The hallowed work-print edition, known as “The Producer’s Cut” gained more and more notoriety after getting passed around by fans on the VHS and DVD grey market. It became legendary and, eventually, the first theatrical screening of this version of “Halloween 6” played at New Beverly Cinema just before Halloween night in 2013. Daniel Farrands was in attendance. It’s now widely available and the finale is considered part of the definitive version of the film, which Farrands lovingly refers to as “Tommy’s magic acorns” ending.
The producer’s cut changes things up considerably, showing Tommy standing up to Michael using a strange ritual. He combines his own blood with a circle of stones he places on the ground. Thanks to “the power of the runes” (ugh), Tommy utters the pagan word “Samhain” causing Michael to freeze up just enough for Tommy to wrestle free of his grasp and escape. The big twist comes when Loomis goes back inside to remove Michael’s mask, revealing that it’s actually a disguised Dr. Wynn. If Christopher Lee had, in fact, been cast as Wynn, that moment could have had a lot more impact.
Loomis looks down at his arm to see that the runic Thorn symbol has magically appeared on his arm, effectively making him the new leader of the cult. Over time, the ending has been embraced by fans and even Farrands himself. As the writer told Halloweenmovies.com:
“I didn’t mind having Loomis take on the ‘curse’ … the implication that he would now become Michael’s protector rather than his destroyer was a great twist and, had Donald lived a while longer, I think that idea would have made a really interesting chapter in the series.”
Instead of “Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later,” should there have been a Thorn Quadrilogy in its place? With a new Michael Myers cinematic universe in the works, maybe the upcoming TV series can resurrect the Cult of Thorn again and still manage to keep Donald Pleasence’s vital legacy intact.