Throwback Thursday: Halloween II (1981)

“There’s a file on Michael Myers that nobody knew about…”

Hated by many, loved by few, 1981’s Halloween II picks up where 1978’s Halloween ended. The film is a direct sequel to its predecessor and opens with a flashback sequence that catches viewers up to the events of the previous film. After Dr. Loomis puts six bullets in him, Michael Myers falls off of the second floor balcony. Dr. Loomis runs out to see the body and it is gone. He checks on Laurie and then quickly heads out to find Michael Myers. From there, ol’ Mikey swipes a knife from an elderly woman, kills a young woman named Alice, and then sets out to track down Laurie at the local hospital in order to finish the job he started in the first film.

John Carpenter refused to direct the film because he simply didn’t want to rehash the original story. He suggested Tommy Lee Wallace, the original film’s art director, but Wallace also refused to direct the film. Carpenter’s second choice was Rick Rosenthal who, at least in my opinion, did a fine job of mimicking Carpenter’s vibe and direction of the original movie. Carpenter teamed up with Debra Hill, who also wrote the original film and many others with Carpenter, to write the sequel. Apparently he wasn’t that into writing the film, either, because his and Hill’s initial screenplay was shot down by the producers. In order to spice the story up a bit, Carpenter injected perhaps the most argued over bit of Halloween mythos: Laurie Strode is Michael Myers’ sister. It also makes Michael Myers a seemingly supernatural being.

Almost all of the core cast from the original film (including one of Mikey’s victims) returned to reprise their roles. Jamie Lee Curtis returned as Laurie Strode. Donald Pleasence starred once again as Dr. Loomis. Charles Cyphers and Nancy Loomis returned as the Sheriff Brackett and his dead daughter, Annie. Nancy Stephens also came back as Marion Chambers. Dick Warlock took on the role of Michael Myers in the film. Lance Guest, best known for portraying Alex and Beta in The Last Starfighter, portrays Jimmy, an ambulance driver who becomes smitten with Laurie while she is in the hospital. Other cast members included Leo Rossi, Pamela Susan Shoop, Ana Alicia, Ford Rainey, Tawny Moyer, Gloria Gifford, and Lucille Benson. Anne Bruner portrayed ill-fated Alice. Dana Carvey, who would go on to become a star on Saturday Night Live, also has a bit part in the film.

The film perhaps best remembered for its amped up violence and gore. Michael Myers has free reign over a hospital with a skeleton crew and he uses everything at his disposal to kill them. From draining people of blood to slashing throats with a scalpel, Mike does it all. I actually liked seeing the various ways that Michael Myers dispatched his victims.

The film is far from perfect but I really enjoyed it. It was especially cool seeing Lance Guest in an early role. The pacing was a tad slow but the music, kills, and acting were all very well done. Let’s be honest, there are much worse Halloween sequels out there, and while this one isn’t five stars, it’s definitely better than most of them.

Thanks for revisiting Halloween II with me. I am absolutely positive that its star, Jamie Lee Curtis, will return for Thirty-One Days O’Horror in October of this year. See you again soon!