Halloween 2
Picking up precisely where Halloween left off, mass murderer Michael Myers has just been shot by his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), who'd been in hot pursuit of Myers's whereabouts ever since his escape from Smiths' Grove Sanitarium. The girl pursued by the masked murderer, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), is in hysterics after experiencing the most terrifying night of her life. The two think Myers's killing rampage has come to an end after his fall off a balcony, until Loomis goes outside to discover his body has disappeared from the scene.
Cut to the Shape's P.O.V., still thirsty for blood and prowling the small midwestern town. Silently opening a neighbor's door to their backs, he steals his favorite weapon, a butcher knife, proceeding next door where he blindly kills a girl. Meanwhile, Loomis is desperate at stoping Michael and Laurie is transferred to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where the staff engage in conversation, some typical hanky panky, and cat-and-mouse games as they're unknowingly stalked by the Shape. Laurie remains either asleep or under heavy sedation as the slasher gets closer...
While at the hospital, Laurie and an ambulance attendant named Jimmy (Lance Guest, The Last Starfighter) develop a crush on each other. During the night, a suspect wearing a white mask is set on fire when fatally crushed by a police car. Unfortunately, the man killed wasn't Michael but instead Ben Tramer (a high school student who Laurie admitted to having a crush on in Halloween), who was drunk. Of course, they mistaken his identity and everyone thinks all is safe, except for Loomis and Laurie, who know you can't kill the boogeyman.
It's not too late until Michael breaks into the hospital, immediately taking a medical scapel as his choice for a weapon. He lurks through the hallways behind the staff members, hides within rooms waiting to strike, to kill anyone who gets in his way of killing Laurie. They thought he was dead, but they were wrong, dead wrong, and they're only aware of the terror when it's too late. Will Loomis once again come to Laurie's aid? Will Laurie be strong enough to stop his bloody rampage throughout the hospital staff?
This sequel was realized by the filmmakers when they saw that many films were ripping the original Halloween off. The finished product is very entertaining and the body count is higher than its predecessor but the pace is a bit slow, mostly having the hospital staff talk and talk, while Curtis is practically absent from the film, since she's asleep or sedated.
Directed by Rick Rosenthal and released in 1981, with Debra Hill and John Carpenter returning as the writers and producers. Some other returning actors include Charles Cyphers (Sheriff Brackett), Nancy Stephens (Marion Chambers), and Nancy Loomis (Annie, who's seen dead on a gurney). The actor who portrays Myers's menacing figure, Dick Warlock (a stuntman), also has a role as a cop killed by Michael.
Michael Myers's mask is very strange in this installment, because it's so different from the original Captain Kirk mask painted white. Anyway, it's still enjoying and just as thrilling to see the masked maniac stalk his victims. Soon, Myers became very much like Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th fame in countless sequels to come. Laurie and Myers dueled off seventeen years later in Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later, which was was a treat for many viewers since Laurie's storyline was completely abandoned after the first sequel.
While on the set, footage for the Halloween debut on NBC was shot and can be seen on more recent releases of the first Halloween by Anchor Bay or on an accidental release of the television cut that was released in the early '90s by Media/Video Treasures. The television debut for this one featured many different scenes, including an alternate ending in which Jimmy survives, which can viewed at halloweenmovies.com
All in all, this sequel is highly recommended to fans of the series and horror fans alike. You'll cheer on Laurie as she escapes the clutches of Michael, but don't get thrown off by the slow pace. The most current release is from Goodtimes in all its orginal widescreen glory, available both on VHS and DVD video. Also, you'll be stunned by the plot twist if you haven't already seen this enjoyable sequel.
