Plot
Laurie Strode struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's deadly return to Haddonfield, Illinois; meanwhile, Michael prepares for another reunion with his sister.
Storyline Michael Myers is still at large and no less dangerous than ever. After a failed reunion to reach his baby sister at their old home, Laurie Strode is immediately taken to a hospital to be treated by the wounds that had been afflicted by her brother a few hours ago. However, Michael isn't too far off and will continue his murdering 'Halloween' rampage until he gets his sister all to himself.
Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie
-
Deborah Myers
Chase Wright Vanek
-
Young Michael
(as Chase Vanek)
Scout Taylor-Compton
-
Laurie Strode
Brad Dourif
-
Sheriff Lee Brackett
Caroline Williams
-
Dr. Maple
Malcolm McDowell
-
Dr. Samuel Loomis
Tyler Mane
-
Michael Myers
Dayton Callie
-
Coroner Hooks
Richard Brake
-
Gary Scott
Octavia Spencer
-
Nurse Daniels
Danielle Harris
-
Annie Brackett
Richard Riehle
-
Buddy the Night Watchman
Margot Kidder
-
Barbara Collier
Mary Birdsong
-
Nancy McDonald
Brea Grant
-
Mya Rockwell
Taglines:
You can run. You can hide. Or, you can fight... LIKE HELL.
Opening Weekend: $16,349,565
(USA)
(30 August 2009)
(3025 Screens)
Gross: $33,335,670
(USA)
(15 November 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
(unrated director's cut)
Did You Know?
Trivia: Kristina Klebe knew both Robert Curtis Brown (her father in H2) as well as Nick Mennell (her boyfriend in the first Halloween) before shooting. Rob Zombie had no idea and all the casting was random. Though when he told her about casting her boyfriend in the first film he said he was looking at a few people but he needed someone who could match her height.
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible:
When Coroner Hooks and Gary Scott have a car accident, you can pause a few frames before the crash, and clearly see that a small explosive detonates in-front of the bumper before they hit the cow.
Quotes: Weird Al Yankovic:
I'm a little confused. Are we talking about the "Austin Powers" Mike Myers or is this someone else?
User Review
Attack of the Killer Dream-Sequences
Rating: 2/10
Rob Zombie should have named his latest film "Kill-****ing-Everything,"
as it would have given audiences a better idea as to what to expect
when paying for a ticket. It also would've been a signal not to expect
any shred of respectability that Zombie was able to retain in his first
film. Unlike the first film, which was at least intriguing if not good,
Zombie relies on every horror-cliché imaginable in order to
unnecessarily pad the run time and the body count under the misguided
belief that greatness is measured in terms of sheer brutality.
Zombie must have decided that audiences needed an even greater reason
to hate the main character after he turned her into a typically
annoying teenage tramp in the first installment. As a result, Laurie
has become a crust-punk vegetarian, no doubt altered by the events that
transpired a year earlier. She has continuously suffered from
nightmares and delusions since that fateful Halloween, and the audience
is reminded of this every five minutes by dream sequences that litter
the first half of the film. Meanwhile, Michael Myers has indeed
survived the first film and is on a three day trek back to Haddonfield,
killing any form of life that he encounters along the way. His arrival
is precipitated by numerous red herrings in the form of dream
sequences, and this back-and-forth pattern is continued throughout the
film until he actually arrives and continues his habit of killing
everything in sight.
In order to add another layer to a rather straight-forward plot, an
examination of post-traumatic stress is included, as Laurie is shown
coping with her life after it had been shattered the year before. This
remains the greatest aspect of the film, as Laurie's battle, even with
the saturation of unnecessary dream sequences, is a gateway for
audience sympathy. Apparently not satisfied with this connection,
Zombie also attempts an examination of Michael Myers's psyche, despite
the perfect serial-killer development of the first film. This new
examination centers on the dream interpretation of a white horse, which
Michael constantly envisions alongside his deceased mother. In his
visions, he is depicted as a child, and his mother instructs him to
unite their family once again (meaning that he has to find Laurie).
In essence, Michael is instructed by his dead mother to kill, a blatant
connection with the original Friday the 13th series that would have
been impossible to have gone unnoticed by Zombie. These visions of
Michael's are also the main contributors as to why the film is a
convoluted mess. The constant appearances of the white horse motif are
meant as an explanation for Michael's behavior, but they instead become
a hindrance to the flow of the film. In addition, his insistence to
kill everything he encounters is unexplained by his mother's desire to
reunite the family, save for a brief instance in which his mother
invites him to "have some fun." Of course, murdering everything in
sight is the nature of the Michael Myers character, but as Zombie has
focused on mental disease rather than the supernatural in his Halloween
series, the new serial killer persona remains an insufficient
justification.
By avoiding any supernatural aspect, Zombie also fails to sufficiently
explain certain events in the film. It is never mentioned how Myers was
able to survive a gunshot to the face without hospitalization, nor is
it explained why it takes a year for Michael to return to Haddonfield.
It is vaguely mentioned that the police misplaced the body in transport
from the crime scene to the morgue (which is depicted in a scene that
is dismissed as a dream of Laurie's), but this appears to have occurred
in the outskirts of town. The delusions that Michael suffers are also
shared by Laurie in the film's climax, which, barring any supernatural
connection, simply doesn't make any sense.
Finally, in what may be the most unforgivable aspect of all, Zombie
completes his transformation of Dr. Loomis from the beloved, heroic,
and selfless figure of the first series to an arrogant, self-centered
egotist. Loomis serves no function in Halloween II other than to inform
Laurie that she is Michael's sister. Other than this development, he is
meant as a spiteful center of rage that the audience is led to hate
more than Myers, and as a result, his inclusion in the film is almost
useless.
In between scenes of Laurie's breakdown, Michael's visions, and
Loomis's asinine ego-trips, Zombie manages to saturate the remaining
run time with close-ups of excessively gory wounds, unattractive bodily
features, and every squishy sound imaginable. Zombie has never been
subtle with his depiction of the macabre and grotesque, but in this
film, it is so excessive that it becomes apparent that he isn't
interested in any serious, albeit fictional, examination of mental
illness. Rather, he seems more focused on making the audience ill. For
seedy exploitation films of yesteryear, this is a perfect combination.
In mainstream cinema, however, it has become a tired cliché that ran
its course in the eighties.
Plot
Laurie Strode is rushed to the hospital, while Sheriff Brackett and Dr. Loomis hunt the streets for Michael Myers, who has found Laurie at the Haddonfield Hospital.
Release Year: 1981
Rating: 6.3/10 (24,052 voted)
Critic's Score: 44/100
Director:
Rick Rosenthal
Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers
Storyline It's the same night as the original Halloween. Michael Myers is around the neighborhood, after being gunned by Dr.Loomis six times. Now, he's in a hospital where the girl Laurie Strode was taken. And there's a reason why Michael is after her...
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis
-
Laurie Strode
Donald Pleasence
-
Sam Loomis
Charles Cyphers
-
Leigh Brackett
Jeffrey Kramer
-
Graham
Lance Guest
-
Jimmy
Pamela Susan Shoop
-
Karen
Hunter von Leer
-
Gary Hunt
Dick Warlock
-
The Shape
/
Patrolman #3
Leo Rossi
-
Budd
Gloria Gifford
-
Mrs. Alves
Tawny Moyer
-
Jill
Ana Alicia
-
Janet
Ford Rainey
-
Dr. Mixter
Cliff Emmich
-
Mr. Garrett
Nancy Stephens
-
Marion
Taglines:
Just when you thought it was safe to go trick or treating...
Filming Locations: Kersting Court at Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $2,500,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $7,676,836
(USA)
(1 November 1981)
Gross: $25,533,818
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Sweden:
(cut)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
To get the role of Michael Myers, Dick Warlock revealed that as he passed by a room, the Michael Myers mask was on a table. He put the mask on and walked into Rick Rosenthal's office and stood there. After Rosenthal continuously asked him who he was and he didn't reply, he took off the mask and asked if he could play Michael Myers.
Goofs:
Factual errors:
Assuming the hot tub water was hot enough to scald nurse Karen's face, as depicted, then it could be assumed that Michael Myers' hand, which was also clearly seen under the water, would show similar burn marks; it does not. In reality the water would not be hot enough to burn flesh at 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Quotes:
Voice on Radio:
Unit calling, identify. Marion Chambers:
Marion Chambers with Dr. Loomis at the clinic - he's here!
Voice on Radio:
Ah, ten-four. Unit calling, identify suspect. Marion Chambers:
Michael Myers! Just get your ass over here!
User Review
Just as scary as the original
Rating: 9/10
As sequels go, this isn't a better movie than the original, but what it is
and what it does well, it does really well. I have to say right away here
that I was scared in this movie. There are some truly ingenious and
horrific shots in this film. There are times when you really aren't
expecting what's about to transpire, and when it does, it sends chills
through you.
I first saw this film in my " horror " days in the mid 80's. I was 12
years
old then. So I just recently watched it again to see if it would have the
same affect on me now. I sat in my basement and turned off all the lights
and you know what, I was spooked. Right from the opening number of
Carpenter's ominous music and the pumpkin slowly transforming into
Michael's
angry face, I knew right there that I was in for a night of fear. And I
was.
The story starts the same night as Halloween ended on. Laurie is being
taken to the hospital and there is a massive manhunt to find Myers.
Laurie
eventually gets settled into the hospital and it becomes only a matter of
time until Michael can find out where she is. He finally comes to get her
and then all hell breaks loose.
One of the major players in this film is the locale. The hospital is dark
and quiet and rather empty. And that adds to the atmosphere of the film.
It gives us lots of long hallways so we can have a few shots of Michael
hunting his prey. What we also get is an array of rooms to 86 his victims
in and a slew of weapons to do it with.
Rick Rosenthal directed this film and I am amazed that he really didn't go
on to do much because he almost copies Carpenter's style to the tee here.
Brilliant in particular are two shots. One is where Michael appears out
of
the darkness in one room to attack his victim. The lighting is solely
responsible for the affectiveness of this shot and it works so well that
it
still gives me the shivers when I watch it. The second is when Micael
attacks one of the nurses while Laurie watched helplessly from a
distance.
Not only is this a good horror movie, it is a good film and if the first
rates a 10/10, this is certainly of a 9. It is that good. And if you
don't
agree with me, watch it again---by yourself and then answer that
question.
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