MovieChat Forums > Halloween II (1981) Discussion > Really is a very good movie

Really is a very good movie

posted 6 years ago by SoCrates (876)
18 replies | jump to latest

The opening is perfect. Picks up right where the first one ends, and gives you a great line to start it off with Loomis talking to the neighbor:

"Is this some kinda joke? I've been trick-or-treated to death tonight." "You don't know what death is..." *Halloween theme*

Donald Pleasence once again steals the show, and is the true star, in this film. His raving at beginning really sets the tone.

"I shot him 6 times!" "He's not human!"

His dialogue between him and officer Hunt is just as powerful as in the original.

I could listen to Loomis talk about Michael for hours.

I love the phone conversation with the first victim and her friend. Imagine you are home alone, talking to a friend, and they tell you what's going on. You find out an escaped mental patient has just murdered 3 people right down the block from you. You can hear the sirens and everything. Your mind starts to wonder if your doors are locked, and if any of the windows are open. That would be a nightmare scenario for me. Very chilling.

The hardest part to watch is the scene where the Sheriff has to see Annie, his dead daughter. Great performance from Charles Cyphers, but I feel so bad for Loomis here.
He gets all the blowback, but it wasn't his fault.

I like the dialogue between the would be victims in this film more than the original. The scene where the nurse, Janet, is telling Bud that her friend saw Michael "walking in that field behind the Lost River Drive In. That scene always stands out to me. I think Carpenter and Hill upped their game with the dialogue here.

Pamela Susan Shoop is fine as hell! I don't care if the hot tub scene is a rip off, it's just awesome.

I don't mind the Laurie is Michael's sister arc, even though some people hate it. I think Carpenter was trapped in a corner, story wise, and did the best he could. It makes sense that Michael would come back to kill another sister.

Love the kills in this, especially Michael lifting the nurse with the scalpel while Laurie watches.

And finally... the ending is great. Loomis sacrificing himself to end the nightmare, Michael walking out towards Laurie, burning alive. The closeup of the mask with flames coming out the eye holes.

I love this film, and even though he doesn't like it that much, I'm so glad Carpenter was under contract to write it.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

What's awesome about this one is that it picks up right where the first one ended (Rocky II did the same thing).

The whole sister angle was in the original film too. I have a televised airing from 1981 of the original Halloween and the sister\brother relationship was there. To be honest, I prefer that relationship to the mindless killer on the rampage for no apparent reason angle.

I agree the scene where Loomis gets chewed out for something that he didn't cause. That scene reminds me of the scene in Jaws where Chief Brody gets a similar shellacking from the dead boys mother (the same actress is in Jaws the revenge)

What movie was the hot tub scene ripped off from?

[–] SoCrates (876) 6 years ago

Someone said it was stolen from a film called "Deep Red" (1975) by Dario Argento.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Oh wow. I'll have to see if I can find that one.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

The footage you saw on television was filmed after the moronic sister angle was conceived for the sequel.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Seriously? They filmed that footage later and inserted it into the original movie?

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Yes. The original film didn't fit their two-hour slot (they didn't show nearly as many commercials back then), so Carpenter had to shoot extra footage to pad out the time (which is funny, because, as much as I love the original film, there's already a lot of walking scenes to stretch the movie to an acceptable 90 minutes!).

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I know about there being less commercial breaks back in the day, I didn't know about all of the added footage. I just figured all of the "new" footage was just shot for the original film and it was edited out for its theatrical release.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Nope. Jamie Lee Curtis's hair was different then, so you'll notice she's got a towel wrapped around her head, like she just got out of the shower (or maybe it's PJ Soles with the towel on her head; either way, it's further demonstration JC shot that for the television broadcast premiere).

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I did notice her hair was just like it was in part two. I just never put two and two together. I just thought that it was an odd coincidence. I am kind of bias towards the television version since it was the one that I saw first. I also really like part two. So, the whole sister brother thing never bothered me.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I understand. I saw it in the theater and was very confused when I saw the television premiere!

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

You're lucky that you got to see it in the theater. If your interested there is a clip on youtube from a 1977 live audience reaction to the end of the movie. It's awesome how engaged audiences were while they were watching movies back then. I remember seeing Return of The Jedi in theaters when it first came out, and the audience exploded when the Star Wars logo came onto the screen. I still think that that is the loudest thing that I have ever heard.

[–] MinorityRules15 (963) 6 years ago

I like the beginning line with Loomis and the neighbor. Loomis just says "Call the sheriff...tell him I shot him!!!" He doesn't give the neighbor his name, the sheriff's name, or Michael's name. I can just picture the neighbor calling the cops going, "some bald guy said he shot some guy and then he ran away after telling me I don't know what death is."

[–] zephyr_cape (2979) 6 years ago

LMBO

[–] Megan1988 (324) 6 years ago

This is my second favorite Halloween right after part 4.

The music
The atmosphere

I really like the characters. Budd could be a jerk, but I don't think he was really a bad guy or anything. I thought it was sweet how Jimmy had a crush on Laurie. I liked the brother/sister angle. I think, had they not made anymore with Michael Myers like they intended, then this would have been a good ending. Michael is killed, and she and Jimmy move on. Dr. Loomis sacrifices himself to save everyone. I also really like the Mr. Sandman song at the beginning and end of the movie. :)

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Better than the original!

[–] LordBAElish (2015) 6 years ago

Its the best sequel after the original.

[–] jasonbourne (1027) 6 years ago

I think it's the best sequel after the original, too. One of the things that is sad is that JC wanted to end the story here. I guess he didn't think it was worthy of a franchise. Just Having the Halloween holiday should have told him there could've been more sequels and Michael was supernatural. The other sad part was Loomis was killed. I loved the way he reacted to news that Michael was dead and would not believe it until there was irrefutable evidence. Others, who didn't know Michael would've just accepted that he died. Maybe he would use his resources to always be chasing Myers and Laurie would be doing the same, each in their own ways.

[–] LordBAElish (2015) 6 years ago

Carpenter wanted to do an anthology for the Halloween series, hence we got Halloween 3: Season of The Witch. People were upset MM wasn't in it, and money talks, so he was back in Halloween 4. H2 would have been a fine way to end the series, with Loomis and Meyers blown up. But, its a horror franchise, so we got H4, which was a fine sequel.