Halloween II

 “More of the night He came home.”

Has a tagline for a film ever been more appropriate? Off the top of my head I can’t think of one. With that in mind why don’t we dive headfirst into the second film of the October theme month: Halloween II.

Halloween II was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill and directed by Rick Rosenthal. Halloween II was released on October 30th, 1981 and received mixed reviews upon release. Halloween II was made for a budget of $2.5 million, made $7,446,508 upon opening, and went on to make $25,533,818 worldwide.

Halloween II picks up at the exact moment it’s predecessor left off (well, technically it begins a few minutes before the original ends, playing out an abridged version of the film’s final scene). Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis, A Fish Called Wanda) is taken to the hospital while Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence, You Only Live Twice) continues his search for Michael Myers (Dick Warlock, Escape from New York). Meanwhile, Michael stalks Laurie through the hospital to finish what he started while Loomis discovers a shocking secret (you know the one).

Halloween II is a mixed bag, but there is a lot to enjoy about it. Halloween II ramps up the blood and the body count from the first film to mixed effect. While the kills are good and the hospital setting is very creepy (seriously, what an empty and poorly lit hospital), the problem is that unlike Annie and Lynda (and to a lesser extent, Bob) the victims in this film are largely interchangeable. Only Bud (Leo Rossi, The Accused), the foul-mouthed EMT, stands out.

The biggest issue is Laurie herself. After a compelling and sympathetic performance in the first film I can’t fathom why they chose to reduce her role in this film the way they do. She spends the majority of the film drugged and in bed until the climax, and even then she is barely coherent throughout. It’s a frustrating waste of Curtis’ talent and of Laurie as a character. Also, that wig is terrible.

Pleasence continues to delight as Loomis as his dogged pursuit of Michael grounds the film similarly to the original. Despite the lack of focus on Laurie and the less than interesting cannon-fodder, Michael’s stalking of the hospital is suitably creepy and effective. John Carpenter’s score returns, appropriately synth-heavy for the 80s (despite still being set in ‘78) and continues to creep under the skin.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the reveal that Laurie is secretly Michael’s sister (their parents having died shortly after Michael’s institutionalization and Laurie being adopted by the Strodes). This reveal works in context for this film, but later becomes a massive crutch for the franchise and the 2018 sequel wisely retcons that out of canon (more on that in two years).

Halloween II is a fun and worthy follow up to the ‘78 masterpiece and though it can’t quite match its predecessor in quality, it’s still a damn good time and makes for a great double-feature.

Rating: 3.5 spooky empty hospitals out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? No dogs at Haddonfield Memorial to die I’m happy to report.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: Nurse Karen (Pamela Susan Shoop, Wonder Woman) being burned to death in the hospital... hot tub? While I don’t understand what that set is the death is very upsetting.

• “Amazing grace, come sit on my face”. Is it juvenile? Yes. Does it make me laugh? Yes.

• Seriously, that wig is so fucking awful.

• Next Week: Week 3 of this month takes us to the franchise’s weird outlier: Halloween III: Season of the Witch.