The public cried out for a sequel to Halloween, and John Carpenter and Debra Hill answered, giving us one of the most progressive sequels in a horror franchise in Halloween 2.


Movie: Halloween 2 (1981)

Plot: Halloween 2 picks up right where the original Halloween left off, original scenes of the end of the original and all.

After Dr. Loomis shoots Michael Myers, the body of Myers disappears. Where, no one knows. In the ensuing manhunt, we learn that Laurie is actually the baby sister of Michael Myers, adopted by the Strodes. It seems that Michael is hunting down the members of his family. His next stop: the hospital where Laurie is recuperating from Myers’ attack hours before.

One by one, Michael picks off the hospital night crew until he, once again, comes face to face with Laurie and Dr. Loomis.

Killer: Michael Myers. Shoot him 7 times to make him fall off a second-floor balcony, and he keeps on ticking. Or 6 times if you believe Dr. Loomis and think the sound effects engineer just failed at math.

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Universal Pictures

Critique: The greatest thing about Halloween 2 is that it not only the evolution of the story of Michael Myers, but it is the evolution of the series by horror standards. While the original was focused more on suspense and shadow, the sequel plays our more like a normal slasher movie. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We get more blood, more kills and more inventive methods of murder.

Some may think this is a cop-out (especially when there are actually less breasts), but it works. Halloween 2 wasn’t trying to reinvent the movie wheel like the original. It was trying to expand the story of Michael Myers, hypothesizing why he does what he does and why he seems to be unkillable. The movie tries to make sense of the nonsensical, and fails, which may be one of the scariest things of all about Michael Myers besides his unwavering silent rage.

The worst thing about this movie is, after seeing it over and over again, I’m starting to think Michael Myers is wearing a Bill Murray mask. Is Bill Murray really that scary, or even devoid of emotion? I find him pretty fucking funny. Hopefully, this does not ruin the movie for you forever.

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Universal Pictures

Scene of Awesomeness: Young Michael Myers sitting in a chair at a mental institution is incredibly creepy, even if it is a 5 second shot.

Scene of Ridiculousness: Karen’s (played by Pamela Susan Shoop) breasts are ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome!

Body Count: 10

1 butcher knife slice up the chest

1 car crash, complete with total body incineration

1 claw hammer embedded into a forehead

1 garrote choke

1 face-boiling in a hot tub

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Universal Pictures

1 syringe to the eye

1 syringe to the side temple

1 ultra-extreme bloodletting

1 scalpel to the back

1 throat slit via scalpel

1 pair of breasts

Actors/Actresses of Note: Dana Carvey of Saturday Night Live fame makes a cameo as a news reporter’s assistant. how’s that for funny, for all the wrong reasons?

Quote: “Amazing Grace, come sit on my face. Don’t make cry, I need your pie…” -Budd

Grade: A-

By Pat Emmel

Patrick began collecting a library of VHS tapes, DVDs, and CDs when he was young, and continues to build a library that could easily double as a video store and/or a revitalized Tower Records.