"You don't know what DEATH is!!!"
Picking up where the first Halloween left off, Halloween II begins with Michael's escape from Loomis and the police. Laurie, the only survivor of Michael's wrath, is transported to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. Meanwhile, Loomis and the police search the town for Myers, but he eludes them, trekking to the hospital after finding out about Laurie's occupancy. Michael carves his way through victim after victim, making his way to Laurie. As Loomis is tracking down Michael, Nurse Chambers shows up with an Illinois Governor's order for Loomis to report back to Smith's Grove. As Loomis is being escorted back, Chambers informs him of a huge secret that was withheld from him while Myers was his patient. Loomis orders that he be taken to the hospital, sure that Myers is there. The resolution of the film seemingly spells the end of the series, but we all know better, right?
Halloween II is definitely not as good as the original, but it has its moments. The most striking sequence of the movie is when, while the hospital's security guard watches Night of the Living Dead '68, the camera focuses on the security monitor, on which Michael is seen stalking around the outside of the hospital. The sounds of NotLD mixed with the menacing figure of Michael on the monitor is classic.
The one thing that this film has over the original is the more effective use of setting. The hospital, dark and empty, definitely conveys the sense of menace that horror-thrillers are supposed to. Also, the hospital gives Michael plenty of options when it comes to methods of mayhem. One of my favorite all-time death scenes (right behind the sleeping bag scene from Friday the 13th 7) is in the film: when Jimmy walks in a discovers that Mrs. Alves had bled to death because someone (Mikey) had inserted an I.V. into her arm. Talk about INNOVATIVE!
The flick is definitely not flawless. The biggest digression from the original is by far the physical appearances of the main characters. First off, let's concentrate on Michael: seemingly in the span of 2 or 3 minutes (enough time for the beginning credits to roll), he grew a few inches and lost some weight. Also, his mask is almost to the point of disgusting in the differences-in-appearance-from-the-original-movie's-mask department: the hair is a different color! Finally, and this is just a minor complaint, he carries himself a little differently (his walk, etc.) than in the original. Now, many would tell you/me/etc., "Well, all these physical things are a little drastic, and it's a different actor playing him anyway." Well, they'd be offering a good point, but one of the marks of a good sequel [to me] is definitely consistency. Which brings me to Laurie. There's only one real complaint I have when it comes to her in this movie: her hair. LOOK AT IT!!! It looks like Bud made a stop at a beauty parlor for her to get it fixed on the way to the hospital...
This commendable effort was followed by, quite possibly, the worst sequel in the history of motion pictures (at least until Steel Magnolias Part II: More Whiny Bitches is made). With all the emphasis that Dr. Loomis had on keeping Michael locked up, I urge you to avoid Part III AT ALL COSTS!!!
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