Halloween II (1981)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Rick Rosenthal

Writers:

John Carpenter (writer)
Debra Hill (writer)

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

More Of The Night He Came Home

Plot:

Laurie Strode is rushed to the hospital, while Sheriff Brackett and Dr. Loomis hunt the streets for Michael Myers, who has found Laurie at the Haddonfield Hospital.

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Halloween | Michael Myers | Sheriff | Death

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Laurie Strode
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Sam Loomis
Charles Cyphers	...	Sheriff Leigh Brackett
Jeffrey Kramer	...	Graham
Lance Guest	...	Jimmy
Pamela Susan Shoop	...	Karen
Hunter von Leer	...	Deputy Gary Hunt
Dick Warlock	...	The Shape / Patrolman #3
Leo Rossi	...	Budd
Gloria Gifford	...	Mrs. Alves
Tawny Moyer	...	Jill
Ana Alicia	...	Janet
Ford Rainey	...	Dr. Mixter
Cliff Emmich	...	Mr. Garrett
Nancy Stephens	...	Marion

Also Known As:

Halloween II: The Horror Continues (USA) (working title)
Halloween II: The Nightmare Isn't Over! (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

92 min | Sweden:90 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Norway:18 (re-release) (cut) (1988) | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1982) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1982) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1998) | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Italy:VM18 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 (Banned) | Iceland:(Banned) | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1983) | Norway:15 (video) (re-release) (1999) | Norway:(Banned) (video) (1986)

Filming Locations:

Kersting Court at Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, California, USA

Company:

De Laurentiis

Trivia:

Believing Rick Rosenthal's version of the film to be too tame, John Carpenter shot a few gory scenes that were added into the film despite Rosenthal's objections.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Pieces of foam from the fake door Michael smashes through can be seen raining down in the gas room.

Quotes:

Dr. Sam Loomis: Did you see the blackboard back there in the elementary school?
Marion Chambers: Yeah.
Dr. Sam Loomis: In order to appease the gods, the Druid priests held fire rituals. Prisoners of war, criminals, the insane, animals... were... burned alive in baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids believed they could see omens of the future. Two thousand years later, we've come no further. Samhain isn't evil spirits. It isn't goblins, ghosts or witches. It's the unconscious mind. We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bad Boys (1983)

Soundtrack:

MR. SANDMAN

Family Ties – The ‘Not The Afternoon Sitcom.

What is interesting about this movie from an originality point of view is that the movie starts from the ending point of the original. We now have continuous story flow which is indicative of the strength of the original concept. Audiences did not have to put up with some ill – conceived spruced up story which gave an excuse to bring Michael Myers back to the big screen. From an unoriginal perspective, we do have the predictably higher body count. Fortunately it did not reach the levels attained by other sequels within the genre. The other predictable element of this horror sequel is that the death sequences are far more gruesome. Notwithstanding these obligatory elements, the sequel is relatively strong and although not as good as the original, this sequel did much to build on the ominous reputation of Michael Myers.

Looking at a sequel is surprisingly interesting. We have the original to compare to and we can access how the characters have developed. In this one, character development was not an issue since we are dealing with a story that follows events directly after the original. This in itself is interesting as we do not see this very often.

There are elements that contribute well, but also those that contribute poorly. The ones that contribute well is the soundtrack, the Shape and Donald Pleasance. Elements that did not work well here is unbelievable character decisions, and poor special effects.

The music is for me the outstanding element here. The opening theme track seems to be updated with more bass giving a far more ‘in your face effect'. This is exactly what Michael is. He is no longer an unknown force. Haddonfield knows he is there somewhere in the shadows – lurking, waiting to strike. Therefore the theme does not emphasise the suspense indicative of the original – rather the gruesome intent of the villain. This seems to be more in line with the Halloween festival around the world where the costumes are loud. The movie had become more indicative of it's title.

It has been mentioned by other users here that the ‘Sandman' track is out of place. Although this may seem so on the face of it, I feel that it offers a contrast to the Halloween theme track as a ‘feel good' track is played and then we are led into the ominous theme track – muck like what would be done at Halloween parties. This sequence of track, probably not intentionally, highlights the way that this story has become synonymous with the festival as previously touched upon. It not only takes the name of Halloween. It takes the character of Halloween. Myers is the evil that never dies – the bogeyman. John Carpenter has created a story that identifies strongly with makes no small contribution. October 31st and has stolen into the ceremony. His music is a prime example of this.

The Shape is now played by Dave Warlock. The suspense lacking from the script itself becomes evident in his body language. His movements accentuated his evil presence and dehumanised him. It also shows us that he is not a normal human being - rather a cold, soulless entity that exists only to kill his sister. This was also evident in the first, but was more noticeable in this movie since we saw more of Myers. The Shape was given more screen time, but his basic character remained true to the original. A necessary keep – over since the sequel deals with the same night the attack started.

Donald Pleasance is as much affiliated with ‘Halloween' as Jamie Lee Curtis is. His major contribution is creating a sense of plausibility for the audience. He recites his lines with such authenticity that the audience will be drawn into the story. We think of the ‘mad scientists' of an era gone by, only this is not his creation but a shell born onto the world to carry out evil deeds. He is what Alec Guinness was to ‘Star Wars' and what Vincent Price was to horror movies. Pleasance adds to the aura of Myers and was a vital part of the ‘Halloween' franchise. Even with Jamie Lee Curtis on board in the most recent ‘Halloween' movies, the impact of the first two ‘Halloween' movies was never rekindled which is due in part to the loss of Pleasance. He was a great opponent for Myers.

The believability added by the abovementioned members of the cast was undermined by unbelievable character decision making. Curtis is always hiding not far away from Myers. Not rational for somebody who was previously attacked and knows what she is up against. There would have been more plausible solutions to making Curtis more of a helpless victim. She could have injured herself while she was trying to escape and the perfect opportunity for this was in the hospital when she narrowly escaped Myers. What she did, did not assist the story, but weakened it. It is these areas within which audiences drawn in may be lost.

The effects were weak in places. The blood drained on the floor was way too red. It served to weaken the movie since this is another element which may jolt audiences from their imagination. Special effects serve to add believability to the story and when attention is drawn to them in a negative sense, the story can only be adversely affected. It was also too much blood for a Myers kill. He strikes a lethal blow rather than causing too much gore. It is unfortunate that this seemingly obligatory element became a part of this movie.

I had seen this movie before the original and for some time favoured this one, mostly due to the haunting soundtrack. But I grew to prefer the original because of its suspense. The music, in my opinion, is still better in this sequel since it adds ominous intent to Myers and more truly reflects his character. But this was not enough to improve it over the original and if the weaknesses mentioned above were ironed out, we would have had a much stronger comparison.

What separates ‘Halloween' from other slasher movies is that Myers has real purpose, although there is no evident motive. He exists solely to kill his sister. Myers does not kill all that are within his territory, but those that may stand in the way of his objective. This is the essence of the story and gives reason for his continued existence. This has now been stopped in the most recent ‘Halloween' movie – ‘Halloween Resurrection' and although it is said that this gives way to a new story, it seems to lead it to older stories where the villain kills senselessly. It is true that it had to change in some way, but if Myers is not stalking a relative his core purpose is lost. I am sure that there will be another sequel and I am hoping that they bring back Laurie. The original concept was very good and if the story is going to continue, the foundation should be kept.