Halloween II (1981)
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, Nick Castle, Tony Moran, Charles Cyphers, Dick Warlock, Lance Guest, Pamela Susan Shoop.
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Original Release Date: October 30, 1981
Tagline: A Night of Terrifying Butchery
Plot: Picking up the events of Halloween night 1978, Michael Myers is once again on the loose in Haddonfield. He hunts Laurie down to the local hospital where she is recovering from her injuries. A frustrated Dr. Loomis tries to convince the local authorities that Michael is still alive and must be stopped.
Considered by some to be the best horror sequel in history (a bold statement which I'm not yet willing to sign up to). Much of this film's appeal is the continuity it shares from the first part. The set over the same night of the original film was a smart move. The flashback which opens part 2 is a nice way to refresh the audience's memory and to smoothly transition into the next chapter. It effectively convinces that we are still in the same space.
Its important that Carpenter and Debra Hill once again have important creative roles with the pair producing and writing. Rick Rosenthal who would later return for Halloween Resurrection (2002), makes a solid directorial debut, retaining much of the hand held shooting style of the first Halloween, with those eerie shots coming from Michael's POV. That style is used to great effect in the opening few minutes with Michael drifting through the streets at one point observing Loomis ranting and raving "I shot him six god damn times"! Myers stops and then disappears, only to reappear at a nearby house where he kills another babysitter. This could be a deliberate thematic link referencing Michael's childhood and the fact that he went after babysitters in the first movie?
More so than anyone else I think this is Loomis's film. The story is much more centred around his character than Laurie or even Michael. Building on the character from the first film Donald Pleasance takes Loomis to a whole new level. There are rich character beats, entertaining rants, and a wonderfully compelling and human character. The real appeal of Loomis is the way he cuts through all the bureaucracy, not afraid to go against the system to try and stop Michael. The scenes when Loomis takes control upon hearing about Michael's unsealed file is a real punch the air moment, "Well those orders have changed" later firing a warning shot through the car window convincing the officer to turn the car around. Hell yeah Loomis! Or later at the hospital when he barks "You stay with me and Shut up"! at Marion Chambers. To her credit Marion later gets her moment to shine with "Michael Myers, just get your ass here"! when demanding backup. But most of all this is Loomis's film because of his ultimate sacrifice to save Laurie and destroy Michael at the end. Considering Loomis's personal history with Myers its such a fitting way to close of his plot. It's a brilliant character arc across the two movies. The visual of Michael's figure surrounded by fire is a striking visual also. A blinded Michael swinging frantically with a knife prior to this is another sweet moment.
This movie ups the anti in terms of gore, action sequences and an explicit piece of nudity. For the most part this is quite effective. There are a couple of choice kills. The one where Michael turns up the heat in the hot tube and forces the nurse repeatedly under is a nasty and inventive kill. Part of the reason it stands out is because of Michael flirting with the nurse before it is revealed that its him and not her slimy boyfriend Budd. Not only does this add another level of creep factor by showing Michael's pleasure in playing with his victims. It also suggests at his repressed sexuality (chances are having been put away aged 8 the character wouldn't have any sexual experiences with others at least).
The other standout kill is the one in the hallway when Michael suddenly appears behind the nurse stabbing into her back heisting her into the air. The switch to silence and the shot of the nurse's feet with the shoes dropping to the floor is wonderful.
Pretty smooth for a sequel but there are a few complaints I have that stop it from being as good as the original. Firstly, because of how well the mystique of Myers was protected throughout the first movie, it was only naturally that this film would struggle to recreate that level of impact. The character is visible for more of this film and we know his intentions towards Laurie in the back half of the movie. Speaking of which the writers famously retconning in Michael being Laurie's adopted brother is cheap for me. By adding this personal motivation for Michael's actions loses some of the terror behind the character. The U-turn is a hard one to swallow considering the set-up of the original Halloween. The more you know about Michael the less threatening he is. Same with Jason, same with Freddy etc.. The flashback sequence with Laurie remembering Michael form her childhood is cheesy. The film is probably at its strongest once you break it down to Michael pursuing Laurie throughout the hospital with Loomis also involved. The condensed setting and those principal characters is what really hooks me into the film.
Like I said there's some good stuff with Loomis in the first half of the film, but also some clunky stuff. The over top stunt moment when the police car runs through the boy Loomis just shot (thinking he was Michael), and the explosion is so crazy! Not least because its obvious that the script has contrived it just to create suspense over whether it was Myers or not (of course we know the answer straight away). The idea makes sense for Loomis's character and the overall plot, just not in the execution. One interesting idea raised in the first half is the idea of the danger of lynch mobs. As riots get out of hand with groups of people attacking the Myers family home. Shocking to think that such a sequence is just as credible today as it was in the early 1980's.
Some of the characters at the hospital felt like typically 80's slasher characters who feel dated now. I always find Jimmy quite creepy. I can buy his crush on Laurie, but it's never explained how they know each other outside of the hospital. His constant hanging around her always seemed creepy to me which I think is the opposite of what was intended.
Overall a very satisfying sequel which had enough in common with what made the previous film great, whilst trying a few new things also. As Gary and Neil on their Off the Shelf review of the first two Halloween movies its probably a good idea to watch the two films back to back because they feel like one whole story. This makes even more sense when you see the radical new direction that the third Halloween takes. More on that in the coming weeks with my next review Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.
Best Scene: Loomis's sacrifice.
Best Dialogue: Loomis: "You don't even know what death is"
Rating: 7/10
Once again feel free to add comments on both the film and my review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzOdUKVD8Ac
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