Trancas International Films, Inc., 1988. Starring Donald Pleasance, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris and George P. Wilbur as "Michael Myers." Executive Producer, Moustapha Akkad. Screenplay by Alan B. McElroy. Directed by Dwight H. Little.

     By Stephen Pytak 

     Some new plot twists and a dash of 80s
excess give "The Shape" some new life here.
     But I think my favorite thing about this
film is Donald Pleasance.
     His wide-eyed reactions and rabid
preachings about evil are always treats.
     And "Dr. Loomis" is given a bit of 
character development, some scars,
a limp, a cane and a shiny silver semi-
automatic pistol too. 
     This time out, the ol' doc is even tricked
by "Michael Myers" a couple times. A
gas station blows up during one of those
encouters. Loomis gets bowled through
a glass door in another. 
     And he gets to meet someone more
obsessed with ultimate evil that he is,
a whiskey-drinkin' preacher, "Rev. Jackson 
P. Sayer," who picks Loomis up after 
the fill station incident.
     Speaking of which, the gas station
showdown is one of the more interesting
encounters between the doctor and his 
runaway patient.
     It's the first time in the series that
Loomis gets a few words in before he
pulls the trigger.
     This showdown was the best part
of the film for me. It really builds and,
literally, explodes. 
     The tension between Loomis and 
Myers never reaches a peak like that
in the series again.
     There are other things to like here,
in particular the idea that this 
unstoppable killer is tracking down a
9-year-old. Scary concept.
     But what's really cool here is what
he goes through to try to grab her.
     Myers chases little "Jamie (Danielle
Harris)" and her step sister "Rachel 
(Ellie Cornell)" up on a roof. A little
while later, he's hanging on the base
of a pick-up truck, then on the roof.
     The action in this flick is really
pumped up. While "Halloween II"
is a better looking flick, this one
will keep you awake.
     By the way, the poster for this
film was great!
     It's too bad The Shape mask in the
film wasn't just like the one on it.