Halloween II was released three years after the first film in 1981. John Carpenter, unfortunately, did not take the directing job and the reins were handed over to Rick Rosenthal. This was Rosenthal's first legitimate directorial job and what a film to draw for your first gig. He had a great deal of help, though. Dean Cundey returned from the original film to be the cinematographer and the same producing team returned as well. Most importantly, however, the script was, again, written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Rosenthal had all the pieces he needed to make a successful follow-up to Carpenter's legendary and ground-breaking film. The reactions of critics and fans, however, would be varied and different compared to those of the original film. But more of that later.
Halloween II picks up seamlessly from where the original story in Halloween left off. In fact, the movie begins with the very same scene that the original ended on; the same shots, the same dialogue, for the most part. If you have been keeping up with my blog and my posts, you already know that I am a huge fan of consistency in story lines from one movie to another in a series. You can't ask for more perfect consistency than this.
The movie kicks off as Dr. Loomis finds that, after shooting Michael Myers six times at the end of Halloween, he has gotten up and walked off to continue his killing spree. Laurie Strode has been taken to the local hospital and thinks she is out of harms way. She soon finds out that she is very, very wrong. Michael follows her to the hospital and begins taking out doctors, nurses, and EMTs trying to get to her. Sounds pretty straight-forward, right? You really don't need a very detailed plot for this kind of movie. The original story was not much more complex than this. We are already familiar with the main characters so the story of the sequel can be a little less involved. But Carpenter and Hill provide some extra twists to keep us on our toes as the reveal surprising dynamics of the relationship between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode.
Now, getting back to the various reactions to the film. As I have already mentioned, this film received mostly negative reviews from film critics. It was a little more up in the air with general horror movie fans, though, but still not what one would expect from the sequel to Carpenter's masterpiece. The complaints about the movie include poor character development, that it's uninspired, and that it is more interested in piling on the gore than establishing the same intensity the first film had. All of these are pretty valid points and I can understand where these complaints are coming from.
Here is what I think...
Though I do like Halloween II, I do believe that it is not as good as the original and does have its problems. After years of watching these two films, however, I have developed a theory about these two films, and others have come to this same conclusion based on some reading I have done. When looked at side by side, Halloween and Halloween II are two halves of one movie. For years, they have both stood alone as individual films, but something intriguing happens when they are viewed back to back. For me, at least, they merge seamlessly into one movie. Viewed this way, the imperfections of Halloween II do not matter as much as you are absorbed into one of the most intense and terrifying stories ever told in the movies. This is what I would be interested in seeing happen: splice the two films together. The closing scene in one is the opening scene in the other, so it shouldn't be that difficult. You could also just combine the credits to reflect the two separate crews that worked on the films. Sure you could just watch one movie right after the other in your DVD player, but there is a loss of effect. You have to stop the player, take one out, put the other in, and sit through another set of opening credits.
Now, is my suggestion likely to ever happen? Doubtful, but one can dream. Halloween II will probably forever be known as the inferior sequel to one of the greatest horror films ever made. But it did help deepen our worst fears about doing time at the hospital.
Come out and join us this Wednesday, October 29 for our screening of Halloween II. The screening will begin at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Library's Community Room and there will be free popcorn for those who attend. Hope to see you there!
Until next time....
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