The new Halloween is heading right for us this October, but before it wipes the slate clean, I figured I’d review 1981’s Halloween II. In the name of Ben Tramer, who will never be forgotten, this one’s for you.
Halloween 2 is my personal favorite in the franchise for many reasons. It can be played back-to-back with the original, it ups the ante for the body count, the backstory is revealed, and The Shape gets a fitting end… or so we thought. I really enjoy the setting of the film, the skeleton crew mentality of the hospital staff, and the tension the film creates with Michael heading straight to Laurie. We get some awesome moments of character development, such as when Sheriff Brackett discovers his daughter has been murdered, as well as some great moments of Loomis expressing how dangerous Michael really is.
I can remember watching this movie late nights on TNT and, for some reason, this one always felt more scary to me than the original, which I know is blasphemy to hardcore Halloween fans. Jamie Lee has some great scenes with Jimmy and genuinely becomes a fully fleshed out victim. One of the first (and best) final girls to ever grace the screen, it’s nice to see her story continue.
With the police in the town completely preoccupied with random sightings, the discovery of new victims and the untimely death of one Ben Tramer they have their hands full and have no reason to believe that Laurie Strode is in further danger. Only once Loomis learns of Michael’s sealed file, does he realize that Laurie has been the intended target all along.
I can’t stress how much fun Halloween II really is. Michael has been shot six times and is in no mood for sliced ham sandwiches. He picks and chooses victims until he has Laurie in his sights and the final showdown between Laurie, Loomis, and Michael is fantastic. You can truly see where John Carpenter wanted the story to end… for better or worse The Shape keeps on coming.
The word on the street is the new Halloween captures a lot of what made the original so great. Fingers crossed for another great entry. Hey, you never know. In the new universe, maybe Laurie married Ben Tramer.
I give Halloween II 4 third degree burned titties out of 5.