Halloween 5 Ending Explained: Who Is The Man In Black?

The Halloween 5 ending explained a little about the Man in Black and what he meant to the Halloween franchise and storyline, even if it was somewhat abrupt. 1989's Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers came out shortly after Halloween 4, which marked iconic slasher killer Michael Myers' big screen return after being absent Halloween III: Season Of The Witch. However, the return of Michael Myers also allowed the franchise to take things in a wildly different direction, one that only lasted for the next three movies and started with Halloween 5's Man in Black.

Halloween 5 was given an immediate greenlight and started filming without a completed script. The original concept picked up from the disturbing ending of Halloween 4, where Michael's niece Jamie stabs her adopted mother. The initial idea for Halloween 5 was to feature both Michael and Jamie as killers, though this was later changed in favor of the introduction of the mysterious Man in Black. The rollercoaster production is evident in the ending and apparent lack of explanation for the Man in Black, though the mystery of the Halloween 5 ending isn't as vague as it first seems.

What Happens In The Halloween 5 Ending

Why The Man In Black Frees Michael Myers

The ending of Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers saw the titular iconic slasher killer apprehended and held in jail, pending transfer to a maximum security prison. However, much to the shock of Jamie, Michael is freed by the mysterious Man in Black, who arrives seemingly from nowhere and disposes of the police force rather effortlessly in a shower of bullets. Finding Michael's cell empty and Sheriff Meeker possibly dead breaks Jamie, and she collapses into despair knowing her nightmare still isn't over.

Halloween 5 has telltale signs of a rushed shoot, including an unfocused storyline that fails to provide a clear protagonist, and this is apparent right until the ending. One element that bemused viewers back in 1989 was the introduction of the Man in Black, a mysterious figure who appears midway through the story for no clear purpose until he breaks Michael Myers out of jail in the final scene.

Most of the confusion around the ending of Halloween 5 stems from how abrupt it is, with the Man in Black suddenly appearing, killing every cop in the police station, and vanishing with Michael into the night. It turns out the issues with this final scene can be traced back to the rushed production.

The Man in Black character was actually created halfway through filming to help tie together some plot threads and also because franchise producer Moustapha Akkad wanted to create a hook for the next sequel. Even the filmmakers weren't exactly sure who the Man in Black was, so it was kept vague. Director Dominique Othenin-Girard felt he could be Michael's twin brother or alter ego, which is why Michael's performer Don Shanks played both roles.

What The Halloween 5 Ending Means

The Man In Black In Halloween 5 Had Deeper Significance

While it seems somewhat unconnected to the plot of the movie, the ending of Halloween 5 does have some thematic importance. However, this would have been much more apparent were it not for the various changes made to the narrative before production was completed. And as little sense as it seemingly makes, the original plans for Halloween 5 would have made the significance of the ending and the Man in Black much clearer.

The original opening of Halloween 5 featured Michael Myers being resurrected by a hermit with an occult ritual, who tattoos The Shape with the Thorn symbol seen on his wrist; the Man in Black has this same symbol, suggesting it linked them together. The opening was later re-shot, leaving the tattoo's origins a mystery. This was something that Dominique Othenin-Girard addressed in an interview (via Halloween Movies):

"The Man in Black character was inspired by Mr. Akkad during the filming. His concern was how to add an additional hook for the next sequel. So I created the character without knowing his exact origin, created on the fly per se... On the set, I found the idea of the "mark" to link him to Michael and drew on them and on the wall my own "Rune."

Despite the lingering mystery of the Halloween 5 ending, it took six years for the franchise to return with Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. This installment revealed the Man in Black is actually Dr. Terrence Wynn, who ran the Smith's Grove Sanitarium Michael escaped from in the original. Wynn is the head of the Cult of Thorn and marked Michael with a curse that drove him to kill his entire family, granting the cult power. The Man in Black watches over Michael and that's why he busted him out of the police station in Halloween 5.

Halloween 5 Continues The Franchise's Family Theme

The Original Halloween 5 Plan Almost Removed What Makes The Franchise Great

While the ending of Halloween 5 may be abrupt, and the movie itself one of the more controversial entries in the Halloween franchise, it did help carry over many major themes of the celebrated 1978 original. It also came at a difficult time for Michael Myers as a cinematic property. The franchise seemed to change a lot with Halloween 4, as Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode was gone, replaced by Jamie Lloyd.

The original plan for Halloween 5 was to make Lloyd the new killer, following Michael Myers' lead. This idea was later axed, and Michael was kept as the central killer with the Man in Black and his cult as secondary antagonists. This also allowed Michael Myers's story and the connections between his crimes and his family to continue and be further deepened. Jamie Lloyd is Laurie's daughter and Michael's niece, so her inclusion in Halloween 5 was important. While Laurie died off-screen between movies, Jamie Lloyd kept the entire mythos that Michael kills his family intact.

Of course, Halloween 6 had the tricky task of taking the various loose ends from the Halloween 5 ending and trying to make sense of them. This included the fact that if Michael Myers killed his family, the mysterious cult would gain more power. The answer didn't prove very satisfying to many viewers at the time, with the Cult of Thorn being one of the most derided plotlines of the franchise. The franchise almost revisited the Man in Black character during early plans for Halloween 9, but it was later decided to remake the original with director Rob Zombie instead.

How The Halloween 5 Ending Was Received

While the mystery of the Man in Black might have intrigued some fans over the years, the Halloween 5 ending was largely seen as a disappointment and a sign of the franchise reaching its end. There is a shock factor to the final scene of this mysterious figure coming to Michael's aid and the chaos of the bloody shootout that ends the movie. However, once the shock has worn off, the ending is one that leaves many fans empty and with a sense of being ripped off.

The abruptness of the ending does have the feeling of the movie running out of ideas and throwing in a blatant deus ex machina to save Michael Myers and allow the franchise to continue. While John Carpenter had been vocal about the fact that the Halloween franchise should have stopped using Michael Myers after the first movie, Halloween 5's ending gives the idea that the producers are less concerned with delivering worthwhile sequels and more focused on ensuring there will be another one to follow.

Having the Man in Black interfere in the ending without any real context would have always been a clumsy way to wrap up the story, but it is only made worse by the reveal in the next movie about who the Man in Black really is. Any intrigue about the ending evaporated with the introduction of the cult. Interestingly, the ending could have been made a lot better had the franchise gone in another potential direction in hiring Quentin Tarantino to write Halloween 6.

Tarantino's Halloween idea would have picked up following the events of the controversial ending and followed Michael Myers and the Man in Black as they go on the run, driving down Route 66 and going on a killing spree. While it wouldn't have saved the ending of Halloween 5, it would have at least led it somewhere more interesting.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is the second part in the "Thorn Trilogy" sequels and sees the return of the masked serial killer to the town of Haddonfield. Despite the best efforts of Haddonfield's law enforcement and townsfolk, Michael survives their recent attempt to slay him, allowing him to continue his hunt for his niece, Jamie Lloyd. However, Jamie senses his return via an inexplicable telepathic connection, setting her up to prepare for another showdown with the town's eternal foe.

Cast

Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Beau Starr, Wendy Kaplan, Tamara Glynn

Runtime

96 Minutes

Director

Dominique Othenin-Girard

Studio(s)

Magnum Pictures, Trancas International