I had the entire series laid out in a timeline, a bio of every character, a "family tree" of the Myers and Strode clans, as well as all of the research I had compiled about the runic symbol (Thorn) that was briefly shown in Halloween 5. I then laid out how I thought all of this might be explored in Halloween 6.[11]
Farrands, who knew the films, as well as Dennis Etchison's novelizations intimately, constructed a bible of the entire franchise and presented it to the studio.[12] The film lingered in development as a planned October 1990 release was missed, but Akkad persisted and began courting Michele Soavi in 1992.[9] Soavi would reject the offer and not long after the producers entered a series of complicated legal battles ensued which delayed plans for a sequel; eventually Miramax Films (via its Dimension Films division) bought the rights to the Halloween series. Concurrently with the legal battle, series co-creator John Carpenter had teamed up with New Line Cinema to outbid Miramax. Carpenter's proposal saw the film take place on a space station.[13]
Following Miramax's acquisition of the series, the studio hoped to start production by October 1993, but again, this did not materialize. Bob Weinstein subsequently hired Gary Fleder to direct.[14] Fleder recommended screenwriter Phil Rosenberg, who became the first writer hired for the project.[15] Rosenberg's screenplay, titled Halloween 666: The Origin, follows a Chicago news reporter who arrives in Haddonfield to cover the town's first Halloween celebration in five years, during which a series of killings begins.[15][16] Akkad expressly disliked the screenplay,[15] but Miramax responded to it favorably and opted to continue moving forward until Fleder eventually dropped out, citing "creative differences".[14]
Miramax then approached Quentin Tarantino, who had recently completed Pulp Fiction (1994) for the studio.[17][18] Though a screenplay was never completed,[19][20] Tarantino pitched a story idea involving Michael Myers and the Man in Black fleeing Haddonfield together and going on a road trip down Route 66 while murdering people,[21][22][23] events which bear resemblance to those depicted in his screenplay for Natural Born Killers, which he was pitching to Miramax Films at the same time.[23] Tarantino ultimately declined the offer, but suggested Evil Dead II co-writer Scott Spiegel as a potential director.[17][18] Spiegel was unenthusiastic about Phil Rosenberg's screenplay ultimately departed the project.
By April 1994, Phil Rosenberg's brother, Scott was tasked with revising the script, but failed to satisfy Akkad.[24] With Scott Rosenberg's draft rejected, the studio pursued upcoming writers Irving Belateche and Lawrence Guterman to completely overhaul Halloween 666.[25] With an October 1994 release window instilled by Weinstein, Matthew Patrick of Hider in the House was selected as director.[25] Upon his hiring, Patrick immediately flew to Salt Lake City for location scouting and brought in his frequent cinematographer Billy Dickson. However, neither Patrick or Akkad were appeased by the script, with the former even referring to it as "unfinished".[26] Patrick was granted his own revision of the script, but tensions rose between Akkad and Weinstein. With production gearing up to begin in two weeks without a finalized cast, Patrick would ultimately quit the project in May 1994.[27]
Farrands' re-drafting
[edit]In June 1994, Daniel Farrands was hired to write a new screenplay, as the film had an impending shooting date scheduled for that October in Salt Lake City.[28] At this time, Fred Walton was attached to direct.[29][30] Walton soon became reluctant to take on a "movie about a guy with a knife killing people". Instead, the filmmaker envisioned a plot akin to Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, with Jamie Lloyd living in a halfway house and committing suicide in the film's opening scene.[31] The Weinsteins swiftly moved onto Joe Chappelle after being impressed with his debut film, Thieves Quartet.[32] Farrands has said his initial intent for the film was to "bridge the later films (4–5) in the series to the earlier films (1–2) while at the same time taking the story into new territory so that the series could expand for future installments."[33] This in part meant expanding on the presence of the "Man in Black" as well as the appearance of the Thorn symbol, both of which appear without explanation at the end of Halloween 5.[34] When beginning the script, Farrands contacted the writers of Halloween 4 and 5 for additional information, but they were unable to provide clear answers, leaving him to "pick up the pieces."[35]
Farrands himself envisioned the Michael Myers character as a "sexual deviant," theorizing that, as a child, Michael became fixated on the murder of his sister Judith, and for his own twisted reasons felt the need to repeat that action over and over again, finding a sister-like figure in Laurie who excited him sexually. He also theorized that by making Laurie Michael's literal sister, the sequels took away from the simplicity and relatability of the original Halloween. Nevertheless, when writing Curse, Farrands was tasked with creating a mythology for Myers which defined his motives and why he could not be killed. He says, "He can't just be a man anymore, he's gone beyond that. He's mythical. He's supernatural. So, I took it from that standpoint that there's something else driving him. A force that goes beyond that five senses that has infected this boy's soul and now is driving him." As the script developed and more people became involved, Farrands admits that the film went too far in explaining Myers and that he himself was not completely satisfied with the finished product.[30]
Farrands expanded the "Curse of Thorn" plot line, in which Jamie Lloyd is kidnapped by a covert cult who has cursed Michael Myers via the Runic symbol of Thorn, which compels him to kill and also affords him immortality.[36] Farrands had in part based the idea on dialogue present in Halloween II (1981) about the night of Samhain, during which the "veil between the living and the dead is thinnest," the one time of the year during which Myers became "active, and seeks out his bloodline."[37] References to Druidism as well as Myers's grandfather "hearing voices" had also appeared in the 1978 novelization of Halloween by Curtis Richards.[38] While the character of Jamie Lloyd dies early in the film, the initial versions of Farrands' script had her character surviving until the final act, at which point she was ultimately killed by Michael.[39] Other elements of Farrands' working script that ultimately had to be trimmed down included an extension of the Curse of Thorn subplot, which had the entire town of Haddonfield in collusion with the cult, an idea Akkad wanted to use for the series' seventh installment.[40] However, this idea was scrapped in favor of the Halloween H20 script in 1997.[41]
According to Farrands, there were around ten different drafts of his script between June 1994 and the October 1994 film shoot, and much of the finale that appears in the theatrical version (including the events at the hospital, as well as the references to the cult using Myers's power as a means of scientific investigation), was not written by him, and had been written and shot in post-production under the supervision of Dimension Films.[42]
Allusions and references
[edit]Farrands, a long-time fan of the series, sought to incorporate various references and allusions to the previous Halloween films, particularly the original, to play with the "Halloween mythology."[43] These range from situational allusions, such as Tommy Doyle living across the street from the Strode house (a play on the events in the original Halloween, which take place between the Wallace and Doyle residences, which are across the street from one another)[44] to minor references, such as the naming of an address from Halloween II (1981), and the character of Mrs. Blankenship, a name referred to in passing in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).[45] Other references outside the narrative diegeses of the series include the names of characters, such as John and Debra Strode (referencing John Carpenter and Debra Hill),[46] as well as the naming of Danny Strode, a character Farrands has said was modeled after Danny Torrance in The Shining (1980).
Farrands also referenced Carpenter's The Fog (1980) with the line referring to a "stomach pounder" (a protein milkshake Tim drinks early in the film),[47] and Beth's murder scene was modeled after a scene from Fred Walton's When a Stranger Calls (1979) (Farrands wrote the scene upon hearing that Walton had been attached to direct the project, though Walton would eventually drop out of the production).[29] Additionally, extended scenes of Kara walking on the college campus and en route to her home were intended to allude to scenes featuring Laurie Strode in the first film,[48] while Danny dropping his pumpkin while walking home alludes to a scene in the first film in which a group of bullies force Tommy to drop his pumpkin outside the elementary school.[49]
Casting
[edit]Donald Pleasence returned to play Dr. Loomis, in what would be one of his final film performances; according to Farrands, Pleasence was fond of the script.[50] Danielle Harris, who was seventeen at the time, contacted producer Paul Freeman about reprising her role as Jamie Lloyd, and went so far as completing paperwork to become legally emancipated in order to shoot the film.[39] She was officially cast in the role,[51] but Dimension Films could not come to an agreement over her salary; Harris alleges that Dimension offered her a scaled $1,000 to shoot the part over the course of a week, which was less than the amount of money she had paid for her emancipation.[39] Farrands and Freeman both had wanted Harris for the part, but at that point "had their hands tied."[39]
According to Harris, the head of the casting department refused to negotiate her salary, stating that she was a "scale character who dies in the first twenty minutes."[39] This ultimately led to her dropping out of the project.[52] "People automatically assume I wanted some crazy amount of money, or something," Harris commented in 2014, "[but] it's not like I [was] demanding of anything, really ... When you've been asked to do something and then they insult you by saying, "You're a piece of shit, you die in the first act—I don't give a fuck that you were in two other Halloween movies, who cares?"... I was in shock."[39] Actress J. C. Brandy was cast as Harris's replacement.[39]
The producers initially wanted Brian Andrews to reprise his role as Tommy Doyle. However, with Andrews not having an agent, they were unable to contact him.[53] Paul Stephen Rudd was cast in the part of Tommy, which marked his first starring role before he appeared in Clueless (1995).[54] The leading female role, Kara, was given to Marianne Hagan; however, Hagan has since stated that Miramax executives Bob and Harvey Weinstein did not favor her for the part, and made aesthetic criticisms about her being "too thin" and her chin being "too pointy".[52] Farrands, however, had wanted Hagan for the part because he felt she possessed an "every-girl" quality of having "lived a little, and had a hard time," and likened her screen presence to that of Jamie Lee Curtis.[55] The filmmakers also approached Howard Stern to make a cameo appearance as the radio DJ Barry Sims, but he declined in order to appear in Private Parts.[56]
For the role of Dr. Terence Wynn, Mitch Ryan was cast, based on his performance in Lethal Weapon (1987); Farrands originally urged the producers to cast Christopher Lee, having had the veteran horror actor in mind when writing the character. This is a reference on Carpenter's initial choice for role of Dr. Loomis during film making of Halloween from 1978 where he was offered that role, but declined due to low pay, only to regret it in later years.[57] Denise Richards also auditioned for the part of Beth, but the studio passed on her, giving the role to Mariah O'Brien.[58] Stunt performer George P. Wilbur, who portrayed Michael in the fourth installment, reprised his role as Michael Myers. However, once reshoots took place, Wilbur was replaced by A. Michael Lerner as director Joe Chapelle found Wilbur to be "too bulky."[59]
Filming
[edit]Filming began on October 31, 1994 in Salt Lake City, Utah.[60] Within the first week of shooting, however, the city experienced an early winter snowstorm, which complicated the production.[58][61] As a result, several scenes which were supposed to take place on exterior locations had to be transferred to interiors.[62] The original hospital scenes were shot at the abandoned Old Primary Children's Hospital in The Avenues section of Salt Lake City.[63]
Special effects artist John Carl Buechler created the mask for the film, which was based heavily on the mask featured in the poster for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.[59] Buechler hand-crafted the mask over actor George P. Wilbur's face.[59]
Producer Paul Freeman and director Chappelle reportedly rewrote the ending on-set, even from shot-to-shot as production deadlines loomed.[64] Freeman also sent the crew home when crucial scenes needed to be shot; deleted scripted scenes indiscriminately; rewrote dialogue and action sequences; and assumed the responsibility of directing second-unit shots and the supervision of post-production of the original cut. These complications resulted in Dimension Films' parent company (and the film's co-production company) Miramax, taking over the film's production, and ordering many of the reworked sequences to be reshot.[52]
Associated producer Malek Akkad explained the film's lack of a cohesive "vision" being the result of director Chappelle "answering" to the visions of the distributor, Dimension Films; Moustapha Akkad's production company, Nightfall Productions; and writer Daniel Farrands.[64] Tensions between what Dimension, Nightfall, and Farrands envisioned for the film resulted in a finished product that had needed "more forethought," according to Akkad.[64]
Post-production
[edit]In early 1995, after filming and editing was completed, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was given a test screening in New York City which, as described by actress Marianne Hagan, "consisted primarily of fourteen-year-old boys."[52] During the Q&A afterward, one of the audience members expressed great displeasure at the ending of the film, which entailed a Celtic ritual and the passing on of the "Curse of Thorn" to the Dr. Loomis character. As a result of the audience's disapproval toward the film's finale, the movie was rushed back into production, this time without Donald Pleasence, who died on February 2, 1995.[65] Pleasence had been in ill health during the shooting of the film.[66]
Reshoots took place in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995.[67] According to Farrands, the reshoots occurred with a new director of photography and spanned a total of four days.[68] At this time, the Akkads were sidelined as Dimension Films took over the film. With only three months out from the film's release date, Farrands and Chappelle concurrently rewrote the script. Chappelle's revisions recharacterized Kara as a "machine gun-toting heroine", similar to "Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day".[69] Farrands dropped the recharacterization of Kara as well as "thunderous voices of God" added into a newly scripted climax.[69] Meanwhile, a subplot involving a group of doctors seeking to harness "scientifically-engineered evil" was added into the rewrites and survived into the finished film.[32][70] Farrands' pages would be dropped in favor for Rand Ravich, who previously rewrote Hellraiser: Bloodline for the studio and Chappelle just one month prior.[71] The ending of the theatrical cut stems from Ravich's rewrites, which added an extended chase sequence, the higher body count, and Tommy Doyle's fight with Myers.[72] However, Ravich's rewritten ending, which saw Tommy hoisting The Shape in the air with chains, was never fully adapted from the script. During the last night of filming, the crew were far behind schedule and decided to save on overtime payments, the yet-to-be-shot pages were scrapped entirely and instead the final shot of Michael's mask on the ground was done at the last minute.[73]
A. Michael Lerner replaced George P. Wilbur in the role of Michael Myers, as the studio executives wanted him to appear less bulky.[59] This resulted in continuity errors as the last third of the film features a slimmer Myers.[59] Some of the additional footage incorporated into the finale of the film was shot at Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles.[63]
In addition to the re-shoots prompted by the poor test screening, the film also underwent significant editing in post-production, resulting in brisker pacing and a "flashier" cinematic style that favored "blood and guts," but, according to Farrands, ultimately resulted in a "more confusing" movie.[74] According to writer Farrands, the stylized flash cuts prominent in the final theatrical cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers were not originally intended, and he likened the style of the final product to an "MTV video rather than a Halloween film."[75] Composer Alan Howarth similarly called the final product a "fix job," with numerous elements of the production being in flux both during and after principal photography.[76] In addition to Howarth's score being redone, the film's sound design was also significantly altered from Howarth's original "minimalist" design.[77]
Soundtrack
[edit]Release
[edit]The film's troubled production resulted in two cuts of the film, which prompted a legal battle between the film's production company, Nightfall, who wanted to release the original cut, and its distributor, Dimension Films, who had incorporated reshoots and additional material.[64] Ultimately, Dimension Films won the dispute, and their cut of the film was officiated for theatrical release.[64]
An earlier teaser trailer of the film employed the title Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers, which according to Daniel Farrands, came before an official title had been decided, and that the trailer title was a combination of an earlier script titled The Origin of Michael Myers by another writer, and Farrands' original script titled Halloween 666. At one point, executive producer Moustapha Akkad asked Farrands for a title, who suggested The Curse of Michael Myers due to the troubled production. Although Farrands's comment was in jest, Akkad took the name to heart and decided upon it. Farrands also added that this coincidentally made the subtitles similar to those in The Pink Panther films, which also used Return, Revenge, and Curse subtitles as Halloween's fourth, fifth and sixth films, respectively.[30]
Home media
[edit]The film was first released for home media on VHS and LaserDisc on September 10, 1996, from Miramax Home Entertainment.[78][79] A DVD followed on October 10, 2000.[80] In January 2010, the film was released for the first time on Blu-ray in Canada from Alliance Films alongside Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Halloween: Resurrection with no bonus material.[81] The film was released on Blu-ray and again on DVD in the United States on May 10, 2011, by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, once again with no bonus features.[82]
Anchor Bay Entertainment and Shout! Factory once again released the film on Blu-ray on September 23, 2014, as a part of their 15-disc box set containing every film in the franchise, up to Rob Zombie's Halloween II (2009).[83] This release features both the theatrical cut of the film and the alternate Producer's Cut (marking the first official release of the latter),[83] and contained extensive bonus features, such as a commentary from writer Daniel Farrands and composer Alan Howarth, interviews with various cast and crew, deleted scenes, archival behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, and a tribute to Donald Pleasence.[84][85] On September 15, 2015, Lionsgate released another standalone Blu-ray of The Producer's Cut, but without any of the bonus features featured on the 15-disc release.[86] On October 4, 2022, Shout! Factory reissued both the theatrical and Producer's Cut editions on 4K UHD Blu-ray in a box set also featuring Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Halloween: Resurrection.[87]
Alternate versions
[edit]Aside from the theatrically-released final cut, two alternate versions of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers exist.[88] The Producer's Cut is the best known; however, a Director's Cut also exists with footage excised by the MPAA. The theatrical version was the only version commercially available (with the Director and Producer's cuts existing as low-quality bootlegs) until the Producer's Cut was included in the official Complete Collection box set released by Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2014.[89]
[It is] Gothic and creepy, but you kind of lose the intensity of where we've been ... I think we could've gone in and given it more intensity and more of a scare [factor].
The original cut of the film that screened for test audiences prior to the reshoots became known colloquially as The Producer's Cut, and bootlegged copies of it surfaced among film collectors.[64][91] This cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers features numerous differences, ranging from different scores and musical cues to substantial shifts in plot, particularly regarding the film's conclusion.[92] In a retrospective interview, Farrands noted that the finale in this cut of the film was sufficiently "creepy" and "Gothic," but conceded that it lacked intensity, which is largely what prompted Dimension Films to begin reshoots.[90] The Producer's Cut of the film garnered a cult following, according to writer Farrands: "It's amazing the life that [Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers] has continued to have because there is this alternate version that has been, kind of in-the-vault all these years."[93]
In the finale of The Producer's Cut, Kara awakens at Smith's Grove Sanitarium on a concrete slab, surrounded by the cult's members, including Mrs. Blankenship, Wynn's secretary Dawn, and other Haddonfield residents. Wynn conducts a ceremony in which Michael will kill Steven as a final sacrifice of innocent blood, after which the curse will pass on to Danny with Kara as his first sacrifice. Kara stalls by appealing to Michael with the revelation that Steven is his biological child.[92] Tommy takes Wynn hostage and forces the cult to free Kara and the children. Pursued by Michael, they run through the sanitarium to a locked gate. Tommy uses the power of the ancient runes to stop Michael in his tracks as Loomis helps them escape. After telling the others he has unfinished business, Loomis finds what appears to be Michael lying on the floor. He removes the mask to reveal Wynn, with whom Michael switched clothes and then escaped. As he dies, Wynn passes on the Thorn symbol, which appears on Loomis' wrist. Realizing that he is the new cult leader, Loomis screams in despair (this is heard as ambient noise in the final frame of the theatrical cut).[94] Michael is shown escaping into the night in Wynn's Man in Black outfit.[92]
Another substantial difference in The Producer's Cut is the death of Jamie Lloyd: she does not die at the beginning of the film, but survives being stabbed by Michael in the barn. She remains in a coma and is taken to the hospital, where Loomis and Wynn visit her. Midway through the film, a "Gothic" montage occurs, which reveals in fragmented detail the conception of Jamie's child among the cult. After the sequence, an unseen person, later revealed to be Wynn, shoots the unconscious Jamie in the head with a silenced pistol.[95] Additionally, John's death scene in The Producer's Cut was shorter; in the theatrical cut, an additional shot (completed during the reshoots) was incorporated of his head graphically exploding from an electrical power surge.[96] Other various transitional shots throughout The Producer's Cut version were extracted or truncated in the theatrical cut.[92]
The Producer's Cut remained officially unreleased for nearly 20 years. It had its first public exhibition on October 27, 2013, at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.[97] Screenwriter Farrands was present for a short Q&A, in which he stressed that there was still a major push in the works to get this version a proper release. He also said that the studio allowing this version to be screened in public for the first time, and the overwhelmingly positive response, were both huge steps in the right direction.[citation needed] Anchor Bay Media and Scream Factory gave The Producer's Cut its first official release on Blu-ray in September 2014 as part of their Halloween: The Complete Collection box set.[98]
A few select scenes from The Producer's Cut can be seen in the television version of the film. The scenes were re-inserted to increase the running time of the film.[99]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was released on September 29, 1995, in the United States, and brought in a $7,308,529 opening weekend gross, coming in second to serial killer thriller Seven, being the first film in the series to be on par with Halloween II's opening weekend gross (both Halloween 4 and 5 had earned under $7 million).[100] The film was a modest financial success, going on to gross a total of $15,116,634 at the U.S. box office, with an estimated $5 million budget.[101] With having sold approximately 3,475,088 tickets during its initial theatrical run, the film is the second-lowest grossing entry in the franchise, ahead of only Halloween 5.[4]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 8% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers trades the simple, brutal effectiveness of the original for convoluted mysticism, with disastrously dull results."[102] On Metacritic, the film holds a 10/100 based on 13 reviews, signifying as "overwhelming dislike".[103] It is the lowest rated Halloween film on both sites.
Daniel Kimmel of Variety called the film "tired" and "run-of-the-mill",[104] while Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film lacked suspense and said that "not even the presence of the late, gloriously histrionic Donald Pleasence can liven things up," deeming it "bland", "deadening", and "by far the worst in the series."[105]
Stephen Holden of The New York Times called the film's script "impossibly convoluted", and wrote that "shock effects are applied with such hamfisted regularity that they quickly backfire."[106] Josh Hartl of The Seattle Times criticized the film's conventionality, writing: "instead of sending up the current glut of serial-killer movies, the filmmakers trot out the old slasher tactics."[107] Jack Mathews of the Los Angeles Times similarly criticized the film's lack of originality, comparing it negatively to its predecessors and describing it as a "body count" film.[108] Tom Maurstad of The News-Press gave the film a half-star rating out of four, criticizing it for its lack of plot and emphasis on gore: "The movie, as directed by fresh-from-film-school Joe Chappelle, tosses out a few odd snippets of storyline... but there is no follow through, no real attempt at story."[109]
Richard Harrington of The Washington Post also criticized the script, writing: "While director Joe Chapelle and writer Daniel Farrands took advantage of a clearance sale at the Horror Cliche Emporium, they forgot to stop in at Plots R Us."[110] The Time Out London film guide deemed the film "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."[111] The Salt Lake Tribune's Sean Means made a similar assessment of the screenplay, observing that "the mayhem is presented routinely, with little imagination or even logic. Even the promised explanation for Michael's evil is muddled. The mix of runic stones, Satan-worship, DNA testing and old-fashioned boogyman stories never gels."[112]
Legacy and modern assessment
[edit]After bootlegged versions of the Producer's Cut began to surface, some fans and film critics argued that it was the superior version of the film.[113] Writing in a Bloody Disgusting retrospective, Alex DiVincenzo noted that the Producer's Cut benefits from its more significant featuring of the Dr. Loomis character, and that it is ultimately a better film.[113] Jessica Beebe of Screen Rant made a similar assessment, noting that the cult of Thorn subplot is more clearly presented in the Producer's Cut, and that its finale better contextualizes the cult.[114]
In their comprehensive book The Films of the Nineties (2001), writers Robert and Gwendolyn Nowlan positively described the film as an "atmospheric and suspenseful thriller."[115]
In a 2022 ranking of every film in the Halloween franchise by IndieWire, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was ranked number five, with writer Jamie Righetti praising the film: "The Curse of Thorn. The return of Tommy Doyle. Even more members of the Strode family. A final goodbye to the unforgettable Donald Pleasance [sic] and his irascible Dr. Loomis. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers really does have it all, and it's one of the most underrated sequels in the franchise."[116]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The Producer's Cut uses the on-screen title Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, and originally titled Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers.
References
[edit]- ^ "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Etling 2014, p. 200.
- ^ "Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)". Filmsite.org. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Financial Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ Norman 2014, p. 180.
- ^ Rogers 2003, p. 110.
- ^ "Halloween 6, The Producer's Cut". Arrow in the Head. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007.
- ^ "Full Specs For 'Halloween: The Complete Collection'!!". Bloody Disgusting. July 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023.
- ^ a b McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 146.
- ^ Garcia, Chris (October 1, 1995). "'Halloween' dreamer". The Press Democrat. pp. 15–16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Daniel Farrands Interview: Halloween 6". HalloweenMovies™: The Official Halloween Website. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ Murr, Tim (October 21, 2018). "31 Days of Horror – Tim Murr on Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers Producer's Cut". Biff Bam Pop. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 147.
- ^ a b McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 148.
- ^ a b c Mullins, Travis (January 17, 2018). "An Early Draft of Halloween 6 Has Been Released And It's… Interesting". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022.
- ^ Jenkins, Jason (October 16, 2020). "Scott Spiegel Cuts Into the Quentin Tarantino-Produced Alternate Version of 'Halloween 6'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on October 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Konda, Kelly (October 31, 2017). "9 Things You May Not Know About Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers". We Minored in Film. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Squires, John (December 16, 2019). "Quentin Tarantino Talks Halloween 6, Which He Toyed With Writing Back in the Early 1990s". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022.
- ^ Millman, Ashleigh (May 8, 2019). "Every Halloween Movie (They Never Actually Made)". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Halloween VI Behind The Scenes". HalloweenMovies™: The Official Halloween Website. Archived from the original on October 20, 2024.
- ^ Roffman, Michael (December 16, 2019). "Filmmaker of the Year Quentin Tarantino on Finding the Right Story, What Streaming is Missing, and His 10th Film". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Quentin Tarantino Shares His Killer 'Halloween 6' Idea That Went Nowhere". MovieWeb. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Halloween 6: The Quentin Tarantino Version That Almost Happened". Screen Rant. May 13, 2020. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 151.
- ^ a b McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 179.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 194.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 195.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 18:34.
- ^ a b Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 1:09:27.
- ^ a b c "Fright Exclusive Interview: Daniel Farrands". Icons of Fright. June 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2020, p. 188.
- ^ a b Wilson, Staci (September 29, 2020). "Halloween 6 - 25 Years Later". Red River Horror. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Interview With Daniel Farrands". 73 Miles to Haddonfield Fansite. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 3:00.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 31:01.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 20:26.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 20:44.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 1:01:40.
- ^ a b c d e f g Harris, Danielle (2014). Jamie's Story. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut (Blu-ray documentary short). Scream Factory. OCLC 904440200.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 22:48.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 22:55.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 22:19.
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- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 43:10.
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- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 41:35.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 37:10.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 48:28.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 14:09.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 2:38.
- ^ a b c d Harris, Danielle; Hagan, Marianne (2006). "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers". Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror (Documentary). Anchor Bay Entertainment.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 12:41.
- ^ Chaney 2015, p. 45.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 10:02.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (February 9, 2012). "The Lost Roles of Howard Stern". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 14:50.
- ^ a b O'Brien, Mariah; Brandy, J.C. (2014). Acting Scared. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut (Blu-ray documentary short). Scream Factory. OCLC 904440200.
- ^ a b c d e Buechler, John Carl; Hardin, Brad; Wilbur, George P. (2014). The Shape of Things. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut (Blu-ray documentary short). Scream Factory. OCLC 904440200.
- ^ Kleid, Beth (October 31, 1994). "Morning Report: Quick Takes". Los Angeles Times. p. F2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 34:31.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 34:35.
- ^ a b Patterson, Robert (July 21, 2015). "Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)". Set-Jetter. Archived from the original on October 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Akkad, Malek; Freeman, Paul (2014). The Cursed 'Curse'. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut (Blu-ray documentary short). Scream Factory. OCLC 904440200.
- ^ Dickson, Billy; Ryman, Brad; Callaway, Thomas (2014). Haddonfield's Horrors: The Visual Design of "Halloween 6" (Documentary). Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers: The Producer's Cut (Blu-ray). Scream Factory. OCLC 904440200.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 35:31.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 1:35:56.
- ^ Artz, Matt (October 24, 2014). "[Interview] Daniel Farrands Reveals Halloween 6 and Halloween 7 That Could Have Been". Halloween Daily News. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ a b McNeill & Mullins 2019, pp. 176–177.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2019, pp. 176–178.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2019, p. 176.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2019, p. 177.
- ^ McNeill & Mullins 2019, p. 178.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 38:45, 39:47.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 38:03.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 38:19.
- ^ Farrands & Howarth 2014, event occurs at 1:10:58.
- ^ "New releases". Star Tribune. September 1, 1996. p. F15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pearson, Mike (September 1, 1996). "'Mulholland Falls': All film, no noir". The Town Talk. p. C-7 – via Newspapers.com.
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Sources
[edit]- Armstrong, Keith Byron (2003). Slasher Films: An International Filmography, 1960 Through 2001. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-41462-8.
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- Etling, Laurence (2014). Radio in the Movies: A History and Filmography, 1926-2010. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-48616-8.
- Farrands, Daniel; Howarth, Alan (2014). Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The Producer's Cut. Halloween: The Ultimate Collection (Blu-ray audio commentary). Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment.
- McNeill, Dustin; Mullins, Travis (2019). Taking Shape: Developing Halloween From Script to Scream. Greensboro, North Carolina: Harker Press. ISBN 978-0-578-58681-6.
- McNeill, Dustin; Mullins, Travis (2020). Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels. Greensboro, North Carolina: Harker Press. ISBN 978-0-578-74526-8.
- Nowlan, Robert A.; Nowlan, Gwendolyn L. (2001). The Films of the Nineties. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-40974-7.
- Norman, Jason (2014). Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene with Today's Horror Actors. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-47986-3.
- Rogers, Nicholas (2003). Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-16896-9.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at IMDb
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at Rotten Tomatoes
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at Metacritic
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at Box Office Mojo
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers at the TCM Movie Database
- 1995 films
- Halloween (franchise) films
- 1995 horror films
- 1990s serial killer films
- 1990s slasher films
- American sequel films
- American serial killer films
- American slasher films
- American supernatural horror films
- Dimension Films films
- English-language horror films
- English-language crime films
- Films about children
- Films about cults
- Films about curses
- Films about genetic engineering
- Films about domestic violence
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films about incest
- Films about mother–son relationships
- Films about radio people
- Films directed by Joe Chappelle
- Films scored by Alan Howarth (composer)
- Films set in 1989
- Films set in 1995
- Films set in the 1990s
- Films set in Illinois
- Films shot in Utah
- Films shot in Salt Lake City
- Mad scientist films
- Saturn Award–winning films
- Supernatural slasher films
- Teenage pregnancy in film
- 1990s American films
- 1990s English-language films