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Halloween II


HALLOWEEN II
(1981, Rosenthal)
Freebie



"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."

Halloween II picks up right after the original, as Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is taken to the hospital while Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) tries to find Michael Myers. What he finds out is that Myers is, of course, headed to the hospital determined to kill Laurie, who we learn here is his sister.

Myers is, after all unstoppable, just like this and other slasher franchises that keep lumbering along against all reason and logic. In an attempt to lend some base for the stretch, this film introduces the fact that Michael and Laurie are siblings, that were separated since childhood in order to protect her. This bit of mythology would serve as the foundation of pretty much every Halloween between the standalone third one and the new DGG trilogy.

But aside from that, the film also attempts to introduce some elements of the occult and Druid cults that might or might not have anything to do with how or why Michael is the way he is. Not that it's ever explained here, but it's just tossed around to try to add some creepy atmosphere, I guess.

But even despite those plot devices the film traps itself into, the film still manages to be a somewhat effective sequel. The setting of the dark desolate hospital, as illogical as it might be, adds a lot of atmosphere and mood to everything, and there are some pretty neat kills here and there.

Laurie doesn't get much to do until the end, and most of the new characters are inconsequential, with the exception of Deputy Gary Hunt (Hunter von Leer), who seems to be one of the few with common sense around town. But it is Loomis the one that's at the forefront most of the time, and Pleasance does a pretty good job walking that fine line between obsession and genuine care for Laurie and others.

Halloween would go on to become one of the most prolific and popular slasher franchises out there, with almost every new film being worse than the previous one. This one is indeed, worse than the original, thanks to its more formulaic execution and needless contrivances; but as far as unnecessary sequels go, it's probably as good as it will get for the franchise.

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