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Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Jeffrey Kramer, Lance Guest ... see more see more... , Pamela Susan Shoop , Hunter von Leer , Leo Rossi , Ana Alicia , Brian Andrews , Lucille Benson , Dana Carvey , Howard Culver , Cliff Emmich , Leigh French , Alan Haufrect , Dennis Holahan , Nancy Loomis , Pamela McMyler , Gloria Gifford Miss , Ty Mitchell , Tony Moran , Tawny Moyer , Ford Rainey , Kyle Richards , Ken Smolka , Nancy Stephens , Jack Verbois , Billy Warlock , John Zenda , Jonathan Prince , Richard Warlock , Roger Hampton , Robin Coleman , Adam Gunn

While John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic Halloween irrevocably changed the style of horror cinema with its simple but relentlessly tense story, it triggered more than a decade's worth of uninspired,... read more read more... exploitative knock-offs, and one could easily list Halloween II among these failures. As with its predecessor, this film was written and produced by Carpenter and Debra Hill, but the terse style and unbearable suspense of the first film are missing, replaced by a more simplistic stalk-and-slash scenario. Directorial duties were handed over to Rick Rosenthal, whose lack of expertise is quite evident (though he managed to hit his stride two years later with the prison actioner Bad Boys). The plot picks up exactly where the original left off: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), shaken and injured from her battle with unkillable psycho Michael Myers, is taken to the Haddonfield Hospital for observation, while Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) continues his desperate search for his monstrous patient. An interesting plot twist has Loomis' investigations revealing Michael's true identity (some of these sequences incorporate footage of young Michael originally shot for the television version of Halloween, which contained scenes hinting at the link between Michael and Laurie).After slashing his way through the town, Myers manages to track Laurie to the hospital, where the remainder of the action takes place. Numerous night-shift employees are slaughtered in a variety of gruesome ways before Loomis catches up with his quarry, leading to an explosive -- and seemingly conclusive -- confrontation. Pleasence is compelling as usual, but Curtis, who made an auspicious debut in the original, is sadly wasted here, her character reduced to shuffling half-drugged through darkened hospital corridors and screaming helplessly. Carpenter's active involvement in the Halloween franchise continued to dwindle steadily from one sequel to the next, getting scarcely a mention by the time producers Hill, Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans revived the series in 1988 for three more sequels. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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31 critics

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Rick Rosenthal

Release Date: October 30, 1981

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DVD Release Date: September 22, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (3,164)

  • blacksheepboy
    November 1, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A terrible, useless sequel that invests in mindless gore instead of creating any real tension. Besides, it is ridiculous how it turns Michael Myers into an indestructible monster and leaves the rest of the cast as shallow bodies for slaughter.
  • fb729949618
    October 26, 2011
    fb729949618
    I love the Halloween films, but my words can't save a failure movie. I think this movie in particular was pretty funny since NO ONE else seemed to be in the hospital as the mayhem was going on! What kind of realism is that?
  • fb500439213
    October 19, 2011
    fb500439213
    Of course, 'Halloween' is the forefather of the 70's and 80's slasher genre only because of its inexplicable popularity. To me, it's dull, reductive and hardly worthy of being nominated as innovative (the stalking POV was implemented before and in a superlative manner in the pred... read moreated masterpiece 'Black Christmas'). The posthaste sequel is immeasurably more claustrophobic mostly due to the hospital environment with its narrow, alabaster hallways and spotless surfaces. Pleasance is more inexorable and obsessive as Loomis who inadvertently causes the death of a trick-or-treater and doesn't hesitate at his task to vanquish Michael once and for all. His monologue about Michael being the "ideal patient" expands on the notion that Michael is completely alien to soulfulness. Unfortunately, the follow-up is still a plodding, slothful mess of gratuitous nudity from a female nurse and wrongheaded creativity in the murders (Michael shouldn't be premeditated in the various ways to kill people via scolding water, scalpels, etc.). The denouement nicely ramps the consternation as Michael thoughtlessly collides through a glass door and Loomis sacrifices himself with flammable oxygen tanks to finally eradicate Michael. Otherwise, this is an altogether superfluous extension of the mythology, but it contains instances of unnerving tension.
  • spielberg00
    October 15, 2011
    spielberg00
    To barely alter the most famous quote from THE SHINING: "All gore and no plot makes HALLOWEEN II a dull film."

    It seems now that Michael Myers just loves to heartlessly, mindlessly slice and dice his victims (which is technically every young person in sight). Like the first one... read more, this is made a la a B-movie (though this time, it wasn't one). Unlike the original, we see every single murder in detail, and NOTHING is implied. It takes away the whole point of #1!

    To alter Jack Torrance's infamous words in THE SHINING a little more, what would really make sense is to say, "All gore and slight plot makes HALLOWEEN II a dull film." The story picks up exactly where the first HALLOWEEN left off. Once Michael Myers escapes after being shot six times (he's back!), Laurie Strode is taken to the local Haddonfield hospital. She is blood typed, and among all the time Laurie spends trying to escape Michael Myers, little does she know that she has a close connection between him. (I won't spoil it for those who have not seen it.) It's a great continuum of the first one, and very creative, but it seems that the plot is just being taken over by recurring, unrelated bloodbaths, nevertheless.

    The whole mood of HALLOWEEN II was, thankfully, the same as the first one. Even though it has now become a true slasher film, most of which aim not to terrify, it has an unsettling, eerie mood, and an irresistibly tense feeling. Who ever decided to record the music for this one, though, truly copped out and screwed up John Carpenter's original score, doing things such as playing the title theme backwards and playing the themes on a modified organ rather than a piano (though the harpsichord, which was sometimes used in #1, is kept more often than not).

    Aside from the still-fantastic performances of Jamie Lee Curtis (char. Laurie Strode) and Donald Pleasence (char. Dr. Sam Loomis), the acting in this film is not all that great, and if anything, unintentionally funny. Even Dick Warlock can sometimes do a dumb job as the main serial killer. Especially in that one scene near the end where he can't see anything or anyone, so he starts swinging his knife around like a total idiot.

    So unless you were left hanging by the last few seconds of the first HALLOWEEN, I would not really recommend HALLOWEEN II. It's easy to see why John Carpenter decided to abandon his role as director right after the first film, and only parts are good. It just seems like Michael Myers is going around murdering everyone in his way, using whatever he sees in front of him, and that is often taking away from the plot. (Though I did enjoy the face-melting scene.)
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    September 17, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    As a diehard fan of the first one, Halloween II builds new tense moments and offers a new twist on this tale. After the events of the first film, Laurie Strode is still being hunted down by her homicidal brother. The film has effective, creepy moments and when something happens o... read moren screen, you're sure to get a few jolts here and there. The film is more violent than the first film, and there's more gore to be introduced in this film, unlike John Carpenter's horror classic that relied on suspense and atmosphere instead of gore. There are still the traditional elements which made the first one such a blast to watch, but considering that the first is such a classic, and is my personal favorite; Halloween II isn't flawless. There are some elements that could have been improved on, but that's the case with every film. Director Rick Rosenthal (who would go on to helm many sequels) crafts a film that's a worthy follow-up to the first film. I felt that the film was well done, and Jamie Lee Curtis was absolutely wonderful in this installment. As a fan of the first, I very much enjoyed this second film. The suspense and creepy atmosphere remain, but there's of course a lot more violence this time around, but this is still one chilling, effective horror film nonetheless. As the first sequel to Carpenter's classic, Halloween II is of course one of the best follow-up films.
  • blkbomb
    September 11, 2011
    blkbomb
    Laurie Strode: Why won't he die? 

    "More Of The Night He Came Home"

    Halloween 2, the first of many sequels of the horror classic. I really like this sequel. It has a really good and cool idea to follow up with another movie that occurs the same night of the first. I'm so used to... read more sequels that start with a timecard that says 5 years later or something like that. This one doesn't jump into the future. It continues the same story and shows the after effects of the first movie. Michael wasn't done that night.

    Although Carpenter did hand the directing over to Rick Rosenthal, he's still very much involved. He wrote and produced this and while it's no where near the brilliance of the first; it's still a quality horror film in its own rights. We learn a lot more about Michael and why he's doing what he's doing. It's also reenforced that he's basically indestructible. 

    No this isn't a masterpiece or a classic, but it is a fun continuation. Who after seeing Halloween didn't want more? It didn't need to be as good; it just needed to be respectable and an overall entertaining slasher. That this is. It's better than most slashers out there and way better than most slasher sequels. Fuck Jason I'll take this series over Friday the 13th any day.
  • FilmFanatik
    August 28, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Halloween II may not have been directed by John Carpenter but it was written by him and he was somewhat involved with the project (albeit indirectly). This sequel picks up where the first one left off, with Michael Myers still alive and stalking what we later to find out to be hi... read mores sister. Now, as I said in my review of Halloween, I can understand why they decided to tie things together and make things more complicated, but I don't believe it was all that necessary. The story dynamics are handled in a ham-fisted sort of way and don't really create anything solid and simple as the previous film. We find out that Laurie Strode is Michael's sister and that her identity was kept a secret in a "secret file from the government." That just reeks of a first draft story idea that they just seemed to go with and never question, even though it's incredibly silly. Michael also seems to be less interesting this time around. He is one of the pickiest murderers I've ever seen - at least in this sequel. It's less about the stalking and build-up and more about just murdering random people for seemingly no reason, other than he's trying to get to his sister. I don't know, I just find it a great step back instead of forward. The film's not completely worthless, however. The entire main cast, as well as the secondary cast members, all came back to reprise their roles, making it one of the best sequels in a continuity-sense. Unfortunately, the sum isn't greater than the parts, making this entry feel more like an out-and-out slasher without any magic of the original.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    June 21, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    the second best of the series, and yea, its actually pretty scary.
    the earliest movie image i can recall that kept me awake at night is Michael with fresh blood running from his eyes and him stabbing directionless at the air. i remember thinking, "who the hell doesn't even scream... read more or take off their mask or nothing after that? not even a grunt?" im sure thats not a big deal when in 2011 we can google "Bud Dwyer suicide video" but when you are eleven, it... you just can't go back to Rugrats after that, im sorry.
  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    A good sequel to Halloween, it's exciting and full of horror and suspense. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Overall a good movie.
  • creepfreak
    August 10, 2010
    creepfreak
    An amazing sequel. This is where we learn Myers is almost superhuman (he walks through doors, walks around after being shot twice in the face, has a hard time going down while set on fire...etc) And although his body is gone after being shot in the first one, all signs can point ... read morethat he was just a normal person (a sick person (a serial killer), but not superhuman). If you disagree with this statement then watch the movie again and comment, because there is nothing that shows signs of a superhuman madman (other than when his body is gone at the end, which could've been rationally explained -- strange things happen every second, all the time, which are explained).

    Not so atmospheric this time around, but more bloody. Halloween II has fun with it's kills, setting up more memorable moments with the body count. John Carpenter produced this time, not directed. But being producer, like all producers, I'm sure he had a lot of say with went on in the film. Michael Myers seems meaner and more unstoppable. It's here we learn the real reason why he's chasing Laurie Strode (which is played again by Jamie Lee Curtis - part of her rising to fame as the famous "Scream Queen"). Halloween II is thrilling, cool, and exciting. It's a sequel that's almost as good as the first, BUT for different reasons (ones that are more far fetched than the original). It's still a great and intense horror film. One of the best entries in the franchise (and the second best mask that was used in the series).

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
August 27, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Rick Rosenthal, who directed this 1981 sequel, doesn't have Carpenter's expansive, affectionate way with stereotypical characters, and without it they're empty shells -- bodies waiting for the slaughter. Full Review

Variety Staff
August 27, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

This uninspired version amounts to lukewarm sloppy seconds in comparison to the original film that made director John Carpenter a hot property. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's a little sad to witness a fall from greatness, and that's what we get in Halloween II. Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Halloween II is good enough to deserve a sequel of its own. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Halloween is a classic and its first sequel is a sloppy afterthought. Full Review

Scott Weinberg
September 15, 2011
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

Any childhood favorite that is still a good deal of fun today is a movie worthy of some note. Full Review

Dustin Putman
October 28, 2008
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

A more than solid if admittedly inferior continuation. Full Review

Lucius Gore
October 8, 2008
Lucius Gore, ESplatter

The film is best if watched back-to-back with the first. Full Review

Tim Brayton
July 21, 2008
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Does the worst thing any sequel can ever do: it retroactively taints the original and makes it less interesting. Full Review

Mike Emery
August 27, 2007
Mike Emery, Austin Chronicle

A bad sequel to a good movie. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Laurie Strode: Help me!
    • Sam Loomis: I'm sorry I left you. Are you all right?
    • Laurie Strode: Why won't he die?
    • Sam Loomis: It's Time, Michael.
    • Marion: Marion Chambers with Dr. Loomis at the clinic he's here. [Voice on radio: Ah, ten-four. Unit calling, identify suspect.] Michael Myers! Just get your ass over here!
    • Budd: (singing) Amazing Grace, come sit on my face. Don't make cry. I need your pie.
    • Jimmy: Look why don't you just shut up, all right?
    • Sam Loomis: Go and check all the rooms down there! Go on!
    • Marion: Dr. Loomis!
    • Sam Loomis: You stay with me and shut up!
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Halloween II Trivia

  • In the movie Halloween II, what is the name of jamie Lee Curtis' character?  Answer »
  • Which word will make these Movie names complete? ¬¬The Little Mermaid II - ____ to the Sea (2000) Kids ____ (1996) ____ to Never Land (2002) Halloween 4: The ____ of Michael Myers (1988) Superman ____s (2006)   Answer »
  • Which film was not directed by John Carpenter?  Answer »
  • In Halloween II, which of the deaths was Michael Myers not responsible for?  Answer »
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