“More of the night he came home” (lamest tagline ever)
Utterly unnecessary, Halloween II is best viewed as another example of early 80s Hollywood-horror-sequelitis-avarice (see Jaws 2, Psycho 2, Friday the 13th 2, etc). According to my research John Carpenter agreed to help out on Halloween II only after stipulating that he would not direct. Instead Rick Rosenthal was handed the reins. Nerd rumor suggests that Carpenter actually ended up directing a few sequences after viewing Rosenthal’s initial cut of the film.
Although filmed 3 years after Halloween, Halloween II picks up immediately after the original. In fact, as the film begins we’re shown the ending of the original (in case we forgot), with Michael falling from the second story of Tommy Doyle’s home. For reasons unknown, Rosenthal actually re-shot this scene. We now see Michael hit the ground from a new angle, accompanied by that cartoon sound that’s used whenever something heavy hits the ground. Perhaps he was attempting to better mesh this scene with new footage of Loomis running out of the house to look at the imprint of Michael’s body in the grass? Halloween II follows Michael as he slowly works his way to the hospital where Laurie Strode is now being cared for. Along the way he makes the requisite kills and we learn that Laurie is his sister. Meanwhile Loomis is still being yelled at for “letting him out”, which never made any sense to me. Halloween II climaxes with Michael stalking Laurie through the empty halls of the hospital.
Given that the original is a stand-alone horror masterpiece, I know I’m not supposed to like Halloween II, yet I can’t deny that I’ve always found it to be a solid sequel. The first half of the film is completely forgettable, mostly plagiarizing its predecessor; however the latter part of the film, which focuses on Michael-stalking-Laurie through the halls of the empty hospital to Carpenter’s chilly score manages to evoke some of the terror replete in the original. One notable shot, Michael walking through a glass door as if it does not exist, is particularly effective. Carpenter has been quoted as saying, “I had made that film once and I really didn't want to do it again.” Although this sequel offers nothing new, it still manages to suggest the spirit of the original, something none of the other sequels in the franchise have been able to do. Also, for those demanding an “ending” (or at least a happy one), Halloween II does complete the story, although it effectively neuters the terrifying conclusion of the original.
One final note, I found this small blurb during my research,
“A small controversy surrounded the film after its release. Richard Delmer Boyer, of Fullerton, CA, murdered an elderly couple while on drugs. In court, he claimed that the drugs caused him to flashback to HALLOWEEN II, and thus commit the murder. It became known around Fullerton as the "HALLOWEEN II" murders, according to TNT Monstervision host Joe Bob Briggs.”
14 comments:
I wanted to add that Halloween II boasts one of my favorite opening credits sequences. As Carpenter's freaky music swells, the camera slowly zooms in on that pumpkin I posted. The pumpkin slowly opens to reveal a skull inside. Awesome.
Joe Bob Briggs! He was hilarious. I loved his schtick of pretending to be done and saying "roll film" and then changing his mind and bringing something else up, five times in a row. I also loved the bunch of dimly-audible jerks sitting around laughing (a routine that Talk Soup picked up later). The actor, John Bloom, had a small role in Casino as the guy De Niro destroys his career by firing.
The Halloween II TV spots used that footage of the skull in the pumpkin and were so scary I would close my eyes and cover my ears when they came on.
That slow dive into the skull's eye socket always makes me think of The Abyss, not the scuba movie but the concept as Nietzsche described it, i.e. the most horrifying thing there is. Good stuff.
(...says a man who knows a thing or two about scary pumpkins.)
I remember the ad clearly: You hear Loomis in voice-over saying his line about "no sign of conscience nor reason..nothing remotely human" as the freaky music plays. Then you get one stinger shot of something scary happening for one second. Ahead of its time!
when did nietzche ever register an opinion about scary pumpkins, jordan?
I meant Octopunk (with the avatar)
but you knew that, you knucklehead
i was sort of hoping you'd come up with a quote though.
"What is new, however, is always evil, being that which wants to conquer and overthrow the old boundary markers and the old pieties; and only what is old is good. The good men are in all ages those who dig the old thoughts, digging deep and getting them to bear fruit - the farmers of the spirit. But eventually all land is depleted of scary pumpkins and the ploughshare of evil must come again and again."
— Nietzche
Good one, Jordan! That comes, of course, from Jenseits die Gut und Bose und Dumpfbacke, known in our schools as Beyond Good and Evil and Pumpkins.
Yours was funnier.
"That comes, of course, from Jenseits die Gut und Bose und Dumpfbacke,"
Of course.
*that's* the stuff. thanks jordan!
I just took a real quote (from The Gay Science (1882) and added two words.
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