Dominique Othenin-Girard, HalloweenMovies.com
THE MAN IN BLACK
As previously mentioned, Halloween 5 was rushed into production with a script both underdeveloped and unrefined. Somewhere in that scramble, Moustapha Akkad came to realize that his film needed a hook to bring audiences back for Halloween 6, which he hoped to shoot the following year. To this end, Othenin-Girard created the mysterious Man in Black, a non-character whose sole purpose was to set up a cliffhanger ending. The Man in Black is only briefly glimpsed throughout Halloween 5 wearing a cowboy hat, black duster, and steel-toed boots. He doesn’t play an active role in the story until the film’s final moments in which he slaughters the entire night shift of Haddonfield’s Police Department, liberating the Shape from his jail cell in the process.
There is truly no better example of Halloween 5’s storytelling woes than the Man in Black, an empty placeholder of a role whose purpose and identity were as unclear to audiences as they were to the filmmakers themselves. Numerous cast and crew have commented that he was a late addition to the film with some claiming he was inspired by a frequent set visitor who would come dressed in all black. Others charge he was altogether absent from the shooting script, which is technically true. The role did not appear in early drafts of Halloween 5, though a character named “The Stranger” did show up as early as the second draft. As first written, the Man in Black was envisioned wearing an Italian-cut suit, which later evolved into the more familiar cowboy duster.
“I created the character without knowing his exact origin,” Othenin-Girard told HalloweenMovies.com. “I considered him a soul brother to Michael who came from afar to get to him. I was conscious enough to give freedom of interpretation to the next team of creators as to who he really is. I was attentive not to lock them in too tight of a position, so they could play that card as they wished. On the set, I found the idea of the “mark” of Thorn to link him to Michael. I drew the rune on the actors and on the wall.”
While the Man in Black’s appearance in the film was at least partly scripted beforehand, his Thorn tattoo was not. Nor was the matching ink on the Shape’s wrist. Both the character’s appearance and matching tattoos raised many questions that Halloween 5’s filmmakers were unprepared to answer. The burden of assigning meaning to these arbitrary plot elements would fall to Halloween 6, essentially handicapping that film’s script before it was even written. This clear lack of forethought with regard to the ongoing story was problematic at best. That no other Halloween has attempted such a narrative tactic speaks volumes about its merit.
KILLER CUTS
Whereas Halloween 4 had to contend with not being graphic enough, Dominique Othenin-Girard let the red stuff flow on Halloween 5. By film’s end, both Loomis and Jamie are soaked in blood. Upon first viewing, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) awarded the film with the dreaded “X” rating – necessitating the removal of excessively grisly material in order to secure an “R.” This wasn’t uncommon for the period. In light of the genre’s growing popularity, the MPAA regularly cracked down on horror cinema in the mid-to-late ‘80s. Sometimes, the demands seemed arbitrary – what was acceptable in a high-brow Jodie Foster drama would be deemed unacceptable in a less noble genre flick.
If disregarded, the “X” rating – equated with pornography – could’ve proven a severe hinderance in marketing and theatre count. 1988’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master would skirt the MPAA’s demands with an ingenious tactic: shooting additional gore never intended for the final cut. By adhering to the MPAA’s demands to remove the excess material in question, the filmmakers were able to secure an “R” rating and manage to keep what they felt was integral.
Other films weren’t so lucky. Complying to such demands would cripple the effectiveness of 1988’s Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Whether Halloween 5 was fortunate in this regard is debatable. To secure its “R” rating, the filmmakers removed a bit of grisly material before release, trimming the deaths of Mikey and Deputy Eddy; the latter noticeably featuring glass embedded in his skin. These cuts aren’t particularly harmful to the impact of the scenes but are noticeable enough that one might criticize the work of editors – or perhaps praise them for the rather manic approach.
The MPAA’s chief issue with Halloween 5 dealt with the level of violence posed against children, which is a reasonable enough concern. The original Halloween’s Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace experienced none of the brutality that Jamie and Billy do in Halloween 5. A shot of the Camaro striking Billy’s leg was removed from the car chase at Tower Farm – likewise, with Jamie being stabbed by her uncle in the laundry chute. To Halloween 5’s credit, the laundry chute sequence rates as one of the most tense scenes in the entire franchise – and the visual of Jamie’s stabbing isn’t particularly necessary. Given her scream, it’s obvious where this cut would’ve taken place. The scene plays out as though she was stabbed even if we don’t outright see it. Note that her right leg is profusely bleeding as she exits the chute.
DR. DEATH AND THE ORIGINAL OPENING
For many, Halloween 5’s opening ranks among the most confusing in the entire franchise. We’re shown a wounded Shape passing out in the woodland cottage of an old hermit. The film then jumps ahead a year to find him napping on a slab in the same cottage with a Thorn tattoo on his wrist. Michael sits up, grabs his mask, and murders the old man. What exactly transpired across the last twelve months? We’re not given the slightest clue. At first glance, this makes little sense. Upon closer examination, it makes even less sense. But it wasn’t always this way.
The film’s original opener saw Michael stumbling into the voodoo shack of Dr. Death, who appears “thin and gaunt with matted hair.” This hut would have been quite different from the one inhabited by the well-meaning hermit. Dr. Death’s home was written to feature numerous candles and a large cross overlooking a ceremonial pulpit. The Shape was to find him praying over a skeleton in an ancient language. Like the theatrical opening, he would have passed out while trying to strangle Dr. Death. Delighted by his surprise guest, the strange man removes Michael’s mask and studies it with wonder and fascination. Cue opening credits.
Picking up a year later, this original opening found Dr. Death praying over Michael’s casketed corpse in what is clearly a resurrection ceremony. Per the script, it’s apparent that Michael did actually die following the events of Halloween 4. Dr. Death first applies a Thorn tattoo to Michael’s wrist, which makes so much more sense than Michael having had a secret tatt all these years we’ve never known about. He then slashes a squealing pig’s throat and pours the blood into a chalice, which he drinks from. “Black sun. Red tide. The blood of the prophet shall be the sign of its return. Yeah, I am the prophet.” A storm rages outside as the Shape’s fingers begin “flexing back to life.” They are soon wrapped tight around Dr. Death’s windpipe. Lifting him in the air, the Shape smashes his resurrector onto the alter before shoving a sharp rock into his chest. Jamie senses this kill at the clinic just as in the theatrical film.
The Dr. Death scenes were filmed early in production with actor Theron Read, but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. The stock answer thus far has been that the material simply didn’t work, but it’s also been suggested that Moustapha Akkad disliked opening the sequel with so much gore. Still, it would seem a few fleeting shots of this opening remain spliced into the hermit material for those sharp-eyed enough to find them.
While not perfect, this original opening raises fewer questions than its theatrical counterpart. One lingering question, however, is how Dr. Death managed to preserve Michael’s corpse for an entire year. Even with proper embalming, the slasher’s body ought to have experienced things like bloating, blistering, and decay. This ghastly sight would have produced an even more ghastly smell that would have surely alerted would-be victims of Michael’s approach a mile away. Yet the Shape’s body and clothes appear inexplicably clean. Never mind the stains that would have accompanied putre
faction, where are the bullet holes from the firing squad Michael faced at the end of Halloween 4? Again, continuity is not this film’s strongpoint.
DELETED SCENES
When most fans think of cut scenes, they tend to think of the sixth installment with its infamous producer’s cut. But Halloween 5 also had a handful of deleted scenes. None of these changed the story in any meaningful way, but they did offer additional insight into the characters. For example, Samantha’s boyfriend, Spitz, was originally said to be on the track team. In a more dramatic moment that was actually filmed, Sheriff Meeker holds up a photo of his slain daughter to prove to Loomis he has not forgotten the horrors of last Halloween.
“That scene was a good example of the detail of character I try to bring to my work,” Othenin-Girard told Gorezone. “By adding the moment where Meeker takes out his wallet and shows Loomis the picture of his dead daughter, I have given his character a sentimental touch. Doing Part 5 of a successful series has not prevented me from adding these character shadings. I respect the setup and the Halloween formula. Once the framework of the Halloween format was established, it became easy to build up the characters and make them people you care about.” It’s a miniscule moment, for sure. But Halloween 5’s script is chockful of these nuances that may have made for a more well-rounded picture.
In the film, Loomis and Meeker chat at the police station where they do the old “He’s back,” “No, he’s not” routine. Lasting a quick minute, this scene was a condensed version of their original encounter, which was supposed to unfold at the mineshaft from Halloween 4’s ending. Meeker was to have taken along several deputies to inspect the massive concrete slab that had been poured over the mine’s opening after the last film. Seeing no evidence of tampering, he remains convinced that Michael Myers is still rotting away deep within. Meeker then gets a call about a nine-year-old girl’s coffin being dug up at the local cemetery. He and Loomis visit the crudely exhumed gravesite to find the child’s corpse laid out in a sleeping position. (“Musta dumped the body right out. Can you imagine her parents finding her like that?”) In an eerie visual, the film would have cut to a shot of Jamie laying in the exact same pose. Per the film, Loomis only briefly references that a child’s coffin has been stolen when yelling at Jamie. We later see this ghastly prop inside the attic of the Myers house.
Another deleted scene that was filmed depicted Tina and Samantha walking outside the clinic. Prior to the arrival of Tina’s boyfriend, the two were to perform cartwheels and somersaults on the front lawn. Unbeknownst to them, the Shape is watching from behind a nearby tree. This scene would have offered a tense moment; just as Tina finishes her cartwheel, she lands beside the tree. The Shape lifts a gardening trowel into the air, ready to strike. At that exact moment, Tina’s boyfriend, Mikey, was to arrive in his Camaro, diverting Tina’s attention and foiling the kill. It’s incredibly easy to pinpoint just where this scene would’ve gone in the film given the hasty editing and Tina’s clearly audio looped call for “Michael!”
One character that did change considerably in pre-production was young Billy Hill. In the final film, Billy is a fellow patient with Jamie at the children’s clinic. As first written into the script, he was one of her former schoolmates that came to visit her. (The character’s trademark stuttering was in place from the start.) Billy was also originally envisioned as a BMX biker, which was to feature prominently into his scenes. The production even bought child actor Jeffrey Landman a bike to practice on in preparation for capturing this material. As it turned out, children and stunt bikes weren’t a good mix. After struggling to shoot the first stunt scene, producers ordered all remaining BMX material be cut from the script. The only scene attempted was an alternate take of Tina and Rachel leaving the clinic. Billy was to appear alongside them on his bike, accidentally scaring them. He would inquire about Jamie’s nightmares, which Rachel would downplay before suggesting he cheer her up with a visit.
Another role that might have benefited from additional characterization was Tina, who functioned as a most polarizing replacement for Rachel. She’s still never sensible when she can help it, but she’s a little more endearing as first written. An early draft reveals her planned move to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. Speaking of fashion, Tina’s Halloween garb changed several times throughout filming. She was originally going to be the “Queen of Outer Space” with a revealing costume that was essentially a pyramid-pattern bikini. This was later changed to a devil costume, which producers deemed a poor choice for the film’s heroine. Tina ultimately went to the Tower Farm party as a French maid with the devil costume going to Samantha. Lastly, the character’s death was a little more noble as originally envisioned than in the theatrical film, which we’ll get to shortly.
As with Tina, Samantha’s death in the script was different than in the final film. Theatrically, Sam and her boyfriend Spitz enjoy a short-lived lovemaking sesh in an old barn. The Shape approaches from behind to stab a pitchfork into Spitz’s back. After pushing his body aside, Sam was to have a short cat-and-mouse chase through the barn before taking a scythe to the forehead. The filmmakers originally planned to feature a shot of the Shape slicing her face, but this was cut prior to filming at the behest of Moustapha Akkad. Her death is instead accomplished with a swing of the scythe towards camera and a splash of blood hitting several haybales. To make up for the missing bits, Sam was given a chance to fight back against her aggressor by charging at him with a pitchfork.
Although Dominique Othenin-Girard has often spoken reverently of the original Halloween, he seldom referenced it in his sequel, at least not to the extent Halloween 4 did. (Although there was a nice callback when the Shape imitated Mikey to Tina, which evoked his Ghost-Bob impression from the 1978 film.) Othenin-Girard originally wrote another homage to Halloween into his script, though it didn’t make the final cut. This one occurred as Loomis searches the Myers house during daylight hours. While snooping, he overhears several kids gathered outside, who start to throw bottles onto the front porch. Loomis finds a dead cat inside the house and tosses it at the kids through an open window. The children take off running as though the Shape himself had appeared. Loomis smiles as he watches them sprint out of view.
DELETED: CLINIC ESCAPE & SHAPE ENCOUNTER
Per the final film, Jamie remains convinced that Tina is in danger despite the apparent false alarm at the gas station. (Of course, we know this wasn’t a false alarm, but the authorities don’t.) Despite a police presence, Jamie manages to escape the clinic in order to warn Tina about the boogeyman. She runs into Billy while escaping, who reveals he knows where Tina is partying this evening. They head for the Tower Farm together and arrive in time to see the Shape running down Tina in Mikey’s Camaro. The children draw his attention away from Tina and towards themselves. Billy is somehow injured (it’s unclear in the film) and the Shape prepares to finally kill his niece. Yet she is saved at the last moment by Tina, whom the Shape kills for interfering.
Halloween 5’s clinic escape and car chase changed considerably from script to screen. Originally, Jamie only managed to escape the clinic by disguising herself as a doctor in order to slip past the police checkpoint. This is where she’s told to “watch out for things that go bump in the night” by an officer stationed at the entrance. Loomis immediately notices her missing and panics. He storms through the clinic ripping masks off children in an attempt to find her, freaking everyone out in the process. The idea that Jamie could escape this way is a bit far-fetched, even for Halloween 5. Her height aside, it’s not exactly normal procedure for healthcare staff to leave or even wander around in full surgical attire. Although this deleted scene has yet to surface, there exists on-set footage of Othenin-Girard directing Danielle Harris on how to discard the hospital scrubs outside the building.
Per the film, Jamie encounters Billy outside the clinic and they walk to the Tower Farm together. (Tina needed a ride from police earlier that night, so how far is it?) This unfolded differently in
the original script as Jamie didn’t encounter Billy until later on. Unsure of Tina’s whereabouts, she instead ran to her old neighborhood, unaware that the Shape is tailing her in the Camaro. Upon realizing this, she panics and runs face-first into a tree. Michael exits the muscle car to kill her, but is thwarted by Billy on his BMX bike, who knocks the slasher onto his knees. (“The Shape crumples, acting like a ramp for Billy, who rides up its back into midair.”) Collapsing onto the ground, the Shape accidentally falls onto his own knife “with a sickening squish.” Billy veers back for another attack, this time running his bike tire over the Shape’s face. Jamie hops onto Billy’s handlebars and they speed off.
The car chase at Tower Farm plays out much the same, except that Jamie and Billy are fleeing on the latter’s bike rather than on foot. The Shape still runs them down, crushing the bike and sending the children flying into the air. He exits the car to kill Jamie as in the film and is again stopped by Tina, who is stabbed for her efforts. As written, this scene contained an additional detail that makes the character’s death a little more noble. In the film, Tina rushes the Shape and is immediately killed. Yet in the script, the Shape is already lowering his blade to stab Jamie when Tina runs directly into it. As Michael goes to pull his blade out of her chest, she grabs his hand, forcing the knife deeper into her own body. Tina then yells for Jamie to run as she attempts to stall the Shape’s advance. This tactic actually works and allows Jamie to escape.
DELETED: SWAT MASSACRE & MYERS HOUSE ASSAULT
Halloween 5 is largely a story about good and evil trying to outsmart each other. Loomis and the Shape are in a sort of chess game of life and death. Michael wants to kill Jamie while Loomis wants to kill Michael. As police leave the Tower Farm, Loomis stays behind to speak with his former patient, whom he detects hiding amongst the dark forest. “Michael, go home. Go to your house, I shall be there waiting for you. You’ll find her waiting for you.” Loomis fails to mention that a small militia of Haddonfield’s finest will also be waiting, but the Shape knows this. To him, a few policemen are no real obstacle. More than a dozen well-armed lawmen, however, is kind of a problem. In order to get to Jamie, he’ll need to thin her defenses.
Taking Shape Page 14
