Review of Halloween II (1981) by Josh M — 02 Nov 2014

While it's certainly not the worst horror movie ever created, it is pretty disappointing, especially after the original. While I'm sure most of the elements of the movie were original when the movie came out, they feel very cliche now. I'm very curious if H2 started the formula for the cliche slasher. All in all, it feels like a generic horror movie you could find on cable TV.

Review Points:

- Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) spends the entire movie lying on a hospital bed. While she wasn't necessarily a huge draw in the original, the movie was, well, about her. This movie seems to be revolving around random stock characters with Laurie seen every 20 or so minutes.

- Not a lot of suspense in H2, which is strange because it was the main point of the original. You simply watch Michael hide then kill characters one after another.

- Some sillyness in the car-death of the 17yr child dressed up as Michael. Not sure what that was supposed to accomplish for the story. The fact that the characters were nonchalant about brutally killing a child and simply shrugged their shoulders was very strange.

- A lot of attention is given to Dr. Loomis, who simply acts startled, panicked, and confused in every scene. I'm not sure why they chose to spend so much time on him, the police officers, and their "investigation." The back and forth between their characters and the hospital was painful. They were so far behind in everything that was going on.

- The hospital, while a unique idea, felt claustrophobic. I likened H1 as a horror movie taking place in your neighborhood. Your house. Your neighbors. Someone could be watching you and you not even know it. The confusing corridors of the hospital isn't effective in making the viewer really feel the dread of someone stalking you.