Arrow in the Head reviews "Halloween 6: The Producer's Cut"

Halloween 6 (Producer's Cut) (1995)

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Directed by:	Joe Chappelle
Starring:	Paul Rudd/Tommy
	Marianne Hagan/Kara
	JC Brandy/Jamie
	Donald Pleasence/Loomis

RATING

PLOT-CRUNCH:

What happened to Jamie at the end of Part 5? Who is the man in black? Is Michael a daddy? Is Loomis doomed? Why wasn’t this the theatrical cut??? All these questions and finally some answers.

THE LOWDOWN:

This is a review of the first cut of Halloween 6, the version the studios didn’t want to release. It goes to prove once more that the studios don’t know shite about movies.

This flick is closer to the feel of the previous Halloween flicks, no quick flashes and no trippy montages. In the theatrical cut the flash made up for the chopped up storyline but here it’s not needed since the storyline makes sense and is fuller. Loomis (who narrates the film instead of Tommy in this cut) has a deeper part in the story (as it should be), Jamie’s fate at the end of part 5 is shown instead of verbally implied, the Cult stuff is clearly explained (except for why some of them wear silly jumpsuits…lol), Jamie’s death has more purpose and Jamie’s baby’s roots are now crystal clear (Michael rapes Jamie in a flashback).

The ending is completely different that the one in the theatrical cut. Although I was never a fan of that druid/thorn mumbo jumbo, at least this ending stays true to the rest of the film, makes sense and ends with a shocking last image.

This version does have the same problems as the Theatrical cut: Michael's knack for teleportation, Michael planting one of his victims body up a tree (?!?), cardboard characters (especially Kara's parents), side characters we don't care about (the teens, the radio DJ) lots of druid/Thorn bullcrap (I never dug that vibe), a whodunit that's way too easy to figure out and lack of true suspense.

But in the end this version is more complete and satisfying than its theatrical counterpart. Happy Halloween, dudes 'n dudettes.

ACTING:

Marianne Hagan (Kara) gives a mature, sensible performance. She’s really good. Paul Rudd (Tommy) is very focused and on top of this one but pulls funny faces when he sees Michael. JC Brandy (Jamie) runs fast, screams loud and looks great with tears in her eyes. In this version she doesn’t die the same way and gets more time to communicate Jamie’s plight. Bradford English (John Strode) plays an evil "Fred Flintstone" and even though he has an extra scene in this version the character is still paper-thin. Donald Pleasence (Loomis) and Mitch Ryan (Dr Wynn) are more present in this version, they both do well, especially Pleasence who gets to end Loomis with dignity.

GORE:

Here the killings are less axed on the gore. They’re closer in feel to the first Halloween. The exploding head is gone and so is the death by farm equipment. Michael sticks to axes and knives. The gore is low but the violence is still there.

T & A:

Disposable girlfriend shows us her small firm breasts in this version too…yippee!

DIRECTING:

All the flash is gone and this one is played more straight. It feels a lot like "Carpenter" light, where Chappelle tries to re-create the mood and vibe of the first one. One scene where the flash did help (in my opinion) was Michael killing that girl in the window. In the theatrical version there’s was slow-mo and emphasis on sound. It was one of my favorite scenes but here its played straight and loses some of its punch. Chappelle is no "Carpenter" when it comes to suspense but he delivers full force with the mood.

SOUNDTRACK:

The lean guitar twang is gone and instead we get a score that’s closer to the original Halloween score.

BOTTOM LINE:

The only question I have left is: Why didn’t the studio release this cut? It’s clearly a superior film to the version they delivered. If anyone knows the answer…let me know. This version stays true to the Halloween spirit and brings the storyline brought up in Part 5 full circle. It’s more linear, makes sense and is subtler. I personally enjoyed this version more, specially the ending…it hits hard. Too bad most of you won’t see it. Damn studios!!!!!!

BULL'S EYE:

To find out more specifics about the Producer’s cut, click here or see below:

- The ending in the Producer's Cut was the first to be filmed. After Donald Pleasance's death in 1995, the ending was rewritten and re-shot due to the fact that Pleasance would've been needed for the next installment. The released ending was written by Champelle.

- Also, in the last 15 minutes of the theatrical release when everyone's at Smith's Grove, the Shape is actually played by A. Michael Lerner, because Wilbur was not available for the ending's re-shoot. So, it's actually A. Michael Lerner's father that he is chasing down the hall and slamming his face against the metal door.

- The original script called for a chase scene between Barry Simms and Michael where Simms thought that Michael was another costumed kid. Simms climbs into Michael's van to hide. Michael smashes the window and kills him. Also, Tim and Beth were supposed to see Michael carrying Barry Simms to the tree while they were leaving much like when Tommy saw him carrying Annie in the first one. And when the little girl is feeling red rain, it was originally a group of kids.

- The writer of the script, Daniel Farrands wanted the film to be shot in Pasadena where the original was filmed but it was instead filmed in Salt Lake City like the previous two.

- The script went through 11 drafts.

- Most of the music on the soundtrack is the music from the Producer's Cut, but it doesn't feature the much better version of the Halloween theme in the Producer's Cut.

- The deleted scene of Michael watching Kara walk to class as she looks at Danny's drawing is included in the TV version of the film.

I’d like to thank Matt Russell for slapping all this info my way.

Read the Arrow's original HALLOWEEN 6 review here

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