iVcente

7/10

What I like about this movie is that the arc involving Laurie, Dr. Loomis and Michael Myers comes to a conclusion. Of course there are a lot more sequels, but this one provides a good ending, at least one that John Carpenter thought it was appropriate. I don't think he originally planned the first film to have a sequel, but it was not disappointing what we got though. Michael is chasing Laurie again and everyone who crosses his path goes see God earlier (or the other guy), we learn a bit more about Laurie's past and that's about it. Poor Laurie, she can't take a single break and has to fight for her life over and over again. Michael's mask is not the same from the first film, which bothers me a bit, the first mask is just perfect. Unfortunately, they never managed to recreate the mask from the original movie in any sequel. There are some good shots, I enjoyed those where we are in the point-of-view of Myers while he stalks some victim and walks through the neighborhood. Rick Rosenthal did a very good job as a replacement for Carpenter. The opening scene is really good, the music complements it so well while we stare at the pumpkin and as the camera gets closer and closer it reveals a skull inside of it, pretty neat. The soundtrack is just perfect, fits so well with the horror, suspense and plot created. Michael is almost indestructible, he must be some monster by this time. I would have preferred if they hadn't transformed him into this undying creature that doesn't even get injured. Good movie nonetheless.

IamDWG

7/10

Now this is interesting. So many people out there love the first Halloween film, which is surprising to me, because I really feel like it lacks essential elements for it to actually be memorable. It may have birthed the slasher genre, but it had bad acting, barely any violence, the violence it did have was confusing because you don’t even see it, and the victims were completely random, so you don’t really care about them all that much. That being said, Halloween II picks up immediately after the first and serves as a companion film – if you watched the first and second movie back-to-back as a three-hour film, it would be much, much better. But how is the sequel as a standalone film? Let’s get into it. As mentioned above, Halloween II starts off where the last one ended, Michael Myers has been shot out of Laurie’s window – but when they looked for him, he was missing, meaning he survived. This film is more or less a manhunt as Michael Myers still attempts to track down and murder Laurie. Why is she so important for this deranged psychopath to risk his life again? You actually find out in this movie. If only they made a three-hour film to begin with. As a standalone movie, it does alright, but all the character development is left in the original while this is basically just a continuation, or part two if you rather. If you stitched the two movies together it would work seamlessly and there would be no need to watch any more sequels after this. A lot about this film was brilliant and worked miles better than the first, but as a companion to the first movie, it actually fixes those initial problems as well. I no longer have the complaints I had before, and that’s shocking for me when watching a sequel. I’m also shocked to see on RT, they have the first rated around ~90% and this is a rotten 31%. Really? Flip those scores and you’d have something closer to accuracy. This movie had slightly better acting, but only slight. Its real improvements came down to removing all the confusion the first provided. Michael Myers now has an actual purpose and direction, it’s no longer random; you actually see where and how he kills people – there’s still little gore, but that serves as a great alternative (the first didn’t show either) – and you know why he’s doing it as well…which also explains all the kills in the first movie too. Come on, that’s brilliance right there. The only real problem the movie had was that it didn’t feel like a standalone film – it needs the first movie to work, but in my honest opinion, the first needs the second in order to work as well. I really wish I could give Halloween a combined score. In fact, I would really like to see a fan edit version where they make one big movie using both the first and second film. If they did that, you would probably see a pretty good score, but what we have instead is two sort of incomplete films in my opinion. The first only works with the second and same vice versa. This movie on its own makes more sense where the first didn’t, but the good parts of the first film don’t exactly transfer to the second either. It’s a double-edged sword, really – they are things that work well together, but not so much apart.

Filipe Manuel Neto

0/10

**An honorable continuation, which respects the previous work without bringing anything new.** I don't like Halloween, and I've had time to say it before, but I recognize that it's the best time for good horror films to be broadcast on television. These days, I saw this film as a follow-up to “Halloween”. I have no doubt that it is a worthy sequel, perhaps one of the best I have seen, in that it is strictly faithful to the original and is made with quality. It is directed by Rick Rosenthal, but the team and cast remained the same, with the addition of specific names, and John Carpenter's inspiration continues in the script he wrote and in the attention he undoubtedly gave to the entire project. Pleasance is the actor who looks in the best shape here. He finally had better material and more time to show some value on stage. Jamie Lee Curtis has essentially stayed the same and retains much of what he did. It doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't bring any surprises either. The soundtrack also doesn't bring anything new, maintaining the essence of the first film's score, which is positive. After its initial success, it is no wonder that this film's budget was more substantial than that of the first, and that the number of corpses that fall throughout the plot also increases. A plot that is not particularly brilliant, well written and elegant, and that falls into the most basic clichés of slasher horror without any shame, but that manages, at least, to respect coherence with the original film and give the villain an almost iconic aura, an invulnerability that makes him unstoppable and impossible to kill, and that turned him into a cinema icon. In addition to these points of relative quality, we also have good lighting and cinematography, good use of sets and filming locations, better quality effects that are as well executed and practical as those previously used. Everything comes together, therefore, to form the image of a film that is not surprising, but manages to respect and stand alongside its predecessor.

Whitsbrain

4/10

I can't do it. As much as I love the original "Halloween". I can't bring myself to say much of anything positive about "Halloween II". Maybe it lacks the directorial brilliance of John Carpenter. Perhaps it's the deer in the headlights look on the face of Donald Pleasance every shot that he's in. Maybe it's the wig that Jamie Lee Curtis is wearing. Whatever the reason, "Halloween II" is not a good movie. I have to give it points for picking up at the exact moment the original closes on. There are some interesting shots by director Rick Rosenthal, but the characters and the story are fair at best. There are a few decent kills by Michael Myers, but he is not nearly as menacing here as in the original. His walk and overall physical presence in this movie are no comparison to the first. You would also think that the isolated hospital where the story takes place would set up some scares but it just never happens. We end up with stupid nurses and even dumber ambulance drivers hanging around just waiting to become Michael Myers' latest victims. In the end, this potentially stunning tale screeches to an uninspired conclusion after such an incredible start courtesy of Carpenter.

Gimly

0/10

I might be the only person who thinks this, but _Halloween II_ is just as good as the original. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._