Episode 261 - Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

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Salutations. Welcome to Podmortem. I'm Travis Hunter Syappan, joined as always by my co-hosts, my sister and my brother-in-law. Hi, I'm Renee Hunter Vasquez. Hi, I'm John Paul Vasquez. This week we're broadcasting live from 45 Lampkin Lane discussing the 1995 slasher film Halloween the Curse of Michael Myers. This film was directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrins.

Following the tepid reception of Halloween 5, The Revenge of Michael Myers, and the various loose ends it left for the franchise in the wake of its finale, the producers had their work cut out for them in crafting its sequel. Halloween, the curse of Michael Myers, would act as the last chapter in what would become known as the Thorn Trilogy, delving a bit deeper into mythology introduced in recent entries, while also attempting to recontextualize the past with the return of familiar characters.

characters, and the film culminating in a surprising twist. Unfortunately, creative disagreements and behind-the-scenes drama would not only lead to a chaotic production for the film, but it would also result in two wildly different cuts of the film varying in quality and audience reception. Though Halloween, the curse of Michael Myers has been somewhat reappraised over the decades, it still remains a polarizing sequel among fans of the franchise.

This film was suggested to us by friends of the show, Miguel Myers ATX, Daniel Laurent, Heidi CL, and Jay Escobar. We'd like to thank each and every one of them for their continued support of the show, as well as this suggestion. So, Halloween, The Curse of Michael Myers, what were your first impressions on the film? This was the first time, I'm going to be completely honest, that I have ever heard of this movie. I always thought...

That Halloween was like... one two then h2o resurrection and all that i don't know anything that we've covered halloween wise as far as like movies after two i had no idea that they existed like at all This, oh, wow. Watching this, I didn't feel good. I was very confused. I didn't like what story was trying to be told to me. I didn't know what to follow or who to believe or like what character to like.

like um i the movie's very confusing and and not being a michael myers fan like are a big one because i do like mike but you know what i mean um this really hurt the franchise for me. I'm going to be honest. This movie was crazy and what I'm supposed to follow because I like one and two. I like three. You know what I mean? Again, I'm glad we had three was great. But this and this is I'm under my understanding.

the thorn trilogy that's yeah and this is it you were saying babe before we started recording right that this was the last one i believe so um i i'll be honest i didn't even know the other two were part of this I know we talked about it, but I forgot. It became known as that simply because of that weird plot device that they introduced in the last film. Okay. Where Mike just has a tattoo now. Right. Yeah. And also the man in black had one. Yeah. The same one.

I prefer Michael Myers from one or two. But I mean, you know, we get Mike, a version of Mike.

here. A couple. I'm just finding it hard to kind of articulate what I'm trying to say about this movie because I'll be honest and I mean it with all the... with all the respect in the world i did not enjoy watching this this was very hard to follow along with what was going on the characters some of them were just characters it wasn't even like It was just like, oh, okay, you're who you're supposed to be, whatever.

And they stayed in that path and it was just like, okay, let's get past that because I know what this person behaving that way, this person has to behave that way. Then this is going to happen. I was like, this is just not, I was like, I just didn't, I was very confused. You know what I mean? But it's Michael Myers. So, yeah. We got a version of the mask. Yeah. I'm not sure if it's the original. No. Yeah. Okay. I just wanted to make sure. I've seen worse. No, yeah. There have been worse.

There have been better. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. This was a first time watch for me too. I people always I've heard, oh, the Thorne Trilogy. Yikes. Or the Thorne Trilogy, whatever. And I remember I had seen four. I didn't remember it.

very well until we covered it. And I was like, yeah it has its problems but i really like that ending a lot like i don't mind that being in this at all i will say i am getting a little tired of halloween having these definitive endings and then as being like but wait there's more forget what you just saw um but then we did the fifth one

And we had a lot of fun. That was Michael. I know I was bringing up him hoisting himself up onto the roof. Yeah. What about coasting down the river? Yeah, he floated down the river too. Coasting down the river as well. Michael was very, he was very active in that one and none of us loved it. But this one.

really took it to another level for me. And I love this franchise. Tia and I grew up on at least the first one a lot. Yeah, you guys talk about it all the time. A lot. And I will always love it. always have love for this franchise even like ones that are kind of like next on our docket as far as the franchise that looking back now probably aren't good I still have love for them you know what I mean

Yes, I agree. This one, man, I've got no nostalgia for. I don't have those rose-colored glasses. I only have my experience as a fan. watching this as an installment and i know and i can't wait to i know that you have the whole story of what the fuck happened with this i need an explanation i need several explanations to explain why i watched what i watched yeah maybe you can help it feels very confused i love me some paul rudd down okay i love paul rudd

i don't paul red doesn't know what he's doing nobody knows what they're doing he seems confused t was t pointed out when he got here that there are moments that are like comedic yeah his performance and i know that paul red is you know obviously this is before his whole career and everything but I know he's a funny guy, but I don't think that's what they were going for. Not here. It genuinely feels like, do you remember on The Simpsons when Milhouse got the role as Fall Out Boy and he quit?

And they were like, oh, no, we can cut together a version. We don't even need Mel House. And then. he shows the version that he cut together and they're like fighting aliens or like they're getting ready to fight and radioactive man is like are you ready and then fallout boy's sitting on the couch and he goes yes that's genuinely what scenes in this film feel like to me it's seamless huh seamless huh not so much you know um it is I feel like if you kind of zoom out and aren't

precious with the franchise or with Michael because Michael doesn't even feel like Michael I you can get enjoyment I'll say I could probably get enjoyment out of it because it's so ridiculous I did laugh a few times in this but not in a way where i feel like i was supposed to i don't know this was just kind of a mess for me and i i feel like because i've i've we've gone on a journey

with this franchise we've had a lot of additions we have retconned things we have like i feel like we've been very forgiving as a fan base of what we're doing. I think I have to draw the line at what they're doing here. I don't like it. I don't like the implication of an aspect of it. I there's just lots of things that do not work for me in this. And I think I can just sum it up by saying that the vibes are not this isn't this does not feel like a Halloween film to me.

The suspense isn't there. I feel like in most slashers, you know, there's the couple kills at the beginning and then you really like it hits its stride. You are. You know what you're afraid of, why you're afraid of it, what the stakes are, and you're in it. You're invested. I never felt invested in this. Like you said, and maybe that comes down to character as well.

The character that Paul Rudd plays, I don't want to give you a second one. That could have been a really, really cool thing to revisit that. Yeah. And I think that they waste it. I don't know. I could go on and on. I can't wait to hear some answers. I know that there are two versions. I've only watched the one that we're covering, so I can't wait to find out what the fuck the differences are. I'm very... I'm ready to talk, but I'm also ready to listen.

I am very, very excited to tell this story. Okay. The story of this film is fucking wild. Okay. But I do want to start with my first impressions. I hadn't seen this until maybe like last year. Yeah. And so it's very much in the same boat of what Ney said. where there's so much nostalgia for this franchise, but no nostalgia for at least three entries of it. And so it was this brand new film, and it's seemingly diving deeper into the supernatural.

But not really. Yeah. In this cut. Yeah. I think that the thing for me is that I never liked that turn where it started to become supernatural. Right. And I also really don't like the turn of explaining everything. Yeah. I don't need to know why Michael Myers is doing this. He is a force of nature. That's all I need. Well, that's what made it scary in the first one. Yeah. Yeah. Is that we don't understand. He's just unstoppable. That's fine. Yeah. And it works.

And it becomes something to be really afraid of. And what we learn in this film, it's like, okay, you know, sure. But I think that it's on the positive side. I like the look of autumn on film, even though it was filmed during winter. I appreciate some of the... autumnal vibes. Yeah, I also like seasons. Yeah, me too. I love leaves. I will say there are some motions of the camera and some shots that are seemingly emulating.

Dean Cundey's work on the original. Sure. I appreciated that. Some of the production design. Sure. Alan Howarth. I think he does some good work in the score. The phrasing. Well, because when I tell you the story of this film and you learn that a lot of his work was scrapped and replaced in reshoots or added onto by other people, it's like, well, your work was good.

Yeah. I will say I'm not fully surprised by that. No. Because, again, you can kind of tell. I love the late, great Donald Pleasance. Of course. Not enough of him in the theatrical cut. No. And I will tell you why. There's more in the producer cut? Yes. Okay. And I think that's the other thing as well is there are just so many choices made in this theatrical version.

The editing is atrocious. Oh, yeah. And a lot of choices they make with the sound design of these jump scares and like random ass noises and screams and knife sounds and shit. Excuse me. It does get irritating because I am very precious, especially with John Carpenter's Halloween. Right. That...

is to me like one of the pinnacles of horror films. Right. And so to see what happens with this franchise as it continues, it is kind of wild to me. And yeah, it's borderline offensive. We're being honest. But, you know, I appreciate some of the ideas that they have. I appreciate some of the things and choices that were proposed in this film.

I just think that a lot of the execution is just not for me. And I think a lot of the time spent on certain things only to, at least in the theatrical version, completely abandon it is wild. And I think that's the thing is that we are moving towards, apparently in this film, the cult of Thorne. Right. This supernatural idea. It doesn't work for me.

But what works better for me is if we're going to do that, then commit to the idea. You have to. That's not a one foot in, one foot out concept. No. And so it's just that this. Theatrical versions finale? Dude. I did. I busted out laughing. That's what I'm saying. I know I'm not. You didn't want me to laugh. No. So I don't think you should get the points for it. But I am laughing. And I will say I.

I will probably rewatch the producer's cut again if I'm doing like a franchise like completionist. OK. Like instead of this one. Oh absolutely. OK. And look when I say that the producer's cut has its problems too. Right. But. I think that the way that it's paced, I think the shot choices that they make, and I think commitment to this very ridiculous idea is much better than...

Having a nonsensical finale because you just didn't want to do it anymore. So this is a totally different finale. Totally different finale. Okay, I'm stoked. I'm stoked. I like silly. This, I don't know what was going on here. I don't know what you classify this. It's a mess. Name was right.

And I will say I did a lot of research on this film and we'll talk about the production in just a second. But I do hope that some of the things that we are very confused about, I can maybe explain why things went that way. Okay. Not to excuse, to explain. Right, right, right. I think that's the best we can hope for. But before I dive into the production of this film I do want to acknowledge the sources that helped me write this outline.

The first of which is the book Taking Shape by Dustin McNeil and Travis Mullins. I do want to give a very special thank you to Half Price Horror, who sent us this book for the purpose of continuing this franchise. Helped out tremendously. I also got information from Fangoria, a documentary called Halloween 25 Years of Terror, an interview with Malik Akkad and producer Paul Freeman on a featurette, a commentary track with Daniel Ferens with Icons of Fright, and a commentary track.

with Daniel Ferens and Alan Howarth for Scream Factory. So, to understand the story of this film's chaotic production, we have to go all the way back to 1989 with the release of Halloween 5. By all accounts... The film was a disappointment, critically, financially, and even among fans of the franchise. Producer Mustafa Akkad, who's often referred to as the godfather of Halloween,

decided that it would be best to put the franchise on hold for a little while until they could move forward with a sequel worthy of the franchise. So Akkad had outright admitted that every single aspect of Halloween 5 had been rushed. and he wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again. What, does it happen again? Actually, no. They had plenty of time. That wasn't the issue. So we can get rid of that experience. I'm crossing it off.

But Akkad's plans for the franchise hit a bit of a snag in 1990 when his rights to the Halloween franchise expired. And this is when a bidding war ensues. His opposition in the war being, of all people, John Carpenter. What? Yes. Each party had aligned themselves with a distributor. So you had Akkad teaming up with Miramax, while Carpenter had entered his bid with New Line Cinema. As it would turn out, Akkad and Miramax would eventually win the bid for the rights to the franchise.

And I will say they got far more than they bargained for. Difficulties between Mustafa Akkad and his son Malik Akkad arose immediately with the infamous Weinstein brothers at Miramax. Akkad had always been used to a certain level of creative control when it came to the Halloween franchise, but those scumbag pieces of shit Weinsteins, they were not interested at all in being silent partners in this deal with the Akkads.

And these creative differences would cast a cloud over pre-production, production, and most dramatically, post-production of the film. So this film was originally meant to begin production in November of 1993. You had Gary Flader directing a screenplay written by Philip Rosenberg. The Akads seemed very satisfied with this version, which had the working title of Halloween 666, The Origin, which calmed down. We keep getting into these titles that don't know when to stop.

So at this time, the Weinsteins suggest to the screenwriter to add a plot device that focuses on virtual reality. What? Huh? This infuriates Mustafa Akkad. Of course, because that's a ridiculous idea. And so Akkad brings in Rosenberg's brother, Scott Rosenberg, to do a rewrite, which ends up equally unsatisfactory to everyone. And so Flater and both Rosenbergs leave the project and production is pushed back.

till spring of 1994 god damn well when you said their names i was like these guys aren't i don't know who the hell these guys are you didn't say that at the top but In 1994, Miramax approaches Quentin Tarantino. What? And they wanted to gauge his interest in writing Halloween 6. okay hold on i just need everybody to take a second and just imagine for a moment what that would be like i can tell you exactly what that would be like oh my god go

As it turns out, in an interview with Consequence in 2019, Tarantino discussed the ideas that he had for the film, which were to have Michael Myers and the man in black kind of going on a bit of a road trip and just killing people along the way and probably making a lot of pop culture references.

consequence that's fun but i will say tarantino to his credit he shared that he was never a fan of any of the sequels at all and he said that the addition of laurie and michael being brother and sister ruined the franchise to him I get it.

I get it. And so this was just an idea that he had kicked around, but he obviously passed on the opportunity. He never wrote a spec script. He never wrote a treatment, anything. He's like, so we get Michael in the car. Okay. Do we have to see his feet? They're hanging out the window. Dumb. Now, now.

But and the thing is, is that I did see in a documentary, Marianne Hagen had said that the first screenplay was written by Quentin Tarantino, but that's just not true. And then I hear on commentary, Daniel Farren said that there was never any involvement with Tarantino at all. But Tarantino himself said that he was approached and he gave his idea for what it would be. Huh. So just for what it's worth. Right.

But after he passes on the opportunity, Miramax was not ready to give up on Tarantino and eventually offered him and Lawrence Bender, his producing partner at the time, executive producer credits on Halloween 6. But they both decided to decline and pushed it off instead on a friend of theirs, Scott Spiegel, who most know as a Sam Raimi mainstay as well as the co-writer of Evil Dead 2. Right.

Akkad did not like Spiegel for director, but suggested that he could rewrite Rosenberg's script and Spiegel accepted the offer. But after he read it, he was like, this script is terrible. His own? No. Or the one he was supposed to rewrite? The one he's supposed to rewrite. Okay. And he said, a rewrite is impossible. This is unsalvageable. Yeah. And he left the project. Damn! This is a fucking revolving door. Yes.

And you saying virtual reality made me think of Lawnmower Man. That was 92. Was that where you're just trying to add shit to this movie? They're like, sure. I was like, no, that's Stay Alive. And I will say there is there's one more door to go through until we get to the proper story. Because in May of 1994.

The producers were able to secure a rewrite from screenwriters Irvin Belatash and Lawrence Gutterman, and they also hired a new director for the project and a guy called Matthew Patrick. So everything seemed to be pizza. Patrick even started casting and location scouting. And depending on who you ask, either two weeks or two days before production was supposed to begin.

The Akads and the Weinsteins continued bickering, scuttled the project, Patrick Bales, and this would delay the project until October of 1994. oh my just don't make it it's yeah i'm starting to yeah after this point i'd be like maybe we just yeah Or maybe this isn't the place. Maybe the title is right then. Yeah. I'm getting there. I'm getting there. But this is when Mustafa Akkad remembers being introduced to a budding screenwriter back in 1990 by the name of Daniel Farrins.

Back then, before Miramax got involved at all, Ferens had pitched his own idea for a sixth film to Akkad, and as part of the pitch, he even brought a massive binder that he himself created, filled with plot details, family tree- and information from the novelizations of the films in the franchise. Oh, wow. He called it the franchise Bible, and he gave it to Mustafa Akkad. This obviously impressed Akkad, but he would eventually pass on Farron's 1990 pitch.

But in June of 1994, Akkad would call Ferens back and invite him to pitch an idea again for Halloween 6, and this pitch would eventually land him the screenwriting gig. So I have to ask... Has there been another goddamn rewrite? Too many. So Ferens was given a few rules. The film must feature Michael Myers. It must take place in Haddonfield. It must be scary. And, oh yeah, it has to tie up everything that was introduced in Halloween 4 and 5. Oh, that's all? That's it. Quite a task. Yeah.

But Ferentz had done his research, not only on the franchise, but the Festival of Samhain, Thorn, the rune that was tattooed on Michael's wrist. Mm-hmm. And he also hoped to tie it back to the original in many ways, some that do end up in the film, some that are discarded completely. And he also loaded it with references not only to previous films in the franchise, but to other works of John Carpenter.

He did a lot of work. Okay. And I think that there is a lot to be said about his passion for this franchise. Right. And you'll learn even more as it all goes on. Yeah, he had the binder. Yeah. But the project still needed a director. and producer Paul Freeman found one in Joe Chappelle. Chappelle was just beginning his career, and he saw this film as a good opportunity to make a name for himself, since there were such low expectations going into this sequel.

Farins said in an interview that Chappelle wanted to make a great horror film, and he did not put what happened with this film on Chappelle really at all, aside from the fact of him not standing up to producers, which we will get to. Okay. But God, he's just starting out. Like, I feel like that would be difficult for anyone. Yeah. Yeah. Let alone somebody who's trying to make a name for themselves. Yeah. I will say though, Marion Hagen.

who plays Cara in the film, said that all Chappelle cared about was securing a three picture deal with Miramax. Oh. So there's that. So, well, that's why you're trying to make nice. Yeah. That makes more sense. But regardless. Farron's would turn in his final draft of the screenplay, but throughout production, it was rewritten, reshaped, arcs were excised completely, characters were removed, all without Farron's involvement. Or franchise expertise to guide the ship.

The Akads oversaw the production of the film and would oversee the first edit as well. And this version of the film would later become known to fans as the producer's cut of Halloween, The Curse of Michael Myers. Okay. This was completed in the spring of 1995. They had a test screening, which wasn't out of the ordinary. But to say that this test screening went horribly would be an understatement.

It's also very difficult because from all counts and everything that I read, the majority of the audience at the test screening was teenage boys. What? I saw there was this cut in the documentary with Rob Zombie and he was like... I don't know why they did that. He's like, if I'm a teenager, like, what the fuck do I know about making Jaws better? That's true. That's wild. I feel like that is such a simplistic view of, oh, this is our target audience. Yes. Yeah. But I'm going to be honest.

At 15, I'm watching grownups do crazy shit. I'm just going to be like, you're those stupid adults. You don't fully understand. You're a teenager. For me, the people that you need to get and impress are the people who were around in 78. Yes. Or the people that care about that. That's so short-sighted and foolish. But most of all, the test audience hated the ending.

And this is what the Weinsteins pounced on. And they used it as justification for reshoots to create a film closer to what they originally had in mind. So VR? No. They abandoned that, thankfully. Although resurrection is... Goddamn. But the difficulty is they only had three months to reshoot and re-edit it if they wanted to make their release date to have it at least play in theaters in October. So Miramax pulled rank.

And they did all of this without the involvement of the Akkads and with very limited input from Barons. And so the Akhads actually sued the Weinsteins over this, but they would eventually drop the lawsuit so they could avoid negative press around the time of the release of the film. But the reshoots would result in what is known.

and what we are covering, the theatrical cut of the film, which is the more widely seen version, but in the eyes of many fans of the franchise, the lesser version of the film. Right. I had watched an interview with Mariah O'Brien. She plays Beth in this. And she said that they had no idea. They heard rumors of reshoots, but they had no idea until they went to the screening and that the actors were.

like what the hell is this and i get that where's the screenplay where's the movie we shot what is this like they were all like what the fuck how disappointing yeah very interestingly the producer's cut lived kind of an underground life for a long time. And it was like a bit of a bootleg and you could find it in kind of poor quality on the internet, but it was finally shown in decent quality for the very first time in 2013.

And then it eventually got a proper release in 2014 by Scream Factory. And many fans do consider this the superior version of the film because it was what was initially intended. Yeah. Right. But whether you watch the producer's cut or the theatrical cut, neither version of the film is really true to Farron's original vision or his original screenplay.

So throughout the plot summary that we're about to go to, which does cover the theatrical version, as I said, we will talk about some of the changes made from the producer's cut and some pretty cool ideas that were never realized from Farron's original screenplay. I'm excited to learn. Yeah. I will say it is no surprise when the very hastily assembled theatrical cut was released in 1995, it was not well received in the slightest. Once again, the critics hated it.

It's often ranked near the bottom, if not the bottom, for fans of the franchise. And it remains the second lowest grossing Halloween film to date. Damn. What was the first? I think Halloween 5. Damn. Not a good company. Plenty of blame to go around. But the production, in my view, was kind of doomed from the start. Yeah. And pointing back to what JP said earlier.

When they did have to change the title from Halloween 666, Farron's joked that they should call it the curse of Michael Myers because of the experience he had with the production. And they ran with him. Oh my. Yeah, that's good. We're talking about you. Now, before we stock this film in the night, we would like to issue a warning for spoilers.

Pod Mortem is a very in-depth podcast, and in thoroughly discussing horror films, we have no choice but to spoil a thing or two. If you don't wish to be spoiled, please go watch the film, then come back and enjoy the show. If you've already seen the film or don't care about spoilers, let's come home. Now this film relies heavily on having already seen Halloween 1978, Halloween II 1981,

Halloween 4, The Return of Michael Myers, and Halloween 5, The Revenge of Michael Myers. If you haven't, we recommend you go watch them, or go listen to episodes 31, 73, 187, and 237 of our show. as a refresher. So the film begins with the anguished voice of Jamie Lloyd, played by J.C. Brandy, who cries through darkness. Uncle Michael, please don't hurt me.

In quick flashes of white light interspersed with scenes from this very film that we have yet to witness. Screams screech over a low rumble in the score. as sinister shots cycle through, culminating with a sighting of The Shape, played by George P. Wilbur, who stalks toward us through a dark suburban street in the rain, before cutting abruptly to black.

But the opening credits soon appear in glowing orange, and accompanied by the sound of a knife's blade drawn slowly from the block, in large, bold letters we get the title. Halloween. The Curse of Michael Myers. And we will talk a little bit more later about the unfortunate situation of the casting of Jamie Lloyd in this film. But I just want to go on record.

No offense to George P. Wilbur. This is my least favorite, Michael Myers. I didn't really care for his hoisting up on the building in four. I didn't care for the hockey pad situation at the end. He's just too bulky for Myers for me. He's a big Michael. Yeah. You can tell the difference. Yeah. And then later in the film, which we'll get to. Yeah. Well, we can actually talk a little bit about it right now since we're paused.

I did watch a featurette with a couple of the FX guys, John Carl Buechler and Brad Harden. And I watched another one where it is. George P. Wilbur talking about his experience. And I kind of got information from both of them because George P. Wilbur was saying that this... did not feel like halloween 4 that when they were doing 4 everything was very fun and smooth yeah

And he could feel the disagreements about this film while they were working on this film. Wow. And the FX guy said that he did everything that he was directed to do, that he didn't do anything wrong. So they wrap filming and then they decide. This Michael's too big. Michael shouldn't be this big. And then when they went back to do reshoots, they brought in somebody else who I'm sure you're going to talk about later. But he's one of the stuntmen's sons.

He's a lot smaller, a lot smaller than George P. Wilbur. So just watching it, I was like, what the fuck? I was like, did he look like that the whole movie and I didn't realize it? No, you noticed. Yeah. And the same thing happened in Halloween 4 because they replaced who played Michael originally halfway through the film.

with george b wilbur that's wild well he was a very good sport about it in that interview maybe he was just like look easy come easy go you know what i mean because he was like they bring him back when they're doing the reshoots and he comes back for stunt work and he's killed by the michael

replaces him which i would be like oh so fuck me right like that i would have been offended by that yeah but he was just like i mean you know like he just like was not he was unbothered so yeah but i thought that was wild because he did the whole film

and they were like nah too big it just shows dude like nobody was on the same no not at all creatively at all no But after the opening titles, we hover above Jamie, who writhes in agony on a gurney under the bright blue overhead lights of a long hallway. What is this? Jacob's ladder? Which came first? I think it was Jacob's ladder. You're right.

Her pained screams echo as four uncredited figures in surgical masks and hospital scrubs guide her through the corridor, stealing glances at her as they continue onward. Jamie spies the lights above her, which pour in through the pipes that line the ceiling, and when she lowers her gaze, she discovers a hooded figure, all in black, who leads the group at the front of the gurney.

But the figure suddenly appears behind her as we spy their procession through the boiler room at the bowels of whatever building they're in. Only for the figure to once again appear at the front of her gurney in the next shot. This is the least of the film's troubles. I just thought it was funny.

But the figure leads Jamie and the nefarious nurses past a large stone wall lit by smoldering torches and the flickering flames of candelabras until they reach a secluded room, entering it and slamming the door behind them. The camera arcs around Jamie, who now sits reclined in a makeshift birthing bed, under the glow of candlelight, her legs lifted and parted, with Nurse Mary, played by Susan Swift, seated in front of her, urging her to pull.

What is this? American Horror Story Murder House? No, this is Halloween Curse of Michael Myers. No number. And that's the other thing. I meant to mention that at the top. That was the Weinsteins. To take the number out? Yes, because they said they don't want to call upon too many connections to number five. What do you mean? Again, there's no excuse.

It makes no sense. This is Halloween 6. I think just what's happening so far, this doesn't feel like a Halloween movie. No, no. It's an odd choice to start here. And I will say in the producer's cut, it is called Halloween 6, The Curse of Michael Myers. But with her arms secured above her head, Jamie pushes, straining with all her strength, the world slowing down and warping around her as she screams, an uncredited nurse wiping the sweat pouring down her face.

Some time later, the masked nurses surround Jamie in the lowly lit room as she catches her breath still tied to the chair. The door at the far end of the room opens, and the man in black enters the room. his silhouette carved out of the darkness by the flickering candles that line the walls. Jamie begs Mary, who stands at her bedside, to give her her baby, but instead...

Mary struggles against her better judgment, and with a heavy sigh of reluctance, Mary places Jamie's baby into the waiting arms of the man in black. wrenching her wrists against her tight restraints, Jamie tearfully pleads for her baby, but the man in black just turns away from her, making his way toward the exit.

She screams at him as he disappears into the shadows of the corridor, slamming the door shut behind him. But we suddenly find ourselves at an altar, surrounded on all sides by candlelight and with a red rune painted at its center. Very similar to the one that we first saw in the 1989 slasher film, Halloween 5, The Revenge of Michael Myers.

As the camera presses in on the altar from above with three druids all donned in black robes gathered over Jamie's baby who rests upon a small black towel, a narrator who we will absolutely meet later. recounts that when Michael Myers was six years old, he stabbed his sister to death. And for years, he was locked up in Smith's Grove Sanitarium, but he escaped.

As the main druid paints the rune in blood onto the baby's stomach with the sharp point of a dagger, raising his arms above the infant triumphantly, the narrator continues that from then on, Halloween became another word.

for mayhem i i'm gonna be honest right here you know i you know i said that i know this doesn't feel like a halloween movie but when he said that i was like so is this baby michael i was like what are you yeah i was like i'm well and it's like is this to explain why michael is how he is i can totally get why you would think that because it took me a minute to even realize that that was jamie

Well, I heard the name, but I was like, surely not. I was like, surely not. We're not doing this. It's a different gal. But the narrator reveals that one by one, Michael killed his entire family until his nine-year-old niece, Jamie Lloyd, was the only one left alive. But six years ago, on Halloween night... Michael and Jamie vanished, with many people believing them to be dead. But the narrator posits that someone hid them away. Someone who keeps Michael, protects him, and tries to control him.

The druid dips the dagger into a nearby chalice, returning it to the baby's stomach with its tip coated in crimson, as the narrator adds that if there's one thing he knows, you can't control evil. You can lock it up, you can burn it and bury it and pray that it dies, but it never will. It just rests a while. Even if you lock your doors and say your prayers at night, the evil is still out there.

Waiting. Pretty good writing there. Yeah. Honestly, I like that. I just love that this baby has no idea what the hell is going on. Seems fun. Yeah. He's laying there. But as we press in on the finished rune, the infant silently squirms, and the druid lifts his arms once again in triumph at the completion of his ritual. But the narrator concludes that maybe, just maybe,

Evil is closer than you think. And as the sounds of an unsheathed knife screeches over the score, we cut to black. So very quickly, I just want to talk about a few differences already. In the producer's cut. Okay. It is atmospherically and stylistically superior at this point, in my opinion already. There are no strobing montages, no random screams, no knife noises. What was that? I don't know. It's like a soundboard. Honestly, and it happens throughout. Yeah.

But the shots are able to breathe. The pacing is better. The music is more in line with the 1978 version. More dramatic weight is given to the entrance of the man in black because we start with his boots like we always saw him in number five. Right. But something that is very egregious is at this point in the producer's cut, we get a flashback to Halloween 5.

after the massacre at the police station, and we see Jamie and Michael being kidnapped by the cult. Okay. So that explains, and we have a little bit more context before we return to the film. Right. But you said that they're trying to distance themselves from that film. So, I mean, I guess that's why it's not there anymore. Right. And one thing that personally infuriated me.

One thing that I did read, rumor has it that it was the choice of the director, Joe Chappelle. He was not a big fan of Donald Pleasence. And that's what it said in that book was that it was Chappelle. But so much Donald Pleasence is cut from this film that is there in the producer's cut. One of the biggest things is that wasn't a narrator that we'll meet later.

Oh my God. It was Donald Pleasance from his journal as Dr. Loomis reading that narration. Okay. It works way better if it's Loomis. Yeah. It's literally what he would say. Yeah. That's really frustrating. And I think that Loomis is so underutilized and so not really himself in this. No. Like to the point where you came.

When you came over today, I was like, was he ill? Was Donald Pleasance okay? Because it feels very off. Like, here, here's Loomis. Like, that's what it feels like, the way that he is given to us. It's like, here, shut up. Don't ask for shit else. That's what it feels like. It feels like obligatory instead of this core character of the story. A cameo. Exactly. Literally a cameo. That's what it feels like. He's so peripheral.

I don't know. That bothered me a lot. If I'm not mistaken in the theatrical cut, I think I read it in that book. Dr. Loomis only has seven minutes of screen time. But in the producer's cut, it is much more. And Donald Pleasance was ill during the filming of this. And very tragically, he did pass away between the completion of the first cut and reshoots. And so he never got to see the completed version of this film.

that's so sad but all the more reason to include him in it more yeah I wonder what his thoughts on it were he liked the original script And that's what made him sign on. He honestly, he had said that I think he wanted to make like 20 Halloween films. He loved it. But in the theatrical version. We return to the secluded room where Jamie gave birth, and we find her resting quietly in the fetal position in her chair, a white hospital gown her only covering.

But Jamie's slumber is disturbed when the door at the other end of the room bursts open, and in rushes Nurse Mary clutching Jamie's baby. As the baby cries weakly, Mary places him in front of Jamie. wrapping him in a sling over her shoulder and urging her to come with her if she wants to save him. Another door opens nearby, and Jamie laments fearfully, Oh God, he's coming.

But after a flash of Jamie lying under a blue light on her gurney for some reason, we find her being guided through the halls by Mary, the pair picking up their pace as tense music rises around them. so already in my notes i'm just now realizing that this is jamie and like jamie jamie yeah even though i heard the name earlier i was like yeah like no um but no it is and i'm like running after she just gave birth like god damn dude

Then I'm like, whose fucking baby is that? And now I'm pissed off. There are three answers to that question. Three? God damn. Potentially, depending on which version and depending on the screenplay. oh wow and we'll get to that in a bit yeah i i think for me it was the same this was the same spot because i it clicked in my head the same thing and i was like

This isn't some kind of Joe Dirt shit, is it? I was like, this has got a... It's... horrific yeah you mean david spade's gonna show up or no leave david spade it's horrific because again she is is it okay i know it was six years for us is it six years Well, yeah, in the narration he said six years ago. Right. So, yeah, a teenager. That's her uncle. I know we've not it's not explicitly stated, but I feel like that's what I'm supposed to think.

I felt kind of the same way. It was just weird. Like what? Because again, he's coming. Who's coming after you? Michael's coming after you? Why? And I feel like that's not even like, that's not.

what we're doing here like that's not what this is what this franchise i don't know i don't like anything about this i'll just go on record and say that and then i'll be quiet there's a very it's a very confusing inclusion because it narratively doesn't fucking mean anything exactly once we get to the end of the film yeah so i'm i just it it may it boggles the mind yeah does it mean more in the other one it means more potentially

But then at the same time, you're like, well, you could have just done that. There's a solution to not having this at all. I'm like, yeah, I'm like, let's just take the baby out. Let's just not have the baby at all. I didn't like any of that. What was going on? No.

And I thought she was older. In the movie, I think that's what... Because she looked a little older. I think the actress... was 20 okay but jamie is it's canonically 15 yeah yeah i thought she was i mean obviously the actress is an adult but i thought she was too that's even worse yeah yeah it's terrible yeah But they head down an adjacent corridor, Jamie struggling through the pain of every step as Mary urges her onward.

but they finally reach a staircase leading up to a door, Mary directing Jamie through tears to go that way to save her baby. Mary departs, and after a moment of hesitation, Jamie does as told, climbing up the staircase. But we return to Mary, who is taking in a brisk jog down a nearby hall, her pace not at all selling the urgency of the moment.

But she stops dead in her tracks when she hears movement behind her, down the opposite end of the corridor. Peering through the darkness, leaking water trickling all around her, Mary turns around, fearfully calling out for Jamie. But with her back turned, we spy Mary in a POV shot just in front of her and creeping around a corner. With his white mask a mere suggestion in the shadows until he steps through them to face the nurse.

It's the shape. I see. We're still struggling with the mask. Yeah. It's definitely been worse. But in that featurette, I learned that they sculpted the mask for this one. And the reference that they used was a poster from Halloween 4. Look, I don't know why you just don't use William Shatner. I don't know. But I will say that was false advertising that poster for Halloween for because we all remember what the mask actually looked like. But yeah, that's wild to choose a poster. Yeah.

But the shape towers over Mary, terror seizing her as swiftly as his hand does, cinching around her throat and lifting her off her feet. An errant spike sticks sharply out of the wall next to them. And with great force, Michael drives Mary's head into it, the point piercing through the back of her skull and pinning her in place on the wall. I don't know why that spike was there.

But it was a pretty good kill. It was all right. It reminded me of Bob's death in the original. Yeah. But just the other side, I guess. Yeah. As blood leaks from Mary's lips, her feet dangling above the wet floor, Michael tilts his head slightly, and a new rendition of the Halloween theme sounds on electric guitar in the score as Michael takes a few steps back to admire his work.

The music I know to sound different immediately. Yes. Two is the best for me. We know. So I always, when we do cover these, go into the Halloween more and more, I do pay attention. to the music now and I did notice immediately this was different. So I kind of hinted at it a little bit earlier. Alan Howarth did the music for Halloween, The Curse of Michael Myers. He also did the music with John Carpenter for number two. I believe he worked on number three. He's done a lot of Carpenter films.

But he was brought back for this one. He scored what was the producer's cut. And then whenever Miramax was like, hey, we're doing reshoots, they brought him back to score those reshoots. Okay. And then some point between that time and the film actually being released. They brought in another composer and another sound designer to do like extra music over Howarth's music. And so we have these weird moments of like.

electric guitar like effects and like whammy bars and stuff. Yeah. And Howarth is like, I didn't do that. I would be so pissed off. Oh yeah. Especially you don't know and you go to see, I would be like, what the fuck is this? There's also this weird pounding noise.

Yeah. That wasn't Howarth. That was the sound designer that they brought in at the end. And so we have a lot of random jump scares that all have the same sound. Yeah. Attached to them. That wasn't Howarth. And just a small aside about the producer's cut. It is. More of the original Halloween style music from 78.

And there are these shots of Michael's POV in this area. And so it feels more tense. It feels more suspenseful and it feels like a chase. Okay. Instead of just fucking randomly seeing him around a corner. Yeah. But Jamie sprints up the steps of a spiral staircase, rain pouring down on her through a leak in the roof as she finally reaches the top, pushing open a hatch and finding herself outside.

Clouds of smoke circle around her as thunder clatters above and lightning flashes, but Jamie continues undeterred through the storm, clutching her crying baby in her arms. But from the hatch rises the silhouette of the shape. a knife gripped tightly in his fist. Jamie then reaches a chain link fence, clenching it with her fingers as she frantically traces the barrier, sidestepping it until she finds a hole at a low corner, peeled open just large enough for her to make an escape.

As the Halloween theme continues, Jamie traipses over train tracks through the rain and into an industrial area where she takes a tumble into the mud. A motorist, played by Tom Proctor, who stands close to a parked vehicle, guzzles a beer in his rain poncho, but he takes notice of the clatter, tossing his can away and turning toward the direction of the sound.

But Jamie has already reached her feet, reaching for the handle of the driver's side door of the man's truck and letting herself inside. The motorist takes notice of this, calling out to her through the rain, demanding to know what the hell she's doing inside of his truck. Jamie attempts to explain, her voice muffled through the passenger side window as the motorist inches his way closer.

She motions fearfully to him, but to no avail as the shape reappears, reaching for the face of the motorist, seizing him, and twisting his head around in a sickening snap as Jamie screams. Her trembling hand finds the gear shift, shifting to drive and putting her foot on the gas. Someone around here gave her lessons.

I like the rain, but to stand out there and think, oh, I'm going to guzzle a beer real quick. Get in the car. Yeah. What is he doing? But he put on the poncho. Yeah. It was intentional.

But the tires screeching, Jamie drives off into the night with shuddering breaths as she glances worriedly into the rearview mirror. So I watched an interview with JC Brandy, and this seems like... it will it was terrible like filming this scene right here where she's running away from Michael she said that it was winter and so they had

it was like waist high snow she said so they had cleared areas where it would look like autumn but it's freezing cold outside and she was like I'm from New York like When I say it's cold, it's cold. Yeah. She said it was freezing cold. They said that the baby needed to look like it had weight to it. So Chappelle made her hold a 20 pound sandbag for the baby. And she was like, newborns aren't 20 pounds. Well, it looks good.

So she had on layers and layers of long johns under her hospital gown, but she's under a giant rain machine. So all of those layers are completely soaked through. She said that she remembers thinking how cold she was. and running and then opening her eyes in her trailer because she had gone into hypothermia. I swear to God. Yeah.

She was like, and it's pretty, she's like, it's a pretty badass story. But I'm like, dude, that's a lot. I honestly, there's, there's a lot of things that happen in this production that were very just ridiculous behind the scenes. They're talking about how.

one of the child actors we'll meet later was working like well past hours that you're supposed to be doing and then bringing him back for issues and like, well, we just got to get some more. It's like, dude, you know, you're putting your actress in peril. in the fucking cold ass weather having her carry a 20 pound baby which a 20 pound baby that's not a new but it looks good what are you talking about yeah

I'm an actor. I can pretend that this is a six-pound baby or whatever. And it's funny that you should mention that about that child actor. I have a story about the casting of Jamie Lloyd. and a little bit but they specifically said you're playing a teenager but you need to be over 18 because you need to be able to work the hours that we need you to work oh wow so they i mean i feel like it was pretty much

a done deal that people are going to be working their asses off. But we find ourselves in Haddonfield proper lingering on a sign for Strode Realty planted into the front lawn of a house. A placard reading Sold rests boldly at the top of the sign, and through the rain and flashes of lightning, we glide up the walkway of the home. past Halloween decorations and jack-o'-lanterns that line the porch to discover the address, 45 Lampkin Lane. It's the old Myers place. Yeah.

As we press in on a paper skeleton that hangs over the front door, a deep voice calls Danny. The shot of the door gives way to a frenetic montage of nightmarish images, the shapes stalking through the dark of evening. The man in black silhouetted against a beam of bright light. The cultish caregivers carding Jamie to her dreadful delivery room. The menacing montage culminating with the sound of a woman's scream.

But Danny Strode, a young boy played by Devin Gardner, awakens in fright in the blackness of his bedroom, a small slice of light pouring in through his window. And there... Hidden in the shadows in front of Danny's closet door stands the man in black, clutching a knife in his hand, and with the low light glinting off of the blade, his deep voice intones. Kill for him.

Danny cries for his mother, and the camera pans to the right where Kara Strode, Danny's mother, played by Marianne Hagen, pulls his bedroom door open. Marianne Hagen. She was in Steakland in 2010. I've heard of that. I have never seen it. Okay, I haven't either, but it looks interesting. But Kara rushes over to her son's bed, shushing him and holding him in her warm embrace. She assures Danny that Mommy's here and asks him what happened. Danny whimpers that the voice man is here.

But when Kara peers over to the corner where Danny saw the man in black, she discovers that there isn't anyone there, even though Danny insists that he saw him there. Danny whines that the voice man says things to him. Bad things. But when politely pressed by his mother to share what he says, Danny just lowers his gaze from hers. No, Danny. Like... What? It's not important. We're not just, all right, well, go back to bed. That is a wild ass thing to say.

Kara settles her son back into his bed and under his covers, kissing him sweetly on the forehead before retreating back to the door. But once there... She reaches out her hand to the wall, accidentally tearing a drawing from a bulletin board that rests there. A drawing that appears very similar in shape to a certain rune. Kara picks it up. bidding her son goodnight before exiting the room. So...

Something unfortunate that was in the screenplay that does not end up in the theatrical or the producer's cut. When we start outside of the Myers house and we are gliding up the walkway, what was supposed to happen? is we watch Danny reenact the murder from the original, except when he gets to the top of the stairs, he kills his mother. Holy shit. And that's the nightmare that he wakes up from in his bed. Oh, okay. Okay. That's better. Yeah. But they never shot it.

But in her bedroom, Kara sits under the light of her lamp at her desk, unfolding the drawing to get a better look at it. I will say she only looks at one side and the other side is much more important. Yes! Which we learn later. But she sets it aside, removing her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose as an upbeat tune sounds through the speakers of her radio.

We learn that it's the theme song to backtalk with Barry Sims, and Barry Sims, played by Leo Jeter, shares that they're in the second hour of a Halloween special edition of the show, and he officially announces that tomorrow... They'll be broadcasting live from Haddonfield, the town that has banned Halloween since 1989 when infamous serial killer Michael Myers, his niece Jamie Lloyd, and about a dozen cops were...

were killed in an explosion. But why do they have Halloween decorations up then? They didn't get the memo. So Leo Jeter. Looked at this man's stuff. I was like, oh, okay. He had a part in Footloose in 84. Really? He had a small part in Silent Night, Deadly Night in 84. He was in Near Dark in 87 and the Stan TV series in 94. Wow. I did read something a little wild about the casting of this character. As we learn who he is and his demeanor and attitude.

He was written to be played by Howard Stern. I knew you were going to say that. And Howard Stern declined so he could do private parts instead. Yeah. But they did also, at least the screenwriter, he thought about... giving the role to Mike Myers. Really? Yeah, and I don't remember why that didn't work out. I think it was something with the producers, which is not a surprise. What? But it ends up being Leo Jeter. Okay.

But as Kara undresses in front of her mirror, standing solemnly in her white lace underwear, Sims takes a call from one of his listeners. The caller, an uncredited woman. nervously admits that she knows that it might sound crazy, but she really thinks that she's in love with him. As Kara takes her hair down from her ponytail, The woman gushes that Michael Myers is just so untamed, so uninhibited. He's everything that she's ever wanted in a man.

Sims snarks that this is good and he can even read the tabloids now. Psycho lays nympho, the best sex he ever dismembers. Sounds pretty good. Let him have it. I will get it. But he asks the caller if this is the type that she always falls for. asking if there are any other cereal studs on her list, like Bundy or Manson, or what about that Dahmer guy? He snarks that he's sure that she could really cook with him.

Reel it in. Now you're pushing it. But the woman insists that she only wants Michael. She wants to know what's behind that mask. As a low rumble hums in the score, Kara creeps over to her bedroom window, peering through the sheets of rainfall at a house across the street. Standing at his window, overlooking hers, and perched behind a camera that rests on a tripod, is Tommy Doyle, played by Paul Rudd.

I don't think I need to introduce this man. It's Paul Rudd. It's Paul Stephen Rudd. That was adorable. Wait, who's that? So the thing about this is this is, I guess, technically his feature film debut. Okay. Because he filmed this and then he went and filmed Clueless. Clueless releases first because of all these reshoots. oh and so you see at the front of the film it does say front at the beginning of the film yeah it does say introducing paul stephen rudd right

In an interview that I watched with Mariah O'Brien, she said that while they were filming this, he had to go back to LA for a callback for Clueless. That's wild. Yeah. His character is very interesting. Yeah. To say the least. But I will say that the original idea from the screenwriter at first was for Tommy to just be a regular college kid living with his girlfriend, Lindsay Wallace.

And they both run a college radio station and they decide to exploit their past and do a show about Michael Myers. And you see how these plot lines are kind of spread out and kind of evolve as the screenwriting process went on. Okay. Okay. That to me is a much more interesting story. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Because I feel like this being Tommy Doyle, what we get, it feels like a waste. It does. It does. And Paul Rudd, again.

We all love him. We know that he's a good actor. He was even good in Clueless. Yeah. I don't know what the hell happened. If it's direction, if it's. The editing, I'm sure. Chopping it up. I don't know what is to blame, but this is a very odd performance. Yeah. Just to echo what you said, we love Paul Rudd. I get it. But it does feel odd because here I do see that he's trying. You can obviously see that he's trying to do the direction he was given. But yeah, it's very weird because some...

parts where I do feel like they're supposed to be serious. I'm not taking them that way. And one thing I will say, there were like a group of young people working on this movie. Paul Rudd, Marion Hagen, Daniel Ferens, and Malika Cod. And they kind of formed this group of trying to get good ideas into this film because they really cared about it. And they just kept getting shot down by the older generation.

That sucks, man. And so there are some things that get in the film that were their ideas. There comes a point later that Ferens was even talking about bouncing ideas off of Paul Rudd and them trying to figure out things to do and it's just not working.

I feel like there comes a point maybe when the reshoots start where I feel like Paul Rudd is fucking with the filmmakers probably in that interview Mariah O'Brien was like that he tried so hard and that he respected the script like it was Shakespeare. And I look, he he does his best. Yeah. With what he's given. And I guess with like you're saying the direction he was given. Yeah. But there does come a point that I'm like, I think you're doing a parody on purpose because you're over it. Yeah.

And who could blame him? Not at all. If that is the case, who could blame him? But Tommy catches Kara's eye as he stares at her unblinkingly. And with disdain and disgust, she tears her drapes closed. I was like, what the fuck? because he's just like looking it looks real bad it does oh yeah and i understand that's not what you're doing but at least be like no no like i mean i don't know isn't that worse yeah i was gonna say hold on because that might i don't know

It's like, wait, I'm still looking. It doesn't look good. No, no, don't close the blind thing. No, I'm not doing what it looks like. But the massive reels of a stereo tape recorder spin under the low light of Tommy's bedroom as he steps away from the window, placing a telephone to his ear. Over the radio, Sims declares that now... They have a call from someone who actually claims to have seen Michael Myers. And with his face framed in the flickering flames of candles, Tommy shares his story.

He reveals that he was only eight years old when he saw him, but he was one of the lucky ones. He survived. Lightning flashes and thunder crashes as Sims condescends that there's help out there for people like Tommy. And then he snaps and he's like, it's called electroshock therapy. It's like, dude, your other jokes are better.

Not to critique, but Tommy presses a key on the computer in front of him and we see Michael's pixelated mask appear through shadows, which I thought was a nice nod to Halloween 78. Yeah. But Sims rebuts that Tommy can't actually believe that Michael is still out there. But Tommy insists that Michael's work isn't done in Haddonfield. He promises that soon, very soon,

Michael will come home to kill again. But Tommy adds that this time he'll be ready. And I feel like there are some elements of this in Halloween Kills Tommy Doyle. But after a jarring transition of blue light and the strike of a sharp knife, we find ourselves in a well-decorated living room panning past various light fixtures a well-stocked bar and wood paneled walls to reach a small study a conspiracy theorist launches into his own version of the truth on the radio

claiming that Michael Myers wasn't killed in the explosion at the Haddonfield police station. Oh no, the CIA abducted Myers from his cell and killed everyone to cover their tracks. They wanted the ultimate assassin. Simms snarks that Myers is now on the government payroll, but the caller rejects this, rebutting that no one can control Michael Myers, not even the CIA. In fact,

He killed eight agents while they had him at Langley, so they packed him into a rocket and shipped him off to space. Okay. Interesting. Yeah. I will say this is allegedly... a dig from the accords to john carpenter because allegedly and i don't have like any proof of this except for their story That was John Carpenter's idea for Halloween six was that it takes place on a space station. Huh? So they're making fun of him. Yeah.

Which isn't enough that you got the franchise. I was going to say, and it feels like gloating too because they won. Yeah. Yeah. That's mean. And your idea sucks. Don't do John like that. well but I mean six years later Jason goes to space So, I mean, it's not that dumb idea, I guess. No, it's still not. That's up for debate. We're not there yet. I wanted to give it a chance. We'll get there. We'll give it a chance.

But Sims has heard enough, and he rushes the caller off the phone, the caller admonishing Sims for not really wanting the facts. But the camera arcs around a pillar into the study. to find Dr. Samuel Loomis, played by Donald Pleasence, seated at his typewriter and clicking away at the keys. Always love to see him. Oh, yeah. I don't know what he used for his scars, but he looks great. He does. I will tell you again, that's something that's in the producer's cut that's cut out of this. Really?

will whenever the scene goes on and he does have a conversation with somebody

He explains, because they haven't seen each other in a long time, that he underwent skin grafts. And I read that the reason they put that into the script is because Donald Pleasence, at his age and his health, was not... able to sit in that makeup chair for hours right to get these burns applied but for some reason there's no explanation in the theatrical version at all yeah yeah they're just gone yeah but almost on cue

Another voice on the radio asks Sims whatever happened to Michael's psychiatrist, Loomis, sharing that he heard the old quack was dead. Loomis turns toward the radio, his voice weak with age, as he amends this news with a cackle. Not dead, just very much retired. But a knock at the door disturbs Loomis' typing. And as we pan across barren and rain-soaked branches outside, we find Dr. Terrence Wynn, played by Mitchell Ryan, waiting outside on Loomis' porch. Mitchell Ryan.

I immediately recognized this man from a movie that I think me and your sister love very much. And then your sister used to reference it a lot and you would... We're like, why do you say that a lot? I know what it is. He was in Liar Liar in 97. Wow. I still don't understand how that gets referenced on this show so much. It's necessary. It is. He was also in Gross Point Blank in 97. Oh, John Cusack. Yeah. I did read that this part was originally written for Christopher Lee.

Wow. Yes, but the producers never offered it to him because they told Daniel Ferens, you're the only person who would give a shit about that. What? Goddamn. I'm like, it's Christopher Lee. Yeah. And the rumor always having been that John Carpenter offered the role of Dr. Loomis to Christopher Lee first. Yeah. That would be interesting. And him and Donald Pleasance had been in films together in the past. Yeah. That would have been cool as hell. Wow. But this is something very interesting.

for at least on behalf of Daniel Ferens and his franchise knowledge to bring this very small character back, the one that Loomis argued with leaving Smith's Grove about Michael's escape. I like the full circle of that. Yeah. But with the aid of a cane, Loomis walks over to the door to let Wynn inside. Wynn stands for a moment in the foyer, shivering from the cold in a coat very similar to Loomis' iconic trench, as he laments the lack of signs on the road leading to Loomis' new home.

As Loomis guides Wynn closer to the warmth of the fireplace, he laughs that that's the beauty of the countryside, admitting that he thrives on it. But we soon hear back talk with Barry Sims emanating through the speakers of the truck that Jamie stole. I will say that is a neat little device to move around all these groups. Yeah.

But still drifting down a dark road through the rain, her weary eyes spy a sign that reads, Bus Depot, Next Right. Jamie takes the exit, and we soon find her parking in front of the depot. She tears out of the vehicle, hurriedly gathering her baby and racing through the rain and into the front entrance. She stands there, her hospital gown covered in dirt and wearing a wound at the side of her mouth as she catches her breath. clutching the infant in her arms.

Sims' broadcast echoes through the empty depot as a student from Haddonfield Junior College advertises a rally that they plan to hold tomorrow in an effort to bring Halloween back to their town after six years. She tells Sims that it's time that they all got on with their lives, claiming that their town is dying. As Jamie glances at the map of bus routes and discovers a sign at the front desk reading,

Back in 20 minutes, Sims sarcastically states over the speakers that he's heard Michael Myers being blamed for a lot of things tonight, but this is a first. He killed the economy? But the student states certainly that tomorrow night is going to change all of that, especially with Barry Sims doing his broadcast live from the Haddonfield Junior College campus.

The woman's voice trailing off, Jamie reaches a phone booth at the other end of the room, snagging the receiver and dialing in to Haddonfield Emergency Services. A recorded message greets Jamie, alerting her that due to current weather, all lines are currently busy. Frustrated, Jamie presses the hook switch, ending the call But as she breathes worriedly, she overhears Sims ending his call with the college student, and he directs his listeners to call in at 1-800-

968-7825. That's 1-800-YOU-SUCK. Okay. Sure. Yeah. Low-hanging fruit. Yeah. But Jamie frantically dials the number as Sims urges all those boogeyman believers out there to give him a call. And after a quick shot of Tommy sitting silently at his desk at home with headphones on. we return to Loomis and Wynn, who raises a glass of liquor to the retired doctor, toasting to old friends, to retirement, and to new beginnings. Loomis smiles, returning the toast as he wistfully repeats, Old friends.

The pair down their drinks, but Wynn immediately changes his tune, revealing that he wants Loomis to come back to Smith's Grove. Loomis' eyebrows raise in surprise as he reminds Wynn that it's not wise to play Halloween pranks on him. But Wynn insists that it's not a prank. He wants Loomis to come back. But Loomis responds that he's buried the ghosts of the past, he's buried them in his manuscript, and he doesn't want to practice medicine anymore. But his wind just stares at him wordlessly.

The pair are interrupted by Jamie's voice over the radio. They're coming. Dr. Loomis, are you out there? Sims sarcastically guesses that the caller's name must be Joan of Arc and wonders if she's hearing voices too. But Loomis' eyes widen as he turns to face the radio. And we then see Tommy, similarly stricken by the message, listening intently in his headphones. But Sims bites, asking Jamie who exactly is coming. And through her fear, Jamie shudders.

Michael Myers. She pleads for help, once again addressing Loomis by name, begging for him to help her. But Sims is over it. And before he can cut the call, Jamie hangs up the telephone at the bus depot, exiting the phone booth to creep deeper into the building. Like you said, the radio is a cool way to tie everything together. I also think it's an interesting device to use because you know that Loomis is going to be listening to this. Like.

just if you know anything about loomis yeah but also i'm like why did this dude say all you boogeyman believers call in and then she's like he's coming who that's like dude what are we doing what did you just put a call out for yeah

He's annoying. Very. Well, not only that, how did you make the call to the radio station, but you couldn't get through to the police station? The police were full. Or what did it say? Emergency. I don't know. Because of the weather. Yeah. But I'm like, for a town... Well, and that's another...

They've been through so much. They're consistently unprepared. That's another thing that's in the producer's cut is it's established that his show is broadcasting from Chicago. Okay. Oh, okay. That excuses it. But it's not in this version. Right. Some other stuff that's in the producer's cut that's not in this version is much, much more Loomis and his conversation with Wynn. Okay. Not only about the skin grafts, but Loomis explains that the end of Halloween 5, he doesn't frame it that way.

He explains that he had a stroke and that he was forced into retirement. Oh, okay. Because it seemed like he died. Yeah. But Wynn explains that the reason he's here is to celebrate his own retirement. And what he's asking is for Loomis to come out of retirement to replace him. Oh. Yeah, that is not clear. Yeah, no. You weren't clear. It really isn't. And I don't know why we're cutting that out. Yeah.

I don't know because I thought the same thing I was like so this is Loomis retiring well because he said that yeah But I will say for the story that's told in the producer's cut, it is very important that Wynn is retiring and he wants Loomis to replace him. But when? Who's on first? But Jamie finds a staircase at the end of a corridor entering a restroom on the lower level to tend to her baby. I know that there was a sign there.

We'll be back in 20 minutes or whatever. Why is this place so fucking deserted? There is no one here. No, it's pretty wild. And was I the only one that like literally the bottom of this staircase is just a big ass bathroom? Wasn't that weird? No it was. Yes it was. But the lights flicker in the storm as the baby cries, wrapped in a dark blue blanket, the painted rune now smudged and worn away on his small stomach.

Jamie cradles him in her arms, shushing him as she rocks him, and she assures him that they're safe here. But suddenly, accompanied by a sharp musical sting, the building loses power. dipping the bathroom to complete darkness. And I will say now that you mentioned it, it really is funny with what happens next. It's like, where is that employee? I don't know. Yeah. They cut the power. Oh, guess I gotta go home.

But Jamie peeks her head from behind the wall to peer up at the staircase, only to discover that cast against the wall is the shadow of the shape. As he slowly creeps his way down the steps, Jamie retreats to one of the bathroom stalls, lifting her legs to sit hidden on the toilet with her baby beneath a window. I'm like, dude, hiding with a baby? Yeah.

And that's what we're meant to assume right now, that she's hiding with her baby. We'll learn more later. But Michael's footsteps echo as he makes his way to the first stall, reaching his filthy fingers to the door to push it open. When he finds it empty, he tries the next stall, the door swinging open once again to empty darkness. But tense music rises in the score as Michael pushes the last one open, only to discover... That it's empty, the window above it resting wide open.

But we return to Jamie, who speeds down the road in her stolen truck, her headlights piercing the night as the camera finds her wearily behind the wheel. But through her side mirrors, she discovers a van approaching behind her, its headlights suddenly beaming to life at her. I will say it's a very quick shot in this side mirror, but it's not quick enough because it is clearly just some dude driving.

They didn't even bother to put a Myers mask on him or anything. I feel like it's unrelated. I was confused. This is a mean guy on the road. He did catch up way too quick. And I'm like, this sucks because she's done everything right. She tried to call for him.

help she called the radio station she snuck out of the window she got back in the chair like she's done everything right but distraught jamie begs for michael to leave her and her baby alone But the van rams into the bed of the truck, causing it to lose control and swerve off of the road and toward a farmhouse.

The Halloween theme pulses in the score as Jamie overcorrects, turning the wheel wildly and colliding with a wooden fence, crashing through it and into a pumpkin patch, bringing the truck to an abrupt stop. I thought as some form of continuity, it would be cool if this was the Tower Farm from number five. Right. Okay, okay.

I will say we're 15, 16 minutes into the movie. I still don't know how to feel about this. I was watching it and I was like, this is kind of all over the place so far. You're not wrong. And it continues. But we drift down from above, smoke pouring from the hood of the truck as Jamie wrenches the driver's side door open, stepping out of the vehicle alone and creeping cautiously through the field.

past pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay bales to reach the open door of a large barn. She staggers inside, her warm breath rising through the cold autumn air as she inches deeper into the building. In a flash of lightning, Jamie spies the white face of Michael's mask entering the barn, and she cowers into the shadows, her eyes never leaving the shape as he ventures onward through cobweb-covered stables.

I liked that shot of him in the lightning. I thought that was cool. Jamie moves silently back to the door of the barn as Michael continues his search for her. but she loses sight of him in the darkness. And when she finally reaches the door, sneaking her way to safety, she makes one ill-advised step forward, snapping a twig on the floor of the barn.

She whimpers, but before she can completely turn around, Michael swoops upon her, seizing her by the throat and slamming her down into the spikes of a thresher, which stick sharply through her stomach. Blood pours from her mouth and the sight of her impalement as she gasps her last breaths, reaching her arms for her uncle. Michael's breathing grows heavy behind his mask as he reaches for her in return.

only to grasp her shoulders and force the spikes deeper through her stomach. Oh, that's not... What I was asking for? Jamie rasps, you can't have the baby, Michael. You can't have the baby. But Michael just stalks over to the controls for the thresher, reaching over to switch it on. Was that hilarious to anybody else? Yes. I know how these work.

But the spikes twist torturously through Jamie's torso, Michael retreating to the outside of the barn, marching toward the open door of the truck, where within the wrappings that once held Jamie's baby... He instead finds a folded blanket. Lightning flashes around him before we cut to black. Where's the baby? Matt. But I'm like, Jamie's dead in the first 20 minutes? Yeah. Yeah. In this version. Oh. Oh, okay.

I want to talk about the Daniel Harris of it. As we should. Yes. So firstly, JC Brandy was like. said that when she got there she was very aware that she looked nothing like danielle harris and that they gave her brown contacts and they were supposed to give her a wig and they didn't end up giving her a wig

So she was like, I feel like it's very confusing because we look nothing alike and they didn't even try to make me look like her. But I did watch an interview with Danielle Harris and I she talked a lot about.

her experience with this film and she said that she had moved to LA after Halloween 5 and became best friends with Mustafa Akkad's daughter oh so she would stay at their house over the summer she talked to him all the time and so she would ask him as a kid when are we gonna do six are we gonna do six when are we gonna do six and so eventually she gave up and she's like I guess we're not so she says that they put out a

Casting call for Jamie Lloyd using a photo of Danielle Harris. Wow. Saying this is the vibe that we're going for. That's crazy. I'm right here. Yeah. So her agent sends it to her. And at this point, Daniel Harris is 17 years old. And so like I had said earlier in that casting call, they were like, you have to be 18 and up. You have to be 18 and up to work the hours. So Daniel Harris is like, I want to do this. That's my character. So.

They reach out and they're like, look, either you need to be 18 or you need to get emancipated. So she spends three to four thousand dollars in and out of court. getting emancipated so that she can play Jamie Lloyd in Halloween six. So she has a meeting with them and she says that everything felt weird. She went away with the thought.

these people don't know Halloween yeah she had issues with things that were in I guess the original version pertaining to the pregnancy pertaining to her death she was like all of this is Weird. So she sticks it out. She was like, I really want to do this. I wanted to do this for so long. But then she says that somebody at the business office reaches out to her about her payment and they said that.

They're going to need her for a week. They're going to pay her $800 to $1,000. What? She's like, I spent... three or four thousand getting emancipated to do this like I thought I was at least gonna make that back so she's told your character dies in the first act you're not getting more than that

She said essentially they were like, we don't give a fuck if you were in the other two. It doesn't matter. You're not getting more than that. You die in the first act. Wow. Fuck off. Yeah. So she was like. That's when she realized that she didn't mean anything to them. They didn't even contact her. They were going to replace her anyway with another actress until she fought for the part. So she ended up walking away and she said that it was framed as like she wanted so much money.

that she was being a diva she was being difficult she was like I really wasn't like it felt like I did not matter to them at all so then they replace her with JC Brandy and they say that people are horrible to her because she's not Danielle Harris and she's like she did nothing wrong it wasn't her fault she said that actually they're friends and it's so unfair the hate that she gets from doing this film but she said that

That's part of the reason or a big reason that she came back for Rob Zombie because he was the first person to ask her back in this franchise, period. In any version of it. That's wild. And so I guess she had a really good time. She said that Rob Zombie understood what Halloween was before he did his adaptation of it. And she appreciated that because this she was like, that's not Halloween at all. Yeah.

I was also kind of, and this is just an aside, but a little disappointed in David Gordon Green for many reasons, but mostly because he didn't even give her a cameo or anything. I feel like for how important she is and was to the franchise, so many people got cameos.

So many people even came back as their characters. Yeah. So I thought it was kind of fucked up. Yeah. I just hate that she was treated that way. Yeah. And even still when the vibes were off, she was like, no, I wanted this so bad. But they were like, no, fuck you. You like, we're not giving you more. It's like. Dude, that's crazy to me. Yeah, but at least she's seen and knew, you know what?

yeah you're not respecting the source material that's fine i don't need this i just hate that she was out that money yeah that's very unfair and we all agreed she is the Secret weapon of four. Yes. Her performance is unbelievable. As a child.

yeah and so they should have given her much more respect and her character much more respect than honestly any of the versions of what really yeah it's it's a lot honestly though you saying that there were really trying to distance from the last one or the last two films or whatever maybe they didn't want her back and maybe and maybe they knew

I mean, clearly they didn't even contact her and they used her photo. That's wild. Yeah. In the producer's cut, they at least show her in a flashback. Okay. So there's something small there, but it's not enough. No. But the next morning, the camera dips down the exterior of 45 Lampkin Lane. A cardboard cutout donning a white mask now parked in front of the sold sign, brandishing a blood-covered knife, and scrawled in red on the figure's chest are the words, He's coming.

John Strode, Kara's father, played by Bradford English, stands at the edge of his lawn in his blue bathrobe. Fed up with the vandalism, he hacks at the cardboard with an axe, declaring with each strike that this is enough of the Michael Myers bullshit. After cutting it down, he shifts his ire to a group of uncredited children in their Halloween costumes, who crouch poorly behind nearby trash cans, warning them that they have about three seconds to get the hell off of his property.

They cackle loudly, only dispersing when John's count reaches two. He then collects the sign and the figure, carrying them to the front door and tossing them with disdain onto the porch as the pensive piano of Laurie's theme sounds in the score. and the camera rises, panning over to the suburban streets, littered with leaves and crawling with costumed children and their parents. We get on-screen text in orange. Haddonfield. Halloween.

Inside the Myers house, which is now the Strode house, Deborah Strode, Kara's mother, played by Kim Darby, stands next to her daughter, who sits at the dining room table. armed with a pink highlighter and gazing down at a textbook. And I do want to point out John Strode and Deborah Strode, John Carpenter and Deborah Hill. Okay.

But as Deborah pours a glass of juice, she remarks that Danny looks so cute dressed up as his uncle Tim, with Kara snarkily retorting, Great, now I've got a six-year-old gang member for a son. Perfect. Jesus Christ. That's a little bold. I will say as well in the producer's cut, we have seen Danny with Tim already. And so that line, like even knowing that they're dressed like makes sense. Yeah. I don't know, Tim. But Danny enters the dining room.

flanked by Tim Strode, Danny's uncle and Kara's brother, played by Keith Bogart, both of them wearing matching orange shirts beneath a flannel jacket, each shirt boasting in black letters,

Barry kicks ass. As Danny takes a seat at the table, Tim carries a glass in his hand, the contents of which appear to be a chocolate shake of some kind, but he announces it as the famous Tim Strode stomach pounder and he asks if Danny is up for the challenge and you may remember the stomach pounder from John Carpenter's The Fog yes okay But Kara and Debra smile as Danny reaches for the glass, taking one small sip of it and grimacing.

Tim jokes that Danny should probably stick to orange juice, but he tussles his nephew's hair, commending him for giving it a good try. I will say in the producer's cut, we see him make the stomach pounder. And it is. It's just a bunch of sweets just thrown into a blender. I don't understand. This is a nondescript. It seems like it's a prank because it's gross. Yeah, I thought it was like a protein shake or something. That's what I thought. Because he was like, you tried or whatever.

Yeah, I don't get it because you see him making it and Danny takes a bite of a Swiss roll and he just throws it in there like it's. And also in when he's making it. Tim is on the phone with a friend and he's talking about Barry Sims and how he's like a big fan of his and that he's going to be coming in from Chicago. Right. So it explains why they're so happy and they have these shirts. Yeah. It really feels like they whittled.

a lot away to just like bullet points yeah and that like I've never seen this child just like hanging out and being carefree like that would have been nice to see you know what I mean But John joins his family in the dining room, now fully dressed and adjusting his tie. He admonishes the neighborhood kids as shitheads, scoffing that he showed them. I just want to say very quickly, before this takes the turn that it takes, John's demeanor outside seemed more like...

Not jovial because he is using an axe to hack down a fucking thing. Right. But he had a smirk the entire time he was talking to the kids. It did kind of seem like he was... being mean because they were watching him yeah then when they did run away it did kind of seem like he he lightened up a bit Like it's almost like, ah, kids. Yeah, yeah. But what we learn of him, it's like, no, he's just an asshole. Yeah. And like with the subtlety of a Stephen King dad. Yeah. No shit. It is so over the top.

But Deborah reminds John that they were just kids. But John retorts that kids are what's ruining this country, noting that everywhere you go, it's the same damn thing. He decries that there's no goddamn respect. But Tim downs a sip of his stomach pounder, letting out a loud belch, which only seems to prove John's point. And even that, he's like, I rest my case. It seems playful. Very. Yeah, because I'm like, you're...

You can't be serious. Like, you're running a household where your kid can't burp. Like, what are we mad at? He's like, get the fuck out of here. I'm confused. But Debra's eyes squirm nervously in her head as she refocuses her attention to Kara, snagging the book away from her daughter as she politely scolds that Kara will never pass her exam on an empty stomach.

As Kara removes her glasses from her tired eyes, Deborah reads the cover of the book that she's studying, Cognitive Therapy and Emotional Disorders. She asks what they're teaching her at this college. The art of going crazy? So you read the title. I'm like, do you not know what a psych class is? They're not teaching you. Don't mind if I do. Kara corrects her mother that it's called.

Psychology. But she adds that living in this house is enough to drive anyone crazy. John asks, oh yeah? Well, who the hell asked you to come back here in the first place? Yeah, I had a feeling that might set him up. Kara sidesteps this question, closing her book and remarking that she needs to get Danny to school. But John isn't finished.

Scoffing that Kara didn't show her face around her family for five years, and now that she's back, she expects them to roll out the red carpet? He wonders if Kara thinks going to college is going to make up for all of her mistakes. Deborah weakly pleads with her husband to stop, and Tim more pointedly tells his father to lay off.

But Kara just tells Danny to gather his things for school, while Deborah appeals to John, asking if they can just sit down for once and try to be a family. Kara apologizes to her mother. And I guess in very poor shot coverage for some reason, Debra seemingly reaches into her pocket and hands Kara some money.

We do not see this in the theatrical version, but there is an insert shot in the producer's cut where we see like a few 20s on the table. Okay. Don't know why you would cut that out. Yeah. Especially when it really incites a big reaction. This angers John, who scolds his wife before offering a great idea as he reaches into his pocket, chucking a wad of cash across the table and suggesting, why don't you just give her all of our goddamn money?

Kara defends her mother, snarling that nothing ever changes and wondering when Debra is going to wake up. But her father scowls. I've got news for you, girl. noting that everything was fine before she came around, before she landed on their doorstep, her and that little bastard of hers. That's fucking insane. Yeah. Debra swallows nervously as Kara glares at her father. She rises from her seat, seething that she only sees one bastard in this house. She ate with that one.

But John stands to face his daughter, and without a word, he backhands her across the face. Kara gasps as Tim orders his father to get away from her. But John snaps at Tim, sneering for him to stay out of it, and against Debra's protests, John points a finger at Kara, threatening that if she ever talks to him like that again, so help him God. He asks Kara if she understands, but Kara just wipes the blood from her nose as John suddenly stands stunned. The camera then dips down.

revealing the sharp end of a steak knife pointed at his gut and gripped sternly in the grasp of his grandson. The family stands in shock as Kara slowly reaches for Danny's hand, securing the knife from him. And we cut to black. Are we really surprised that somebody helped her? Like that's everybody's shock. Like you shouldn't be shocked. She's an adult. And I know we always say we still have our kids to our parents.

But that's wild as fuck for you to... backhand your daughter like that your grown child your grown daughter she she's your child your other kids are watching she's got her child what the fuck makes you think that that's okay or that's gonna solve something i was gonna say especially in front of your grandson yeah like

Everything about this was horrific. And Danny has been prepped for this. He's like, oh, this is what you were talking about with the whole kill him thing or whatever. Yeah. And that's the other thing. In the producer's cut, while everything is going wild. Danny hears the voice of the man in black saying, kill for him. And then he walks over to the window and he sees Michael Myers. Okay. And then he goes, he picks up the knife and he points it at his grandfather's stomach. And it is, again...

Tim, do something. Yeah. Like, what the fuck? Yeah. I understand. I feel so bad for Debra and the position she's in because she's trying to help her daughter. Yeah. But Tim's just like, hey, lay off. It's like, no, more than lay off. You shut the fuck up. Yeah. And then we head outside.

And then he acts like nothing happened at all. And I hate that Danny is still expected to go to school after everything that he's been through this morning. Yeah, it's it's this whole little scene is very infuriating. Yeah. I will say Daniel Farrins, he said that it took three days to film this scene. And as they were doing it, he's like, what are we even doing with this? He's like, what's even the point of this? And he's not wrong. Yeah.

But the front door opens, Kara and Danny briskly breezing past Beth, played by Mariah O'Brien, who stands on their porch clutching a clipboard. Something very interesting about Mariah O'Brien. She is on the cover of Alice in Chains' album Dirt. That's her. Okay. What? That's fucking cool. I watched an interview with her and she is an interior designer now. She doesn't act anymore. And she did Edgar Wright's house. No shit. And so she said that she doesn't even bring up.

having done this or really having been an actor at all but like she had a back and forth in her head was like should i tell him should i not and so she did and he was like what the He was so excited. It's Edgar Wright. Yeah, I know. Like, of course, of course you tell him. But Beth stops the pair, asking Kara where Tim is. But when Kara turns around...

Beth is dismayed at the sight of her bloodied nose. Kara remarks, another episode of Father Knows Best at the Strode House. And Beth rests a supportive hand on Kara's shoulder. asking her what the hell happened this time. But before Kara can answer, Beth is seized by Tim in what I think is supposed to be a jump scare, and he gives her a kiss.

I will say in the producer's cut, he just grabs her and they kiss and it's nothing. It's not a jump scare or anything. Oh my God. But after checking in briefly with his sister and nephew, and I mean briefly. Yeah. Tim guides Beth toward her red convertible parked at the curb. Beth announces that tonight is the night that they bring some life into this town.

But as Tim tosses his backpack into the back seat, he wonders why they have to be the ones to organize the fair. He shrugs that it's only Halloween. But Beth grumbles. How many times do I have to tell you? It's not about Halloween. As their voices fade into the background, we return to Kara, who kneels before Danny, sweetly meeting her son's gaze as she tells him that she loves him.

Danny returns this affection to her, and the pair embrace warmly. But Tim honks the horn, and Danny rushes off, but we linger on Kara, who bites her lip nervously. But at Smith's Grove Sanitarium, Don, played by Hildor Rurix, stands in front of Dr. Wynn's desk in his office, alerting him of something that he needs to know. But Wynn bypasses this, instead directing Don to get Dr. Loomis anything he needs. Loomis then enters the frame as Wynn lists.

Files, tests, records of every treatment that they've ever administered to a former patient of theirs, Michael Myers. Don is surprised to hear this name. revealing that she just received a phone call. That girl, Jamie Lloyd, her body was found this morning near Haddonfield. Shock settles on the face of Loomis as he turns to meet the eyes of Wynn. So this scene begins very abruptly in the theatrical version. In the producer's cut.

There is an entire scene of Wynn and Loomis out in the hallway before they enter the office. Yeah. And Loomis even gets a fucking Loomis monologue. And it's great. Yeah. And he basically convinces Wynn to join him in a search for Michael Myers. And Wynn basically tells him that he will help him. Yeah. But only if they can bring Michael back to Smith's Grove alive. And I feel like all of this is very important. Yeah, it is. And it is odd.

That Loomis is not like harping on this or obsessed with what he heard last night. Yeah. And he does. It's a great monologue. It's Donald Pleasance. Yeah, of course. And then there's also this shot of Wynn entering his office and then the door just opens and fucking Loomis gets his cool entrance back at Smith's Grove. Yeah. Not in this version at all.

Yeah, that's really annoying. It almost feels like they're just speed running like any character moments. They're just like, no, fuck. Yeah, I just don't understand the choices. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Why? I don't know, though. Like you did cut out. If it's what you're saying, those are important moments here. I don't know why cut them out. If you care about story, they are. True. Fair.

But back in front of the Strode house, Kara rides passenger as Beth pulls away from the curb. Kara wipes the blood from her nose with a tissue, asking Beth the name of the guy who lives across the hall from her at the boarding house. Beth smiles, asking if Kara is interested, but Kara scoffs that she isn't, though she shares that she always sees him staring out of his window, and last night she caught him watching her. As the camera passes the boarding house, we see Tommy there now.

Standing in front of the glass of the second floor window. Bad timing. Yes. I did bust out laughing. There's something really funny on site of the fact that this window is almost the size of his entire body. It just looks worse. It looks more menacing. I don't know. Is that funnier or would just him, his head peeking out like Homer? That's true. I think either way, he's screwed either way. But Beth says that that must be Tommy.

Noting that on the weirdness scale from 1 to 10, Tommy ranks about a 13. Kara spies as they pass, and Beth continues that apparently some scary shit happened to Tommy when he was a kid and messed his head up pretty bad. She adds that he's harmless, though, and probably just lonely. Tim, who sits perched in the back seat, jokes, or horny. All right. Thank you. He's been listening to too much Barry Simpson.

But he leans in closer to Kara, commenting that that's probably something that she hasn't felt in a while. It's like, what the hell is that? What's happening? Kara scolds Tim, but Beth calls out to Mrs. Blankenship, played by Janice Nickram, as the car passes by, bidding her a happy Halloween.

Blankenship pays Beth no mind and just continues raking the leaves on the front lawn, as Beth remarks that the best part of living in that boarding house is that that crazy old lady wouldn't hear a truck driving through the living room. I do think it's funny that Tommy is just watching her rake those leaves. Yeah. You could help. You could do something. Well, he's got to stand in front of that window. He's busy.

But up in his room, Tommy paces, listening to his recording of Sims' show from the night before, when a frenzied Jamie called in for help and to get the attention of Dr. Loomis. Tommy nervously fiddles with his necklace as he stands in front of a bulletin board, which is completely covered in newspaper clippings. From a distance, we see headlines like, Michael Myers, dead or alive? Michael Myers, dead or alive? And Michael Myers, alive or dead. It's like, come on, man.

But on the tape, Jamie cries. It's Michael. Michael Myers. And as she pleads for Loomis again, Tommy rewinds the tape, and on playback, we hear an announcement in the background. Bus 611 from Pontiac. Tommy turns around dramatically, realizing where Jamie must have made the call. Why did it sound like it was like bustling? Like I heard there was nothing. That place was dead. Yeah. Yeah, that didn't happen.

I didn't hear any announcements, anything. Well, you couldn't because whoever was there was going to come back in 20 minutes. Exactly. Yes, you're right. Nobody's working right now. But we return to the Haddonfield Bus Depot, an announcement sounding over the speakers as we pan across the now-bustling lobby to find Tommy entering the building and approaching the front desk.

An attendant, played by Brian Morris, greets Tommy, asking how he can help him. Very matter-of-factly and honestly in a very comedic Paul Rudd kind of tone, Tommy in tones. Can you tell me if a bus arrived from Pontiac last night? I was like, that's Paul Rudd. The attendant consults his records, confirming this, and he asks if Tommy is looking for someone. Tommy's eyes peer around shiftily before he thanks the attendant and steps away from the counter.

He locates the phone booths at the opposite wall of the depot, taking a seat inside one and noticing a pool of blood on its wooden floor. His eyes follow it to discover a trail of blood leading from the booth across the drab green carpet and down the stairs at the other end of the corridor. I guess it's a good thing that this depot has no maintenance to speak of. Very good. Very good. This is literally blood. Yeah. That was my question. Who is responsible for like custodial work? Because that's.

It's busy. That's a write-up. Yeah. Well, it's blood. It's a trail. Yes. I will say on commentary, Farron's said that in his script, it was literally a couple of dots. Okay. And.

Tommy was supposed to notice that and follow it right right but he said he gets the set and he's like what the fuck why that's egregious yeah But Tommy traces Jamie's path from the night before and finds himself in the bathroom on the lower level, the lights flickering above his head as he reaches his hand into a sink to touch the crimson liquid that he finds there.

As he curiously smears it across his fingers, the sound of a crying infant cuts through the silence, and Tommy looks around, attempting to locate the source of the sound. There! Next to the bloodstained sink rests a small cabinet, and Tommy kneels down to open it, discovering, to his surprise, Jamie's baby, wrapped in a dark blanket, tearful. but alive and well. He cradles the baby in his arms, shushing and comforting him with, it's okay. It's okay, man.

Wait, he doesn't know the baby's name. No. Bro. I was not expecting that baby to be stashed in there. No. And so that means that that night, Jamie put the baby in there and then went to the stall. Yeah. And so that cover could have been blown at any moment. yeah you can't tell a baby not just be quiet that's a huge gamble yeah giant and i'm like nobody found this baby all morning nobody heard anything yeah did tommy just wander into the women's restroom like

This or this restroom that fills this entire basement. I just don't understand what is happening here. I don't know. Well, the camera pulls back and Tommy climbs the stairs out of the bathroom with the baby held close to his chest. please just make a beeline for a fresh diaper and some formula. Like that baby has been in there all night. What time is it right now? It's the morning. Yeah. Everybody's leaving for school. Like, it's probably like eight, nine in the morning. Like, I don't like it.

But we watch as Loomis and Nguyen arrive at the farm where Jamie met her end, and they find the place swarming with police, firefighters, and curious citizenry. The pair peer puzzled at a sinister sight inside of the barn, smoke rising from a large rune burned into a towering stack of hay. When asked by Wynne what it is, Loomis answers, It's his mark. He's come home. I will say the scene abruptly ends in the theatrical version. In the producer's cut.

They wheel Jamie over to Dr. Loomis and Dr. Wynn, and we see her eyes moving beneath their lid because in the barn, she was only stabbed in the stomach in the producer's cut with a knife.

okay because i was about to say how the fuck did she survive what we just saw no michael leaves her for dead but she's clearly not dead right and so we get that moment they put her onto the ambulance to take her to the hospital because she's still alive and then loomis has a moment with the Haddonfield Sheriff, which is a standard thing that happens in all these films, really.

Which is missing from this film. Yeah. Because the sheriff would be like, you know, what are you doing here? Yeah. Which, you know, and honestly, he has no right to be mad because Loomis has been right every single time. Every single time. Yeah. But they do have a discussion and he tells them everything and they're like, you know, we don't need you.

guys here doing this all over again and it's a whole thing but again another loomis scene cut for no reason i do like the room burned or whatever but i mean it it just looks like a hat or a cone or like it's like dude we couldn't put this somewhere else why did you burn it on the side of those hay bales what if they caught on fire

That's a great, great question. I also want to know who the fuck did that. Yeah. You're telling me, Michael? Yes, I think they are. I don't like it. No. But Kara, Tim, and Beth arrive at Haddonfield Junior College. Beth pulling the car into a parking spot up front as And Fools Shine On by Brother Kane blasts tennelly through the nearby speakers.

This song is not in the producer's cut. It's Halloween music. But they love this song so much in the theatrical that they let it cover the end credits, too. Okay. Yeah. But the camera combs through the campus as uncredited student workers set the stage for tonight's event, a large banner reading, Tonight, live in person, Barry Sims, WKNB Halloween.

As the trio climbs a hill together, Tim with his arm around Beth and Kara pouring through a mountain of textbooks in her backpack, Tim expresses his excitement for tonight's festivities. But Kara is too preoccupied by the contents of her bag in a fruitless search for her term paper. Tim suggests that she just copies someone else's, which is what he does all the time.

Term papers? That's a wild one. You cannot do that. It's not multiple choice. No. In this essay, I will. It's like, dude, you got two. I've already read this. But Kara loses her grip on her bag, dumping all of her books onto the grass. She stands exasperated as Beth leans down to help her gather her things. And Tim just stands there. Saying, you got it. But there, in the stack of books, Beth discovers a folded up paper. Danny's drawing that Kara took to her room the night before.

Beth unfolds it and we finally see the other side of the drawing that we weren't privy to last night. Four clearly labeled figures stand in agony in pools of their own blood, knives piercing their stomachs. Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Tim, and Mommy. And there at the left, a shadowy figure towers over them, the word thorn barely legible through the black scribbles. This is wild. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I will say it is funny that it was on the bulletin board. He's like, let's put that. That's a keeper.

But it's like, hey, Danny, hi, what's Thorne? Like, I'm not going to take a fucking test right now. There's no way. Well, she threw her books on the floor. I don't think she wanted to take that time. She's dumped them. Beth notes that Danny has quite an imagination, but Kara excuses the drawing, sharing that Danny has been having a lot of nightmares lately. Tim lets out his best Beavis and Butthead laugh, chuckling that he thinks it's cool.

I was not expecting that. No. I'm like, Tim, you're cut up too. Yeah. You still think it's cool? Beth says that it must be some nightmares but she and Tim are promptly pulled away by the rest of the events committee. Before they exit, though, Beth calls out to Kara, making sure that she's okay. But Kara doesn't look up from the drawing, only muttering for Beth not to worry.

And again, Tim's just like, yeah, we got to plan something over here. So my sister's not in peril or anything. She'll be fine. We're supposed to roll out the red carpet for her. But at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, I'm assuming. I think that'd be very cool. Yeah. Tommy sneaks in through the emergency entrance, looking shifty as all hell as he approaches the front desk at the nurse's station, clutching Jamie's baby to his chest.

A nurse, played by Lee Ju Chu, greets him, and Tommy, for some reason, says with an accent, I need a doctor. It's like, are you Bugs Bunny? What the hell? That's the only disguise he has. It's like, you still look like Tommy Doyle. That's not anything. When asked what seems to be the problem, Tommy says, it's my baby. There's been an accident. When asked what kind of accident. Tommy just shouts, get me a doctor now. Tommy, the approach.

i'm like somebody please just get a bottle and a diaper like please so he walked all the way Tommy storms away from the nurse's station, but the nurse picks up the phone and instead of paging a doctor, she alerts security. But as Tommy ventures through the hospital, he rounds a corner, stopping dead in his tracks when he spies Dr. Loomis across the lobby. He calls out to him, relief finding him swiftly in the presence of the doctor.

Loomis, however, doesn't recognize Tommy at first, but when he properly introduces himself as Tommy Doyle and reminds Loomis of that fateful night in 1978 when Laurie Strode, Jamie's mother, was babysitting for- him. Recognition seizes Loomis. He asks Tommy what he's doing here, but Tommy just pleads with Loomis to tell him the truth, wondering if he also heard Jamie on the radio last night. Tommy asks,

Michael's come home, hasn't he? Loomis simply answers that Jamie was the last of her bloodline, but Tommy glances down to the baby in his arms, correcting Loomis that she wasn't the last. But before Loomis can respond, Tommy remembers. There's a family, relatives of the people who adopted Lori. They're living in the Myers house.

Loomis is taken aback by this information, but the pair are interrupted by the arrival of the nurse at the front desk, who is flanked by two security guards. Before he departs, Tommy instructs Loomis to meet him tonight at the campus rally at 9 o'clock. Loomis implores Tommy to wait, but Tommy skulks off, his back hunched as he peers over his shoulder and back at Loomis before disappearing through the exit.

That looked so funny. Wild. I don't know why. And he runs away like that demon guy in Frailty. I don't know why he did that. It was weird then and it's weird. I will say in the producer's cut, that shot is cut in half. Okay. So it's not as hilarious. And the reason that Loomis is in the hospital is because Jamie's still alive and he's going to try to talk to her. That makes sense. Doesn't it? Because this time it's like, why is he here?

But at the old Myers house, as Deborah collects items on the porch and places them inside of a tote, including the axe that John threatened the neighborhood children with this morning, the camera dips down to reveal the shape. watching her from the end of the driveway. Deborah opens the front door and heads inside and when we return to the previous shot, the shape is no longer there. But Deborah descends the staircase into the cluttered basement.

the tote at her hip as the washing machine rattles loudly in the corner of the space. But suddenly, the machine ceases its cycle, prompting Deborah to set down the tote to open the lid of the washer and check the contents inside. She lifts up a soaking wet sheet, squeezing the water out of it and placing it back inside as she retreats over to the breaker.

She flips the switch several times, but to no consequence, once again approaching the washing machine and muttering and annoyed, Great. Suddenly, water starts to leak from the bottom of the machine. flooding the floor of the basement. But no time for that now. Because Debra gathers the wet sheets into a laundry basket and is suddenly at the top of the staircase on the first floor.

But just as she enters the study, a strange creaking noise pervades the area, accompanied by a low rumble in the score. Deborah creeps cautiously through a corridor, but once she reaches an adjacent room... A hand reaches for her shoulder in a jump scare. It's Loomis. Did he just let himself? Yeah. Debra asks who he is, and Loomis just answers that he came to help her family.

But Tommy arrives home to his room at the boarding house, resting Jamie's baby on his bed as arpeggiated guitar chords reverberate in the score. As he cleans the rune from the baby's stomach, he calls the baby Stephen. asking him if he likes that name because he thinks it suits him. Sure sounds like something Paul Steven Rudd would say. So you can keep it, actually. I'm not going to use it after this.

Stephen cries loudly. I guess he didn't like the name. But Mrs. Blankenship paces the hall outside of Tommy's room, none the wiser. After he's all cleaned up, Tommy cuddles Stephen. promising in a very dramatic tone that he won't let anything happen to him. But back at the Myers house, Loomis sits with Deborah at the dining table, emphatic in his explanation that this force...

This thing that lives inside of Michael Myers came from a source too violent and too deadly for her to even imagine. It grew inside of him, contaminating his soul. It was pure evil. Deborah wonders why Loomis thinks that Michael would come back here, and Loomis reveals that this house is sacred to Michael. He has all of his memories here. His rage.

He begs Debra not to let her family suffer the same fate that Lori and her daughter suffered. This scene cuts abruptly as most scenes do in this film. But in the producer's cut, the scene is longer and it starts with more detail and a bit more of a Loomis monologue. Yeah. And again, why are we sacrificing?

loomis because maybe someone didn't like him like that does i know it's a rumor but yeah it's kind of starting to look that way but i'm like i know that they've just moved here how do you not know what happened here I'm not sure. It's that. I had that question too. It's not like it is only like we're only dealing with Halloween 78.

Right. Like we have like plenty of this dude coming back. Yeah. Killing a ton of people and disappearing and then only to come back. Yeah. Like this town is under like a cloud of Michael Myers. Yeah. Well, we're on a Halloween lockdown. I feel like that would be news. We're moving to where? Yeah. Oh, the town that has no Halloween anymore. Why? And also kind of on a Halloween lockdown. Yeah. Yeah. Kind of loose. They're going to get by what they can. But also your name is Strode. Yeah. Yeah.

Your niece. Yes. Is dead in this timeline. In this timeline? But we cut abruptly to Danny who steps off of the bus after his day at school. holding a pumpkin in his arms as he walks down the street. Is this an homage? Yes. And it makes the moment. Yeah. It makes sense. But a van passes him by, advertising the live event at Haddonfield Junior College featuring Barry Sims. And over the speakers, Sims simulates an orgasm, alerting the listeners.

That he's coming. Now, a little decorum goes a long way is all I'll say. Does it though? It should. An orgasm. All right. That's what I would call it. Very good. we're all proud of you but he clarifies that he's coming to the Halloween Harvest Fair. And you better be there too. Oh, I see what you did there. The FCC is fucking like, this is, this is crazy, dude. You're on the fucking line. It's not, it's 3 p.m. Yeah, no shit. You fucking cretin.

But as the van cuts around the corner, Danny discovers just across the intersection stands the man in black, right next to a parked van. The score sings eerily as Danny gazes across the way at him, but suddenly... Tommy lurches out of nowhere in a jump scare causing Danny to drop his pumpkin which shatters to pieces against the pavement.

In a sight very familiar to Tommy Doyle, he kneels down to Danny's level, apologizing. But the phone rings loudly on John's desk at Strode Realty, and when he answers it... Deborah's voice shudders on the other end that something terrible has happened. John responds in annoyance, wondering what his wife wants now. But Debra explains that Dr. Loomis came by their house and he told her about the terrible things that have happened here. The camera follows Debra as she paces the living room.

the sunlight pouring in through an empty room behind her. But as she continues to pace, we see, accompanied by a sting in the score, that the shape now stands in silhouette in that once empty room, backlit by the sun through the curtains. Should come as no surprise, musical sting in the theatrical, not at all in the producer's cut. Shouldn't have been there. Yeah. annoying. But John is furious to hear that his wife is talking to strangers and letting them into their house.

it's like you're missing yeah that's not the point and also he let himself in yeah he broke in actually so get that get that shot that down But as we creep closer to Deborah from behind in a POV shot, she reveals that they found Jamie Lloyd this morning and that someone killed her. John has no idea what she's talking about, and as a piano pulses in the score, he orders Deborah to stop watching all those damn TV talk shows. What? I don't know. And Jamie is...

your relative. Yeah. But Debra persists, insistent on getting the kids out of here, at least until she knows what's going on. After taking a moment, Debra asks her husband to come with them. He can stay. Yeah. John just scoffs, slyly scowling that his wife has lost it. But Debra realizes something. The reason that John moved them into this house is because his brother could never sell it after what happened here. And John knew, but he didn't tell them. He knew. John curses.

God damn it. As he hangs up the phone at Strode Realty. Why are you mad? Because he got found out? Yeah. Yeah. He's he. he's very, very just a character. Oh, just be a piece of shit. Go say what you need to go. He sucks. His character's bad. I don't like, I mean, of course, because he's, he's terrible, but I mean,

It's just very heavy. It's too much to... constantly just be that big of an asshole and then it's like that lady did not marry you and have a family with you if you've been like that the whole time yeah that's crazy it's true because there's not a trace of anything but that it's like a caricature i will tell you in the producer's cut there is one shot of him at his desk and he's looking at a picture of cara and he very wistfully says happy halloween sweetheart

After I slapped you this morning. Yeah. So I get why it's cut from the theatrical. I get also why they tried to put it in the producers because they're like, this is just a one note. Yeah, but that doesn't work. It doesn't work. So I think that, I don't know. The whole thing is just a failure. We can move on. We can leave it there. I was trying to put more work in to make it work, and I'm just not going to do that. Yeah, no. It's not your job to. You don't need to. Okay.

I just wanted to point out how appreciative I was that Debra believed Loomis and took him at face value because he does not get that very often. Well, she's doing the right thing. I got this bad news. Hey, look, spouse, I'm telling you what I'm going to do. come with me if not i'm still getting my children and fucking going yeah she had a bag yeah but with the call disconnected deborah sensing something whips around to look behind her only to discover

that there's no one there. As John pours himself a glass of liquor at his desk and takes a drink of it, Deborah is wasting no time at home, packing a suitcase upstairs and hustling back down to the first floor with it. But before she can descend the staircase, she peers past the jack-o'-lantern perched on the banister to discover the tote that she left in the basement now rests near the rug by the front door and the axe that was once inside.

is missing. I think that this could have worked a lot better if she didn't take the tote with her to the basement. Okay. If she just left it there to check on the washing machine because now we have to think Michael Myers for some reason. grabbed this tote yeah took it upstairs and then took the axe out of it right doesn't make a lot of sense it doesn't but the mic in this movie i think it makes sense yeah but the other ones no

Eerie sounds abound in the score as fear fills Debra's face, but she creeps her way into the kitchen, her eyes wide with fright and not able to break away from the sight of the tote on the floor. But suddenly... The telephone rings and she rushes to answer it. We see the shape standing blurry in the background behind her as a deep voice growls through the speaker in Deborah's ear.

We want the child. Deborah demands to know who is on the other end, but the call abruptly disconnects. When Deborah turns around, she comes face to face with the shape. The camera closes in on her dramatically as she drops the receiver and her suitcase and races for the back door. She wrenches it open.

pushing her way through garments, drying on clotheslines in the backyard, seemingly getting all turned around somehow and clattering to the ground. Her glasses falling off and the lenses shattering. I was like, not the sheets. Yeah. But never go in the sheets. Yeah. I do want to ask because I know the glasses fell, but they like both shattered like that.

For real, that wasn't that high. Someone let us know if glasses were just weaker in the 1990s. That's crazy. I wore glasses, but I don't recall this being a problem. But Deborah crawls through the dirt, reaching for them Velma Dinkley style and putting them back on as she continues to creep across the yard. She tears a sheet down in front of her, but standing behind it.

is Michael Myers clutching John's axe in his grasp. Deborah can only whisper, Michael, before he brings the blade down, spattering her blood across the hanging laundry. Dumb. It sucks. I feel like I take her death the hardest in the whole film. Yeah. Yeah. Because God damn was she trying. Yeah. She did everything right.

As soon as she was given this information, she was like, I'm getting the fuck out of here. Yeah. But sometime later, Kara returns home, taking her hair down from its ponytail as she ascends the walkway in the front porch. But when she reaches the door, unlocking it, and attempts to push it open, it doesn't seem to budge. She calls out to her mother, alerting her that she's home, and we see that the chain lock is linked on the other side of the door.

Unable to get an answer from her mother, Kara makes her way down the thin concrete path along the side of the house and into the backyard. And I will say, seeing how easy it is to get in and out of the backyard, I think Debra wanted to die. Yeah. It's like, what the hell? There's no fence or anything? No, just walk. Just walk around.

But chimes sing serenely, and a dog barks distantly as we peer over the railing of the back porch at Kara, who pushes her way through the hanging laundry to climb the creaking steps. Kara lets herself inside, setting her backpack down on the dining room table and calling out for her mother again. Still not getting any response, she crosses through the kitchen and into the den, calling out to Debra and Danny.

But a loud creaking noise catches her attention, and determining that it's coming from the second floor, she makes her way to the bottom of the staircase. She peers up the shadowy steps for a moment before climbing them and reaching the landing. I will say there is a black coat and hat hanging on a coat rack when she reaches the landing.

I thought it was the man in black for a second. Yeah. And I heard on commentary that that was supposed to be a part of a sight gag that didn't make it into the film. Okay. Where when Danny wakes up from his nightmare, he rushes out in the hall. He sees that. And that's what Kara thinks that he saw when he really did see. Oh, OK, OK. But it doesn't make it in the film. Yeah. I liked it kind of in the background, honestly, because you see it and you're like, oh, like.

I remember like this is the thing that's also happening. Yeah. Like it's hovering over it. Yeah. But she inches her way down the long hallway, slowly reaching her hand for the door that rests at the end of the corridor. She opens it, and when she enters Danny's room, she discovers her son sitting at the edge of his bed, completely immersed in his Game Boy. But on the opposite side of his bed sits Tommy.

who cradles Stephen in his arms. There's a lot of questions. What? Yes. What the fuck is happening? It's like, who's your old friend and the baby? What the hell is going on here, son? And Danny's just vibing. Kara asks Tommy what he's doing here. And after a moment of hesitation, Tommy merely mutters that he's her neighbor from across the street. And he introduces himself as Tommy Doyle.

Kara demands to know what he's doing here with her son and asks where Debra is. But Tommy explains that Debra wasn't here when Danny came home. Kara instructs Danny to go downstairs, but Danny retorts that Tommy's his new friend and that he knows all about dinosaurs. Irrelevant. Yeah, I don't give a fuck. How about that? Tommy rises from his seat, a menacing look in his eyes as he asks Kara if she knows whose room this used to be. But we cut abruptly to Kara, Danny, and Tommy.

arriving at the boarding house across the street. Yeah. What the fuck? I'm like, what? did we miss that he could have possibly said to convince this woman to go over here with her child after you randomly come home and this dude is in your kid's room with the random ass baby. Don't forget the baby.

Stephen, I'm sorry. Don't forget Stephen. After you saw him peeping, allegedly, what it looked like peeping at you last night. What did he say? That she's like, y'all go over to your house. Yeah. I will say in the producer's cut. Tommy tells her that they're in danger and he gives like a little brief, you know, kind of a situation about what's going on. And then we get an establishing shot of the moon in the sky, which I love. Yeah. Right.

But it also establishes that it's nighttime, that it's Halloween night. And we don't get either of those things here. He just says that. He's like, you know whose room this was? And then they're just at the boarding house seemingly five seconds later. So I don't know.

But holding Stephen in his arms, Tommy lets the pair inside, calling out to Mrs. Blankenship, who doesn't return his call, and instead just sits in her chair in the living room, watching the 1925 horror classic, The Phantom of the Office. I will say there were conflicting things that I read in different places. I heard that Halloween three season of the witch was supposed to appear in this film. Yeah. They wanted it.

According to some sources right here, but the producers refused to pay Universal for the rights and instead used Phantom of the Opera because it was public domain. Okay. I would have been really excited to see. Yeah. But Tommy guides Kara and Danny to his room upstairs. And as Steven cries in his arms, Kara surveys her surroundings, hoping that Tommy doesn't intend for them to stay here.

It's like, you don't have to touch. I'm saving your life, but okay. And your son. She's like, pee. Does that smell like all the time? Did something happen today? But Tommy instead suggests for her to just watch her house, adding that she can see everything from the window. Annoyed, Kara calls the whole endeavor insane, wondering who she's even supposed to be looking for. Tommy gestures to his wall of newspapers, answering simply, him. Kara turns to face a bold headline reading.

Michael Myers. Dead or alive. As Tommy comforts Steven. Carrying him over to the refrigerator, Danny plays with a red Power Rangers action figure, flying it through the air until he reaches a window at the other end of the room. There, through the dark, because it is pitch black outside now. which we would have known. Right. Danny spies the shape staring directly at him from the front lawn of the Myers house. Danny calls out to his mother, but Kara's eyes are fixed on another newspaper headline.

This one from November 1st, 1963. Halloween murder. Local tot kills older sister. Tot is wild. Yeah. Who wrote that? Nancy Grace? Kara tells her son, not now. But Danny watches in horror as flashes of lightning illuminate the shape, who stands like a statue across the street. Danny clenches his eyes shut, and when he opens them again, the shape is gone.

Danny breathes a sigh of relief as Kara finds another article. This one clipped from the November 3rd, 1989 edition of the Warren County Gazette. Jamie Lloyd feared dead in police station massacre. She then dips down to find an article from November 1st, 1978 with the headline, Tommy Doyle survives babysitter bloodbath. This one is horseshit because there is no way that that's what happens. This is what you glean. From that night? Yeah. Laurie survived. Lindsay survived. Local celebrity.

Look, suddenly I see. That's Todd smells. He made that one. That's bullshit. Greatest boy on earth. And he's also Spider-Man. But Tommy tries to feed Steven with a bottle. There you go. Thank you. But when the baby's fussing makes it impossible, Kara offers to hold him. She rocks him gently in her arms for just a moment, and he immediately calms down, Kara commenting that all it takes is a mother's touch. Tommy's like, this is so us, huh? Look at us. Not me.

We get another very stupid transition shot. How do you really feel? I was really mad writing this, I guess. Of Michael holding a knife for some reason. Before we're taken to Tommy's computer screen, which shows a grid of stones, each bearing a symbol of the Elder Futhark. Tommy explains that runes are a kind of early alphabet that originated in about 500 BC. He says that they were symbols carved out of stone or pieces of wood and used in pagan rituals to pretend future events or evoke magic.

He reveals that among the ancient druids, the Rune of Thorn represented a demon that spread sickness and brought death to hundreds of thousands of people. Thorn. Thorn. Where have I seen that today? Yep. Great question. I'd be like, Danny, get over here right now. What the hell is this?

As the rune floats lonely across Tommy's computer screen, the symbol that we saw tattooed on the wrists of Michael Myers and the man in black in the previous film, and drawn in blood on the belly of Jamie's baby, and... In Danny's drawing... Tommy explains that according to Celtic legend, one child from each tribe was chosen to be inflicted with the curse of thorn to offer blood sacrifices to its next of kin on the night of Samhain.

He says Samhain. He does. And I will say, this is something that is oddly brought up in Halloween 2 and just completely dropped. Loomis talking about Samhain. Yeah. Them finding it written in blood on a classroom chalkboard. Yeah. And they're just like, let's get back to the hospital. Whatever. Yeah. Move on. I think that I was also getting angry at this point because in my notes. I wrote, that's also the same symbol your son drew. Dumbass. All caps with exclamation points.

I was getting upset. No, I get it. I just don't understand. Like this is where even more disjointed. It is that because things that again, Debra. She got the news. I'm going to pack a bag. I'm telling this fool I'm leaving. She knows she's seen the fucking drawing. Also, I. She went home looking for her mom, did not find her mom. Yeah. And we're just like, she'll figure it out. Dad's supposed to be home from work. He'll figure it out. Well, he can. Well, fuck dad. But you know what I mean? Like.

I'm at least going to try to get mom out of there. Yeah. Let Tim know something. I mean, I know we can't text each other at this point, but she's just like. going on with her dad. And I think that's the thing is that, and we were talking off mic, I actually like Kara as a character. Right. But I feel like there are moments, especially from here on, where it's just like, how are you missing that? Yeah.

A character. Very good. Character. Can't resist. No, I tried. But after hearing the word Samhain, Kara, cradling Stephen, answers Halloween. In the glow of lit candles beneath him, Tommy continues that the sacrifice of one family meant sparing the lives of an entire tribe. But he says for years he's been convinced that there must be some reason. some method behind Michael's madness. After pressing a few keys on his keyboard, his computer screen is overtaken by glittering stars in the night sky.

Tommy explains that the druids were also great mathematicians and astronomers, and that the thorn symbol is actually a constellation that appears from time to time on Halloween night. We watch as the thorn symbol is drawn in green through the sea of stars, as Tommy states that whenever it appears, he appears. A stone with the rune carved into it spins on Tommy's screen as he ponders. Coincidence?

And I do think this is a very creative way to explain why there hasn't been a film in six years. Okay, so we're supposed to, from one, anytime we've seen Mike, if we just looked up, we've seen this in the sky. Apparently. I don't like that, but okay. But a two, this isn't, she's his niece too though, right? In a way or no, she's not a Strode. Well, she's, she is a Strode, but Lori isn't a Strode. Lori was adopted.

So the bloodline is connected to Michael, but not actually the Strodes. Okay. I was getting confused here. It's not about family. It's just blood. Right. Like Jamie is related to Laurie through blood. Right. And Michael and back. Okay, so we're just trying to get these kids to what now? Sacrifice for something? The family? So why are we killing everybody else? I feel like these are all great questions.

And I would love to answer that. But if I did, then we would be thinking about it more than the writers. Fair enough. Yes. I guess the only explanation I can maybe think is just anybody getting in the way. Okay. Although I will say Michael is one playful killer. Yeah. And he set up like a fucking fun house in the first Halloween film. Yeah. He does like little pranks. Like he's a little prankster. Yeah. So I really don't. I don't know if that's in the stars too.

But Tommy rises from his chair, Kara handing Steven over to him, as he reveals that this is why those people, whoever they are, are after Jamie's baby, to make him Michael's final sacrifice. Tommy places Steven onto his bed, and after tucking his necklace into his shirt, he snags his coat. He tells Kara that he's going to find the only man who can stop Michael before it's too late. But Kara realizes that her son is nowhere to be found.

How? He's solid snake against the wall. He's under a box. Whose footprints are these? I don't know how you did that. The pair race out of Tommy's room and downstairs, where they find Danny, seated next to Mrs. Blankenship in the den. Relief finds Kara, but she scolds Danny, reminding him never to wander off without telling her where he's going.

Tommy instructs Kara to take Danny upstairs and lock the door until he comes back, and he warns that whatever she does, don't go back to her house. But at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, Loomis and Wynn stand in the hallway with Dr. Bonham, played by Alan Echevarria. Bonham reveals that during Jamie's autopsy, they found placental fluid, and he holds a sample up for the psychiatrist to see.

inside of a little glass vial. A little glass vial? A little glass vial. Loomis is puzzled, but Bonham estimates that Jamie gave birth no less than 24 hours ago. Wynn wonders where the baby could be, but Loomis has an inkling, and he wanders off with Wynn, following close behind. So in the producer's cut, there is a scene before this scene that is where...

another big change happens because as we know in the producer's cut, Jamie is still alive. Right. And so we see her in the night hooked up to a bunch of machines and monitors and there's a flashback that she has in black and white. And it's her being taken to the bowels of that building in the beginning. And she is surrounded by cult members and the men in black as she's tied to an altar. Michael Myers enters the room.

And it's heavily implied, I will say, that he is the baby's father. This is the giant misstep of the producer's cut and the biggest thing that I say does not at all work. Yeah. But there's something else that happens. Because back in the present day, as she's in her hospital bed, the man in black arrives and he tells her that she has served her purpose. And he raises a pistol with a silencer on it. Shut the fuck up. And he shoots her in the head. I hate. I am about to flip this table. It looked.

No matter which version you watch, the storyline of Jamie Lloyd is fucking terrible. Oh, that sounds bad. Period. Why didn't he just use that memory erase thing? I don't know. Like, you're a man in black, right? Yeah. That's crazy as fuck. Yeah. And I will say the whole thing about the... situation with the baby does not work at all no not just because it's disgusting but also because it's stupid it's disgusting and stupid you have to pick one yes i just don't even okay i'll

I'll pretend to buy in for five seconds. What purpose was that? I don't understand the baby. I think it's that. I will tell you what the purpose is when we get to the ending of the producer's cut. I will also say that in the screenplay, to my understanding, the man in black is the baby's father, which also doesn't work and is also disgusting. I hate all of this. Oh, yeah. It feels like I'm the pappy. Like, it's like, how many fucking versions of this did y'all do?

If you have to do so many versions to try to find something that fits, maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Yeah. I remember I read that Ferens himself did about 10 rewrites of his own screenplay. God damn. And then you hear how much it got butchered. After the fact. And so it's just like, you know, I don't know. But I will say I did see that Farrens and Malik Akkad, both their biggest regret said that it is everything that goes on with Jamie Lloyd's character.

As it should. It should be. Agreed. So in the producer's cut, Loomis and Wynn arrive because they hear that Jamie's been killed. And so Loomis goes into the room and he kneels next to her and he apologizes to her and he feels guilty for not being able to save her. So it's a really good Loomis moment. Yeah. Yeah. But it's not worth it. And then when they go out into the hall, the Dr. Bonham...

He isn't talking about Jamie's autopsy. He's talking about the surgery they did to save her life. Okay. And that's when they discovered that she had had a baby recently. Yeah. And so that it's just like these tweaks and differences. Jamie still ends up. dead in a very ridiculous way and unsatisfying but it is I feel honestly kind of impossible to do a storyline like this with that element in it yeah well

Because it doesn't work no matter how you slice it. No. But under decorative lights and crossing through a sea of costume citizenry, Tommy finds his way to the Halloween Harvest Fair at Haddonfield Junior College. As he moves in slow motion, Blankenship asks Danny in voiceover if he knows why they celebrate Halloween. Danny assumes that it's to go trick-or-treating and get candy, and Blankenship acknowledges this.

But as the camera presses in slowly on her, she explains that a long, long time ago, it was a night of great... when the days grew short and the spirits of the dead returned to their homes to warm themselves by the fireside. Kara joins the pair in the den as Blankenship continues that all across the land, huge bonfires were lit, and there was a marvelous celebration.

Tommy continues alone through the crowd and lit flames as we linger on the frightful silhouette of the man in black who watches Tommy from behind a tree. But Blankenship adds that people danced, played games, and dressed up in costumes, hoping to ward off the evil spirits, especially the boogeyman. Thunder crackles and lightning flashes as Tommy asks the elderly woman what the boogeyman is. But that's enough for Kara, who gathers her son and instructs him to say goodnight to Mrs. Blankenship.

He does as told, but Blankenship rises from her chair, calling out to Kara. He hears the voice, you know, just like the other boy who lived in that house. Kara doesn't know what Blankenship is talking about. I don't know how. Oh my God, dude. But she tells Kara that she was babysitting with him that night. Little Mikey Myers who lived across the street. And that's when the voice came.

the night he murdered his sister. So that was a fucking lie. You were not babysitting that night. Yeah, I was gonna say. I will say one thing that is very interesting that the writer saw and took and ran with it. is Halloween 1978 begins with Michael Myers across the street, walking back to his house. I'm sick of this shit. So I will say it is a cool detail to expand upon. I don't like it. But she made it sound like she was babysitting over there when you did it. No, she, according to her tale.

was babysitting him at her house and then she just let him go. And I will say, I will say that sounds ridiculous if she's a good babysitter. Yeah. Right. So we're clearly hinting at what we're going to learn later. Right. But I look, I think my thing about this, you're in a very.

terrible spot as the writer of this film right you have to reconcile a supernatural plot line with a story does not that does not need to go supernatural at all and so i i like taking elements of people who are like studying these films like to the frame right and you do see why is he across the street at the beginning of the film and that is interesting that is an interesting jumping off point but

It doesn't, you know, I'm torn. I'm real torn. Okay, okay. I just took it he was coming back from trick-or-treating. I mean, it's Halloween. He was babysat. And I mean, you know, yeah, I, yeah, I agree. And this film to me does not exist in Canada. Yeah. He was trick or treating. Yes. But Kara is surprised to learn that Michael Myers heard a voice that night, and Blankenship puts it bluntly, it told him to kill his family.

Lightning flashes outside, illuminating the window behind Mrs. Blankenship, and through the sheer drapes we see the shape carved out of the light. I like the shot. Yeah. Yeah. Pretty cool. I will say, apparently, according to that book that I read... There is an element in the novelization of Halloween 1978 where apparently this is something that happened as well to Michael's grandfather.

that he heard voices and he also killed his family in the Myers. I'm, I'm, my patience is running real big. I guess, I guess Ferens took that and ran with it and expanded upon it. I had said he used novelizations as part of that bind. reminder. I don't like it. No, I feel like we're doing too much running. This isn't a fucking relay race. We keep taking things and running with them and we need to just sit down and write. Yeah, I'm going to be honest. For me, that makes it less scary.

Yes. You're continuing to explain and put things on top of other things on top of other things. It's like, you know what? Yeah. He's not even scary anymore. I think that that... maybe is why I'm so frustrated with this movie is I think that the over explanation of everything and trying to but actually it's this and this is what he's really doing and it's the house but it's his family and it's too much and it ruins what makes him scary for me

And what makes him scary is the unknown. Yes. And again, and that's not to get into it, but that's why I didn't really care for Rob Zombie's Halloween, because you give too much of an explanation again. It is much creepier that this kid... in a loving family suddenly does this. Yeah. For no reason. That's scary. That's terrifying. Yeah. So I just, yeah. Any.

over explanation and i know john carpenter is just like you know fuck this i can't imagine yeah because that's the whole point is that there is no answer and that's cool yeah but back at the harvest fair Protesters gather in support of bringing Halloween back to Haddonfield, complete with their costumes and picket signs.

The camera pans over from them to find Tim and Beth dressed in their couples costumes of Frankenstein's monster and the bride of Frankenstein, respectively. Very cool. Yeah. Loved it. Tim grows impatient, waiting for the arrival of Barry Sims, but Beth implores him not to get all starstruck on her, reminding him that they've got a real agenda here, and Barry is going to help them get the message out.

But we watch as a figure dressed in a long black coat ascends the stage in front of the crowd, his face obscured by the brim of his black hat. Beth draws Tim's attention to him, and after a moment... From beneath the black garb, a very jovial Sims announces, Hello Haddonfield!

He tears his coat open, flashing the crowd and revealing that he's only wearing a pair of boxers beneath the dark garment. The crowd explodes with excitement as an announcer declares over the speakers, WKNB presents Backtalk with Barry Sims, live from Haddonfield, Illinois, the home of Michael Myers. Barry hams it up, putting on a pair of sunglasses and giving the crowd a few kisses. And they appreciate the kisses. Well, he lives together.

But John returns home that night drunk as a skunk plowing into a bicycle on the street as he parks his car out front. And now he's driving drunk. Yeah. That's cool. Can we just kill him now? Yeah. Do you need to go inside? Honestly. He enters the house, disheveled, his shirt untucked in the front as he calls out to his wife.

He sarcastically says, thanks for dinner, when he discovers the dining room table to be empty. But as he enters the corridor, lit decoratively by hanging lights and peers into the kitchen, he is faced with what he seems to have feared. and turning away from the empty room, he mutters mournfully, God damn it, she actually left.

There's probably hot dogs thawing in the sink. But I'm like, the last conversation that y'all had, this is the energy you come home with? Yeah. Where's mine? I can't. This is insane. I will say in the original script, there was supposed to be like a bit of a...

Back and forth situation where weird stuff was happening in the house. And he thought that Danny was pranking him like the TV was on and it was showing Halloween three season of the witch. And he literally goes, what's this shit? And he turns it off.

And then he comes back and it's been turned back on. And he's just like, what is going on? Yeah. And it's stuff like this throughout. Just give it a chance. Just watch it. Seriously. I know it doesn't have Michael Myers, but it's fucking great. Just give it a chance. But suddenly, all the power in the house goes out. The moonlight casts through the window, the only respite from complete darkness.

John chuckles, grabbing a flashlight, seeming to think he knows exactly what's going on, and he says that it must be the Boogeyman. He shines the light under his chin as if to tell a campfire tale as he assures the boogeyman that he's really scared. But his cocky sarcasm is quelled when he hears the rattling of the washing machine in the basement.

When he descends the stairs to the floor below, he's puzzled to discover that the washing machine is chugging along, despite the breakers being switched off. I'm just wondering how many scares are going to involve these laundry appliances. This film is brought to you by General Electric or Whirlpool. But he inches his way across the still-flooded floor and over to the washing machine, his trembling hand reaching for the dial to switch it off.

Well, so I was thinking maybe Mike was behind it, shaking it to make it seem like it was on. Uh-huh. But he did turn the knob and it did turn off. Yeah. So I don't know. It makes no sense. I don't know a lot about electricity. No. Except you shouldn't touch it. Don't do that. But I was going to ask, I was like, does anybody know how this is? No. Okay. But as soon as he switches it off, the cycle ceases, and whatever was tumbling inside of the machine now rests heavily on the bottom.

Trepidatious, John summons the courage to lift the lid open, revealing a mess of blood coating the inside of the drum. And when he reaches his hand inside, to his confusion, he unfurls a crimson covered sheet. That is hilarious. Yeah. Because Michael kills Debra? Mm-mm. Hides it from Kara, throwing it in the washing machine and leaves it for John to find. Yes. I had in my notes. Now, this does kind of feel like Michael's sense of humor. Yes. But before John can even grasp his discovery.

He turns around to come face to face with the shape, his white mask lit lowly by the light reflecting off the stagnant water on the floor. He wrenches a knife through John's gut, lifting him off of his feet and carrying him over to the breaker, impaling him through it, with John's body surging with electricity. Blood pours from his fresh wound and white foam dribbles from his mouth as lights flash through the basement windows and out onto the suburban street.

Sparks then burst from the breaker, John choking and gasping for air, as in quite a shocking crescendo, his head explodes, blasting blood, bone, and brain throughout the basement. Okay. So this is when I'm like, okay, I don't know what, I don't know what we're doing anymore. What's the tone here? What is the tone? It reminds me though, in that featurette with the FX guys.

One of them said that he had a meeting with the Weinsteins and that it felt like they were all on the same page. They wanted it big. They wanted it over the top. They wanted blood, gore, like everything turned up to 11.

And so he said he left that meeting like, OK, everyone is on the same page. I'm excited. I know exactly what we're doing. They get in the elevator to go back down to the lobby from this meeting. And the producer he's riding the elevator with turns him and says, we're not doing any of that shit.

So they filmed it. And then when they did the reshoots, they came back and had them do a bunch of crazy shit. And this was one of the things that they cited. They were like just wild, over the top, insane. Exploding. Yeah. And it is over the top. It is. And we already had the one pickup stab against the wall kill here at the beginning. Right. We don't need another one. No.

In the producer's cut, he's just electrocuted and that's it. Okay. But again, like we're saying, and it's the same thing. In the producer's cut, Jamie gets stabbed in the stomach with a knife and you barely even see it. In the theatrical, the fucking Thresher, Michael turns it on and scrambles her guts. It's like, holy shit.

Yeah, and he's standing in the fucking water. Like, so he's fine. I guess. Yeah, he's good. Well, he's got the thorn or whatever. He's got the thorn. But back at the Harvest Fair. Sims takes his seat on a golden throne, with Tim and Beth on either side of him. Speaking into a microphone, Sims asks how it feels to finally pull Halloween out of the proverbial Haddonfield closet.

Beth replies that all they're saying here is that they'll no longer let the powers that be control their minds. And I will say in the producer's cut, the way that it goes, that a line like that is very important. Right. But she says that for years, Halloween has represented everything wrong with Haddonfield. But Michael Myers is long gone and there is no boogeyman. Sims.

A cigarette burning in his fingers seems impressed, but he turns his attention to Tim, asking if Beth is this wild in the sack, suggesting that she probably wears crotchless panties and barks like a dog. Terrible line reading. Yeah. I did not like that at all. No. No. But I'd be like, okay, this guy's not going to help us with anything. No. Like, we were misguided.

Tim does not respond, and he stays quiet even when Sims makes an offer to Beth for a little rendezvous of their own. Beth promptly changing the subject and refocusing back to the whole point of this event. to stop acting out of fear. So how much trouble would you get in punching that dude in the face when he looked away?

The show's over. He's got it coming. I don't care who you're sitting here in boxers and then you're talking to my old lady like, hey, what about? No, dude, I'm sorry. He looks away. He's like, I got a shirt about you. It's sad, it's sad about you. Beth uses Tim's family as an example, revealing to the crowd and to Sims that they live in the Myers house.

This seems to be news to Tim as well, who sputters a bit, not really knowing how to react. Sims is astounded that Tim and his family live in the house of the most brutal mass murderer in history. But he calls an audible, cutting to commercial and telling his listeners that when the Barry Sims show returns, the show's actually called Backtalk, but okay. He says.

That when the show returns, they'll be broadcasting live from the Myers house. The crowd cheers wildly and Sims immediately turns to Tim, asking him how far his house is from here. It's only about a half a mile, but Tim isn't sure that his parents would approve. I think they'll be fine. They won't have a lot to say on the map. They'll never know. His dad is going to blow his top.

Sims ignores the second half of Tim's answer, lighting up a smoke and telling him that he'll meet them there in five minutes. Beth is more concerned about the children, though, reminding both Sims and Tim that they were supposed to hand out candy. I'm like, there's kids here? And he's like, I bet she wears crotchless panties and barks like a dog. It's like, get him out of here. And why would you have this dude here if that's what we're trying to do? You know what he's about. Yeah.

You have a shirt about him. But Sims just tells her to relax and that they'll be right back after a quick tour of the house. He tells his handlers to pull the van out back so he can sneak out of the event quietly, and after Tim and Beth exchange some worried glances, we find Sims alone, in the fog of the back parking lot, talking on the phone.

Sims curses Paul, his agent, for putting him in the middle of what he calls a cheap shit country bumpkin outfit. And as the thunder clatters and lightning flashes around him, he adds that his fans expect better than this. He tells his agent to tell that penny-pinching whiner, Mike Sarducci, his producer, I guess, I don't know, he's never clear. But he says when he gets back, he's going to personally cut his balls off and wear them as earrings.

Sims gets all turned around until he finally locates his van and climbs inside, alerting his agent that he's going to take this show to the Myers house, where he says is where they should have done it in the first place. I will say this is a fuck you from the screenwriter to the producer because the producer's name, Paul Freeman, and the agent's name is Paul.

Ferens said that it would be meaningful to the fans of the franchise if they returned to the actual Myers house in Pasadena. And Paul Freeman said no. And he put his foot down on it. Wow. And so that is a fuck you to him in the movie. Wow. I do like that. But Sims boasts that after 10 minutes in that house, he'll have every medium in the country trying to channel the spirit of, well, he calls Michael Myers a pussy. Yeah, he did.

But he suggests that they can do another show about him, boasting that if you kick the audience in the face enough, they'll lick you all over. That ought to hold a little episode, please. He slams his cell phone shut, and in an instant, he's seized from behind by Michael Myers, the killer raising his knife to bring it down into Sims' stomach, the blade squelching within his guts as he slips into death.

You probably heard what he said on the phone. Yeah. I will say I don't... This is what we're talking about as far as following the family and looking and killing or whatever. Right, right. Why is Michael here? It's that. You've got no reason to be over here. No, no. You don't know this dude. He's just here being raunchy and fucking helping whatever event that they thought he was going to come and help.

And yeah, he's talking shit, but you don't, he's just everybody else. And what do you care? Yeah. Also, where did we just see him? I guess five minutes drive away. And then he's here. Yeah. And then we'll catch up with him again. So he's just schlepping back. But Tim and Beth return to the Myers house, entering the foyer with Tim confused that all the lights are out.

Closing the door behind her, Beth wonders if Sims is really going to show up here soon. Tim hopes not, and he apologizes for Sims turning out to be such an asshole. Beth shrugs it off as Tim calls out to his mother and sister, wondering where they could be. Beth assumes that they're at the Harvest Fair, noting that that's where they should be too. But Tim changes the subject.

wondering if what she said was true about Michael Myers living in their house. Beth smiles, closing the gap between them as she grabs Tim's hand and guides him up the stairs. She declares that it was a cold Halloween night, and Michael stood in the shadows watching through the window as his sister and her boyfriend made love. Then he crept inside, picked up a butcher knife,

And when she turned around, he stabbed her. As they reached the landing, lightning flashes through the thin lace curtains of the upstairs window, illuminating Beth's silhouette. And I like this shot too. Yeah. But Tim has had enough, revealing that he really didn't know that Michael Myers lived in his house and that it freaks him out. But Beth approaches him apologizing and insisting that she was just fooling around.

They kiss each other sweetly, Tim accepting her apology and suggesting that they grab some candles. Yeah, now is the perfect time. Yeah. This fucking pervert's gonna be here in five minutes. They think. Yeah. Well, we learn anything in this house. People don't last long. Why did he say it's getting late? It's getting late. I gotta go.

But back at the Harvest Fair, Tommy stands beneath a tree, watching the gathered protesters encircling each other with their picket signs. But his observation is interrupted when he hears a child speaking to her mother from behind a tree. She intones, Mommy, it's raining. It's raining red. Tommy creeps around the tree concerned, watching as the little girl, played by Raquel Anderson,

spins around in her ballerina costume, a crimson rain embruing the frilly white fabric of her costume. The little girl turns to face Tommy, adding, It's warm. Tommy holds out his hand, and small red droplets paint the back of it from above, and when Tommy slowly lifts his eyes upward, He discovers the butchered body of Barry Sims, wrapped in string lights and secured to the high branches of the tree. Where were you? Yeah.

But Tommy stands frozen in disbelief. Soon, though, he's greeted by Dr. Loomis, who Tommy asked to meet him here at 9 p.m. Loomis stares in horror at the sight before them, and the camera presses in on them as Tommy somberly laments, Dr. Loomis, it's happening. But Loomis just demands to know where Jamie's baby is. I had a few thoughts here. Well, first of all, they said that that up in the tree was a full body cast. Oh, and it did look good. Yeah.

I don't know how the fuck Michael got it up there with nobody noticing that we're at a fair, but, or whatever the fuck this is, a gathering. I don't know. Um, but to me, This might be the most kind of unnerving and disturbing thing in this movie is that little girl being like, it's raining red and you know what it is. Yeah. Like, um, that's.

probably the best scare for me because it's like always up in the tree yeah okay whatever i think that's why it didn't work for me yeah because you know even though you're a kid you're not just gonna be like oh my god it's red rain you're gonna look up he was full-ass visible no he was and i mean and then the the she said it a few times mommy it's

For nobody to come, it's like, dude. Tommy's like, what's going on over there? Somebody said it's raining red. Why is no one paying attention to their children? She's flirting with somebody. Shut up. Be quiet. But we return to the Myers house. We're surrounded by the glow of candlelight. Tim and Beth are making it sweeter than Halloween candy.

Beth moans that Kara would kill them if she knew that they did it in her bed, and she admits that she is bad, isn't she? Why are we doing that? Don't do that! That is his house. Yeah, I don't understand. It's not like he doesn't live here. Tim jokes that she's only bad when she wears crotchless panties and barks like a dog. That's kind of funny. Yeah.

The couple laughs, kissing each other sweetly before Tim departs from his dearest to go take a shower. As he exits the room, Beth sits up topless, warning him, watch out for the boogeyman. So speaking of topless, Mariah O'Brien, I think that she had auditioned for Kara first. Oh. And then they said that they really wanted her for Beth. Mm hmm.

So she auditions. She gets the part. Then she finds out that she is supposed to be topless in it. Oh. And she said that that's not something that she was comfortable with. And she was surprised that they hadn't told her that before. Yeah. And so she was really reluctant. She didn't want to do it. And so they were like, well, it's part of it. Like.

If you're doing this, then you have to. So she was kind of torn because she's like, if it's David Lynch asking me, I would do a nude scene. She's like, but for Halloween six, I don't know that I want to do that. Yeah. So finally she was like. Like, OK, if I can do it on my own terms. And so her terms were the length of time that she's shown, the angle that she's shown from. So she got to dictate that. But I was like, that's.

wild that they didn't tell her that yeah i had a time that yeah i'd want to know yes as cara paces in tommy's rented room and danny distracts himself with a coloring book Tim takes a hot shower across the street, soaking his hair in the steam-filled bathroom. Kara gazes over at the Myers house from Tommy's window, where inside, Tim shuts off the water, immediately calling out to Beth, asking her to bring him a towel because he's freezing. A hand reaches from around the curtain.

With a towel. And Tim takes it, revealing not only the massive hand beneath it, but the thorn tattoo on the wrist of this very helpful person. I don't understand why he closes his eyes and then takes it. He was fine. Yeah. There wasn't soap or water. And see, right here is where I was like, so you guys don't care that this dude's coming. No.

And cause he just hasn't shown up. You guys did what you were doing. You took a shower and they lit so many candles. Yeah. You're just hanging out. They set up for this. Yeah. It is very funny because Barry Sims is just, he's on break. Yeah. And he was supposed to come right back. Five minutes, he said. But Tim just dries his face, telling Beth that he'll be back in the bedroom in just a minute.

After a moment, he climbs out of the shower, wiping the fog from the mirror, and discovers that standing right behind him is the shape. Tim is promptly seized by the hair, Michael lifting his knife to drag across Tim's throat, slicing it with the sharp blade. He holds Tim as he struggles, gasps, and bleeds, his life slipping away as Michael drags him away from the mirror and into the shadows.

The Halloween theme plays lowly as we return to Tommy's place, where Danny attempts to get his mother's attention, but she's far too preoccupied dialing a phone number into Tommy's telephone. But as the phone rings... The man in black's voice echoes in Danny's mind, calling his name. Beth picks up the phone in the bedroom across the street, and Kara, sadly, asks if it's her mother when she hears a voice on the other end.

Once she learns that it's Beth, Kara nervously makes her way over to Tommy's window, peering at the house through the camera that he has set up on a tripod. Kara implores Beth to get Tim and get out of the house, but Beth just responds in confusion, and before Kara can offer any further explanation, the shape appears behind Beth.

Kara shouts urgently for Beth to turn around, that there's someone behind her. But Beth doesn't even have the time to turn around, as Michael drives the blade of his knife into her spine. He stabs her repeatedly, and each time he makes contact with her, we get bright blue flashes of Jamie in her hospital gurney for some reason. Strange fucking choices. Yeah. It's like a music video almost. Yeah. It's odd. But I'm like, this is just like muscle memory for him. He's done this exact thing before.

Right here. Really? And that is something, I guess that's why they did it in Kara's bed. I know, but it's like, that's the only reason. Like, it's only for this moment to happen because why would you do that? Right. Kara watches in horror as Beth is brutally murdered, but when she adjusts the camera to peer through it again, it's angled downward to the entrance of the Myers house, where she sees Danny approaching the porch as if...

in a deep trance. Kara turns around to discover that not only has her son disappeared from the room, but Steven is nowhere to be seen either. I laughed when she turned around. She's like, that's got to be another kid dressed like my kid. I just told him. How does he keep getting away from her? I don't know.

Kara rushes across the street, calling out to her son as she follows him through the front door. She stands in shock at the foyer, watching as Danny ascends the staircase up to the second floor where she just saw Michael Myers savagely... slay her brother's girlfriend. Despite knowing that her son is literally inches away from encountering a serial killer, Kara takes her sweet-ass time gathering a fire poker from the living room and creeping her way very slowly up the staircase.

She rounds the corner onto the second floor, entering the dark and narrow corridor towards the bedrooms. With shivering breaths she enters her own room, guided by glowing candlelight, where she discovers Beth resting under the blankets of her bed with her eyes closed. Kara creeps closer as tears fill her eyes, the score growing monstrous as she reaches her trembling hand for the comforter. And when she finally grasps it, she removes it to reveal not only the brutally butchered Beth, but also...

the blood-covered body of her brother, who stares lifelessly to the ceiling. Kara whimpers, throwing the blanket back over the corpses of the couple as the score pounds wildly. but when she turns her head, she discovers Danny seated on the edge of his bed in the dark. She rushes over to him, attempting to snap him out of his stupor, and after a moment, Danny finally returns to himself.

But the moment he does, the shape suddenly appears in the doorway to Kara's room across the hall. She rushes her son down the stairs as she raises her fire poker towards Michael to keep him at bay.

And as the lightning flashes, Kara closes the door to create some distance between them. But as she creeps towards the hall, something suddenly swings down from the attic. And there, hanging upside down, is the body of Deborah, her face a pale blue and streaked with blood, her shattered glasses slipping from her eyes, which stare solemnly into eternity. Michael, that was mean. Very mean. And you're just doing your greatest hits now, man. Yeah.

Kara screams as Michael tears the door open behind her, prompting her to race down the stairs as he retrieves the axe that he left embedded in her mother's corpse. As he makes his way down the steps, Kara sneak attacks him from a hiding place on the landing, striking him in the back of the head with a fire poker and sending him tumbling down the staircase in a heap. But outside, Tommy arrives with Loomis in Tommy's bright red Jeep that I didn't know he had. Literally though.

They rush toward the boarding house, while inside the Myers house, Kara slowly makes her way down the stairs, sidestepping Michael's motionless body at the bottom of the steps and passing the large suitcase that she doesn't know was packed by her mother. But Danny steps out of the shadows and into the adjacent doorway, peering down at Michael's body, which rests right in front of him. Kara turns to face her son, whispering for him to stay right where he is and that she'll come get him.

Kara cautiously makes her way over to Danny until she's standing right over Michael. She lifts her son up and over, setting him down right next to the front door. But before they can make their exit... Michael returns to life, cinching his fingers sharply around Kara's ankle, causing her to crash to the floor in fright and agony.

This was so frustrating. Yeah. Why are we not burying that poker in his skull? I know. Why? Like, I mean, I just, I don't know. This kind of stuff pisses me off. It's infuriating. And it is funny. Michael's just playing dead. He's like, they're not going to. They never do.

She grips the fire poker, bringing it down forcefully into Michael's arm. And all it takes is one bash for him to recoil and let her go. Dots. Dots. I don't even... i don't want to use too mean of a word but that's really ridiculous like i want to say dumb but it's because he's like oh yeah it's one hit and then he's like ah really i said well that was easy yeah i think

dumb I think we can go okay it's pretty dumb it's pretty dumb as he rises up Kara collects Danny and rushes him onto the front porch where the pair run as fast as they can across the street to the boarding house Upstairs, Tommy stands with Loomis in his room, and he discovers that Steven is missing.

But they're interrupted by the pounding knocks of Kara and Danny at the front door, suspense rising around them as Michael pursues them through the empty evening street, lightning flashing around him as he marches closer and closer. Clear homage to Lori in the original. Yeah. But at the last minute, the door finally opens, Tommy and Loomis letting them inside, with Loomis ordering Tommy to get them upstairs now.

Kara asks where the baby is, and Tommy tells her that he's missing. He demands to know who else knew about Steven that could have taken him. Loomis insists that no one else knew, that it was just him. Him and... But suddenly, the air grows heavy and a deep voice beckons from the other room. Danny, come to me. A foul wind blows out a candle in the dining room, smoke rising from its snuffed-out flame as Kara, Tommy, and Loomis make their way into the den to find Danny sitting on the lap.

Of the man in black. Danny said, you got a boss. Yeah. He's just down. Yeah. As he lifts his gaze, under the brim of his dark hat, we see the stern eyes of Dr. Terrence Wynn. The group is suddenly surrounded by druids as Loomis seethes. Win. So he did give him lessons, I guess. I guess. That's the full circle. I will say I did hear from Farrens. Originally, there was also supposed to be a character that was a red herring. It was going to be the mayor of Haddonfield.

Look, guys. Sorry, I'm smiling because that already sounds funny. Well, but he was the one that spearheaded the whole we'll ban Halloween thing. Okay. But he made a point to mention that the mayor always wore white. And I guess that was supposed to be maybe the clue that he wasn't the man in black. Okay. But it was also a nod to Jaws, the whole banning of the thing. But it's not. Just leave it to Dr. Wynn. But Kara is able to break away somehow.

Escaping upstairs to Tommy's room where she finds Mrs. Blankenship cradling Stephen in her arms. Kara urges Blankenship to hurry, that they need to get out of here. But Blankenship rises to her feet. An ornate dagger clenched in her fist as she greets Kara. Hello, dear. I can't tell. I think she has a thorn tattoo. I couldn't tell. Not Miss Blankenship. That weird-ass story she told wasn't enough? So was it like...

Mike, she's babysitting Michael. And then she like whispers all the like culty stuff in his ear. And then he goes like, was she a part of that? Did she give him that tattoo? Yeah. Across the street. Kara screams just as the druids catch up with her. But when they burst through the door, seeing no other option. Kara crashes through the glass of Tommy's second floor window, diving in slow motion down to the front lawn, the camera finding her in an aerial shot.

face down in a bed of leaves, and we fade to black. All right. I will say... Farron said on commentary that that was not supposed to be a fucking swan dive. Yeah. That happens. He said that what happened was that the stunt woman who did the dive for the actress wanted something to add to her reel.

And so she took it upon herself to make it kind of extravagant. And that's the version that ends up in the film. Okay. And I know that her on the lawn is supposed to be an homage to Michael falling from the balcony, even though they're facing different ways. So it's like, all right, but it's also like it's really funny because you knock yourself out. Yes. Well, the cuts kind of make it feel like an indie game.

It's just kind of like it happens and it's like, oh, what? Yeah, and that's just it. But sometime later, Tommy stands with Loomis outside on the front lawn of the boarding house with Kara nowhere in sight. Tommy wonders where she could be, lamenting that he feels like he's been drugged. And Loomis goes, we have been drugged. Yeah, what the fuck? This is where if any piece of it was still on the rails, goodbye. Goodbye. But Tommy doesn't understand why the cult didn't just kill them.

But Loomis understands it's his game. And Loomis knows where Wynn wants to play it. This moment is where the producer's cut and the theatrical cut. are completely different. Oh, okay. So from this moment on, we're going to talk about the theatrical and I'll tell you everything that happens and then I'll tell you exactly how it's different in the producer's cut. Okay. Okay.

But in the theatrical cut, Kara awakens in a daze on a small mattress within the pale white walls of a cell at Smith's Grove Sanitarium. It feels like a missing reel. Yeah. She climbs out of bed, rushing for the door to her room, turning the knob to no avail, but freezes in fright when a woman screams echo through the halls just beyond the door.

She's also wearing a long white gown, which makes no sense in the theatrical cut, but does in the producers. I was confused by that. Yeah. But outside the building. Tommy and Loomis arrive in Tommy's jeep, driving through the front gate and entering through the employee's entrance at the opposite side of the building. The pair press on through the pallid, sterile halls of the sanitarium, Loomis drawing his gun as they venture on.

Tommy reminds him that a gun can't stop Michael, which Loomis knows nothing can stop Michael. But when, however, and with the use of his cane... Loomis continues down the hall, urging Tommy to stay here and to not go anywhere until he comes back. But once Tommy hears the screams that startled Kara echoing through the hall, He disobeys immediately and marches toward the source of the sound. Loomis, however, finds his way to Wynn's office, discovering the doctor sitting behind his desk in a suit.

casually reading a book. Wynn greets Loomis warmly. Oh, Sam, I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it. Loomis aims his gun forward at Wynn, wondering, Why now? Wynn explains that it's because Loomis was the first one to see it. He recognized its power. Loomis assumes him to mean Michael, but Wynn corrects him. Evil. pure, uncorrupted, ancient. Loomis curses Wynn as a madman, and though Wynn admits his failures in the past, he insists that this baby...

Jamie's baby, will bring them to the dawn of a new age. And he urges Loomis to join him. But Loomis laments that all these years, he thought Michael was a monster. But it was when... Before he can continue, however, Dr. Bonham appears, knocking Loomis out cold from behind. The good doctor clatters to the floor, and Bonham alerts Wynn that they're ready for him now.

Wynn accepts this and suggests that they give Loomis a little time to think about it. Are you serious? Dead serious. And this scene is... Radioactive man in Fallout Boy. Yes. And I can explain why later. But Tommy has crept his way to the maximum security ward, letting himself inside with ease. He snarks. Maximum security.

as he creeps his way through the golden light of the ward. At least he said what I was thinking. He slides open the iron bars to venture deeper, and he finally reaches the darkness of an opened cell. And when he sees a shadow dart into the darkness, he assumes it to be Kara and calls out to her. But out of the shadows lurches a patient, played by Elise Donaldson, whose shrieks frighten Tommy and send him stumbling back and onto the floor.

Through her blackened teeth, she whispers, He walks amongst us, brother. He's come back, and he's very angry. The woman reaches her hand to a bloody, weeping wound at her stomach as she asks, How does it feel to be damned? The woman sinks to her knees and falls over dead, leaving a disturbed Tommy to mutter. Oh, shit. I laughed out loud. That is not an appropriate reaction for what you just fucking saw. Oh, shit. That's wild. Well, he's chill. Yeah.

Kara somehow hears this recognizing his voice and calls out to him from her cell Tommy hears her climbing to his feet and discovering that she's locked in room 237 just a little further down the hall. Reference to The Shining. Yeah, take a shot. He snags a fire extinguisher from the wall, ordering Kara to get back as he bashes the doorknob with it. But out of the shadows of the cell of the murdered woman steps the shape. He turns his head, setting his sights on Tommy Doyle.

the music pulsing tensely as he marches toward him and room 237. Disbelief washes over Tommy, and his mouth grows wide in a grin, which puzzled me very much. I was like, is this a joke? This is so... It's like a fever dream. This is all a part of reshoots.

Okay. From the moment that Kara wakes up in the cell through to now. And so that's why I was like, I think Paul Rudd might have been pissed that everything that he wanted this film to be, it was not turning out to be. And so he's just like, fuck it. I'm just going to have fun. That reaction, there's no way the director's like, perfect. No! But as Michael approaches him, Tommy continues his bashing of the doorknob, finally able to break through and whisk Kara to safety at the last minute.

Michael reaches for her, but they race for the iron bars at the other end of the hall, slamming them shut as soon as they make it through. But Michael reaches through the bars, grabbing Kara by her hair. She screams wildly. And the screams are very funny. Yes, they are. But Tommy dips into a guard station, and on the wall next to several restraints, he discovers a firearm.

He seizes it, rushing back to Kara and pointing the weapon through the bars into Michael's chest. He fires, and the blast sends Michael leaping backward, crash landing onto his spine. His hand twitches as Kara and Tommy run away. The pair walk through a corridor together, steam blasting at them from pipes overhead as they wrench a gate open and enter the bowels of the sanitarium.

Did this remind anybody of Nightmare on Elm Street? Yes, absolutely. Bathed in red light, they venture onward through a hallway lined with long stretching pipes that extend end to end. So... I think that this might be my least favorite giallo I have ever seen. I'm gonna throw up. Continue. Yes. Well, the guitar is going too hard in this. It is. In this little, like, last five, ten minutes we got going on here. It's comedic. Very.

But they eventually and abruptly reach a very normal hallway, peeking around the corner to find the staff gathered around one of the druids, and the group is eventually joined by Wynne and Bonham. Wynne jovially alerting the druid that he can... take off his robe now halloween is over what it's like what the fuck is this is it a cult or not yeah you were smearing blood on a baby's belly by candlelight yeah in this film And then you're just like, ah, it's all bullshit. It's that.

Because if we're in this cult, we're dressing for the part. If now you're like, oh, you believed all that shit I said, take that stupid shit off. What the hell did I do for you then? Yeah. And this is, again, this is the test audience. They're like, the supernatural stuff is stupid.

And so they went back and they're like, none of it is real. We didn't do it. It's not supernatural. And so they did that for this. And now we're heading into an operating room for what surgery? I don't know. Thank you. I don't know. But they're all laughter as they lead Wynn and Bonham into an adjacent operating room. And once the hall is vacated, Tommy and Kara make a dash for the washroom across from the OR.

peeking in at the hospital staff, and Wynn, who now dons red surgical scrubs. In the room between the washroom and the OR, Tommy and Kara discover Steven resting in a bassinet, but just across from him, sitting despondent in the corner of the room, is Danny. When Kara almost blows their cover,

Tommy subdues her against the sink, forcing his hand over her mouth until she calms down. But suddenly, the door to the washroom swings open with a creak, and the shadow of the shape is cast against the wall. He breathes heavily as he enters the room, paying no mind to Tommy and Kara as he passes them by and heads into the hallway. And yeah, he is noticeably slimmer. Yeah. He is now played by A. Michael Lerner, as we talked about earlier. I think you said the son of the stuntman. Right.

But in their haste to retreat, they knock something over, which clatters noisily to the floor, prompting Michael to turn back, only to face a now empty washroom. The camera follows Michael through the windows of the room that connects the OR and the washroom, panning over to find Kara and Tommy waiting nervously against the wall for Michael to pass by in the hallway.

But as he continues onward, Michael stops at an instrument tray outside of the OR where he finds, for some reason, a large surgical blade the size of a machete. Yeah, I have no idea why that's there. That's for John Kramer's brain surgery. Okay, okay. Keep up. We didn't cherish our life enough. Not one of us.

Tommy crosses to the other side of the room closer to Steven and Danny to peek into the window of the operating room. But just as soon as he does, an uncredited staff member crashes against the glass, blood spewing from her mouth. Glass shatters and lights flash in a frenzy as Michael carves his way through the doctors and nurses, mayhem ensuing as the newfound blade pierces every person he crosses under the strobing bulbs.

Tommy looks on in terror, but snaps back to himself, seizing Steven and urging Kara to grab Danny and run. The group rushes into the hall as an uncredited doctor bursts through the door from the operating room and tumbles to the floor with Michael in pursuit. Before you go any further, when I said that they brought George P. Wilbur back... to be murdered by michael he was one of the medical staff oh fair enough yeah

Kara and Danny take off running, with Tommy following close behind with Steven in his arms as they reach the long corridor with the pipes lining the walls. They race through red light to reach a gate at the other end. Tommy closing it behind them as soon as they're safe on the other side. But Michael continues chasing the uncredited doctor, catching up with him as he reaches the locked gate, begging Tommy and Kara for help. But Michael ceases him by his hair.

bashing his face bloody against the bars, squashing his skull against the iron to break through the gate. Real quick before we move on. I did notice when they're running through here, Mike is behind them chasing that doctor. It's for like a second or two, but if you look, he's in a jog.

Like he's running behind that doctor. You're not allowed to do that. This isn't Mike. No. I don't know if it's Douglas or Frederick Myers. But he even, Mike would not have to walk by and miss two people crouching in the corner.

corner then turn around and go back and be like did i just see that shit yeah like it feels very weird no i even put uh it looks like michael's picking up the pace a little bit say we got to finish this we only have one day to film in this hospital But our group continues onward racing through the maximum security ward, seemingly creating distance with Michael who was literally just following their previous path.

But the shape just opens a door next to them, having taken a shortcut and heading them off at the pass. Tommy shouts, fuck! Yeah. Very funny. Yeah. But they race past Michael, the four of them finding a door at the end of the hall and slamming it shut behind them. As they back away from the door and into the blue darkness, they realize that they've entered a secret laboratory, a ghastly green light pouring in through glass cases that line the walls.

But as soon as the group cowers together at the center of the lab, and Kara holds her son close to her, she glances over at the cases, discovering the silhouettes of small fetuses occupying each of them. each labeled with runes, genetic sequences, and double helixes. So I guess this is what Wynn was saying about he's failed before and he's tried his experiments or whatever. It's... Yeah. I'm sorry. But Michael punches a hole through the door, tearing the knob and lock free from it.

He lets himself inside as Tommy eyes a row of syringes resting on the surface of a table in the lab, and he rushes Kara, Danny, and Steven into hiding behind large drums of hazardous material. Michael breathes heavily as he ventures forward in search of them. And as Kara cowers near to him, clutching a large metal pipe in her trembling hands, at the opposite end of the room and next to an incubator, stands... Tommy. He calls out, Mike, you've won. Michael tilts his head as Tommy scoffs a laugh.

holding something wrapped in a blanket in his arms. He creeps his way closer to Michael, his breaths rasping heavy behind his mask, as a laugh bursts from Tommy, who declares, He's yours. I know he's not falling for that. He hands the blanket over to Michael, who reaches his scarred hands for it. But before he can grasp it... Stephen coos loudly from the hiding place. This alerts Michael to Tommy's ruse.

But before he can react, Tommy drives several syringes filled with bright green liquid into Michael's shoulder, jamming all of the plungers down and injecting Michael with the acidic-looking liquid. We do not know what it is and we do not find out. Right. Undeterred, Michael reaches for Tommy's throat, lifting him off of his feet and hurling him against the wall.

He then tears the syringes from his shoulder, shaking off whatever minor effect they had on him, before marching forward to make short work of Tommy Doyle. But before he can, Kara rushes Danny and Steven to another hiding place, making her presence known to Michael as she swings the lead pipe at him, clocking him across the face, her brute force beating him backwards toward the center of the lab.

But Michael suddenly grabs Kara, forcing her to her knees before chokeslamming her onto a nearby table, squeezing the life out of her as she reaches for the bottom of his mask. Danny cries from his hiding place, screaming for Michael to leave his mother alone. Michael turns to face the child, unhanding Kara who tumbles off of the table and onto the floor, and he creeps over to Danny. who holds Steven close to him. She's got a strong ass neck to withstand a Michael Myers strangling. Yeah.

Large drums of chemicals block Michael's path to Danny, who cowers against a window screaming for his mother's help. And out of nowhere, Tommy returns, jamming a syringe into Michael's spine. injecting him with more of this nondescript liquid before just beating the shit out of him with a lead pipe. Evil dies tonight. As Tommy bashes Michael to the ground, Kara, Danny, and Steven rush outside into the hall where they meet up with Loomis, who steps off of an elevator.

He fires his gun at a keypad to open a security gate for Kara and company to pass through. As he orders them into the elevator, we return to the laboratory. where Tommy is still beating the shit out of Michael, flashing a sick smile as the shape lies motionless on the ground. Tommy turns to walk away, but thinks better of it. And in a frenzy of frenetic shots, Tommy batters Michael with the pipe, green goo oozing from his eyes and marring his once white mask. What the fuck is that? I don't know.

That's what's in all of us, dude. That's evil. Tommy drops the pipe to the ground, a satisfied smirk resting on his face as he exits the laboratory, and we fade to black. But outside of Smith's Grove Sanitarium, the group gathers in the jeep. all except Loomis, who stands outside by the passenger side window. Tommy leans forward to peer over Kara at the good doctor, imploring him to come with them, but Loomis refuses.

telling him that he has a little business to attend to here. Tommy understands, and the men smile warmly at each other as he shifts gears, driving away from the sanitarium. his headlights beaming at us as he passes through the gate. The camera lingers for a moment on Loomis as serene strings sound in the score, a stern look of resolve finding him.

But we dip down through the darkness of the laboratory, past the green cases and swinging chains, to find resting on the floor is Michael's mask. And... the empty syringe that was once embedded in his back. Loomis' screams echo through the halls of Smith's Grove, the music pulsing forcefully as we're suddenly taken to the porch of the Myers' house.

pressing in on a sinisterly carved jack-o'-lantern, the flickering flame of the candle burning inside of its mouth, blown out by a gust of wind. We cut to black, and the credits roll. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that this theatrical ending of the film was thought of very quickly. Yeah, you're right. That's not a surprise. And something that was really disappointing to Ferens, of course, he didn't write this. Like, this was not his idea. Right.

And he had said that he was there when they filmed the very end. And what it was supposed to be was Michael was hoisted by these chains in this laboratory and he was left there. But they didn't have time. to hoist the person in the Michael Myers costume in the chains.

Because if they did, they would have to pay the crew overtime. Oh, God, we can't do that. And so they were like, you know what we can do? We can just throw his mask on the floor and have a syringe there. And people will get it. They'll understand. Why did he take his mask off? No idea. Okay. Ferens is like, you can't end a movie that way. And they're like, well, we're going to end the movie that way. And they did. And that's the theatrical ending of the film. Okay. Okay.

But that brings us to the ending of the producer's cut. So imagine Kara has just swan dove out of the window and she is on the lawn, knocked out. She then wakes up. tied to the altar in that white gown surrounded by candles. Okay. Cult members, Dr. Wynn, a.k.a. the man in black, and Danny and Steven. Yeah. Next to her. Loomis and Tommy arrive at Smith's Grove. They discuss the thorn rune and the power of runes and also the fact that there are runes of protection.

And light. Yeah. And Tommy has some with him. And earlier in the film, we see him with them. But that's cut out of the theatrical. OK. I'm like, he just has runes now. By the way, I have these runes. Don't worry. But they concoct a plan to capture the evil inside of Michael into these runes of protection. And so they separate in the hallway like they do. Loomis goes to talk to Wynn in his office.

And he's wearing his druid robe. Yeah. He isn't just this casual dude in a suit. Yeah. And he is way more fucking evil. And he is way more emphatic about this cult of Thorn. And he tells Loomis that it's his destiny to join them. The conversation had in the office lines up with Loomis's lines much better because tragically.

Donald Pleasance filmed this scene and then he passed away. And then when they came back for reshoots, they had to match up with what Donald Pleasance had already performed. Yeah. Even though they're changing the story completely. And so when he gets knocked out, that's a stand-in. But in the producer's cut, Tommy wanders off and he follows a druid to the ritual that is led by Wynne.

The ritual is supposed to be Michael kills the baby and ends his bloodline, which frees him from the curse of Thorn. Danny will then kill his mother and... accept the curse of thorn so he's the new he would be the new shape the problem with this is why did we have a baby when we're trying to end the bloodline yeah Why doesn't he just kill Jamie and that's the end of it? The baby doesn't fucking work. No. Let's leave. Let's just scrap it. It does not need to be here at all. No. And it is.

Full circle because Michael was apparently chosen as a child as well. And so Danny will do the same. Right. But the thing is, is that this whole time with these druids and this ritual going on, Michael is standing there in full costume. Yeah. Yeah. With his coveralls and white mask, doing nothing but standing there. That's painful. But...

The group is rescued by Tommy, who steals a robe and sneaks his way in through the cult members. They all get rushed out, and they're pursued by Michael Myers, who is still under the control of Wynn. They reach that gate where Loomis comes off of the elevator, but the gate is locked. That's why he shoots the keypad. Oh, okay. So they can get through. But Michael catches up.

And he tells everyone else to go and he pulls out his runes and he makes a circle for Michael to walk in through. He cuts his hand and he smears it across the floor and he says, Samhain. And Michael stops in his tracks. When he does this, he leaves and he rejoins the group. We get this scene where they say goodbye to Loomis and Loomis is like, I have more to tend to.

While that's happening, Wynn walks up to Michael, who's just frozen, and he's like, what did they do to you? What's going on, dude? And then we have that scene with Loomis in the group. Loomis comes back and he finds Michael laying down in the circle of runes. He takes off his mask and it's Dr. Wynn. Michael has killed him and absconded with his man in black outfit. And we see Michael in silhouette escaping into the night.

And I say he killed Wynne, but Wynne is dying. I think he's knocked out. He grabs Loomis' arm and he curses him with the curse of Thorn, forcing him to become the new guardian. And the tattoo appears on Loomis's wrist and that's why he's screaming in the end. Yeah, I was like, are we supposed to think that Michael killed him?

I guess he's like, I'll be right back. Yeah. And Michael just kills him. I hate that. But that's why he's screaming in the theatrical, because they had the sounds of him screaming from the producer's cut. Right, right. And even the fucking subtitles didn't even... know that he was screaming because it says hysterical laughter yeah they had no idea but dr loomis is cursed with the curse of thorn and he becomes the new guardian

for Michael Myers. And so that is the payoff for him saying, I want you to come back to Smith's Grove and replace me. Right. Okay.

what what an unfair fucking ending for loomis though oh it's terrible it's terrible yeah it i will say if we have to lean into the supernatural with which which is what they force the writer to do then lean into the supernatural yeah have this stuff with the cult of thorn do it because you apparently have to yeah makes no sense to start with the cult of thorn and then by the end be like oh we're just fucking around yeah that doesn't mean anything let's go to the surgery that i

still don't know but that's that's the end of the producer's cut it does sound a little bit better i still don't really like it though no it's not it's it's a better version of a bad thing yeah it's that it's that i'll give you that okay But I have to ask the customary question. So what did you guys think of Halloween, the curse of Michael Myers? I get that. And I feel like if we had to lean into Supernatural, let's do that.

But what we got and what we reviewed is not that. No. This movie was just all over the place. I didn't enjoy. I enjoyed seeing Paul Rudd, but I didn't enjoy him being. Paul Rudd for this because it is I mean he's very funny he's very likable and here I know he's doing the best he can but it's it feels very weird it just it feels out of place

I like seeing Loomis. I wish we would have got more of him. I do understand, though, you know, how things in real life work. So, unfortunate, that does suck. But the movie just in itself was just very confusing. It was very weird. I didn't like what the...

You telling us does shed light on why this movie is bad. But it feels very... And I don't know if you were here when I had... told your sister earlier before we started recording but it feels like we had all these clips from different ideas yeah and we decided to make a movie out of it And it's like, okay, well, some things kind of go together because those might have came from the same clip sheet, but these don't. Why'd you put them in there? Oh, it'll make sense later. Don't worry about it.

And then they did, like you're saying with the ending, try to add it to make sense. it still didn't work. This was a hot mess. And I like silly and I like movies that are crazy and they just kind of are what they are. But this was... i'm gonna be honest i think this is the first terrible movie i like really can say i i don't need to watch this again ever like ever ever there's no point in it

For you. For me. For me. I'm sorry. For me. I just did not enjoy what was going on. Yeah, I didn't either. Hearing... the other cut it is a little bit better there are still aspects of it that I really really don't like and it still is really straying from why I love Halloween so much me too So it's just a little bit difficult to reconcile that. I think that there were good performances in this film. I think Paul Rudd did his best, even though it was Paul Ruddiculous. At times, I...

This one was a tough one for me, and I agree that I don't know that I will revisit it. I do want to watch the producer's cut for sure. But yikes. I was... frustrated I was confused I was a little offended at like some of the decisions that they made because it feels like you didn't make this for the people that you should have made it for yeah and whenever that happens it it does piss me off because it's like dance with who brought you you know what i mean yeah

There would not be six of these movies if it weren't for the people that love them. So let's not say fuck you. while you're sticking your hand in their pocket. You know what I mean? And again, I think this happens when you bring in people who had nothing to do with the franchise ever. And they make the final decisions. And I don't want fan service. I don't want, oh, well, nobody's going to want, you know, Loomis to die. I don't want that. I just want the vibes. I want it to feel.

like halloween movie because it's a halloween movie i don't think that's too much to ask um there were a couple of decent shots there were a couple of decent scares there were some pretty um interesting kills i think all the effects looked really good um it's just there's something very disconnected For me, this film never really hit its stride. I never felt fully invested. I never really cared about the characters that it would have.

meant something to care about you know this one is just a miss for me and I really went into it with an open mind we've covered several films that people are like oh my god that's trash that's trash and I watch it and I'm like no it wasn't I'm not saying this is trash. I'm saying it is not for me. It's not for me. And if you love it, I love that for you. I'm not going to yuck anybody's yum, but don't yum my yuck. Right. And I mean, I feel like there is a no pun intended cult following.

Right. Surrounding the Thorne trilogy. Yeah. And I respect that and I appreciate that for everybody who really loves these films. Yeah. I just feel like for me personally, the dip into the supernatural is too far. For what I like about, like exactly as you said, my idea of this franchise, it's not any of that. It is this force. It is evil incarnate.

It isn't having to do with, well, Michael never really meant to do that. He was taken. Actually, he's really a sweetheart. None of this was him. And so I just, I don't know. And even Loomis. In the theatrical version where we're apparently abandoning the cult of Thorne, he's like, it was all you, Dr. Wynn. But how, though? Yeah. If we're not even doing that anymore.

So again, it just feels like too many cooks in the kitchen. And I don't know if they went to culinary school. I just, I don't know. I want to like it. And I know that if I revisit it, it will be the producer's cut. Okay. If I do rewatch these films and I'm like, I'll throw on the Thorne trilogy, then I'm going to watch four or five and six and what the Akads wanted the film to be. Yeah. I think the closest I'll get is listening to corn, but I don't know.

And I just I cannot get over the disrespect to the character of Jamie Lloyd. Yeah. It is unbelievable. I will say Farron's his original screenplay. I don't know how much you know it got chopped up or whatever. Jamie Lloyd was supposed to survive until the end and she would sacrifice herself to the cult so everybody else could get away, including her baby. Yeah. But again, the baby should not be there. Baby should not be there.

So, I mean, no matter what version you watch, no matter what version there is, there is always a giant amount of it that just flat out, at least for me, does not work. Yeah. But I guess we can slide into ratings. The difficulty here is we are reviewing the theatrical version. Yeah. Which is the more widely seen version, which is honestly a real shame because I just I feel like.

So many creative choices. All of the editing, the weird-ass music video montages, the choices in music, the shot choices, the shots you leave out that add context. The scenes that you cut for Loomis. Yeah. To make it to where there's less Loomis in a Halloween film. In his last Halloween film. It's fucking wild. I don't think I'll ever get over that. And I think that.

It's just, it's just so strange. This is exactly, you know, a lot of people say films are made in the edit. I get it. An example. Yeah. I get that because good Lord. Fall out boy. Yeah. And that scene with Loomis and Wynn at the end, it's tragic. It's like, shouldn't this have been, you know, who gives a shit what these teenage boys think? Yeah. Make your fucking movie and go. The only thing I can give it on the positive side is the nostalgia of it simply being a Halloween film.

I like seeing Donald Pleasance playing Dr. Loomis. I like him chasing Michael Myers. I like the town of Haddonfield, even though now it's in Utah, apparently. Which is a very interesting thing, but sure. I think that I just, for the cap of the trilogy, for them to end it that way in this weird ass laboratory beatdown is just so disrespectful.

and the green ooze, and then not even caring enough to film the second ending that you had in mind because you're like, I don't want to pay my crew. Yep. That's insane. I just don't get it. I don't like it. I feel bad for a lot of the people involved because I was reading a lot about so many people just disowning it. And I get it. When you sign up for something and you say, this is what I'm putting my name on and you make that.

And then you get called back and say, Hey, we got, we got to do more that you never really agreed to, but we're going to, we're kind of ruined. Yeah. So, I mean, that's just my opinion. I know that there are people that like the theatrical version more than the producer's cut. And I will say the producer's cut does not satisfy everything that I would like. I just feel like the way that it plays out.

feels more like the film that it set out to be okay the theatrical just feels like a truncated mess to me but I will say I'm glad that I watched it that I know this film in the franchise i am a franchise completionist and so it's good to have this in my back pocket i honestly it would be fun to do a ranking of all the halloween films once we cover them yeah

But I don't know what else more I could say, folks. Out of 10 convoluted cult conspiracies, I am going to give Halloween the curse of Michael Myers. a 3.5 convoluted cult conspiracies out of 10. If it was the producer's cut, I might go to a 4.5. I might give it that extra point, but... But it's not. It's not. It is theatrical.

And with that, I will now open the floor to you. I don't want to repeat all this stuff I said earlier because I think that's... I've... grown to like michael myers because that's covering and and getting to know him a little better mike's okay he's not too bad i know he's silent he's got a lot to say but that's okay he can just listen to me but i i I do appreciate the...

earlier movies getting into this and i know i said it's terrible but that's just me because i think i wanted more out of this and i think that's why it made me feel so upset about what was going on here because if we are revisiting this and we're coming back and we're whatever there's so much you guys could have done and then like you said t this like trailer of a movie is weird i don't i i don't understand why they did that i don't like

I understand the hands and everybody wanting to put their stamp on it or no, we're going to do it this way and people are going to like it because I'm doing it. No, dude, you messed it up. That's just kind of what happened for me. But I think watching the one you're saying the producer's cut, hopefully that shines a little more light, a little better on it. And then maybe I'll feel a different way. But like you said, we're reviewing this one. And for this one...

Oh, man. I think that for me, on a scale from 1 to 10 convoluted cult conspiracies, I got to join you with the 3.5. I... I understand that the people in this movie did what their jobs and they did what they were trying to do. But with the direction and the people they had working around them and the no don't hearing that don't listen to anything. They just said we're going to do what the fuck I'm telling you to do.

get over there yeah that's crazy as fuck dude you have these people here they're working they're doing their job and then to even hear that you know fuck the fans we're we're gonna save money to whatever dude if it even you being like you know what i'll put i'll be in that suit Let me be in that suit. I don't got to pay anybody. I'll do it. So we can get this ending the right way and give people at least something to be okay about. But you didn't do that. It's like, come on, man.

It's Michael Myers. You've got the fucking icon. Just do it right. Yep. yeah no I agree with both of y'all I think that ultimately this one was just really disappointing for me and I wanted to like it more like I said I really went into it with an open mind because I feel like a lot of these films that we cover especially like sequels that people are very precious about the originals they get a really bad rap and then you watch them and you're like okay like

I get that you didn't like it, but it's not terrible. This one, I just even going into it with that mentality, I was just shocked over and over again by the decisions that were made by the editing. Like I, I, I'm not even a stickler for that unless it's like a glaring continuity error or something. But there were, I was like, how was that scene over so many times? Yeah. Okay. Missing real, missing real, like.

It really feels like you're watching something that's unfinished. And I think that maybe that's why I just never. I never felt fully bought in. I never felt fully invested. And I don't like that. It just bummed me out. Like I felt like we've got 15 minutes left and I'm kind of waiting for stuff to take off. And we're at the end. An unsatisfying ending as well. Abrupt. Yeah. I hate that this was Donald Pleasence's last experience as Dr. Loomis.

That makes me really sad. I hate the way that Danielle Harris was treated. I hate the infighting. I hate that John Carpenter had to bid for his own fucking movie back and he lost. There's so much of this. Even learning more, I'm like, this bums me the fuck out. I don't know. Every film is a miracle. It is. Right?

What do they say on Nope? What's a bad miracle? This one might have been a bad miracle to us. But we all took this plunge together and we're here to tell the tale. And so in the spirit of that. On a scale from one to ten convoluted cult conspiracies, I will join you both. Hat trick. It's been a while. And I will give Halloween, no six, The Curse of Michael Myers, 3.5 out of ten. convoluted cult conspiracies this one did not work for me and you too

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