PLOT-CRUNCH:

Continuation of the first one. Michael (Warlock) is on the loose in Haddonfield, Laurie Strode (Curtis) is brought to the hospital, the dumb cops can’t find Michael and Dr. Loomis (Pleasence) is losing his mind trying to find our sneaky killer. Michael kills a few people in town but really gets cranking when he reaches the hospital and decides to inflict his own brand of medicine upon big breasted nurses and horny doctors. Will he get to Laurie? Will Dr. Loomis save the day? Will we get more than one gratuitous tit shot? All those questions…and all I will say is that the Shape is back and he’s not happy. Hurray!!!!
  

THE LOWDOWN:

Plagued by creative differences between director Rick Rosenthal and writer John Carpenter, the movie does suffer from the : "it could have been better" syndrome. The first half could be called "Michael Myers’s Big Adventure" where we see way too much of The Shape, follow him around as he goes from house to house killing characters we couldn’t give a damn about. But when Michael and Laurie meet up again, the film gets hit with an adrenaline shot of suspense and terror. The scene where Michael kills that nurse in front of Laurie is way intense and more scenes like that would have made the film better. A great opening credit scene (pumpkin ripping open to reveal the face of death), good writing, the on and off "feel" of the original, "Night Of the Living Dead" cameos on TV and an intense finale saves this film from being another run of the mill slasher. The Shape is back and in ok form. Where’s the scalpel…
  

Donald Pleasence (Loomis) owns the part of Loomis by now and we begin to see Loomis’s descent into insanity. Pleasence being the great actor he is, gives a passionate, riveting performance. Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie) confirms that crying is one of her best talents, Nancy Stephens (Marion) doesn’t have much to do but get into Loomis’s way…she’s alright. Lance Guest (Jimmy) acts with his messed up curly haired afro…good job. Dick Warlock (The Shape) is the scariest looking Michael in the whole series, I don't know if its the mask or his walk…but this Michael means business.
 

Michael seems to enjoy torturing his victims in this one. He drowns a girl in a tub of boiling water, inserts a needle in a girl’s eye (ouch), hammer hits to the head, scalpel action but the worse: he drains this girl of all her blood, through hospital tubings…getting shot 6 times made old Mike real pissed!
   

Some horny tease of a nurse shows us her round, luscious basket balls…prime stuff. For the ladies some fat doctor gives us a shot of his flabby ass…god I love being a man.
   

The first half is pretty standard…with lots of "Michael" point of view shots. But the second half has some well handled chase, suspense scenes. The movie also looks very bleak…the town feels like a cemetery and the almost empty hospital is very creepy.
   

Carpenter’s classic score is remade (by Carpenter). It’s faster, meaner and it’s awesome.
   

A bleaker sequel with way more violence than in the first one. We find out more about Laurie’s tie to Michael and it’s that kind of back story that elevates this film a notch higher. Seeing less of The Shape would have made the movie scarier, in this one he’s the main character. Halloween 2 could have been better (maybe if Carpenter would have directed) but it still satisfies. Go Michael Go!!!
 

The Arrow interviews Dick Warlock here

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