... Laurie starts roaming the hospital corridors in her gown. From that point on the film doesn't seem to quite fit with the first one. Not sure why. I like H2 but that second half doesn't grab me. Maybe it's because by then - bar the scenes with Loomis and Chambers in the Marshall's car - it's all at the hospital. Before that we had scenes of Loomis and the police doing their thing hunting for Myers on the streets.
shareI really like Halloween II. It's got some real strengths but a few issues.
Pros;
- The fact it's a direct continuation makes for a good double bill with the first.
- It's the only movie other than the original that has Laurie Strode AND Dr. Sam Loomis.
- The kills are superior to the first.
- The nudity is superior to the first.
- It has quite a bleak atmosphere.
- Dean Cundey did the photography, as he did with parts 1 & 3. It's one of the best shot in the franchise.
- John Carpenter took the minimalist OST from the original and gave it a lot more oomph!
- It has some cool scenes, like the opening where they follow Michael around at the back of the houses.
- The second best portrayal of Michael Myers, only bested by the original.
Cons;
- As many note, the hospital is deserted. It just doesn't make sense.
- On the topic of the hospital, too much of the movie takes place there. It's a bit of a boring location.
- The sibling twist is hit-or-miss. Some love it and some detest it. I will say that when I rewatch the original I never really view Laurie as his sister even though it became canon in this movie and stayed canon until 2018.
- I've seen some mention that Laurie doesn't get a great showcase here, she's in a hospital bed most the movie.
I think it's probably my second favorite in the franchise, after the original, though I've always really liked Part 4 too.
It's probably my second favourite after the original, too. I quite like 4 but I do wish they'd had the balls to stick with that shocker of an ending and not retcon it in the fifth one.
shareSpeaking of balls I wish they'd had the balls to show Kelly Meeker (played by Kathleen Kinmont) topless in Part 4. We were moments from greatness, that fatal decision to not show the goods has haunted Halloween fans for 36 years now.
https://i.postimg.cc/CKDHscJ6/Kathleen-Kinmont-Halloween-4-1988.webp
I feel like 2 edges out 4 due to a superior Michael (both in appearance and movement), Dean Cundey's photography and Pamela Susan Shoop's topless scene. Those really are the biggest issues with 4. A kinda bad looking Michael, photography that can't match Cundey's work on the first three and the lack of nudity.
'Speaking of balls I wish they'd had the balls to show Kelly Meeker (played by Kathleen Kinmont) topless in Part 4. We were moments from greatness, that fatal decision to not show the goods has haunted Halloween fans for 36 years now.
https://i.postimg.cc/CKDHscJ6/Kathleen-Kinmont-Halloween-4-1988.webp'
That is a crime against humanity! Time to put Sydney Sweeney in a Halloween movie!
I rewatched H4 tonight, partly inspired by this short discussion of the great Ms Kinmont (and that pic!). Man, we really were so close, weren't we!
And wow, I still really love that ending! I think it left poor old Loomis a broken man! The series should have ended at H2. But failing that it should have ended here! I mean, how do you follow that? Unless you just completely cheat and pull the rug out from under the audience for the next one! Oh, wait... they did...
Such a tease... an agonizing tease. We were robbed!
I'm glad the series didn't end at H2 since we got H4 which is a great little movie but I'd definitely say that nothing that came after H4 ever lived up to the standards set in 1, 2 & 4 with regards to a slasher movie within the franchise (I like H3 but it's a completely different type of movie and needs to be taken as it's own thing outside of the Myers storyline).
Nice write up. Appreciated.
Apart from the bit about part 4. I sat through them all and most were pretty rough.
4 had an awful Mike Myers. He looked like a geography teacher with shoulder pads. The kills were very basic, and it didn't look like they used much SFX, especially compared to Friday the 13th even with those movies being chopped to hell by the MPAA you could see there was a lot of SFX work and pride to make the kills cool.
4 also looked like a TV move.
Part 5 I was into more at the beginning, then it really slowed down. Michael didn't kill anybody in what seemed like an age, and was driving his date around in a car for some reason.
Part 6 looked very polished like a real movie rather than looking like a flat TV movie. Then it all fell apart and crumbled. What a mess.
The only one I'd rate after Halloween 3 is H20, because I liked that teen movie vibe and Josh Hartnett in his "teen" prime with a decent cast of capable actors.