Halloween II (1981) Movie Review
Written By: K.M.C
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Producers: Debra Hill, John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Date Released: October 30, 1981
Cast:
Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
Nichole Drucker as Young 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
Tawny Moyer as Nurse Jill Franco
Ana Alicia as Nurse Janet Marshall
Nancy Stephens as Marion Chambers
et. al.
Rating = 3.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Michael Myers cheats death and proceeds to continue on his mission to kill Laurie after she mistakenly thinks that she has killed him. Thanks to Dr. Sam Loomis, she is able to escape Michael that night but they both realize that six bullets Loomis shot at him couldn’t kill him. This sends the entire town of Haddonfield into a panic as several deaths start to ensue around town as Michael continues to search for Laurie. Fear continues to rise for Laurie, Loomis, and Loomis’ team as they start to question whether Michael Myers is even human.
Gore Factor
Halloween II is a classic slasher that incorporates creatively gruesome ways of Michael killing his victims. From throat slashes and stabbings to exsanguination and gun shot wounds, Halloween II would be a six on a scale of one to ten where one is the least amount of gore and ten being the most.
The Grave Review
If you are a slasher lover, Halloween II should definitely be on your top slasher films list. The film incorporates all of the classic slasher elements while also incorporating creative ways to keep Michael Myers from dying. What makes this a good slasher is that the plot is consistent and logical that most slashers tend to slip up on. No scene was presented that leaves you asking “why was that shown when that has nothing to do with the plot” or “Wait but what happened to that one person that was shown for a quick scene but was never brought up again”. Picking the movie back up from where it left off in the first Halloween film was something worth noting. You can watch both movies back to back and feel as though you are watching one continuous film. The film’s best aspect were the specific shots that the camera crew captured such as Michael Myers appearing on the car mirror after the door shut. The crew and team behind Halloween II deserves praise for their attention to detail, amazing cinematography, and great casting.
Another aspect that makes this film enjoyable is the acting that was very well executed. Although Jamie Lee Curtis’ acting is very well executed, the actor that really stood out is Donald Pleasence who really made his character Dr. Sam Loomis pull the entire movie together. His realistic reactions and slight demeanors that spoke volumes keeps you rooting for him and his team to finally finish off Michael Myers.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Halloween II (1981) three and a half graves out of five graves.
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