Post by slayrrr666 on Nov 16, 2005 20:54:15 GMT -5
`Halloween II' is a more than adequate sequel to one of the greatest horror films of all time.
**SPOILERS**
After Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) has been removed from the Myer's house and hauled away to a hospital, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasance) and Sheriff Brackett (Charles Cyphers) scour the neighborhood for Michael after he disappeared. Michael recovers, finds a new knife and discovers where Laurie is staying. He storms off after her as Loomis finds a young teen that resembles Michael and accidentally allows his death. At the hospital, the staff is anxiously awaiting Laurie's arrival as it has been a slow night. They don't anticipate all the other bodies that arrive with hers, and find any excuse to not work on her. As Michael stalks through the hospital dispatching everyone who works there systematically, no one wonders why everyone is missing. Loomis is ordered out of the city and back to the psychiatric hospital, and while being escorted away by the Marshal (John Zenda), he makes a startling realization about Laurie and her relationship with Michael. He returns to the hospital with the Marshal and his assistant (Nancy Stephens) to find the hospital deserted off personal and only Laurie left alive. After a series of skillful escapes, they trap Michael in the gas room and blow up the hospital.
The Good News: This is the most graphic of the sequels, partly because there are so many kills in here. We have a nice shot of a melted face, a hammer-smashed skull, a needle sticking out of an eye, and shrapnel fragments embedded in the face. Michael also gets his eyes shot out, but only the blood flow from it is seen. He also slashes a throat, but that is a moot point considering the other kills. While I'm thinking of it, I would like to comment on the needle scene. We never see the needle thrust in, just the after-affect, but that whole sequence is a prime example of how true horror films use mood to get scares. A nurse wanders into a doctors' office to call him in for duty, but his back is turned and he doesn't respond to his name. The nurse walks up to him and turns the chair around to see him dead. She silently staggers back out of the room, but behind her in the dark, Michael's mask slowly forms above her head. He lunges at her and plants another needle in her face. It is a brilliant sequence that has quickly become one of my favorites because of three classic elements: The low lighting in the room, the innocent victim, and the killer's appearance in the scene. These three elements come together to form the scene. With the low lighting in the room, shadows are cast around, allowing for Michael to easily hide in. the helpless victim is his target, and the slow formation of his mask behind her are very chilling upon first watch. This scene alone is worth the price of admission, but what guarantees it is the nude scenes of the nurse played by Pamela Susan Shoop. She has a very nice body for that time, and the scene is pretty tasteful, without it being done simply for the sake of showing nudity. Following a classic slasher rule, she is immediately killed for doing so, and her death is another highlight. I don't want to give too much away, but it is a great scene that is very eerie. After dispatching her companion, Michael secretly turns up the temperature in the therapeutic pool where they are, and comes out to Shoop, who believes it is her companion. She talks to him for several seconds, then asks him a question, and when he doesn't respond, she looks up at him and sees that it isn't Michael, who promptly dispatches her as well. Another great highlight, as it continues on, is the discovery of Laurie and Michael's relationship. For the three of us left who don't know, Laurie is revealed to be Michael's brother who was hid from him after he was sent to prison. This is the storyline that set up `Halloween: H2O' and it is discovered her. Of the entire competent cast, Pleasance as always does a respectable job as Loomis. I think he has finally come to terms with the role, and he has a lot of fun with it.
The Bad News: Despite getting a top billing, Jamie is essentially wasted in the movie. She lies in her hospital bed for most of the movie, and when the staff starts disappearing, she finally wanders out and finds Michael. It wasn't a great decision to do so, as it left her out of action for most of the movie. This really is my only gripe against the movie.
The Final Verdict: Following such a successful film like `Halloween' is a tough act for any film, but this one manages to pull it off in strides. It is thoroughly entertaining all the way through, it isn't as graphic as it could've been, and it has a high re-watch ability factor. This is definitely the best of the sequels and is tied with part 4 as the most entertaining of the sequels. It is highly recommended to all fans of the original and slasher fans of any kind.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity
