More of the Night he Came HomeHalloween was a huge box office hit. It made 47 million (157 million adjusted for inflation) on a very low budget and had audiences jumping in their seats time and time again. It was well reviewed and it brought on a slew of imitators that performed well and helped to start a new genre of horror: the slasher film. Movies like Happy Birthday to Me and Prom Night (also starting Jamie Lee Curtis) popped up in theatres and, following the same format as Halloween, brought money into the pockets of the filmmakers and fear into the hearts of the audiences.
The biggest and most successful of the imitators was Friday the 13th, released two years after Halloween. Pretty much a direct copy of Halloween, Friday the 13th followed the same formula albiet in a different setting. Set on a campground, the story involves a murder years before, a lead female, a hidden killer who stalks the victims and the use of the killer's perspective complete with the heavy breathing and killer theme music.
Friday the 13th was a hit with audiences but unlike Halloween, it played poorly with critics. It focused more on gore and jump-scares than Halloween did and it racked up the body count; 11 deaths compared to Halloween's 4. A year later, a sequel to Friday the 13th followed, following the exact formula that made the first one a success, and again, audiences at it up. The Slasher film was incredibly popular and what better reason to make a sequel to the film that jump started the genre.
Halloween II was released on October 30th, 1981, 3 years after the original and many slasher films later. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance returned to their roles playing Laurie Strode and Dr. Loomis respectively. John Carpenter and Debra Hill return as writers and producers but sadly Carpenter did not want to direct the sequel. Instead we get newcomer Rick Rosenthal who does an ok job of replicating Carpenter's style and technique.
Taking place literally right after the first film ends, Halloween II pales in comparison to the original. It is not as tightly paced, it isn't as scary, it relies on Michael Myers jumping out of places rather than lurking in the background and it relies on gore more than scares. Halloween II seems more influenced by Friday the 13th and the other pale imitators of Halloween than Halloween itself. That's not to say the film isn't enjoyable but it just feels lack luster in comparison to the original.
The film drags a little at parts, it fleshes out connections between characters that aren't really needed (and makes the masked killer less mysterious and therefore less scary), it has some over the top scenes (especially involving Dr. Loomis) and it has a new guy playing Michael Myers who unfortunately doesn't capture the menace of Nick Castle in the first one.
The biggest problem with this film, as mentioned earlier, is that it borrows more from than the imitators than the original. Myers isn't really seen in the background, or moving out of blackness and into the frame. He is either right there on screen or he pops up out of nowhere. The first film really emphasized that eerie methodical unknown killer element, always having him looming in the background. He was always there but he took his time and when he killed it was effective. Here he kills and kills, again and again, over and over.
The film does pick up and get significantly better in the last half hour, when it becomes Laurie vs. Michael. At this point the movie feels almost like the original as Laurie is stalked through hospital corridors. It's eerie and fun and exciting and foreboding. And when it finally ends, it wraps the story up nicely and leaves the audience satisfied. Unlike the first film there is no ambiguos ending, it finishes the story of Michael Myers, Dr. Sam Loomis and Laurie Strode and finally, like the last shot of the film, allows for the sun to let a little light into the darkness that preceded it.
Film Rating: 72%
Breakdown (How Halloween II scored 72%):
Production Design: 8 out of 10
Cinematography: 8 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10
Originality: 5 out of 10
Costumes: 9 out of 10
Directing: 6 out of 10
Editing: 7 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
Script: 6 out of 10
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