Inside The Thorn Trilogy: Halloween 6 Producer's Cut

Welcome back everyone. Here we are with the last chapter of The Thorn Trilogy. So far, it's been quite a journey. We had The Return of Michael Myers in 4. It was very much a back to basics approach for the franchise. Then they followed it up with The Revenge of Michael Myers. This was a bit of a mess of a film. I understand that there are people that like it. But my biggest complaint is Tina and the humor in the film. Honestly, it wouldn't feel out of place in a Friday the 13th film. 

As much as I'd like to just forget it, I can't. It has some things that would factor into the next film. But it was because of the disappointment with 5 that led to the franchise being stuck in limbo six years. Akkad wanted 6 to have a good story behind it. One that would be respectful of the franchise and not like 5.  Unfortunately the film would then be made by Miramax and Dimension. And that meant the Weinsteins had a hand in things. 

Now, Halloween 6 is a very interesting film. The film was made and then the studio got to see an early cut of it. They hated it. It didn't fit what they were expecting from a Halloween movie. There was also some test screenings that didn't have much good things to say about that flick. So instead of going with their gut, the studio - well The Weinsteins wanted to double down on their investment with this franchise. Thus, reshots were completed and a different flavor was added to make the theatrical cut of Halloween 6. Got it?

Okay, so here's a note I'd like to make. Here on out when I'm referring to the theatrical cut, it'll be called The Weinstein Cut. I also had a couple moments where I was trying to figure out if I should appeal to one cut or the other. Should I review both of them? Well, ultimately I decided that I would be covering The Producers Cut. I have seen The Weinstein Cut. But it just doesn't sit right with me. The Weinstein Cut also doubles down on the slasher formula. 

The interesting thing about either Halloween 6 is that neither cut gets picked up again in the franchise. After Halloween 6, they chose to make Halloween H20 which ignored the continuity of The Thorn Trilogy. So either ending could be considered an ending for this trilogy. It just depends on the viewer. Personally, I will take the Producers Cut ending over The Weinstein Cut anyday. 

The story of The Curse of Myers goes like this:

Six years ago, Michael Myers terrorized the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. He and his niece, Jamie Lloyd, have disappeared. Jamie was kidnapped by a bunch of evil druids who protect Michael Myers. And now, six years later, Jamie has escaped after giving birth to a child. She runs to Haddonfield to get Dr. Loomis to help her again. Meanwhile, the family that adopted Laurie Strode is living in the Myers house and are being stalked by Myers. It's the curse of thorn that Michael is possessed by that makes him kill his family. And it's up to Tommy Doyle and Dr. Loomis, to stop them all.

How does the film hold up? 

Honestly, I enjoy this film a lot. It's a lot better than Halloween 5 for sure. It does ask us to take some liberties with the lore. Actually, Halloween 6 asks a lot to be done with the lore. Now it may seem like it comes out of nowhere. It actually doesn't come out of nowhere. The whole mythology with the evil of Michael being tied into Samhain. That actually is something that is touched on the original Halloween novelization. In fact, the original Halloween novelization gives us more insight with young Michael and him hearing voices. It ties into there being a history of males in Michael's family having outbursts or fits of violence. That's something that ties in 100 percent to The Producer's Cut. Knowing those things from the original, it helps elevate the material. 

Now, I understand the whole Cult of Thorn is a big hot topic. But come on, we had to explain who the Man in Black is. It makes sense that this whole occultism was a natural evolution of that lingering storyline. 

The Producer's Cut and The Weinstein Cut definitely differ in their handling of the material. The Producer's Cut is a bit more closer to the tone of the original. It feels very much a better continuation than The Weinstein Cut. It's a bit more cerebral. It's a bit more old school horror in a sense. There's a lot of tension as well. There's also a bit of a touch of Rosemary's Baby in it. Whereas The Weinstein Cut is very much doubling down on the 90s horror athestic. The precedent being that less focus on the cult and more on the blood, gore and kills. However, the film kind of loses itself if it's just trying to focus more on the kills. Lots of flash with its style. 

The Producer's Cut also had more of Loomis. It was the version that was shot first. And as we all know, Donald Pleasance passed away before there was reshoots. So, they were a bit limited with the footage available. It honestly was a bit of a shame that Pleasance passed. Because I can guarantee that he would have fought tooth and nail with them against the reshoots. He loved his character and embodied it so much. This was his farewell and The Weinstein Cut definitely fumbles it so much. The ending in the Producer's Cut is both a very fitting yet tragic way of having the character go out: becoming Michael's keeper. 

We have The Strodes returning in this film. Well, Laurie's adopted cousins. It's a nice touch that definitely expands the world established in these films. It's interesting seeing that The Strode Realty business was still around. Kara is definitely a very Laurie-like character. Young Danny is also very much familiar as he feels like a young Michael. Honestly the icing on the cake is that they live in the old Myers House. It makes sense that Laurie's adopted father would never be able to sell the house after the events of the original film. 

The Producer's Cut just oozes the feeling of the original film. It's colors are a bit muted and cold. The Weinstein Cut made sure to make things feel warmer. Which that definitely is the anti-Halloween feeling. Just another example of the studio not understanding the franchise. 

The handling of Jamie is something that is much better in The Producer's Cut. In The Weinstein Cut, they were quick to establish Jamie then two seconds later kill her off. It's a big disservice to fans of the franchise to just fridge a beloved character so quickly. I mean she doesn't necessarily survive in The Producer's Cut. But she makes it to the halfway mark before The Man in Black kills her off. It's a bit more tragic. 

Jamie's baby. That's something that could become a large hot topic. In the Weinstein Cut, it's not really established who the father is. She just has a baby because The Thorn Cult was messing with science and such. It's really messy. In the Producer's Cut, there's a flashback to the event where Jamie is impregnated and Michael happens to be there during the ceremony. It's very much a Rosemary's Baby scene. So more of less, it could be suggested that it's Michael's baby. Or it could be one of the random cultists. So again, it's something that could be a massive hot take. 

Honestly, the whole Cult of Thorn is something that is much more fleshed out in The Producer's Cut. It actually has a purpose. It's there to pass the evil of Michael to a new generation. Nothing with science and experimenting crap. Just simple occultism. 

The Man In Black. It was a bit of a throwaway character in Halloween 5. It was there to just be a reason for Michael to escape in the end. This film takes that and establishes so much. It calls back to the original film with its reveal of it being Doctor Wynn. With this revelation, it establishes that the Man In Black is Michael's keeper. It ultimately makes Doctor Wynn the Anti-Loomis. That's something that would be used in Halloween 2018 with the character of Doctor Sartain. 

I know this whole thing may sound a bit all over the place. Halloween 6 is just a film that has a lot going on. It goes even further with there being two versions of it. Personally, I love The Producer's Cut more than the Weinstein Cut. It just hits the right notes more with feeling part of the franchise's established world and lore. Is it the best in the franchise? No. Is it better than 5? Considering that with 5, they wrote themselves into a corner. The Producer's Cut is honestly probably the best way that they could have ended this trilogy of films. Yeah, it was hoping to be able to go on with it's ending. But after this, we got Halloween H20. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. (Better than 5, unfortunately best could be done with the circumstances given. Producer's Cut over the Weinstein Cut.)

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Inside The Thorn Trilogy: Halloween 5

After the success of Halloween 4, the studio quickly wanted capitalize on it. It probably helped that Moustapha Akkad was also wanting more Michael Myers on the screen. Akkad is definitely one of the heroes of this franchise. He kept things going for a while and was pretty consistent in his appreciation for the character and franchise. 

So with the franchise train a-rollin, it made complete sense from a business point to make another film. Plus the fanbase was pretty happy with the fourth film. What could go wrong?

First off, let's take a look at the sypnosis. It's one year later after the events of Halloween 4. Michael survives the shootings and on October 31st he returns with a vengeance. Lurking and stalking, Jamie, Rachel, and Rachel's friends, Michael forms a plan to lure Jamie out of the children's hospital where events lead up to the confrontation at the Myers house. Halloween 5 is a dark, thrill ride that will scare the heck out of you!

That sypnosis sets up a lot of misconceptions with the film. Least the way I look at the film, it feels like a misrepresentation of it. Is it more Michael Myers? Check. Dark thrill ride? Did we watch the same movie? Is Halloween 5 a dark thrill ride? Hell no it's not. And will it scare the heck out of you? Again, no it will not.

Halloween 5 had a lot to do. I mean look at the ending of 4. It literally had Jamie dressed in full clown costume and taking a knife or scissors to her adopted mother. That's a big freaking thing to have to deal with. I mean Friday the 13th had to deal with that thing twice - Part 4 and 5's endings with Tommy Jarvis. That franchise ignored those endings and continued on their way. 

Going back to Halloween 5, what do they do? They wrote it away. Jamie has been staying at a children's hospital after the events of the last film. Oh and Jamie's a mute now. We do have Rachel returning to visit Jamie. However, she brings her friend Tina to visit. When Tina's introduced, I wanted to punch her. She is a character that I very much dislike. She is a complete chariacture of a character. She's goofy and acts zany to make Jamie smile. But for the most part, she's treated as a bit of a humorous character. There's also the two cops. They have a frickin track that follows them round making zany noises and such. That's not dark. That's not thrilling. It's a bit of humor to lighten the film.

At this point, I will say that the film could be considered to be a parody of a Halloween film. Loomis is completely batshot crazy. He uses Jamie as bait to bring Michael out. What the hell Loomis? Why endanger a child? If this film was a bit more of a satire of a Halloween film, then it makes sense why we have Tina and the Looney tunes cops. That would be bit understandable. Is it good? No. It honestly makes it a bit meh. 

The character of Rachel. She is so vastly underused in the film. Quickly, she is basically fridged in order to further the tension for Jamie. Without Rachel, how is Jamie going to protect herself? Well, that's the film you signed up for. It feels like they had a checklist of things that carried over that they were quick to get rid of. I mean yeah, Tina could try to protect Jamie..but she's not exactly competent. The loss of Rachel ultimately hindered this film so much. 

Then we have The Man In Black. There was such a mystery as to who it was. Again, if this would have been done today - they would have known the identity all the way back in Halloween 4 and introduced them too. Largely, they just didn't know what to do with Man in Black. It's just a figure that is shown in brief scenes to establish their presence and then save Michael in the end and kidnap Jamie.

That ending is a bit of a dark ending. Because we don't have Jamie getting away. She is grabbed by that Man In Black. So in a sense, Michael wins as he escapes with the Man in Black. That's just crazy. 

Overall, Part 5 is a bit of a meh in The Thorn Trilogy. It's definitely a product of a rushed production. If they had more time, they may have done a bit better with the writing. The actors do okay with what they are given, which wasn't much. 

Rating: 2 out of 5. 

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Into The Thorn Trilogy Part 1: Halloween 4 (1988)

After the release of Halloween II, there wasn't much left that could happen with Michael. I mean it's pretty cut and dry what happened at the end of II, Michael was blinded then blown the hell up. And Loomis also went down in a blaze of glory. 

At this point when they went on to Halloween III, it was time to do something new. It would be an attempt to bring a more anthological approach to this film series. Each film could finally be it's own story. Many would flock to it and see how awesome it would be. 

Oh...wait...this just in. When Halloween III released, it was a bomb. People went to the film and came away disappointed that there was no Michael and upset that this was different. No, certainly people wouldn't be that upset. Oh, they were. Huh. Eventually Halloween III has found it's audience nowadays. But back then, it led to the film series being thrown into a hiatus for a while.

Then in 1988 for the ten year anniversary, Michael returned to the big screen with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. It was something to be excited about for sure. Here, we were going to discover just how exactly Michael had survived the events of Halloween II. Oh, Michael was in a ten year coma and recovering from some pretty serious burns in custody. And Loomis walked away with a burn on the hand and a little bit of a gnarly face scar. Okay. It makes sense to me. 

Now, I am not going to rag on Halloween 4...much. If I do, it's because the film deserves it. Also there will be SPOILERS. This is a film from 1988. If you think there will not be spoilers, then I apologize for disappointing with this retrospective. 

Back on track, Halloween 4 had a lot to do. It had to reintroduce Michael and Haddonfield to the world. In one sense, it honestly served the same purpose that Halloween 2018 did. There are some people that just generally don't like Halloween 4. I can understand their reasons. I respect their reasons. 

However, Halloween 4 is a pretty solid flick. It just oozes the fall atmosphere. It's even more evident with its opening titles. It's so good. If you don't believe me, go YouTube it and you'll see. The original Halloween felt like it took place around then. But it was missing that atmosphere that the spooky season has. 

In my opinion, Halloween 4 is also much better than Halloween II. Yes, we have a child in the film. It's interesting that they decided to tackle this approach as it also feels very The Final Chapter-ish. I appreciate that they tried to least tie Jamie to Laurie. Danielle Harris does a solid job with her performance. Again, some may consider it to be annoying or bad. But come on, it's a child dealing with Michael. Ellie Cornell also delivers a great performance as Jamie's adopted sister, Rachel. Rachel feels a bit like Laurie. She's got a tool of a boyfriend (is it Grady?) that she discovers cheating on her. How much of a tool is this guy. I mean he'd rather hook up with the Sheriff's daughter because she's a bit more outgoing with what she's interested in. That's pretty low considering how much Rachel has on her plate to begin with. She's practically raising Jamie as I have a hard time remembering that we see her parents outside the ending. Then there's Dr. Loomis. At this point, we all know how great Donald Pleasance is. It's not surprising that he does a solid job in this installment as he's basically retreading some familiar ground from the original film. Then there's the rest of the cast for the people of Haddonfield. Everyone does an okay job. It's interesting seeing a mob coming after Michael. I'm sure we will never see anything like this again...

Ultimately, the story of Halloween 4 is a bit back to basics. That's not a bad thing at all. It actually helps the film with its pacing. And after the bombing and response to Halloween III, it's understandable that was the direction they decided to go in. Go with what works and if it ain't broke, why fix it. This is an approach that would ultimately be utilized in the subsequent sequels. However by the time it reached Resurrection, it was old hat and had jumped the shark faster than you could say Busta Rhymes.

The colors of this film are so good. There's an amber shine to the days. At night, it's the cold blues. It's so representative with the feeling of fall and Halloween. There was some of this in the original film. However it seems to be amplified in 4 compared to the original. 

And this is all because the director Dwight H. Little did extensive research on the history of Halloween. The film just oozes the love that he has for the holiday. Especially during that title sequence where there's so much imagery that honestly makes this the definitive title sequence for me. 

An interesting thing that I learned while researching this film was the writer's strike of 1988. Alan B. McElroy had to spare no time and write the film quickly. He managed to complete that initial draft in eleven days beating out the beginning of the Writer's Strike. This was also the first film that Michael Myers is credited with his name instead of The Shape.

It was also the first time that the Myers house was not used. 

Now I wanted to dive into something that may be a bit questionable. I wanted to discuss the elephant in the room. The Man in Black. The next two films featured the infamous Man in Black. It largely became known that these three films would become the infamous Thorn trilogy. I honestly wish that they would have had some foresight to introduce him in this film. It didn't have to be much. It could have just been something very small to set up that he's out there. It would have actually made 4's ending make a lot of sense with Jamie in the clown costume and scissors. It was because The Thorn cult had an influence with it. But that's getting ahead of myself.

The kills in Halloween 4 are good. There's some interesting ones. I know the ones that I always remember are Michael putting his thumb through the doctor's head and the other being Michael pinning a girl to the wall with a shotgun. Other than those, the film is a bit back to basics with its kills. Michael stabs or slashes his way through town. 

This back to basics approach that I keep referencing even goes down to the structure. First act - establish Michael escaping and being pursued by Loomis, Jamie and Rachel's life in Haddonfield. Second act - Loomis travelling, Michael hunting, drama with Rachel and Jamie's life. Third act - Michael pursuing Rachel and Jamie while Loomis attempts to stop him. It's very much the structure of the original Halloween. There is some aspects that are definitely an improvement. First off, it makes sense that the townspeople of Haddonfield wouldn't stand by. They would want to defend their town and such. So the featuring of mobs is pretty nice addition. It even results in a cool chase scene with Michael on top of a truck while Jamie and Rachel are inside the cab of it. Their poor driver meeting his maker. 

Ultimately, I feel like this was a fine addition to the franchise. It was the reboot the fans were asking for after Halloween III. It sets things up really well and delivers on tension. I personally enjoy it more than Halloween II and will always watch it more. This is also an essential view for those cool fall days that we love during the spooky season.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5. 

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