The Producer's Cut of Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers is the best version of the movie. The sixth installment of the Halloween franchise was released in 1995, directed by Joe Chappelle, and written by Daniel Farrands. The Curse Of Michael Myers stars Donald Pleasence in his last movie appearance, along with Marianne Hagan and Paul Rudd in his film debut.
Halloween 6 takes place six years after the events of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. This time around, the story centers on cousins of Laurie Strode; they're the last surviving relatives of Michael Myers; he stalks and attempts to kill every last one of them. In the meantime, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) pursues Michael yet again, and a grown-up Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd) tries to protect the Strodes. The big draw of this Halloween installment is that it finally addresses Michael's "curse". This explains why he never dies and provides context to his Halloween rampages. Behind his immortality and homicidal rage, it turns out, is the Cult of Thorn.
Halloween 6 can certainly be seen as the weakest installment of the Halloween franchise. However, some might change their minds upon viewing the Producer's Cut — an alternative version of the movie that was released after the original home media version came out. This cut contains a significant 45 minutes of different footage, with an alternate ending that has gained a cult following over the years; many have dubbed the Producer's Cut as the definitive version Halloween 6. There are some major changes between the final version and the Producer's Cut. The changes to Jamie's fate, the overall cult storyline, and the climactic ending are ultimately better and more coherent, working together to make the Producer's Cut the movie's best version.
Jamie's Death Is More Sensible
The Producer's Cut of Halloween 6 notably gives the character Jamie Lloyd (K.C. Brandy) more screen time. In the theatrical version, Jamie attempts to escape the cult early on—after giving birth to a baby—but Michael tracks her down and kills her quickly. In the Producer's Cut, she's stabbed by Michael but survives for a little while. She's taken to a hospital, where Loomis comes to see her; this makes the moment where Loomis shows up at the hospital and meets Tommy make more sense. Eventually, Jamie is shot by the "man in black" while she's recuperating, but it's at least a better death than the one she had in the theatrical cut where Michael kills her with a corn thresher.
What's more, before Jamie dies in the Producer's Cut, viewers see flashbacks of her time with the Cult of Thorn. The flashback scene sheds light on why the cult kidnapped Jamie and had her impregnated. In the theatrical release of the movie, it's hard to understand why Jamie suffers the fate she does.
The Cult of Thorn Changes Make Sense
In the theatrical cut of Halloween 6, the storyline that explores the Cult of Thorn—which originated in Halloween 2—is extremely convoluted, rushed, and hard to follow. The cult members are briefly seen in the beginning of the movie, and later appear in Haddonfield to deal with the Strodes. It's hard to fathom why the cult does this, and why the members are so obsessed with Michael. The Producer's Cut delves deeper into the cult's background story, and explains how Michael is tied to the cult. In the last half-hour of this version, Kara Strode (Marianne Hagan) is still kidnapped by the cult, but the pace of the action-packed scenes surrounding that incident is more regulated, making them easier to follow.
Halloween 6's Ending Is More Cohesive & Less Confusing
In the theatrical version of Halloween 6, Tommy injects Michael with corrosives and hits him with a pipe until he's unconscious. As Tommy and the Strodes escape, Loomis yells off-camera, suggesting Michael has escaped death yet again, but ultimately leaves their fates unknown. In the Producer's Cut, Tommy uses the runes to stop Michael and Loomis is seen discovering Michael's body on the floor. However, it's revealed that it's actually Dr. Wynn, the chief administrator of Smith's Grove Sanitarium, where Michael had been incarcerated as a boy. He's also a member of the Cult of Thorn. Wynn ends up transferring the mark of Thorn to Loomis and Michael—in a cult disguise—leaves the hospital. This is a more satisfying and coherent ending for Halloween 6. 45 minutes is a lot to add, but the Producer's Cut better contextualizes a lot of what's confusing in the theatrical version, which resolves numerous issues fans had with the movie upon release.
