In case anyone's still bothering to count: here we have the SIXTH episode in the wacky adventures of mass murderer Michael Myers and the good people of Haddonfield; Illinois apparently STILL don't realize that the white-masked dude can't possibly be killed. The biggest trump of this mid-90's installment, however, is that "Halloween" goes occult! Nearly twenty years and four long feature films ("Season of the Witch" not included) later, this new script suddenly suggests that Myer's nature of pure evil might have been inflicted onto him and that there even exist cults that worship his persona. How about that? I wonder if John Carpenter had any thoughts in that direction when he initially thought up the simple premise of a maniac butchering babysitters! Guess not
Anyway, this weirdo cult offers Michael to kill his last niece alive as well as her newborn baby so that his direct bloodline is finished off completely. The girl escapes and the baby ends up in home sweet home Haddonfield where many people will meet their deaths again. Maybe I just was in an extraordinary good mood when I saw this film, but I really didn't think it was that bad. It even qualifies as the series' second best entry, as the atmosphere is quite sinister and the murder-sequences are delightfully gory & sadistic. Unlike part five, which was a really awful film, "The Curse of Michael Myers" isn't overly talkative or irritatingly dull and Joe Chapelle's directing is surprisingly solid. Even Carpenter's legendary music received a techno update and believe it or not it actually works stimulating. The acting performances are more than adequate with Paul Rudd as the adult version of Tommy; the boy Jamie Lee Curtis was babysitting in the original. Donald Pleasance's share in the script has been reduced to a supportive role, but maybe it's better like that, since the poor man looks very fatigue and ill. Pleasance passed away before the film ever hit the theaters and therefore it's dedicated to his memory. An admirable effort.
