"I shot him six times!" - Dr. Loomis
Halloween II
Year of Release - 1981
DVD Release - Universal - 2001
Region 1 - NTSC - Rated R
Running Time - 92:23
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and Lance Guest
Music: John Carpenter in association with Alan Howarth
After Halloween broke box-office records and with it's ambiguous ending, audiences wanted more of the night He came home. Again written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, but Carpenter felt it difficult to write Halloween II, he felt that it was just re-hashing the first film. It also influenced his decision in giving the job of direction to Rick Rosenthal, after seeing one of his short films. How would Halloween II be received? Would it measure up?
SYNOPSIS
Halloween II literally starts where Halloween left off. Laurie Strode (Curtis) is rushed to hospital, while Dr. Loomis (Pleasence) and the Haddonfield Police continue the hunt for Michael Myers.
Laurie is treated at the hospital, she ended up with a lacerated shoulder and cracked a bone in her leg, so she is sedated for the pain. One of the ambulance officers, Jimmy (Guest) takes a shining to Laurie and is keeping a eye on her.
The shit-scared Dr. Loomis is cruising around with Sherriff Brackett (Charles Cyphers) and spots someone in a dark outfit and a white mask. Brackett stops Loomis unloading his shooting-iron into the figure, but in the confusion, the suspect gets hit by a car, which in turn hits an Ambulance and bursts into flames. They don't know if they have killed Michael or not.
Meanwhile Michael slowly, but surely, makes his way across town to the hospital where a defenseless Laurie Strode is waiting...
VIDEO
The transfer is in 2.35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. There are a few hints of film artefacts, but there is minimal-to-no grain, which is acceptable given the age of the material.
Halloween II was shot by Dean Cundey, so the look and feel of the film is still reminiscent of the first movie.
AUDIO
There is only one audio track, that being in Dolby Surround 2.0. It's a little dissapointing that it isn't in Dolby 5.1.
EXTRAS
Theatrical Trailer
This 2:22 trailer is in Full Screen and is of varying video and audio quality.
Production Notes
Making-up somewhat for the lack of extras are some pretty good Production Notes. It's worth a look.
Cast and Filmmakers
Bios and Filmographies of Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and Rick Rosenthal.
DVD Newsletter
Just an ad for Universal's DVD website. Guys, this is advertising, not an extra!
Recommendations
Some Universal DVDs they want you to buy...
OVERALL
I enjoy Halloween II, in fact is it my brother's favourite Halloween movie. John Carpenter did have a point about re-hashing in a sequel, so to up the ante, the kills had to be a little more creative. It is a little more bloody than Halloween and with some of the kills, you can almost feel the pain. Carpenter & Hill also expanded the relationship between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, explaining a bit of the motivation for Myers to stalk her. Also, to stop any more sequels, Carpenter wrote an ending that couldn't possibly allow for a continuation of the Michael Myers story...
Michael Myers was this time played by stuntman Dick Warlock. Warlock often doubles for Kurt Russel and was in fact Russel's stunt double in John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China. Warlock makes an OK Shape, but he's no Nick Castle.
Another interesting side-note is that Nick Castle saw Lance Guest working on Halloween II and decided to cast him in The Last Starfighter.
In a world where most sequels suck, Halloween II had a lot to live up to, and in my opinion, delivers nicely.
The Film: 
1/2
The Disk: 1/2
"Dark Lord" Paul Lenkic
"Accept the Lord of Darkness as your saviour!" - The Undertaker
© 2002