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

Definitely one of the better sequels, but still not the original

Considering what this film had to live up to, considering the standards set by the first, which was, and is, definitely the best slasher movie I've ever seen, this film wasn't too bad. Whereas the first had little to no gore and blood, this one has a pretty standard amount of it. Of course, that was to be expected, since there was no way that they could beat or even match the first, so instead they went for the easy way out; continue the story and fill it up with blood and guts. This turns the film into a more standardized slasher film, but since it still keeps very much to the ways of the first film, with plenty of atmosphere and a decent amount of build-up before giving you shocks. The plot is about as good as it can be; picking up exactly, and I do mean exactly, where the first one left off. The acting ranges from atrocious to very good. The characters are pretty much the same as the first, a lot of characters and scenes seem to have been reused in this. I didn't mind that too much though, as they worked perfectly in the first, and they're good enough in this one. I don't think they could have done a direct follow-up to the first much better than this. Overall, even though it's far more gory and bloody, it still has the great atmosphere of the first, which is something that most of the other sequels lacked. In conclusion, it's a pretty good sequel to a fantastic movie. I recommend this to fans of the first Halloween, and fans of the entire franchise. Don't miss it if you enjoy a good, moody scare. 7/10