Some Scary Horror Stuff for You!

I’m still astonished that you can own the so-called “producer’s cut” of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers on 4K Ultra HD. It was the first bootleg movie I ever purchased, courtesy of eBay, as I believed that the murky DVD-R sourced from a generations-old VHS would be the only way to ever see the alternate footage from the franchise’s 1995 sixth installment.

Scream Factory shocked fans with the producer’s cut’s first official release as part of its 2014 Blu-ray box set, Halloween: The Complete Collection. They’ve done it again with The Halloween 4K Collection (1995-2002) box set, which features both the theatrical and producer’s cuts newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative, presented in Dolby Vision with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Stereo options.

Even before seeing the alternate version, I had a soft spot for The Curse of Michael Myers. It’s far from a highlight of the series, but it has a strong autumnal atmosphere, Donald Pleasence bringing his gravitas to Dr. Loomis for the final time, Paul Rudd in his first major film appearance (filmed before Clueless but released after) playing Tommy Doyle from the original Halloween, and a solid take on Michael (with Halloween 4‘s George P. Wilbur reprising the role for the most part, alongside A. Michael Lerner and Brad Hardin for reshoots) with one of the better sequel masks (created by John Carl Buechler).

Following the negative reaction to Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers — the lowest grossing installment in the series with $11.6 million, not to mention an open ending maligned by critics and audiences alike — producer Moustapha Akkad put the franchise on a brief hold to get it back on track. After several false starts — including a pitch from Quentin Tarantino — it was a young, enthusiastic Halloween fan by the name of Daniel Farrands who convinced Akkad to let him bring Michael back after constructing a comprehensive bible about the franchise.

Despite conflicting visions for the film between Akkad and producers Dimension Films, Joe Chappelle (Phantoms) was brought on board to direct Farrands’ script. Initial filming took place in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1994, which was complicated by an early snowstorm. After a poorly received test screening, reshoots took place in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995. Pleasence had passed away earlier in the year and cinematographer Billy Dickson was unavailable for the new scenes.

Although the runtimes only vary by about seven minutes, the differences between the two versions are considerable. The theatrical cut includes a completely new ending, revised character beats, and a lot of added gore. It was also re-edited to be flashier and faster paced. Even the score by Alan Howarth (who co-composed the Halloween II and III soundtracks with John Carpenter before tackling 4 and 5 on his own) was retooled to incorporate guitar and drums into the familiar, brooding synthesizer cues.

Ever since the bootleg emerged, fans have argued which version of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers is superior. As both cuts present interesting ideas but are heavily flawed, I believe the strongest version of the story would be an amalgam of the two.

Left to tie up Halloween 5‘s loose ends, Farrands drew inspiration from Halloween II to cultivate the Thorn storyline. It’s goofy in both versions, but the producer’s cut fully commits to the Thorn curse and cult, allowing for a more cohesive story. The theatrical cut is ostensibly a more straightforward take on the material, yet a watchful eye reveals a variety of unmotivated plot contrivances.

Farrands envisioned the film as returning to the franchise’s suspense-driven roots, which is more apparent in the producer’s cut’s deliberate pacing, emphasis on character development, and more restrained approach to death scenes. The theatrical cut instead aims to appeal to the MTV generation, employing quick cuts and ostentatious gore. There’s probably a happy medium to be found somewhere in between.

The producer’s cut benefits from dedicating more screen time to Loomis. Even if it hadn’t been his final film, Pleasence’s unhinged performances were always a cornerstone and highlight of the franchise. The producer’s cut fleshes out Loomis better and gives him a more interesting send-off than the theatrical cut’s off-screen death.

In addition to the contentious recasting of Jamie Lloyd — Farrands lobbied for Halloween 4 and 5 star Danielle Harris to reprise the role, but the studio allegedly refused to negotiate her salary — the fan favorite character is unceremoniously dispatched early in the theatrical cut. The producer’s cut affords her a longer life (to the end of the first act, at least), although her death pales in comparison to the theatrical version’s demise via farming equipment.

The producer’s cut makes the objectionable implication that Michael is the father of Jamie Lloyd’s child, whereas the theatrical cut leaves the paternity ambiguous. It’s worth noting that Farrands refutes this in the new audio commentary, clarifying that Michael is meant to be a symbolic father rather than literally having impregnated his niece. He compares it to Satan in Rosemary’s Baby, but if such an explanation is required, something isn’t quite right.

Both films stumble in the third act, albeit in different ways. The finale of the producer’s cut — in which Michael is stopped by rune stones that look like Scrabble tiles — is perhaps the most anticlimactic ending of the franchise. The theatrical cut improved on it with a far more exciting final battle — in which Tommy beats Michael with a lead pipe until his head oozes — although the set-up to get to that point is questionable at best.

While the producer’s cut is ultimately the stronger film in my book, the theatrical cut makes a fascinating counterpart. The debate as to which version is better will continue on now that we can reanalyze Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers in 4K. Which do you prefer?