Review of Halloween II (1981) by David S — 14 Oct 2016
If a sequel to "Halloween" was inevitable, we're lucky this is what we got. Easily dismissed for its superfluous nature (in spite of the original's sequel-bait ending), "Halloween II" (the original) is actually a solid, well-paced chiller with a number of good scares.
Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode remains a resourceful, well-developed heroine, even sidelined in a hospital bed for much of the movie. In fact, the hospital setting is one of the sequel's great strengths.
Dean Cundey's murky cinematography makes it feel like a haunted house, to enter at our own peril. And if director Rick Rosenthal doesn't have John Carpenter's gifts, he at least has a talented enough crew to bolster him.
Most of them are, in fact, holdovers from the original: master cinematographer Cundey, co-writer and producer Debra Hill, even Carpenter himself as composer and co-writer. The result is a movie that, while wholly unnecessary and decidedly inferior to the original, stays reasonably true to its grim spirit.
This review of Halloween II (1981) was written by David S on 14 Oct 2016.
Halloween II has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
