Michael Myers

If it's possible to have Christmas in July, why not Halloween in April? It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. She now faces a terrifying showdown when Michael returns to Haddonfield, Ill. - but this time, Laurie is ready for him. Back in 2004, NECA made a Halloween two-pack of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis. The company has come a long way since then, in terms of sculpt, painting, articulation and manufacuring, but despite their best efforts, they weren't able to make a deal with the rights-holders to create an updated Mikey. Then along comes the new Halloween, the third movie to use that as the plain title, and the direct sequel to the first one, ignoring the nine other films; thus making (currently) the official followup to Halloween also be named Halloween; thanks, movie studios! We can't wait until Halloween II becomes the third movie in this series! But not the first Halloween II or the second Halloween II, the third Halloween II. Luckily for us, getting a 1978 Michael Myers really isn't a necessity any more; you've got one tall guy in a blue jumpsuit and white mask, you've got 'em all. This isn't a case like Rob Zombie's Halloween, where the character looked entirely different - here, the filmmakers stuck with what worked. There's a great little detail in the background of one scene, where you can see Michael killing a gas station mechanic to steal his clothes, and from there on out it's the classic look. His romper is given believable wrinkles, has six pockets (on the legs, chest, and butt) and an elastic waist, and the collar stands up around the neck. All things that were true 40 years ago, too. The mask is slightly different, in that the surface is more cracked and aged - something that makes sense if it was just sitting in police storage for four decades. We actually get two of them with this set, though it feels rather pointless: one has the eyeholess painted solid black, while the other lets you see the eyes within. The hair's a little more mussed on the "eyes" one, too, but it's honestly not enough of a difference to be worth including both of them. Still, tossing in a superfluous head doesn't mean we miss out on any other accessories. We start simple, with four extra hands: the ones he's got on in the package are just in a generally loose, relaxed pose, but then there are two gripped to hold weapons, a left hand in a "reaching" pose, and another spoilery left hand with two of the fingers blown off. All the hands have different wound patterns, which doesn't speak highly of the film's continuity department. For his weapon, you can choose between a hammer, a kitchen knife, and a fireplace poker, the three main things he uses in the film. We also get the "cop o'lantern" Michael made, which is not only grossly detailed, but also hollow, allowing you to slip (for example) a Christmas tree light inside there to shine through all the holes. And although it didn't have as big a role in this movie as it did in the original, there's Judith Myers' tombstone. Finally, we get the coolest thing of all: a pumpkin. A jack o'lantern pumpkin, more specifically. That's not so unique in itself - in fact, it's basically a mandatory inclusion, from Movie Maniacs on up - but this one is above average. There's a small light inside, simulating a candle; it even flickers! The stem on top of the pumpkin is the on/off switch, using the line where the jack o'lantern lid would have been cut to hide it. This is a totally cool piece! All this and we haven't even mentioned the articulation yet. Michael has a balljointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders, those double-swivel/hinge elbows NECA is into these days, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge knees, and balljointed ankles. There's some kind of chest joint in there, possibly a balljoint, but it's not really mobile, thanks to the jumpsuit. The elbows don't look as good here as they did on Pennywise, but the dark color helps hide it. And the way the pants pockets overlap his hip joints helps disguise those, as well. Basically, he can do whatever you want him to, and that's good. Really, the whole thing is good. When one of our complaints is "comes with an accessory he didn't need to," that's a sign the general presentation is pretty great. We've been waiting for NECA to get a chance at Michael Myers, and now they have. -- 04/11/19

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