Halloween II

Trailer—Halloween II

This is, by far, the best sequel of all the "Halloween" films. As far as I'm concerned, the producers should have ended the series here, because, after all, it is very, very clear MICHAEL MYERS IS DEAD IN THE END. Never mind that this is just another slasher film. Dino DeLaurentiis works his magic here, as he would do three years later with "Dune". This is one sequel that will have you on the edge of your seats to the very end. To me, what John Carpenter started, DeLaurentiis finished. For maximum effect, see the first two "Halloween" films on Halloween, October 31, and time it so that the end of "Halloween II" falls at midnight, the morning of November 1. "Halloween II" is a sequel masterpiece.

This movie's story began right after the end of the first installment. After been shot for six times by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance), Michael Myers vanished in the dark of the night. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee-Curtis) had a medical nursing in a local hospital. Now Michael Myers continues his killing spree in the hospital. Once again Laurie Strode must endure a night form hell and reveal her own darkest secret. Rick Rosenthal continues the John Carpenter directional style and he did it on a faster pace than the first one. It makes the movie is more enjoyable for now age viewers. Jamie Lee-Curtis is still at her best. I would not deface her name, because she's the best. In general, this movie is a mediocre, but decently enough to watch, especially when you are bored in a lonely night with nothing to do, rent this movie and watch this full cliché mandatory and your night won't be that bad anymore. 6/10

On the same night of October 31st 1978, Michael Myers is still on the loose in Haddonfield and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been hospitalized. Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is still hot on his trail as he discovers the truth behind Michael Myers and a shocking secret behind him, now the killer is stalking the halls of Haddonfield Hospital as he wants Laurie but can she survive the night yet again? A fantastic sequel to John Carpener's masterpiece of horror is a chilling one as well. It's the best of the "Halloween" sequels as it works as a great follow-up that is just as good, scary and exciting as the original. It's violent and gory with some memorable kills like the hot-tub murder and the syringe in the head sequence, John Carpenter and Debra Hill who did the original movie co-wrote and produced this installment. It's a worthy sequel that fans of the original might enjoy.

Picking up exactly where the original left off, "Halloween II" has Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) getting transferred to the hospital, while Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) continues looking for Michael Myers. In the process of everything, we learn some things about the characters (like a little something about Laurie that would play a part in the later movies). Of course, in the process, Michael himself goes around killing people. A particularly interesting scene is how he kills a woman in the hospital. Oh, and by the way, this is Dana Carvey's film debut (interestingly, he later co-starred with Mike Myers, whose name sounds like the killer here). A worthy sequel it is. Numbers 4, 5, and 6 were pathetic (and #8 apparently was), #7 was really cool, while #3 wasn't even really part of the series.

As far as I am concerned this was the last Halloween movie with Myers worth watching. I prefer the third movie which has nothing to do with him to all the mess that follows. This movie is a continuation of the first as it is still the same night. Myers has of course gotten up and Jamie Lee has been taken to a hospital to recuperate from her wounds. Of course this one tries to shock us with its revelations and such, but nothing to shocking. There are kills and once again Dr. Loomis is obsessed with getting Myers. Some good kills are to be found as is to be expected. Though I always feel sorry for the guy that gets hit by the car as he is obviously not Myers. There is a television version of this one that totally blows as it is very toned down and they even have a happier ending. Watch the uncut theater version as it is much better.

Halloween 2 seems to get mixed reactions but no one can deny that it stands alone as a great slasher film. Of course it's hard to take Halloween 2 as its "own" film compared to the greatness that is the original Halloween, but most should be able to overlook that and enjoy it for what it is. Halloween 2 uses the suspense of Halloween but adds more gore and a faster pace to the mix. I found it thoroughly entertaining, with some great death scenes and genuinely suspenseful moments (Jamie-Lee escaping through the ventilation grill). The only minor points spoiling Halloween 2 are that sometimes it gets a bit far-fetched. For example, Jamie-Lee is escaping through the ventilation grill and Michael Myers takes an eternity to simply walk over and pull her back down. There were also a few moments of very bad acting. Overall though it's thoroughly entertaining and I would recommend it to all horror fans. It doesn't ruin the integrity of the original film like most sequels do.

The original has its critics, but for me, it's a masterpiece, a film that really brought the genre to life, question is, does the sequel do justice to the first? Brave to do a direct continuation of the first, meaning that night of terror truly does continue, it's no wonder poor Laurie Strode had her problems. I've got two copies of it, and maybe it was the way it was filmed, but it doesn't look as slick as the first, some of the camera work looks cheap. The opening music is horrid, true eighties synth, it's not good. The original music is so much better, when they do use the original incidental music it works so much better. A few clichés, including the useless security guard, bits of nudity and deserted hospital, but overall I still think it's a pretty good movie. Enough scares, and moments to make you jump, albeit delivered with less subtlety, which is what made the first work so well. Overall, it's still a good watch. 7/10.