History YMMV / Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

** ** Dr. Loomis' cries of "No!" when he sees Jamie at the ending is hilarious to some people, however for many others Pleasence's portrayal of Loomis's despair that [[spoiler: Jamie has turned out exactly like her uncle]] is very well done and heartbreaking.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Many fans see Kelly as an assertive, somewhat funny female character with some Pet the Dog moments, while others hate her for stealing Rachel's boyfriend.

** Dr. Loomis' cries of "No!" when he sees Jamie at the ending is hilarious to some people.

* NarmCharm: The scene of the bullies chanting "JAMIE'S AN ORPHAN" is a bit over the top in its cruelty, but Jamie's emotional reaction to it makes it feel a little too real to laugh at.

* ValuesResonance: This film directly messed with the normal expectations of the slasher genre. Rachel was clearly planning on having sex with Brady before being told to go trick or treating with Jamie, Sheriff Meeker is clearly depicted as an incredibly competent and formidable law enforcement officer, and Brady, despite having cheated on Rachel with Kelly, is still depicted positively and his death is treated as sad. This was relatively rare during the 80's, 90's, and the early 2000's. Nowadays, subverting, or outright deviating from the slasher genre norm is becoming increasingly common in cinema.

** Sheriff Ben Meeker is also quite the beloved character as well, being an overall welcome aversion to the usual PoliceAreUseless cliche present in slasher flicks and Beau Starr's intense performance being praised. He's genuinely competent at his job and actively assists Dr. Loomis in his efforts to stop Myers. Being the one leading the shootout against Michael at the end helped garner him a lot of fans. His OverprotectiveDad moment is also well-liked.

** Rachel also gets praise for overcoming her fear and quickly becoming an ActionSurvivor determined to protect her adopted sister. She manages to get the best of Michael twice, the latter of which involves her running him down with a truck. Fans were not happy when [[spoiler:she fell victim to SuddenDeathSequelSyndrome]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Fans were unpleased with the lack of Michael Myers in the [[Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch third film]], hence this film bringing him back and putting his name in the subtitle to make it clear that Michael is indeed back.

* SignatureScene:

** Is Reverend Sayer, the talkative clergyman who gives Loomis a ride, a HeroOfAnotherStory who has spent years pursuing some unspecified evil person or force? Or is he just a kooky drunk who is being metaphorical when he talks about chasing evil?

** Although Halloween 5 would clarify that Jamie was somehow possessed by Michael Myers' evil spirit when she stabbed her foster mother in a clown costume, [[note]]Likely to keep her sympathetic after dropping the evil Jamie SequelHook for the next film.[[/note]] alternative interpretations of that scene suggest that Jamie was NotBrainwashed but rather another Myers in the making, her evil awakened by the trauma she endured over the Halloween night.
** Following the release of the ''Film/HalloweenTheCurseOfMichaelMyers'' and the Cult of Thorn reveal, some fans wonder if Dr. Hoffman is merely an incompetent bureaucrat, a cultist who deliberately engineers Michael's escape by transferring him without telling Loomis, or an UnwittingPawn who [[spoiler:Dr. Wynn]] tricked into facilitating Michael's escape.

* ValuesResonance: This film directly messed with the normal expectations of the slasher genre. Rachel was clearly planning on having sex with Brady before being told to go trick or treating with Jamie, Sheriff Meeker is clearly depicted as an incredibly competent and formidable law enforcement officer, and Brady, despite having cheated on Rachel with Kelly, is still depicted positively and his death is treated as sad. This was relatively rare during the 80's, 90's, and even the early 2000's. Nowadays, subverting, or outright deviating from the slasher genre norm is becoming increasingly common in cinema.

* {{Sequelitis}}: Michael's motive is taken to the next level, his injuries from previous films are gone, and his costume from mask to hockey padded build is comically terrible.

** The scene where kids [[KidsAreCruel make fun of Jamie]] for being the niece of a killer and [[KickTheDog for being an orphan]], even chanting "Jamie is an orphan" over an over. It's over-the-top and cheesy, but it helps cement Jamie's status as an outcast and Danielle Harris' convincing perfomance certainly helps.
** While Kelly is technically an AssholeVictim, her death can really be upsetting considering the impact that will bring to her father (an EnsembleDarkhorse), not to mention how it was shown that she was capable of compassion for the sake of it, concerning for Jamie when she has a freak-out and preparing a cup of coffee for Logan, showing that [[HiddenDepths she was more than just a shallow boyfriend-stealer]].

* CriticalResearchFailure: Sheriff Meeker and co. are "Haddonfield Police," despite Haddonfield being in Warren County (or Livingstone County depending on the movie). Consequently, they should be portrayed as county police because sheriffs are county - not town - law enforcement.

--> '''Jamie:''' Please, come alive! Don't be dead. You can't be dead! Come alive, Rachel!

* ValuesResonance: This film directly messed with the normal expectations of the slasher genre. Rachel was clearly planning on having sex with Brady before being told to go trick or treating with Jamie, Sheriff Meeker is clearly depicted as an incredibly competent and formidable law enforcement officer, and Brady, despite having cheated on Rachel with Kelly, is still depicted positively and his death is treated as sad. This was relatively rare during the 80's, 90's, and even the early 2000's. Nowadays, subverting, or outright deviating from the slasher genre norm is becoming increasingly common in cinema.