Halloween-Television Special

Watching the Halloween version made for television (released by Anchor Bay), Loomis tells two members of the board that Michael’s catatonia (his silence, fooling a court-appointed psychiatrist into believing he’s not the kind of danger Loomis says he is) is a ruse. That Michael has an “instinctive force within him”, that he’s waiting for just the right moment. What fascinates me about this version is that Loomis warns the board that Smith’s Grove has insufficient security. This little nugget, not seen in the theatrical version in ’78, adequately provides a reason why Myers might have been able to free himself from the institution. “You fooled them, haven’t you, Michael?” This meeting, when Michael was a few years removed from stabbing his sister, extends to Loomis walking down a hall to his patient’s cell, addressing the kid, admitting that he knows what Myers is capable of, even if everyone else is not. When Loomis mentions to the sheriff that he observed Michael, knowing that as he stared, waiting for that night, 1978 Halloween, that previous scene has greater merit. It puts a visual to what Loomis was talking about. Now, do we really need this scene? Probably not, because Pleasence has that iconic scene in the old Myers house where he explains to Charles Cyphers in detail what he knew would happen and how dangerous this kid could be if free. 

We also see his ransacked room, with the writing of “SISTER” scribbled on the door, and the nursing staff stuck trying to explain away why the security was not in place and how Michael was able to escape. It is one of those personel fuck ups that result in escaped prisoners breaking from jails. There’s a reason that in her high school literature class "fate" is being discussed as Laurie looks out the window, The Shape not far away. This television special was a good excuse to tie in the new angle of Laurie and Michael being linked by blood, also. It provides a definite reason Michael waited for 1978, a motivation for his pursuit of Laurie. Did we really need this angle? Opinions vary.

The other scene, where PJ Soles wants to borrow the blouse from Laurie, does nothing for me personally. If anything it shows how much older the two girls were, having matured into beautiful young women…it is evident no matter how hard the filmmakers tried to return them to their teenage years. It also reinforces the obvious..some guy following them. It was already established and didn’t need such elaboration. But the scene does further define the characters as typical 18 year old girls, borrowing from each other and promising to return the items once done with them. It just feels forced to me. Still fascinating as a curio.