Review of Halloween II (1981) by Alex R — 16 Sep 2011

As a diehard fan of the first one, Halloween II builds new tense moments and offers a new twist on this tale. After the events of the first film, Laurie Strode is still being hunted down by her homicidal brother.

The film has effective, creepy moments and when something happens on screen, you're sure to get a few jolts here and there. The film is more violent than the first film, and there's more gore to be introduced in this film, unlike John Carpenter's horror classic that relied on suspense and atmosphere instead of gore.

There are still the traditional elements which made the first one such a blast to watch, but considering that the first is such a classic, and is my personal favorite; Halloween II isn't flawless.

There are some elements that could have been improved on, but that's the case with every film. Director Rick Rosenthal (who would go on to helm many sequels) crafts a film that's a worthy follow-up to the first film.

I felt that the film was well done, and Jamie Lee Curtis was absolutely wonderful in this installment. As a fan of the first, I very much enjoyed this second film. The suspense and creepy atmosphere remain, but there's of course a lot more violence this time around, but this is still one chilling, effective horror film nonetheless.

As the first sequel to Carpenter's classic, Halloween II is of course one of the best follow-up films.