Review of Halloween II (1981) by Brian S — 26 Oct 2010

One of the most incriminating opinions against the quality of horror movies over the years has been the degeneration of a franchise due to its sequels. Often times original movies are not intended to have sequels but are turned into money-making franchises at the expense of their quality; this often begins with part II. Examples of this include: The Exorcist II, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, and The Hills Have Eyes II.

This Halloween season, if you are looking for a horror movie sequel that honors the original, maintains its continuity, and gives the audience more without losing the seminal works integrity, then Halloween II is the movie you need to watch. Though not directed by John Carpenter (though he did shoot a few scenes before the release), Halloween II was written by Carpenter and maintained the primary cast members including Donald Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis. Keeping Carpenter on to write this sequel was the saving grace for this film because he was able to seamlessly transition from the original.

Taking place immediately after the events of the first movie, Halloween II opens with Laurie sending the children she is babysitting off for help. Events unfold just as they did in the original until Dr. Loomis (Pleasance) finds Michael's body missing. Laurie is then taken to the hospital to be treated after battling Michael, and Dr. Loomis is escorted by Marshalls out of Haddonfield. It's no surprise that Michael has followed Laurie to the hospital and begins his routine of stalking her and killing those who get in her way. The biggest plot element of this film is revealed to Dr. Loomis, which prompts his return to Haddonfield to save Laurie and provides motive for Michael's desire to kill Laurie. I don't want to ruin the film for any readers who haven't seen it, but it's a Halloween movie so I'm sure you can figure out what transpires from then on.

Halloween II provides the viewer with everything they could want in a sequel. It maintains the integrity of the original by developing the original plot without compromising it, and it keeps a lot of the elements that made the original so successful. Michael is the same menacing shadow he was in the previous film, stalking Laurie and quietly killing those who get in his way (all fueled by suspense and the awesome score). Halloween II also does what every sequel is required to do, turn up the violence. There is a lot more gore in this film than the original and the body count is higher (though by today's standards the gore is minimal). One scene that sticks out in my mind is when Michael kills off one of his victims by drowning her in a scalding hot tub, her skin peeling off her face as she's removed from the water.

Halloween II is not as good as the original but should be considered one of the better horror sequels of all time. If you disagree I would love to hear your rebuttals in the comments. Keep reading for reviews on the next 8 Halloween movies as well as other horror movies to watch this season.