Bored Now does Tale from the Crypt 1989-1996 Part 1

Bored Now Tales from the Crypt reviews



My new project!  This is exciting for me because I've never watched this original HBO anthology series based on the comic series of the same name. So these reviews will be my feelings fresh from seeing each episode.  I will also give my thoughts on the famous Crypt Keeper who hosts each story and his classic puns. I recommend checking out the Screams After Midnight reviews on Mild Fuzz.  I will link their reviews at the bottom of this post.

Tales from the Crypt 101: The Man Who Was Death




                                              
Original Air Date: 10/06/89

Director: Walter Hill

Writers: Walter Hill & Robert Reneau

Cast: William Sadler, Gerrit Graham,  Roy Brocksmith

Plot: Prison executioner Niles Talbot (Sadler) is laid off from his job when the state does away with the death penalty.  Not content with a change of career, Talbot starts administrating his own brand of justice to crooks who get off at trial.

A pretty solid first episode which is a good introduction to what to expect.  Its notable how many famous names have appeared.  Lead Sadler has appeared in a number of Frank Darabont movies since this and was the local Sheriff in the teen Sci-Fi series Roswell (1999-02).  He is the perfect choice to play the lead here.  He has a swagger and charisma.  At the same time as being a complete asshole he is very engaging and interesting to watch.  His sexist comments and cocky attitude make him the perfect fall guy come the end of the story.  Its an ongoing theme of the series that awful people get their just desserts by the end.  The fun is seeing how it all plays out.  The voice over and Sadler talking to the camera wasn't great.  Such a unlikable character whining a lot took me out of it.  But I liked the idea of the executioner not having a role in society outside of his job.  The theme of it just being a job done in machine like fashion with no human element was nicely played. Sadler is effective as a mix of grim reaper and sexy biker type. This is probably why Talbot has such a cynical world view.
 
 Roy Brocksmith as the deadpan bar tender who is like a sounding board to Niles is on really good form too.  Brocksmith who sadly died in 2001 was a great characters who appeared in films such as Total Recall and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and The War of the Roses.  Plus in Seinfeld and Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine on TV.

Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours) brings some great 70s/80's grime and grit to the style.  He is a sure hand directing.  There's some fun kills too.  The pick of them being Talbot electrocuting the crooked couple in the hot tub.  It makes for a great visual.  Ry Cooder (Paris, Texas) does the music too. 

 

Basically everyone is unlikable in this story.  Which is just as well because they all end up getting it in the end.   There's some plot holes but then you don't come to Tales from the Crypt for the logic.






 The Crypt Keeper Segments: The intro I enjoyed.  It was him surrounded by sparks.  To close out he is hooked into the chair and talks of "revolting devolpment" and "Remember boys and girls safety first".... I think he can do better, haha!



Grade:  B-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5UeQr6BuPw&list=PLU66xopx7_vptm3nCtQzGNuuDkS6dU3ER

Phase IV (1974)

Bored Now's Cult Movie reviews 

Phase IV 
 






















 Director: Saul  Bass


Stars: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Fredrick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton

Running Time: 84 Minutes

Tagline: "The Day the Earth was turned into a Cemetery".  

How well can a film about deadly ants trying to take over human existence from 1974 possibly hold up today? The answer, surprisingly well! This film is well how of a freaky trip right from the opening shots!  The army of ants are captured in close detail roaming the dirty undergrowth, accompanied by a eerie spaced out psychedelic soundtrack and a very posh narrator proclaiming, "Ants are doing what ants don't normally do."  I was almost on the floor at some of this section!  Anyway the scene works to humanise the cultures/bugs before the main human characters arrive.  

 

Those humans are the oddball scientists Dr. Ernest D. Hubbs (Nigel Davenport) and James R. Lesko (Michael Murphy).  Hubbs the experienced one, but with a strange obsession for the creatures.  Lesko the more ritual, relaxed rookie of the pair.  Oddly a young Michael Murphy looks scarily like a young Robert Redford...  This partnership makes for quite a fun screen pairing with some great dialogue exchanged between the two throughout.  One of the highlights for me was Lesko telling Hubbs, "Look I came down here for some science in the sun," More of these gems later!  Another thing I love about their introductions is them driving in with the car shot as if its some alien shuttle intruding upon unknown land...  The look of this sequence is so bleached out, dusty and grotesque.  Even something as simple as tower hanging on a clothesline looks filthy.  One of the crucial early shots is the dreamlike image of Kendra (Lynne Frederick) on her horse.  Hubbs and Lesko warn Kendra's grandparents about the danger lurking from beneath the service.  The crazy old fools pay no attention, and pay the ultimately price. As does Kendra's horse....    The chaos is quite insane!

"ANTS! DO SOMETHING"!!!  "GET ME THE GUN"!! "THEIR ALL OVER THE PLACE"!


 

Actually my favourite line of the movie might be when Hubbs announces "I'm going to counter with 100% Yellow."  He presses the yellow button (naturally!) releasing a yellow goo that wipes the ants away killing Kendra's grandparents in the process.  Another corker from Hubbs is the line about  about "Maybe they've learnt something."  Murphy does well to play his part as straight as possible, both grounding his character in response to Hubbs, while also selling Lesko's naivety to the danger lying in wait.  Despite his best efforts his interactions with Kendra still come off a bit creepy, but I guess he heart is in the right place so that's alright.  A little more off is the sequence when the three of them TAKE A SHOWER TOGETHER!!! Nope not making that up folks!  I get for hygiene and health purposes they need to wash the goo out, but come on guys could that have been anymore creepy?










   







   

From here on in there's some more crazy interactions, some creepiness such as the ants eating through the wires and eating each other.  James actually reacting emotionally towards the ants as they attack Hubbs is a nice little scene.  The twist at the end is really clever.  It does run out of steam around about the 3rd Phase, but is good bonkers fun mostly.



Rating: 7/10  

The Nightstalker

The Nightstalker 

Fade In: Int A living room the middle of the day. 

Bacon crackles in a frying pan on the stove.  A trashy 1980s action movie with some non-descript action muscle bound hero firing of his machine gun blares out across the television. 

 Cut To: A man in his late 30s with stringy hair and a tan shaving in front of the mirror. A close up reveals a drop of blood resting on his lip. He blinks, smiles in one sharp movement.

Cut To: The man in a smart suit and shirt sitting down with his bacon.  Attempting to inject the movie from his VCR, instead he has to tug it from the machine.  The phone rings next to him. The man answers.

Mystery Man: Hello.  Yes.  No, I will be along in a bit honey.  Just need to tie up a few loose ends at work.  No, its Simon tonight.  See you soon. 

Our man tosses over a file with the details of a man called Simon White. 

 

Cut To: Ext: A Flashing Neon Sign "The Lightening Club"

Cut To: Int: A bar in a busy nightclub. The man from the nightclub is sitting across from the man in the profile SIMON WHITE.

Mystery Man: Susie my wife has a real thing for that show.  Guess that is what happens when you grow up in the sticks. 

Simon White: We must get together as families sometime?  We can...

Cut To: Our man's POV: In a trance he looks around the club as Simon's words fade into the background.  Off in a corner of the club a fountain full of claret is surrounded by a crowd. A woman dressed in a fancy black and red evening gown passes through Martin's field of vision in what seems like slow motion.

Martin: Excuse me, I need the bathroom...

Martin follows the mystery woman's path.  A flame shoots out of the nearby pod as Martin passes by.  A couple of girls in their early twenties roar in approval in response.  The toilet door slams shut behind Martin and the girl.

Int: Toilet.

Martin confronts the girl.  His version slightly blurry. 

Martin: Your new here? I've never seen...

Girl: What's that? Lost for words? No smart come on?

She applies some dark red lipstick.  The lights flicker every so slightly.  The girl reaches inside her pocket, producing a bag of white powder.

Girl: You want some? Takes the edge right off. 

Martin: (smiles) regaining his composure.  Sure. 

Taking his pill, Martin and the girl get caught up in the moment.  Again his vision becomes blurry, the room starts shaking - or so it seems from Martin's POV.  As he collapses, he faintly makes out the girl saying, "Time to skip this party"..

Fade Out.

Bored Now reviews Sharp Objects - Part 6

Sharp Objects Episode 6: Cherry 

This one picks up from the night after the previous episode, tracing the various characters at the start of the day.  Camille awakes with Richard having had another dream/flashback of Amma. We also see Vickery another important character in the episode, and Alan waking alone with no Adora in sight.  

The men all take different paths, which intersect in someway.  Richard feeling concerned about Camille's past and state of mind tries to find answers from the mental hospital Camille spent time in.  He also engages with Jackie over drinks, but despite some suggestive moments, Jackie still reveals very little about Camille's past.  At this point you have to question just how much she knows. Is she being coy to protect Camille or are there other reasons?  

Alan at the insistence of Adora pressures Camille to leave the house.  One nice touch about Amy Adam's performance in this one is how she suddenly seems a more confident and defiant swagger about Camille in the face of Alan and to her Mother.  As a result of the night with Richard and the sexual release it provided Camille is starting to control. The power is with her.  She'll leave when she's good and ready.  This swagger is a nice set up to the back half of the episode and the antics with Amma.  

The most concrete case development is the police finding Natalie's bike in the lake nearby to the Slaughterhouse.  Vickery and Richard are both on the scene, once again they both take alternative approaches.  Richard is interested in getting the DNA results off the bike.  Vickery questions some of the slaughterhouse workers.  Later Vickery tells Richard that a Mexican worker claims to have seen John dump the bike into the lake.  This is a call back to the casual racism towards Mexican's from a previous episode. Either way this story plays into the narrative portrayed by the town.  If the information from the immigrant worker proves wrong then it's own him, and after all what else do you expect from an outsider?  On the other hand if the information does prove true it again places suspension on John - the number one suspect according to folks around town.    

Speaking of John, Camille heads to his house to interview Ashley for a follow-up piece, only to find Amma in their pool in a bikini and flirting with John.  Another provocative scene, Amma again acts out and is growing up fast.  With Camille listening by the gate John says to Amma, "I'm watching you Amma. I am always watching you.  Your day will come." As Camille walks in the backyard Amma makes a crack about John not wanting anymore dead girls with teeth missing to show up.  I don't know if this means John is the killer as that would be too on the nose. But if there is something sexual with him and Amma there could be some significance to the case. 

This is the first time we've had anything strong to suggest that John has been unfaithful to Ashley.  Their relationship starts to unravel throughout.  When talking to Camille, Ashley appears to be confirming John's infidelities.  Later at the party she suggests that John sleeping around is fine as long as it's with popular girls and not losers.  Again its all about the image.  On that note during their interview Ashley even says that John wouldn't kill because it would effect his popularity.  Another juicy detail from this scene is that Ashley has scars on her ears, as John walks in there's awkward pause and a cut to the past with Camille herself as a cheerleader like Ashley is now. This powerfully switches the power dynamic in the John-Ashley relationship, with him appearing more the aggression and Ashley appearing vulnerable for the first time.  Another interesting thing about this on-going plot is that John is much harder to read than Ashley because of his brooding nature, and shyness. Yet as the typical pristine façade for their marriage, Ashley is taken for granted.  The pressure is on her to maintain the standards expected around the town.  As such Ashley is not allowed to show any weakness or human qualities.



The link between Ashley in the present and young Camille as a cheerleader links to more important background.  We later see a flashback of Camille in the woods with some jocks sleazing onto her.  We later learn that one of the guys was Amma's music teacher who apologizes to Camille for what he did to her...



This one packed in a lot, but none of it felt like filler.  Camille socialising with some old friends who are all Mothers and see having Children as the b-all and end all is another nice little example of how out of synch she is with the rest of the town and its culture.  The discussion with the African American friend was really good stuff, of course she is the most grounded of the friends, and forgives Camille for her bullying of her in the past.  Interesting that the friend says Camille had a lot of pressure on her (this was around the time of her sister dying).

Then the back half, with Camille and Amma cruising together like sisters, and like younger Camille is.  She's partly along for the ride to get close to her sister, but also protect her.  With Amma starting to show more interest in boys and becoming further sexualise, Camille is looking out for her.  One again the scenes between the sisters are just great.  They play off each other so effectively.  The tension during the party scene is wonderfully played.  Both Amma and Camille are on the edge, its a wild dance.  At times Amma seems supportive, at others she seems to be mocking Camille.  Earlier she joked about having scars like Camille's.  She brings this up again at the party in front of others.  Camille gets high.  There is a powerful exchange that is on the verge of becoming sexual.  This moment, and Camille allowing paints her as being more sinister.  Amma is out of control, but looking for love from her sister.

  The sisters skating together, high as a kite is a beautiful, poetic moment and again connects to the past for Camille.  These scenes playfully move between beauty and horror.  Camille's flashes of the dead girls as she looks at Amma once again sets the mind racing...  Another great episode.  Possible the best.  Watching the layers unravel is the most thrilling thing.  TWO MORE TO GO!!!





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0O9yU_Crg

Bored Now Reviews Sharp Objects Part 5

Sharp Objects Episode 5: Closer 


After the mixed bag of last week's episode part five got things back on track.  It was the strongest episode yet for Adora with Patricia Clarkson giving a masterclass.  With Closer focused mostly on one event that being the celebration Calhoun Day, there was great scope to develop a lot of the background details of character's around the town and to explore the tension with the various characters.

As I suspected might be the case last week's cliff hanger ending involving Amma turned out to be in Camille's head.  To me this felt a bit cheap.  Probably it was done to set up that from now on Camille will have these fears about her half-sister.  Perhaps in the book this is explained a little more.  With that put to one side I enjoyed pretty much all of this episode.



 Its set to the back drop of Camille's article being published, with most of the town upset at her they have been depicted in it. There's a great scene with Vickery in the barbers shop in his Calhoun general get up, warning Richard that Camille has a dark past and that he shouldn't get too close to her.  Ashley especially is pissed at Camille's representation of her interview with Ashley and John. 
 The only one around town who welcomes the article is Jackie who insists Adora reads it describing it as "Refreshing".

The dynamic with the family is set up in one of the most disturbing scenes so far.  Camille, Adora and Amma go dress shopping for the Calhoun festival.  The fallout from this with the Mother trying to shame Camille into showing off her dress (something Camille is not comfortable with), and Camille turning the tables by showing off her scars is shocking, but proves a nice set up to a mini-episode arc between Adora and Camille.  This distressing scene proves a turning point for their relationship - or at least it appears to by the end of this episode, with Adora engaging with her daughter.  Camille's breakdown in the private of the dressing room is another gem from Adams in this rich role for her.
 

So much of the power and tension of the festival scenes is about subtle little glaces back and fourth, and the suggestion of silences.  There's some beautifully deft camera angles and reverse POV shots.  With the characters spread out across the setting this heightens the sense of what they may or may not be talking about.  The glares back and fourth between Camille and Adora as each talk to Richard is a good example of this.  With Camille helplessly off in the distance and Adora talking to Richard in the house at one point. 




So much about this whole event is about presentation or the idea of spectacle.  The centre piece is a performance involving Amma (the one she was practising in the previous episode) with her at the mercy of the Southern generals.  The sequence manages to be both surreal and creepy.  Again all the different perspectives are captured.  At one point the creepy music teacher glaces between the stage and to Camille and Richard.  A previous exchange between him and Camille was awkward - suggesting some kind of past between them.  The scene builds and builds, until a fight breaks out in the distance between John and Bob with Bob still believing John killed his daughter. With Vickery involved in trying to separate them Amma disappears from the other side.  Adora striking a gloriously melodramatic.  Camille and Richard leading the hunt to find her. It's notable that its Camille who finds Amma and that its in the hiding place discovered last week.



 This leads to more sensitive discussion between Mother and daughter near the end of the episode, where Adora at least takes some responsibility for the past.  The talk of Camille not being able to be intimate because of her scars means she may well have been a virgin or at least that she hasn't had sex after the self-harming started.   We end with Camille and Richard finally having sex, its passionate - but crucially its on her terms.  One of my favourite episodes so far. 

Bored Now reviews Sharp Objects Part 4

Sharp Objects Episode 4: Ripe 



For me this was the weakest part yet.  For the first time the slow pacing of the drama started to drag, not least considering how gripping the last episode was.  Ripe was saved by a few random scenes including the dramatic final scene which has me excited for next week.

This time Camille's flashbacks were from a previous birthday.  Unlike last week's flashbacks with her and the young girl from clinic, these didn't really add too much character growth or drama.  Its fitting that the middle episode of the series is the one so far to be dragging its heels the most.  In turn much of the episode felt scatter shot.  This is set up early on with little fragments of different characters around the town.  The problem is that some of these scenes are just reinforcing information we already have.  At one point we drop in on Elizabeth Perkins' Jackie.  She is expecting Adora at a social meeting, Adora doesn't show.  Camille shows up instead and makes an excuse for her Mum's absence.  Although this gives us nothing new on Adora or Jackie, there is a suggestion that Jackie has some crucial information on Adora.


Speaking of Adora the moment when isolated husband Alan stands up to her rightfully pointing out "You know everything isn't that girl's fault" - referring to Camille, its a powerful moment.  Outside of that though their interactions and the scenes involving Adora don't really progress things too much.  Its getting to the point with Adora where we are getting the same little character beats. At some point the writers will have to play their hand with her.






Another frustration is when a number of red herrings are thrown into the mix.  The most clunky of which is Amma's broody music teacher who she defends when her friends trash him following his icy reaction to a performance.  Later in an intimate but creepy scene between the two Amma takes his hand. There still could be substance to this development.  At the moment it just seems too random.  His character feels too on the nose too.  Is it too late to introduce another character of note?


The one supporting character who probably gets the most growth was Chief Vickery.  Despite his cynicism, Vickery actually starts taking an interest in getting to the truth of the case.  He openly engages both Camille and Richard in discussion and follows Camille's lead about Jackie having information (even if Jackie in the end reveals nothing to Vickery). The exciting aspect of this plot is that Vickery is starting to question Adora's role in the community.  Further pressure could lead to some juicy details and a right explosion between the various characters.



The two most interesting scenes for me were the end and the scene in the woods with Camille and Richard.  Their subtle flirtation back and fourth nicely builds character and tension.  I like the touch of them swapping past secrets in exchange for theories on the case.   Camille tells Richard about Faith, a girl from her youth who became a slut to avoid the abuse of publicly being a lesbian.  This builds further on the theme of the pressures of living in small town, as well as dark sexuality.  It also adds intrigue on both Camille's past and the prospect of it being important to the case.  As the flirtation between Richard and Camille grows in intensity, the flashes return, including a shot of the teeth from which we cut to Camille biting into Richard's neck - but of course not really.  This part is in her head.  It's a powerful moment which carries importance for two reasons.  Firstly, because Camille is embodying the world of the killer.  Second, with the series constantly flashing back to Camille's youth, now her first sexual encounter with Richard represents some sort of link to the sexual frustration of her youth.  The fantasy of biting into Richard's neck is like a sexual release.  One possibility is that Camille is a virgin.  Or maybe she is the other end of that extreme?  There are some meaty case details revealed like the two victims knowing Amma and the reveal at the end from John (still reeling from Adora shacking him from the farm), that Amma went to the special hideout with the victims.  Adams sells Camille's desperation to get to Amma in time perfectly.  The not knowing where her half sister is is perhaps the most devastating thing about her search.  The visuals of Camille's mind racing to all extremes is so perfectly executed, and sudden cut to Amma in the road and car headlights on her is a great ending.







At this point I have to raise the question of if any of the flashes are real or just in Camille's head? They may still come true of course.  Its fair to assume that the one of Amma dead in the cabin is probably Camille's worse fear manifesting itself.  One strong possibility is that the killer or killer(s) have kidnap Amma but that she is still alive.  Maybe they intend to keep her alive to play with Camille's emotions.  Another possibility is that Amma is just missing..  Whatever the case it was a fantastic final scene, one of many in this limited drama to leave me floored.  Even if somehow the pieces don't quite click into place there will be no shortage of those moments.



More next week!

Bored Now does the Complete Halloween Franchise Part 2

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