Surprise! The knife is not yet blunt.

After the solid return to form of Dwight H. Little’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, things get far more interesting in the darker, mythos-expanding Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Critics have long dismissed it as brainless, but after watching the film’s Blu-ray debut, that label feels better suited to the theatrical cut of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.

In this fifth entry, there’s a genuine attempt to reignite the story of Michael Myers and his niece Jamie Lloyd through a psychic link and the mysterious Man in Black with his steel-tipped boots. As a kid, I saw Halloween 5 as the beginning of the end—but on revisiting it, I realize I was dead wrong. Uneven? Sure. But inspired, too. It’s a bold pivot that deserved follow-through the franchise never gave it.

Writing as both a fan of the original arc and Rob Zombie’s grittier reimagining, I find Halloween 5 delivers more than a few surprises—especially in the renewed showdown between Dr. Loomis and Myers. The film’s standout moment, a nerve-wracking laundry chute sequence, has young Danielle Harris (returning as Jamie) frantically scrambling to escape the bloody steel of Myers’ knife. It’s brilliantly staged by director Dominique Othenin-Girard, who brings a keen eye for POV and atmosphere to the carnage.

Following the shocking conclusion of Halloween 4—where Jamie, seemingly possessed, stabs her foster mother—Halloween 5 reveals that merely touching Myers’ cursed hand has bound her to him psychically. Rendered mute but able to “see” her uncle’s actions, Jamie becomes Dr. Loomis’s last hope in tracking down the killer. Pleasance’s Loomis, more unhinged than ever, is no longer content to warn the authorities—he wants Myers dead, legality be damned.

Joining Jamie again is her foster sister Rachel (Ellie Cornell) and Rachel’s friend Tina (Wendy Kaplan), who quickly learns that being the “fun one” in a Halloween movie is rarely a good omen. With the police using the old Myers house as bait, the stage is set for another round of cat and mouse, complete with the mysterious Man in Black waiting in the shadows.

Pleasance is in full scenery-chewing form here, transforming Loomis from weary doctor into obsessed hunter. He’s unhinged, theatrical, and impossible not to watch. Yet it’s Danielle Harris who grounds the chaos. Playing mute for most of the film, she conveys raw fear and emotion through her eyes alone—no small feat for a child actor. She sells every moment.

The kills, while typical in setup, feel sharper this time around—especially a standout sequence involving a muscle car that’s pure nightmare fuel. While most of the victims are cardboard cutouts, their deaths are staged with creativity and a splash more gore than Halloween 4. Othenin-Girard’s visual flair—moody, stylized, almost painterly at times—gives even the establishing shots a sinister pulse.

For all its flaws, Halloween 5 takes real risks. Othenin-Girard dares to humanize Myers—Jamie even gets him to briefly remove his mask and shed a tear before the killing resumes. It’s a strange, ambitious moment that hints at a direction the series never fully explored.

Love it or not, it’s hard to deny that Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Meyers has a pulse all its own—a slasher sequel that bleeds ambition in a genre running on fumes.

Collector's Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - October 5, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Michael Still Lives ... And He's Out For His Revenge.  Because Hell would not have him, Michael Myers survived the mine explosion thought to have killed him. One year later, his traumatized young niece Jamie (Danielle Harris, Rob Zombie's Halloween) is horrified to discover she has a telepathic bond with her evil uncle ... and that Uncle Michael is on his way back to Haddonfield. But Dr. Loomis (the legendary Donald Pleasence) has a new plan to destroy The Boogey Man in his childhood home using Jamie as bait. Tonight, the carnage begins again: Michael Myers is back with a vengeance! Ellie Cornell and Beau Starr return for this hit sequel that features grisly gore by K.N.B. EFX Group (The Walking Dead, Army Of Darkness).

VIDEO

The included (and remastered) 4K transfer certainly looks better than its previous release.  Colors are crisp and the film’s detail is loaded with meat AND gristle.  It’s amazing how sharper focus and a more detailed image can really bring an older movie to life.  This might not have been the biggest budgeted movie at the time but you wouldn’t be able to guess its limitations from the crispness of the 4K transfer.

AUDIO

The soundtrack is presented in a new Dolby Atmos Audio track that adds a solid amount of crunch to the action.  Dialogue is relatively clear and free of distortion.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• There are two commentary tracks.  The first features an interview with The Shape.  While he needs much prodding from author Justin Beahm, Don Shanks, the man who played Michael Myers in the film, provides the commentary track.  He discusses what it was like to work with the cast and crew and what his experience as Michael Myers was like. The second commentary features director Dominique Othenin-Girard, Danielle Harris, and Jeffrey Landman.  This is a fairly active track.  The three freely talk about what it was like on set, some of the ideas that come through in the picture and what it was like working together.

Special Features:

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

• NEW 2021 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
• NEW 2021 Dolby Atmos Track
• Audio Commentary With Actor Don Shanks And Author Justin Beahm
• Audio Commentary With Director Dominique Othenin-Girard And Actors Danielle Harris And Jeffrey Landman

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

• NEW 2021 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
• NEW 2021 Dolby Atmos Track
• Audio Commentary With Don Shanks And Justin Beahm
• Audio Commentary With Dominique Othenin-Girard, Danielle Harris, And Jeffrey Landman
• NEW Long-Lost Alternate Opening Sequence Featuring The Appearance Of Dr. Death
• NEW Extra Snippets Of Gore Cut To Obtain An R-Rating
• NEW “Of Darkness And Shadows – The Cinematography of Halloween 5” – An Interview With Cinematographer Robert Draper
• “Inside Halloween 5”
• “Dead Man’s Party – The Making Of Halloween 5” – A Two-part Featurette
• “On The Set: Behind-The-Scenes Footage”
• Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Original Filming Locations
• Halloween 5 Original Promo
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• NEW Newspaper Ad Still Gallery By Drive-In Asylum
• Still Gallery

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 96 mins
Director: Dominique Othenin-Girard
Writer: John Carpenter; Debra Hill
Cast: Donald Pleasence; Danielle Harris; Ellie Cornell
Genre: Horror | Slasher
Tagline: Michael Lives. And This Time They're Ready
Memorable Movie Quote: "National Guard will take him to a maximum security facility where he'll stay till the day he dies."
Theatrical Distributor: Galaxy International Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: October 13, 1989
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 5, 2021.
Synopsis: One year after the events of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), the Shape returns to Haddonfield once again in an attempt to kill his now-mute niece.