Halloween II (1981) -- Quite Possibly the Worst Movie Sequel Ever

A classic Hollywood "Good News, Bad News" joke perfectly describes the average sequel to a blockbuster movie. Nearly always, these "The Saga Continues" sequels are not only inferior but sometimes downright offensive, patently opportunistic attempts to cash in on the popularity of the original release. This is especially true when the first movie is a dynamite hit which pretty well describes the original "Halloween" filmed in 1978 starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasance, and a great supporting cast including whoever that guy was who lurched around in the rubber "Captain Kirk" (William Shatner) mask, portraying Michael Meyers.

Maybe the Perfect Thriller

The original "Halloween" was one of the best horror/thriller movies ever made. In nearly every aspect, it was a winner -- perfectly cast and staged in that wonderful creepy Midwestern small-town setting. All those exquisite sinister touches coupled with eerie background music added up to what may have been the definitive perfect scary film. Whoever produced this should have realized that it couldn't get any better than that and stopped while they were ahead ... but to paraphrase Roger Ebert's famous remark: "If everyone did the smart thing, we wouldn't have much of a story."

Amazing Continuity

Were it not for the fact that Halloween II was directed by Rick Rosenthal and not released until 1981, my guess would have been that after John Carpenter wrapped the first film, he (and the other decision-makers involved) suspected that "Halloween" would be a hit and decided to bank on the future. After all, there everybody was with cameras ready to roll which would have been the most likely explanation for the uncanny continuity. The original "Halloween II" (yes, they have remade that one too!) takes off with everybody looking exactly like they did at the end of the first film, even to what seems to be identical clothes, make-up, and hair. Alas, everything heads downhill as the action switches to the local hospital where Laurie has been admitted as a patient and bad boy Michael continues to whack away at hapless victims who keep lining up like sheep to the slaughter, doing enough stupid things for a dozen flicks like this. Curtis, Pleasance, and the rest of the cast did their best but nothing could rescue this encore.

You Can't Kill the Boogey Man, Unfortunately.

To really appreciate how inferior "Halloween II" is, treat yourself to a double feature and rent both original films for an evening, then watch the second one right after the first. It isn't long before the homicidal attacks end up being just plain tedious and to the tiresome list must be added a relentless barrage of hackneyed clichés including doors that can be neither locked (or unlocked) at strategic cliff-hanging moments, and a boogey man who just keeps on rolling along.

My Verdict:

I still love "Halloween" and it just wouldn't be October 31 if I didn't have a chance to watch the original version again but "Halloween II" is an anti-climatic disappointment bad enough to drive even a stable, fun-loving viewer to the point of abandoning the popcorn, donning a "Captain Kirk" rubber mask, grabbing a butcher knife and searching through the night for the idiots who didn't do the smart thing because they just didn't know when to quit.

Sources:

Watching "Halloween" (1978) and "Halloween II" (1981)