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Halloween II [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
"You can't kill the boogeyman", explained John Carpenter in the original Halloween, and to prove it Michael Myers returns in the handsome but grisly sequel Halloween 2. Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode but spends most of her time cowering in a hospital gown, and Donald Pleasance runs around like a maniac as the panicky doctor desperate to hunt down Myers before he kills again. Carpenter writes and produces with partner Debra Hill and together they replace the mystery and uncertainty of the original with an exponentially bigger body count, some strange tales about the Druids and Pagan ceremonies, and the now-familiar family ties between Michael and Laurie. First-time director Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys) paces the film at a brisk jog and directs it with a clean, crisp style, taking the murders out of the dark to display them in all their nasty detail. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
Better than the origional!
Review date: 2007-11-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
I really enjoyed this sequel and was very impressed by it as it managed to top the origional - a rareity for sequels! Although not made until 1981 (three years after the first Halloween) the movie carries on directly from the ending of the first one, the opening scene of this movie being the last 4 or 5 minutes of the first.
Micheal Myers is still after Lorrie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), this time going on a killing spree in the hospital where she has been sent because of her injuries from her encounters with Michael earlier that night.
I liked this movie even more than the first, it is scarier and gorier and has a higher body count as Michael slices and dices his way through the hospital staff (strangely there were no other patients in the hospital) to get to Lorrie.
Unlike the deaths in the first movie, some of the kills in Halloween 2 are quite gory. I liked that some of the deaths are quite creative, as opposed to every character being stabbed. Also, a clever idea was that Lorrie has a bad reaction to the medication she is given which causes her to muscles to episodically being weak/paralysed which adds a lot to the suspence during chase scenes as we root for her to escape.
I would deffinatly recomend this movie to fans of the first in the series or of the horror/slasher genre in general.
Similar Products
- Halloween 5 - the Revenge of Michael Myers
- Halloween 4
- Halloween [1978]
- Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers [1995]
- Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later [1998]
Reviews
A DECENT SEQUEL
Review date: 2007-11-04 Rating: 8 out of 10
After Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been removed from the Myer's house and hauled away to a hospital, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) and Sheriff Brackett (Charles Cyphers) scour the neighborhood for Michael after he disappeared. Michael recovers, finds a new knife and discovers where Laurie is staying. He storms off after her as Loomis finds a young teen that resembles Michael and accidentally allows his death. At the hospital, the staff is anxiously awaiting Laurie's arrival as it has been a slow night. They don't anticipate all the other bodies that arrive with hers, and find any excuse to not work on her. As Michael stalks through the hospital dispatching everyone who works there systematically, no one wonders why everyone is missing. Loomis is ordered out of the city and back to the psychiatric hospital, and while being escorted away by the Marshal (John Zenda), he makes a startling realization about Laurie and her relationship with Michael. He returns to the hospital with the Marshal and his assistant (Nancy Stephens) to find the hospital deserted off personal and only Laurie left alive. After a series of skillful escapes, they trap Michael in the gas room and blow up the hospital.
The Good News: This is the most graphic of the sequels, partly because there are so many kills in here. We have a nice shot of a melted face, a hammer-smashed skull, a needle sticking out of an eye, and shrapnel fragments embedded in the face. Michael also gets his eyes shot out, but only the blood flow from it is seen. He also slashes a throat, but that is a moot point considering the other kills. While I'm thinking of it, I would like to comment on the needle scene. We never see the needle thrust in, just the after-affect, but that whole sequence is a prime example of how true horror films use mood to get scares. A nurse wanders into a doctors' office to call him in for duty, but his back is turned and he doesn't respond to his name. The nurse walks up to him and turns the chair around to see him dead. She silently staggers back out of the room, but behind her in the dark, Michael's mask slowly forms above her head. He lunges at her and plants another needle in her face. It is a brilliant sequence that has quickly become one of my favorites because of three classic elements: The low lighting in the room, the innocent victim, and the killer's appearance in the scene. These three elements come together to form the scene. With the low lighting in the room, shadows are cast around, allowing for Michael to easily hide in. the helpless victim is his target, and the slow formation of his mask behind her are very chilling upon first watch. This scene alone is worth the price of admission, but what guarantees it is the nude scenes of the nurse played by Pamela Susan Shoop. She has a very nice body for that time, and the scene is pretty tasteful, without it being done simply for the sake of showing nudity. Following a classic slasher rule, she is immediately killed for doing so, and her death is another highlight. I don't want to give too much away, but it is a great scene that is very eerie. After dispatching her companion, Michael secretly turns up the temperature in the therapeutic pool where they are, and comes out to Shoop, who believes it is her companion. She talks to him for several seconds, then asks him a question, and when he doesn't respond, she looks up at him and sees that it isn't Michael, who promptly dispatches her as well. Another great highlight, as it continues on, is the discovery of Laurie and Michael's relationship. For the three of us left who don't know, Laurie is revealed to be Michael's brother who was hid from him after he was sent to prison. This is the storyline that set up `Halloween: H2O' and it is discovered her. Of the entire competent cast, Pleasance as always does a respectable job as Loomis. I think he has finally come to terms with the role, and he has a lot of fun with it.
The Bad News: Despite getting a top billing, Jamie is essentially wasted in the movie. She lies in her hospital bed for most of the movie, and when the staff starts disappearing, she finally wanders out and finds Michael. It wasn't a great decision to do so, as it left her out of action for most of the movie. This really is my only gripe against the movie.
The Final Verdict: Following such a successful film like `Halloween' is a tough act for any film, but this one manages to pull it off in strides. It is thoroughly entertaining all the way through, it isn't as graphic as it could've been, and it has a high re-watch ability factor. This is definitely the best of the sequels and is tied with part 4 as the most entertaining of the sequels. It is highly recommended to all fans of the original and slasher fans of any kind.
One of only two worthy sequels to the amazing original...
Review date: 2006-03-16 Rating: 8 out of 10
Well, no, this certainly isn't as good as the original, though it finally does give us some more backstory to it so that we understand why he his chasin' after Laurie Strode. It turns out that she is his sister, btw. The Strodes were a family that adopted her, or something like that. Can't remember too clearly, going to have to watch this again!
Well, anyway, the acting in here is pretty good for a slasher flick, but I didn't like Jamie Lee Curtis's performance in this. She just drug herself around and cried through almost all of the movie, and it got quite annoying. That's basically the only problem I have with it. Other than that, it is a pretty solid movie. Taking place in a dark, creepy looking hospital. Being murdered in a place where everyone is sick really wouldn't be that pleasant, would it? Um...actually, being murdered anywhere wouldn't be that pleasant at all. Gah, I'm just rambling now. So yeah. Overall, pretty good sequel, but I prefer H20 (the only other Halloween sequel I will watch) over this.
quality stuff
Review date: 2005-11-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
This film is an excellent carry on from the first film. continuing the original storyline and expanding past it. keeping it on the same halloween night and adding extra twists just increases the thrill of the ride.
I highly recommend it.
Halloween 2
Review date: 2003-10-21 Rating: 8 out of 10
I did enjoy this film when I saw it, although I do not think it's one of the best. The whole film was practically based around the hospital, which I thought was a bit boring! However I still love all the Halloween Movies. For this movie to have been better, there could have been more of a plot outside of the hospital. In conclusion this movie was a bit disappointing, because of the basic hospital plot! But I would still recommend people to watch it! Thanx for reading! Hope you found this review helpful!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Jeffrey Kramer
Jamie Lee Curtis
Donald Pleasence
Charles Cyphers
Lance Guest
Creators:
Jamie Lee Curtis (Primary Contributor)
Donald Pleasence (Primary Contributor)
Barry Bernardi (Producer)
Debra Hill (Producer)
Debra Hill (Writer)
Irwin Yablans (Producer)
John Carpenter (Producer)
John Carpenter (Writer)
Joseph Wolf (Producer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
EAN: 9780783261164
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 0783261160
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2001-09-18
Universal product code (UPC): 025192142727
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1981-10-30
Language: English (Original Language)