Like our reviews of the other Scream Factory Halloween 4K releases, we’re not going to provide an in-depth review of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers because we’ve done it before. You can read Michael’s review on our sister page In Poor Taste, or listen to the Blood and Black Rum Podcast episode on it. However, if that’s not enough for you, I can say that Halloween 4 is a like-it-or-hate-it kind of thing; either you’re happy Michael finally gets to come back, albeit with a dumb plot involving a niece he needs to terminate, or you’re sad that the Carpenter tension devolved into an action thriller with an awful mask and bad Loomis makeup. Either way, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is not a triumphant return for the film series, but it surely gets the job done and spawned a different pathway of Halloween films.
4K UHD
Scream Factory’s new 4K scan of the original camera negative, presented in UHD on their new release, fares very well with strong detail – so much so, in fact, that it’s readily apparent that Loomis’ burn makeup changes considerably from scene to scene. Color timing is consistent and makes use of DolbyVision with well-defined contrast and strong pumpkin glows, along with prevalent blue hues. Grain is mostly minimal and filmic, although noticeable clumpiness does appear in certain sky shots and a few backgrounds. However, overall this release sports great definition and deep black levels, which makes this a striking new way to watch the film.
This release gets the standard DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track as well as DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a new Dolby Atmos option. I viewed the film with the Atmos selection and noticed strong central dialogue, good usage of the satellite speakers for the soundtrack, and loud sound effects; the Atmos does tend to surround the viewer. Overall, the sound offering is very good and consistent with the rest of the 4K UHD releases.
Extras are mostly older and ported from the previous Blu-ray release, including audio commentaries on both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs. The rest of the extras are solely on the Blu-ray: a Horror’s Hallowed Grounds episode, two making-of featurettes, and theatrical trailer and TV spots. The sole new addition is a newspaper ad still gallery.
The package comes with new cover artwork and reversible original artwork, housed in a hardcover shell.
Extra Features
DISC ONE (4K UHD):
- NEW 2021 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- NEW 2021 Dolby Atmos Track
- Audio Commentary With Actors Ellie Cornell And Danielle Harris
- Audio Commentary With Director Dwight H. Little And Author Justin Beahm
DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):
- NEW 2021 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
- NEW 2021 Dolby Atmos Track
- Audio Commentary With Ellie Cornell And Danielle Harris
- Audio Commentary With Dwight H. Little And Justin Beahm
- “The Making Of Halloween 4: The Final Cut” (unrestored HD; 16:47)
- “Back To Basics: The Making Of Halloween 4” – A Two-part Featurette (HD; 47:52)
- Horror’s Hallowed Grounds – A Look At The Original Filming Locations (HD; 25:50)
- Theatrical Trailer (unrestored HD; 1:42)
- TV Spots (unrestored HD; 1:37)
- NEW Newspaper Ad Still Gallery By Drive-In Asylum (chapter breaks; 2:36)
- Still Gallery (chapter breaks; 6:16)
Verdict
While Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is not the best of the Halloween series, Scream Factory gives it a glorious treatment with a new 4K scan that shines on the UHD as well as a new Dolby Atmos track that adds additional oomph to the soundtrack. The extras are mostly older and won’t help persuade viewers to double-dip for this new release, though.
