Producer’s Cult: Comparing the Two Cuts of ‘Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers’
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is not one of the most beloved entries in the franchise, but it has developed a following over time for taking some radically big swings, even compared to the film before it. Introducing a cult and, with it, an element of cosmic folk horror is as much a breath of fresh air for some as it is upsettingly jarring for others. It is also, without a doubt, known for having the most troubled production of any Halloween movie. And its greatest claim to fame is the direct result of that. If there’s one thing The Curse of Michael Myers is known for above all else, it’s the Producer’s Cut. There are two completely different cuts of this film, that by and large result in two very different movies.
The Producer’s Cut is the cut of the film championed by Moustapha Akkad and his son, Malek, which attempts to keep as much of Daniel Farrands’ script intact as possible. For many years, the Producer’s Cut was nearly impossible to come by. It could only be seen on grainy bootlegs sold at conventions, and that helped to add to its notoriety. It is a drastically different version of the film, with many scenes that are entirely different from the theatrical, wildly different kills and even major plot points differ between the two versions. Miraculously, it was finally restored and made available in Scream Factory’s Halloween franchise blu-ray box set in 2014.
The theatrical cut downplays the cult as much as possible, which is difficult to do, given that it is basically the plot of the film. The cult is relegated to the background, putting much more of the focus on Michael himself. The kills, which were nearly bloodless like the original, are almost all reshot. And to be fair, most of them are honestly better. With an asshole like John Strode, bullying his entire family around throughout the film, he needs a proper sendoff. The theatrical cut sees to this via Michael electrocuting John until his head explodes. Jamie’s death is also much more violent in the theatrical version, as Michael impales her on farm equipment and then turns the machine on to grind up her innards. Not exactly the sendoff she deserved, but a hell of a lot better than the ending the Producer’s Cut gave her.
In the Producer’s Cut, Jamie actually survives her initial encounter with Michael. She is taken to the hospital, unconscious, and is killed off even more unceremoniously by Dr. Wynn (as the Man in Black) who shoots her while she lays sleeping. It is, somehow, an even more unceremonious sendoff than her more violent death. The biggest swing of the Producer’s Cut, however, is the reveal that Jamie’s baby is actually Michael’s baby. No matter how evil he might be, a sexual assault incest baby is several bridges too far, wildly out of character, and just an utterly bizarre concept to even be suggested for a mainstream major horror franchise, let alone something that actually wound up being filmed.
In the theatrical cut, the baby’s origin is much more open to interpretation. There are numerous shots of cloned fetuses in vats that suggest baby Stephen is the first successful cloning attempt that the cult has seen. That’s better, I guess, but no less weird. It’s amazing that nobody thought there could just be some other patient kept in the basement of Smith’s Grove that Jamie could have gotten to know and potentially had a baby with, as two teenagers with no outside contact and no sex education are likely to do. Honestly, though, why is there a baby at all? The cult’s whole motivation is that they want Michael to make the last sacrifice of his bloodline so that the curse can be passed on to another, in Danny. Wouldn’t that best be served by just letting Michael kill Jamie like he had spent all of Halloween 4 and 5 trying to do? If we’re all about ending the Myers bloodline, why go to such extremes to create another member of it? So, I guess The Curse of Michael Myers doesn’t answer everything.
Having said that, the bulk of the plot of the Producer’s Cut is an admirable, unexpected swing for the franchise, aided by a genuinely effective mood and tone. It harkens back to the roots of the holiday, it makes a Halloween movie truly feel like a Halloween movie, and the folk horror influence helps it to stand out as does all of its aforementioned genuine weirdness. The kills of the theatrical cut are much better, as is the characterization of Michael himself. One of the best sequences is a strobe-lit massacre in which Michael kills off many members of the cult, and thus much of the Smith’s Grove staff, chasing the remaining doctor through a red-lit tunnel as he stumbles in a daze, begging for his life.
I love this sequence because it allows Michael to maintain some of his original mystery, as it heavily implies that the Cult of Thorn do not have the hold over him that they think they do, and that many of their theories about him might in fact be wrong. This is heavily contrasted by the Producer’s Cut, in which Michael is very much a lapdog, and completely beholden to the “rules” of magic that Tommy has talked about throughout the movie. Tommy even assembles a circle of runes that stop Michael completely, allowing his evil to be completely contained and harnessed. Even when Michael breaks free and escapes at the end of the Producer’s Cut, it is only after one of these runes has been knocked loose.
Both versions of The Curse of Michael Myers bring about a tragic end for Dr. Loomis, knowing that this would be Donald Pleasence’s last time playing the character. In the Producer’s Cut, Loomis approaches Michael lying on the floor only to remove his mask and discover that Michael has escaped and switched places with Wynn. The Thorn symbol appears on Loomis’ own wrist as Wynn tells him, “It’s your game now.” Loomis’ destiny has been fulfilled, set in stone. He is no longer to hunt Michael Myers but will instead be forced to become his caretaker, to oversee Michael’s evil whether he wants to or not. It’s a realization that justifiably causes Loomis to scream and scream, finally broken, likely beyond repair.
In the theatrical cut, Loomis helps Tommy, Kara, and Danny escape after they defeat Michael and leave him for dead. Instead of returning with them to Haddonfield, Loomis solemnly volunteers to stay behind, and it’s clear in his voice that he knows this is the end. He is well aware by this point that Michael is not dead, and he has resigned himself to his fate. It’s a strong ending for the good doctor, but there’s not enough footage to really pull this reshot sequence off, because Donald Pleasence died so soon after filming. The film ends with a shot of Michael’s mask lying on the floor, over the sounds of Loomis’ screams. The same screams from the Producer’s Cut ending, no less. It’s enough to convey that Loomis has died, but not enough to truly make it as meaningful as it could have been.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers had a production from Hell, and both versions were much more bizarre, at least in places, than any audience had expected in 1995. Like Halloween 5 before it, it did not do well. There had been a six-year absence between the release of Halloween III and Halloween 4. When Halloween 4 was released to moderate success, it felt like the series had regained its footing and was back on track. There was also a six-year absence between Halloween 5 and The Curse of Michael Myers. To this day, it is one of the sequels people point at for being the worst of what the Halloween franchise has to offer, especially as Halloween III has grown to become something of a cult classic in its own right. But the Cult of Thorn grows stronger every single year.
Both versions of The Curse of Michael Myers are utterly watchable. It has some of the best seasonal vibes of any Halloween sequel. The tragedy, ultimately, is that the best qualities other than that lie in separate cuts of the film. Loomis’ emotional final arc is hacked to pieces in the theatrical version, as is the focus on Thorn (and thus the plot itself) but the Producer’s Cut features the most lackluster deaths of the entire series, while the theatrical version boasts some genuine bangers, as well as a few stellar set pieces, like the hospital room massacre and subsequent chase through the tunnels. At the end of the day, what we’re left with objectively is still one of the most fascinating moments in time in the history of Halloween.
