Justice for Tina: Defending the Most Divisive Character of ‘Halloween 5’
Halloween 5 is known for a lot of things. A mysterious Man in Black, a belligerent Dr. Loomis, a big-necked Michael Myers, a mute, psychic child who was neither of those things in the previous film, a Cookie Woman. But perhaps the thing it is best known for is featuring one of the most divisive characters in the franchise’s entire history: Tina Williams. The film sees the return of heroes Rachel and Jamie from Halloween 4, but their return is probably not what anybody expected in the aftermath of that movie’s success. Rachel upholds the long slasher tradition of a returning protagonist dying first (or close to it, at least) in the next movie, while Jamie is so traumatized by what happened that she has lost the ability to speak.
Instead of picking up with Jamie as the new killer, as the end of Halloween 4 suggested, she has developed a psychic link with Michael Myers. One year later, she’s a patient at the Haddonfield Children’s Clinic, under the watchful eye of Dr. Loomis, who is more unhinged than ever. Loomis was at his most selfless in the previous movie, bargaining with Michael to lay down his life if it meant saving one Haddonfield citizen, and it ended with him ready to pull his gun on a child, defeated, hopeless, and crushed. There’s also the crucial fact that there had been ten years between his previous pursuits of The Shape, and now the same thing happening just one year later, sends him over the edge.
With Rachel dead so early on in the movie, Halloween 5 introduces an entirely new teenage cast through her best friend, Tina. Like Laurie Strode before her, Rachel tends to surround herself with people who are far more outgoing than she is. There was a taste of this with her friend Lindsey briefly seen in Halloween 4 (who may or may not have been intended to be Lindsey Wallace of the original Halloween) but with Tina, it becomes abundantly clear.
Tina is all of Annie’s sarcasm and dry sense of humor, all of Lynda’s bubbly energy, with the sex-positive attitude of both, all combined together and dialed up to eleven. For many Halloween fans, she is too much, and the weakest part of the film. Some fans find her so grating that they cannot even watch the movie. But I think Tina’s role in Halloween 5 is one of the smartest and most unique aspects of the film.
Rachel dies early on, and with Jamie unable to talk for the bulk of the runtime, it’s harder to put her in that lead role and follow the night through her eyes as had been the case with Halloween 4. For the first two acts, Jamie is more of a plot device, her psychic connection with Michael kicking in every time that he kills someone. Even if there are strong moments of characterization in there, that is the role she serves for the bulk of the run time until she is once again forced into confrontation with The Shape.
That means that for at least the entire midsection of the movie, Tina is our protagonist. And that’s great, because she is a completely different lead than any Halloween had seen before or since. In many ways, because of her character traits listed above, Tina is the quintessential “best friend who dies” in a slasher while the more responsible, level-headed friend gets to live. Even if Tina doesn’t ultimately survive, those roles are reversed the moment Rachel is killed and the role she had served in Halloween 4 falls into Tina’s lap, like the passing of a torch.
Tina has an even worse boyfriend than Rachel had, gratingly named Mike. He has no redeeming characteristics and she seems to notice that. Tina is a party girl. She doesn’t like to think about things, and I mean anything, as echoed by her line, “I’m never sensible if I can help it!” She leaves Jamie alone even when Jamie is crying and terrified for Tina’s safety because being terrified for her own safety is not the kind of thing Tina would ever want to think about for a moment.
There are great little moments by herself, where she senses something in the air or in the shadows, as if that awareness of danger that defined Laurie Strode is trying to break through to her, but she is simply not the kind of person who would let it. But Tina cares deeply for her friends, telling Rachel she doesn’t have to feel guilty for leaving for the weekend to be with her family, walking her friend Samantha through her nervousness about losing her virginity. Above all, Tina cares deeply about Jamie.
Even when Tina dies, that is crucial, because it’s how she goes out that counts. In almost any other slasher, Tina would be the loud, obnoxious party girl that you’re supposed to want to see get it. Another film would make the audience wonder how it’s going to happen, and cheer when she dies. Many viewers watching Halloween 5 did want to see Tina die, and that must have been anticipated, because her death comes as the perfect slap in the face to those with that impulse.
Fearing for Tina’s life, Jamie races to the party at the Tower Farm to save her. As she fears, Michael has found Tina, who now flees for her life. When Tina sees that Jamie is in danger, her protective instincts kick in and when Michael has Jamie cornered, Tina leaps in front of Michael to allow Jamie the chance to escape. Tina doesn’t think twice about it. She sees Jamie is in danger, that Jamie is about to die, and she simply — literally — leaps at the chance to stop that from happening.
Fans might not like Tina, but it does not change the fact that through thirteen Halloween movies to date, Tina is the only character to die by physically jumping onto Michael’s knife to save someone else.
