Well, I’ve had about forty years to think about it, and so I can say with a fair amount of confidence that Halloween II is my favorite in the franchise. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because it’s the best one. That honor goes to the original Halloween, which is not just the best movie in the Halloween franchise but a great movie in general. The reason Halloween II is my favorite is simply because it’s the most fun, and sometimes fun is good enough for me.
I especially love this movie because it wastes no time setting anything up. It assumes you’ve already seen the original and then starts from there. After that there’s very little that stands in the way of thrills, chills, and kills. This is not a movie that’s about trauma. Nor is it a social commentary about violence. In fact, Halloween II seems to have no ideas and no themes at all beyond the fact that Michael seems to be possessed by some ancient evil that manifests itself during the Celtic festival of Samhain. It is the perfect stripped-down-to-the-bone horror flick. It’s not smart or complex, nor does it try to be. Which is okay, because horror often works best when it focuses on simple emotions and fears. I mean, to this day I can’t walk through a hospital without thinking about this movie. So, while this is a silly and pointless sequel, it is iconic. You have to give it that.
To be honest, I barely even consider this to be a sequel. The original Halloween ended perfectly, with Michael disappearing from this world and becoming what he always was, be it a ghost or a spirit or a legend. To me, that’s the true ending. It’s the ending that fits with the story that was being told. Every other movie in the series that featured Michael Myers, including this one, is just fan fiction at best and a cash grab at worst.
So what’s the movie about, for all seven of you that haven’t seen it? It’s basically a direct continuation of the first movie that takes place on the same night. Immediately after being shot six times by Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasence) at the end of the first film, Michael Myers wanders off to the hospital where Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is taken and begins a new, far gorier, killing spree.
There are so many great things in this movie worth mentioning: The Mr. Sandman song, and its reprise. The pumpkin skull opening. The darker, more gothic version of the theme. The creative kills. The out-of-nowhere sister twist. The creepy almost abandoned hospital setting. The Samhain speech. The “Why won’t he die?” line from Laurie. The blood tears scene. And finally, Doctor Loomis realizing that the only way to end Michael once and for all is through sacrifice by fire, leading to the explosive finale.
Not to mention that Donald Pleasence is absolutely at his mad peak in this film and gets some of the best lines of his career:
“You don’t know what death is!”
“I shot him six times. I-I shot him in the heart. He’s… He’s not human!!!”
“In order to appease the gods, the Druid priests held fire rituals. Prisoners of war, criminals, the insane, animals, were burned alive in baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids believed they could see omens of the future. Two thousand years later, we’ve come no further. Samhain isn’t evil spirits. It isn’t goblins, ghosts or witches. It’s the unconscious mind. We’re all afraid of the dark inside ourselves.”
If I’m making it sound awesome, it’s because it is. Even the ridiculous nonsensical twist that Laurie was Michael’s sister all along doesn’t bother me since it occurs so late in the film that it makes no difference to the story. The twist became idiotic later because they had to keep working it into the sequels. Well, that and a lot of other mistakes they made. Let’s not even get into the Cult of Thorn.
I know that John Carpenter has said on many occasions that he doesn’t like it and only wrote the script for the money, and I know that the 2018 Halloween legacy sequel trilogy rightly ignores this film. However, none of that changes the fact that Halloween II is awesome. It is absolutely worth watching despite all of that. It’s not a bad movie, and it’s not a good movie, it’s just a fun movie. Remember those? Remember watching a movie just to enjoy it?
So go ahead and watch it. Watch it tonight for Halloween. Watch it tomorrow too! It’s kind of a stupid movie, but it’s okay to love stupid movies. You have my permission. Have fun. Consider it a delicious candy treat.
Halloween II stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis, Charles Cyphers as Sheriff Leigh Brackett, Lance Guest as Jimmy, Pamela Susan Shoop as Nurse Karen Bailey, Hunter von Leer as Deputy Gary Hunt, and Dick Warlock as Michael Myers. It was written by Debra Hill and John Carpenter, and directed by Rick Rosenthal
