Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) 🎃
Halloween 5 was fast-tracked and rushed into production immediately after the box office success of Halloween 4.
Filming began in Salt Lake City, Utah, in mid-1989 without a completed screenplay. Scripts were constantly being rewritten on set.
Series producer Moustapha Akkad rejected initial concepts. He completely threw out a draft that would have turned Jamie Lloyd into a killer following the cliffhanger of Halloween 4. Instead, they pivoted to a psychic bond storyline.
Director Dominique Othenin-Girard introduced a mysterious "Man in Black" character and the "Thorn" rune on Michael's wrist without actually knowing what they meant. This bizarre subplot was meant to give Akkad a tool to keep Michael alive for future sequels, but it left audiences confused.
The initial cut of the movie received a harsh X-rating due to severe violence. The production was forced to make extensive theatrical cuts to tone down the gore, such as a brutal scythe murder and a scene involving a hand rake.
Released in October 1989 by independent studio Galaxy Releasing, the film underperformed heavily.
Halloween 5 grossed just $11.6 million domestically against a $6 million budget.
It holds the record as the lowest-grossing movie in the entire Halloween franchise.
Internationally, theatrical distributors lost interest entirely, forcing the film to go straight to video in regions outside the United States.
While its theatrical run was a failure, Halloween 5 found its audience on home media.
It became a staple of late-night video store rentals during the 1990s. Anchor Bay later gave it special treatment with a "Divimax" edition DVD release.
The film has been consistently kept alive through lucrative physical media box sets, including the popular Halloween: 30 Years of Terror pack and modern boutique Blu-ray/4K UHD restorations from companies like Shout! Factory.
For decades, Halloween 5 was widely hated for killing off the previous film’s final girl (Rachel) early on, introducing a goofy new mask, and changing the iconic Myers house into a gothic mansion. However, time has given it a definitive cult following among horror fans:
Danielle Harris's Acting: Heavily praised for delivering an emotionally intense, mostly mute performance as a traumatized child.
Donald Pleasence: Appreciated for taking Dr. Loomis to a manic, dangerously unhinged level of obsession.
Atmosphere & Style: Lauded for Othenin-Girard's distinctively eerie, high-contrast visual choices and brutal suspense scenes (like the laundry chute chase).
Lore Setup: While messy, it is celebrated for kicking off the polarizing "Curse of Thorn" arc.
Went back and read the Destiny article I wrote right after Bungie announced it (my first one ever?), where I was quite optimisic about the propsect. Brings a tear to the eye, almost
https://t.co/IDYyrnI2Qs
The fans outrage over that match was so insane that Triple H actually told Cody Rhodes to stay off social media that night.
That’s how deeply invested everyone is in this rivalry.
Here’s how Nash handled being accidentally stabbed by a shoot knife. This is the main reason people always bitch about WCW Nash in interviews instead of in person.
It’s been a long journey since #Lanterns started as an idea from @TomKingTK in the DC writers’ room all those years ago. So happy to see how so many have embraced it, and can’t wait for you to see the Season Finale tonight. 9pm ET on @hbomax.