I'm pretty sure everyone has pondered just who The Tall Man is and what his ultimate goal really is. The first question gets an answer in Jebediah Morningside..an inventor on the brink of a major discovery, a portal that can reach endless time and space. The answer to the second is a bit more difficult and easy. The easy part seems to be that The Tall Man's goal is to turn Mike into a sort of Tall Man creation. Why this is doesn't quite get a satisfactory answer. We have our own thoughts to question The Tall Man's motivations for allowing Reggie to survive. He tells him that the final game is about to begin so is The Tall Man's main motivation to simply manipulate and control Reggie and Michael? Why The Tall Man allows any of this film's story to take place really is a deep mystery. I never could really understand why The Tall Man would need a cohort to join him in his "dwarfing business", but perhaps he's lonely or something..fact is we just don't get an answer because it seems like Coscarelli just wants to keep us head scratching. But, being an entertained fan of his previous three, this fourth entry seems to add a new puzzle to every answer. The one thing that seems to be a theme to the overall film is the past mistakes Mike made when facing The Tall Man. In his adult stage he seems to always try to escape The Tall Man, but lack success. We see in a past flashback Mike cut The Tall Man loose as he hung from a noose. This is an interesting piece to perhaps why The Tall Man took a liking to Mike..he seems to desire a partner in his schemes and maybe in Mike's cutting him down this was the answer to his idea. Reggie is pretty much a non-factor in this installment which is a bit disappointing because he was the major character in the other two. He actually carried the series on his shoulders because most of the entertainment came from his quips and charisma. He does shoot up some dwarfs and has a brief scenario with a supposed drifter(Heidi Marnhount). This little sub-plot provides a wild sequence where those metal balls come from an unusual location. But, Reggie still doesn't get laid and on his journey to help Mike he does encounter Jody. Jody's role in the film seems to be rather confusing. Which side does he work for? It seems he tries to help Mike and Reggie, yet he does pose a threat towards the end. Perhaps he is torn..Jody tries to help Mike stop The Tall Man, but is under control by the evil fiend. The story regarding how everything began with Jebediah is very fascinating, but a bit underdeveloped. Overall, the film has a "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" kind of feel. This provides unpredictability, but also confusion. Still, the film keeps you guessing and has enough ghoulish gags(like the zombie policeman who Reggie has a hard time killing)to keep a horror fan interested.