I'm back! Sorry for another slow week or so, everyone, but my wife and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary last week and we took the chance to get away for a few days. I also wanted to rewatch Halloween: the Curse of Michael Myers before reviewing this one and I got the chance to the night before last.
I was really surprised when this
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers figure went up for preorder on Target.com during the Haulathon event this year. I was even more surprised when it shipped rather quickly. I've long hoped that NECA would start releasing Michael Myers figures from other Halloween films and this one is a nice start. NECA has covered Michael from the classic film and the Rob Zombie series years ago, and
Halloween 2, and the
Halloween 2018 films over the past 6 or 7 years, so it's cool to get one of the 90s films. While Michael Myers doesn't change his look up much, there are costume and mask differences and lots of new weapons and such here. Personally, I enjoy Halloween VI and really liked where it was going. I love the concept of Michael Myers as just an inexplicably evil guy with no backstory for his violence like we see in the original film and the 2018 series, sure, but I'm also intrigued by the Curse of Thorn and the roots to the darker side of Halloween/ Samhain that Halloween II hints at. The Curse of Michael Myers is a mess of a film at times, sure, but it has some great scenes and a great atmosphere, too (though the soundtrack is definitely weak compared to most other entries, in my opinion). Ready to check out a cool take on Michael Myers that I don't think we've seen in toy form before? Then join me after the break...
(Note: I've stopped referring to every NECA figure as "Ultimate Blank." It makes listing them in the archives annoying and it just seems unnecessary. I'm dropping it for my reviews.)
The Facts:
Height: 7 5/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, "boot" swivels, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, swivel/hinge shoulders, double swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed heads.
Accessories: Two swappable portraits, mask, 7 swappable hands, real estate sign, Michael Myers decoration, 2 knives, jack o' lantern, machete, axe, crowbar, candles, bag of runes, and cluster of syringes.
Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars
The Positives:
* This isn't just the same Michael Myers figure as previous releases with new releases. This guy looks quite different as his coveralls are a slightly different design with a much lighter color (apparently the actual costume was a set of modified light grey Dickies, though they come across as blue in the film) and his body type is different as he's larger than the classic Michael. NECA wisely kept the figures the same size, but this Michael is noticeably bulkier. Not huge, just seemingly a larger guy. The detail on the suit is pretty impressive and the figure looks right to me. Michael didn't look right to me in the 4th and 5th films, but this one does and just seems spot on. Michael stays in the shadows for most of the film, so it's tough to get a full look at him, but this figure just has the right look and feel.
* I like the mask in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. In fact, I'd say it's probably the fourth or fifth best mask after the original film, Halloween 2018, Halloween 2, and
maybe Halloween Kills. The eyes are only slightly visible in this sculpt (they're back there, but they're very tough to see, as they should be), the face shape is right, the paintwork seems spot on, and the hair is really well done. Not too wild and crazy, but still noticeable. It captures the expressionless, blank slate look that Michael's mask should have.
* The second head looks very similar to the first and I'm pretty sure it's the same sculpt. If it's different, it's a pretty minor sculpt difference. What is different is that this one is covered with the green corrosive chemical that Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd) injects Michael Myers with before he beats him with a pipe. Imagine Ant-Man versus Michael Myers! Grab a Marvel Legends Ant-Man, slap that head on the body of the Hood or Agent Jimmy Woo and you've got a Tommy Doyle. The liquid splatter does give Michael a creepy look and would make him really stand out from the others on the shelf.
* Last up is an empty mask for Michael, just laying on the ground. This does appear in the film and it's almost the last shot. What could have been, right? I really wish we'd gotten a sequel to this movie before H20. The mask by itself appears at the very end of the film, sure, but it's also just a darn cool accessory to have. It's a great sculpt and, really, there's no reason why it couldn't be the classic Michael Myers mask. I think diorama makers and toy photographers can have a lot of fun with this.
* There really aren't any surprises here in regards to the articulation as it's pretty similar to any other modern NECA Michael Myers figure. While Michael Myers isn't super poseable and is very restricted in his mid section, the articulation is still very solid for the things you'd expect Michael to be able to do. He looks good standing menacingly, holding his weapons menacingly, and walking menacingly. He can even cock his head to the side menacingly. He's really quite menacing! Things like the double hinge elbows and the balljointed neck really allow you to tinker with the figure to get the fine expressions that you want and, since he's solid and very sturdy, you can pose him all night long.
* Michael comes with quite a few hands, most designed to interact with specific weapons. He's got three right handed grips for different weapons, two left handed grips for different weapons, and a pair of grappling hands, perhaps for strangling someone or shoving their head between some metal bars. Michael is very hands on in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, so have some fun using these to get some crazy poses. Since he was blown up inside of a mine shaft at the end of Halloween IV/ beginning of Halloween V, his hands look burned and scarred, too.
* Michael Myers comes with a really nice assortment of accessories, some being more diorama-like piece (like the mask) while others are weapons. And he comes with quite a few weapons. First up, Michael comes with two knives. Why two? I don't know. I actually rewatched the movie the night before writing this review and while he uses knives pretty frequently, he never uses two at once. If there is a difference here, it's so subtle that I'm missing it. maybe it's so you
* The axe gets some use in the film, first by John Strode (Bradford English) to cut down the vandalized Strode Realty sign (which comes in this set as an accessory), and then later by Michael to kill Debra Strode (Kim Darby). Hey, John and Debra Strode? John Carpenter and Debra Hill! Cool Easter egg. Anyways, the axe looks good. It looks pretty old and rusty in the move, so NECA has painted the axe head fittingly. It's a cool piece.
* Next up is this blade that looks like a machete. Michael uses this to kill most of the cult of Thorn in an operating room at the Smith's Grove Sanitarium. Again, it's a solid sculpt with some paintwork to make it look aged and a bit bloody. What exactly is it, though? Sure, it looks like a machete, but some Halloween fans have suggested it's an old-timey medical blade for cutting bones. Maybe the cult just likes having 19th century medical equipment around?
* Last up for melee weapons is a crowbar. Again, I just rewatched the movie the night before writing this review, but even then I had to go back and look at where the crowbar showed up in the film. Michael uses it to impale John Strode in the basement before electrocuting him to death and causing his head to explode. Yikes! It's a simple crowbar with some nice weathering on it. I'm surprised this one made the cut as I didn't even notice that's what Michael used, and I was specifically looking for it!
* Here's a weapon that's to be used against Michael, not by him! It's a group of syringes that Tommy Doyle fills with corrosive liquid and injects Michael with before he beats him with a pipe. These look really cool. Seriously, NECA just does a very impressive job with stuff like this. I mean, look at the detail on the plungers, the transparency of the liquid. It's just very cool for someone like me who has always just adored accessories.
* Here's a nifty little accessory: A set of candles from the Cult of Thorn. Yup! You can have these around and now you control Michael Myers! These probably have a bit more relevance to the Producer's Cut, but they're in the regular film at the beginning, I think. They're pretty detailed, spooky candles. It's all one piece (they're not separate candles) but they look great. Another fun diorama piece.
* Next up is a bag of runes. Runes. Tommy Doyle has been studying up on his runes, has computer programs about runes, and even carries a bag of them. Dude is nuts about runes. He finally gets Kara Strode over to his bachelor pad, and what does he do? He just goes on and on about runes. The bag makes an appearance in the regular version of the film briefly, too, though the runes are used by Tommy in the Producer's cut when Michael is pursuing him and Kara Strode (Marianne Hagan) through the sanitarium. It's not the best accessory, but it's kind of fun in a cheeky sort of way. The bag looks nice.
* I love pumpkins and Jack o' Lanterns, so I'm always excited to get a new one. This one appears at the end of the film and is really the last shot. It's a great pumpkin sculpt with a classic and menacing Jack o' Lantern face. It's not iconic like the Jack o' Lanterns from the first two films, but it's still a cool extra. There's some incredible sculpting and paintwork here.
* Check out the inside: You also have a lit candle! It doesn't really light up or anything (if it looks that way, it's just a trick of the light).
* Another very cool diorama piece included is this Strode Realty sign with a big "SOLD" sign on it. Remember that John Strode (the brother of Laurie's adopted dad) moved his family into the old Myers house without them knowing it was the Myers house. Pretty surprising that none of them would know that, considering the connection to their cousin, but it is a pretty fun thing in the movie when Loomis informs Debra Strode of this and when the son learns that he lives in the Myers house while on a live radio broadcast.
* Besides just seeming like an absolutely jerk to everyone and being abusive, John Strode just can't take a joke, either. When some kids put this cardboard Michael Myers up on the "Sold" sign in his yard, he grabs an axe an cuts the entire thing down. The Michael decoration is a single piece of plastic but it really does mimic a cardboard cutout with a plastic knife and a cheap Halloween mask stuck to it. It's really a cool accessory; definitely not something I expected to see NECA produce.
* The knife and mask are quite well done and definitely capture the feel of drug store Halloween decorations and costume items. It's like a great low budget Michael Myers costume. If you ordered Michael Myers from Wish, this is what you'd get.
* Flip this around and you can see how the knock-off Michael attaches to the sign. You can also see how the string of the mask was taped onto the corrugated cardboard the decoration is made of. It's really a wild little detail that you'd really not expect to be there, but here it is. Great job, NECA!
The Negatives:
* I have one, and only one, complaint about this figure. It's not a huge complaint, but I still think there's a bit of a weird look to the crotch of Michael's coveralls. Considering NECA has sacrificed torso and waist articulation for the look of the coveralls (which doesn't bother me for a character like Michael Myers), I still think there's something a bit off. People throw around the "diaper crotch" criticism quite a bit, and sometimes I see that here. It doesn't ruin the figure at all for me; it's just a mild eyesore when you notice it.
I'm sure there is someone out there whose favorite Halloween movie is Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Heck, there's probably someone out there whose favorite movie is specifically the Producer's Cut of the film. For most, though, this isn't our favorite Michael, but it's cool to get another version and, wow, NECA went all out. This guy isn't just a simple redo of prior figures and he is absolutely loaded with accessories. Really cool stuff, really scene specific stuff, and stuff that's insanely well done considering this figure is based on a 1990s era Halloween film. This is an Epic figure and NECA just went all in. It's kind of like one of those J
ohn Williams piano memes. It's a Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers figure; how good does it have to be? Well, NECA poured out some hot fire and then doused it in gasoline. Amazing!
If you're a fan of Michael Myers/ The Shape/ The Boogeyman, then check out these other reviews: The McFarlane Movie Maniacs
Michael Myers, the One:12 Collective
Michael Myers, the
POP! Movies Michael Myers and POP! Town
Michael Myers with Myers House #25, the ReAction Horror Series
Michael Myers, the Funko Savage World
Michael Myers, Mezco's Designer Series
Michael Myers, NECA's Cult Classics Icons 2007
Michael Myers, Halloween 2018
Ultimate Michael Myers,
Michael Myers (Halloween Kills), and Halloween II
Ultimate Michael Myers, the Toony Terror
Michael Myers, the Funko 5 Star
The Curse of Michael Myers, and the knockoff Lego
Michael Myers.
For more Halloween figures from NECA check out the following:
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