How better received would Halloween 4 have been if it had the original mask?

Michael-Myers.net General Discussion
1

The first time I saw Halloween 4 and 5 at my local Blockbuster as a 10 year old, I was excited, up to this point I only watched Halloween 1, 2, H20 and Resurrection.

I was disappointed with masks in H20 and Resurrection.

When I saw the vhs covers for Halloween 4 and 5 I was excited, it had the original mask from Halloween and Halloween II on the cover.(Sadly I didn’t pay attention or didn’t look at back covers):





So we rented it…

So I’m expecting Myers to look like he did in the critically acclaimed 1st two movies, Halloween 1978 and Halloween II 1981:

Instead I put the movies in and get this: Halloween 4

Halloween 5

Thinking I might have gotten a bootleg movie with Donald Pleasence, but then accepting that these were the official sequels to Halloween I and II.

Which brings me to this thread, how better received would Halloween 4 be if the mask was the original mask?

Now you’re asking why did you ask about Halloween 5 since you brought it up… Well that’s because regardless of mask Halloween 5 was a horrible movie(except for the laundry shoot scenes)

Halloween 4 is a movie that many people like regardless of the mask and can be agreed that it isn’t that bad.

Now as far as what I think:

Even if Halloween 4 had the original mask, the movie would still not feel like a Myer’s movie like the 1st two did.

Reasons:

-It started the family killer plot(Not Halloween II, he’s still an escaped psychopathic murder who murders randomly, just revealed that Laurie Strode is his sister, has same plot of Myer’s wanting to repeat sister Judith’s murder over and over.)

-Made Myer’s like a terminator, way too indestructible. yes in first two movie’s he takes shot’s, stabs and etc while being very strong enough to break down doors or lift someone with a weapon, however he doesn’t murder people with his bare hands with super strength like Schwarzenegger.

  • Lacks heavy breathing and creepy POV shots of Halloween I and II

-Made him seem more angry rather than psychopathic and creepy(scene where he hears about Jamie)

-Looks like like a made for TV/direct to video movie, and feels like a made for TV/direct to video movie, the way the movie is filmed feels like a made for television movie, take the intro scene where they do a fade transition into the rainy night, with credits still rolling during the exposition.

So I think that while the movie would have been better with the original mask, those flaws would still hurt the movie.

2

Well the hero mask basically burned up at the end of H2, so there’s no way it could be magically intact in a fire

3

I’m talking about the design, not the actual same hero mask.

4

it would just be another sloppy converted kirk, just like the H4 mask, just no sideburns, painted brows or Neck extension

5

i actually dont really mind the h4 mask. to me it has an uncanny mannequin vibe, and it can look pretty ghostly. my big issue with it is how they slicked back the hair with the perfectly circular reseeding hairline. in the fangoria poster i think the mask looks a lot better, though not styled the same kind of messy way the original mask was.
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the h5 mask is a whole other shitshow that just completely doesnt make any sense because its supposed to be the h4 mask continuity wise

6

Right on about the H4 mask. It has that mannequin look and just kind of really creepy. I always loved the mask. I think the problem was in they tried to make Wilbur look bigger and the use of the padding makes the character look weird. If he just wore the coveralls without padding it would have made the “shape” look a whole lot better

7

I really love the H4 mask now and never get tired of it but yea!
When the film first came out, the mask was so different from what I was use to so it did actually throw me off during the first viewing. I did like the movie as a whole though and had always thought the film would’ve been better had they used an actual 75 for the majority of the film. (Tom Morga scenes was a 75).
After becoming an adult and having a more wiser perspective on the films, I’ve noticed it wasn’t the mask’s fault but more of how the mask was shot. When you go back to the first two, the mask is hardly visible and always in the dark. I think too much exposure kinda ruined the the myth and power of the mask. The “What you don’t see is scarier” was gone from H4.

8

What is often overlooked about the idea of the original mask is that it took a few separate components to give us the iconic look we see on screen. I’m not sure that merely using another converted Kirk would have been enough.

The first element of the iconic look was the simplicity of the finish. The ghostly white appearance is key, which actually isn’t far off in H4. However, the second aspect was the wearer. Nick Castle’s facial structure gave it that famous stretch that really distorted the mask and shifted into such a creepy and disturbing look. Lastly, the lighting. Dean Cundey really should get more credit for helping bring The Shape to life. It was his use of lighting and the beautiful way he played on shadowing that gives the mask THE look we all know and love. The cheekbones, the nose, the eyebrows, the lips…all of those features that pop so prominently in the film are due to the perfect combination of the sculpt, paint, and lighting.

All that said, sure…something a little closer to the original mask may have made a handful of fans happier, but I’m not sure it would have had THAT much of an impact on the film. Because even if they had used the original, or something closer to it, all of the complements I mentioned above would have been needed in order to recreate that perfect combination. I don’t think that the mask, itself, wouldn’t have done it all on its own.

9

I love H4, it has the best “Halloween Feeling” in the series. If the mask was better, and they had stuck with Tom Morga, the movie would have been even better.

10

True about the Halloween atmosphere! Wilbur did a good job but I think it had to do with the costume padding which made him look weird not the mask. If he wore the coveralls {which I think were the best of the series} as is witout the padding all would have been better

11

I love Halloween 4 just the way it is. As mentioned above the original mask did burn up so Michael had to have a new mask. Just at that time the white mask happened to be going through a sideburns period and Michael happen to get one. I love the mask to be frank. It’s weird, hollow and downright strange. Perfect for a horror movie. Coveralls where A++++++ they’re badass when it comes to accuracy of a Mechanic’s coveralls. Dirty, greasy and wore out. Imagine how cool it would of been to had those in H1 and H2. Holy cow!! As for Michael’s movement now that’s simple! He was laying on his back for 10 years recovering from some serious burns. He just getting back into the groove of things butchering asses and taking names. Halloween 4 also has the best Halloween atmosphere of any of the Halloween movies. Nail on!!!

12

Well said! And I agree about the coveralls. I always remember mechanics, plumbers ect. wearing grey fisher stripe coveralls. To me they are the best in the series! And the H4 mask is plain creepy

13

As much as i would agreed with you for years, the mask eventually grew on me. It isnt the biggest issue with MM anyways. Its the way he stood, walked, held his shoulders, etc. He just didn’t have the right body language and they did a poor job filming him. The movie has extra charm due to the ridiculousness of the mask and his look at this point imo.

14

Thank you. Absolutely :grinning:

15

Much, but just doing what they did to the original for the H4 mask would have worked (remove sideburns, spray white over the eyebrow, better eye cuts, paint that shows some fleshtones on the neck and such.

16

I love this mask. It still has all the kirk features like the original Hero. I think what throw people off are the side burns and the brown eye brows. Rip the sideburns off this mask, you basically have the original mask from '78 & '81. Also, GPW has a different size head compared to Nick Castle and Dick Warlock, so the stretch in H4 is not the same and actually gives it a strange look in some scenes (i.e. the Bucky scene).

17

There’s definitely too much light on the later masks, they really missed out on that as he became less of a “shape”. You see too much on HII as well at times.

The later masks really frustrate me as they get horrible. It’s crazy that they were over designed etc and they just don’t capture the magic that the original mask had.

The H4 is the last mask I could take seriously until RZ.

18

The original/exact replica of the ‘78 mask would have been awesome for sure! I appreciate the 4 mask for what it is… a shitty rubies/party city type of Myers mask. :laughing:
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19

Probably, but those shoulder pads in certain shots kill the look for me too lol

20

Halloween 4 is when the franchise turned inti a slasher film like Friday the 13th. Bad plot and characters no one cares about.
The other issue it does not feel like Illinois. Its in a dusty prairy land and the homes architecture is not midwest feeling. JC somehow pulled it off filming in Pasadena but something about this doesn’t feel at all like hometown Illinois?