Halloween wipes the sequel slate clean, pretending that Michael Myers was captured right after the events of the first film and has been kept in a sanitarium for the past 40 years. Some idiots in charge think it would be a great idea to repeat the events from 40 years ago and transfer him to another facility the night before Halloween. Obviously, he breaks out and returns to Haddonfield, killing any random people he can find, but Laurie Strode, his sole surviving victim from 40 years ago has been waiting for him. Why she's been waiting is a bit of a mystery since this film eliminates the brother/sister bond they had from part 2 forward.
This is the biggest issue Halloween can't overcome - the question of why it needed to be told. It's well shot, Michael looks threatening for the first time in a while, and the decision to bring John Carpenter back to score the film was a wise one, but it's a movie that doesn't need to exist at all. We learn nothing about what Laurie Strode has been doing these past 40 years and she becomes a one dimensional basket case. The way the script bends over backwards to get Laurie and Michael to reunite is painful and involves an idiotic twist.
