This good-enough Halloween iteration is competent as far as slasher sequels go, but completely lacking in the directorial flair and craftsmanship of the first two entries (as well as the absolutely confounding absurdity which I love, but many hate, about Halloween III). The lack of involvement from John Carpenter, Debra Hill, and Jamie Lee Curtis is a pretty clear indication for lowered expectations, but Halloween 4 never plummets to the embarrassing depths so familiar to fans of slasher franchises.
Despite the aforementioned departures, Halloween 4 does boast two important returning figures: Michael Myers (notoriously absent from Halloween III) and Donald Pleasance (very clearly not giving a fuck here). This time Myers has returned to Haddonfield to torment the young daughter of a now-deceased Laurie Strode. The concept is as bland as the execution: the kills are generic, the editing clumsy, and the script provides quite a few unintentional laughs (and don’t even get me started on some of the stunt work on display).
But it’s not all so bad. Strode’s daughter is ably played by Danielle Harris (only 10 years old at filming) and both she and her stepsister Rachel make for plucky, likable protagonists. Halloween 4 also picks up steam as it goes: the last act has some genuinely suspenseful moments, not to mention Myers trying to headbutt his way through a moving car’s windshield.
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