What's your opinion of Halloween II? This is mine.

Overall I love the movie. It would be my third favorite Halloween film.

The best thing about this movie is the cinematography by Dean Cundey. It’s both atmospheric, and stunning to look at. Cundey did an excellent job of framing the movie, and using the wide aspect ratio to it’s full potential with many shots.

The score by John Carpenter uses many of the same notes from the original, but adds a gothic tone to the music, specifically for the main theme, and The Shape Stalks. For Laurie’s Theme, it has a certain dream like feel to it.


This may be an unpopular opinion I suppose. The twist of Laurie being Michael’s sister is a pretty cool twist. Michael wants to murder his sisters, and will kill anyone close to them.

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it. The first person Michael killed was his older sister, Judith Myers on Halloween.

15 years later he breaks out on the anniversary of his sister’s murder, and stalks a girl who has a striking resemblance to Judith.

This girl also happens to be babysitting on that night, just like Judith was babysitting Michael all those years ago.

It’s clear he has his attention on Laurie, he stalks her, and follows her around town all day, and only targets her friends. After Michael strangles Linda, he turns the lights on and off to signal to Laurie to come over to the Wallace house.

Earlier that day, he stole Judith’s gravestone, and later displays it with one of the dead bodies.

Through out the first movie, it’s clear Michael is obsessed with both Judith, and Laurie. We just don’t know why he’s obsessed with these two.

Even though the sister twist wasn’t thought of till Halloween II, it’s fascinating how well it fits into the story of the first movie.

The sister twist also doesn’t really take away the mystique of Michael. In fact it adds more mystery to him. We know he wants to kill his sisters, but we don’t know why.


I’m very mixed on the look of Michael in this movie.

I’m really happy they used the original masks from Halloween 1978. Though it’s very unfortunate the hero mask had deteriorated so much in between movies. According to Nick Castle, he took the mask home after filming wrapped, and placed it above his fireplace for several years till Debra asked for it back for Halloween II. That’s why it looks so odd in the movie at certain points.

Thankfully though it seems the stunt mask held up much better. I’m really glad this was the mask used during most of the ending.

Another thing, the mask does look kinda weird on Warlock. For most of the movie I actually don’t mind it, but there are a few shots that take me out of the movie. Like this shot for example. It just looks odd. The tan skin tone, and padded down hair don’t help. The mask also seems really tight on his face, it would explain why his eyes are so visible.

However that being said there are moments where it looks good.

Dick Warlock looks pretty short in this movie. However a lot of the fear comes from how relentless, intelligent, and stealthy Michael is. So his height isn’t a deal breaker.

I also wish they kept the butcher knife, instead of switching to the scalpel. The butcher knife just looks better overall.

Regarding his performance. He’s too slow and robotic with his movements. I wish he was more Castle like with his performance.

He definitely has moments though. I like him swinging the blade at Laurie, he’s a little more swift with his movements during this moment. I also like how he sells getting shot by Loomis, and then falls lifeless. It felt real, and I appreciate that about his performance.

The reason I prefer Castle’s performance is because he felt like an immediate danger with how fast, and flexible he was.


I’m not too crazy about most of the hospital staff in this movie. They’re obvious cannon fodder to pad the runtime, and bodycount. Most of the actors themselves do a good job, but most of the hospital characters just aren’t very interesting.

Although I do like the little subplot between Laurie and Jimmy. I wish they kept the original ending in where both Laurie, and Jimmy are in the ambulance together, and they hold each others hands. I’m glad it’s at least included in the tv cut.

The tv ending also leads into Halloween H20 pretty well with Laurie now having a son. I really like the idea of Jimmy possibly being his father.

Speaking of Laurie. I wish they didn’t sideline her so much in this. She’s still the protagonist in this movie, and the story still revolves around her. However instead of being an active character like in the first movie, she’s now a very passive character in Halloween II. Despite this Jamie Lee Curtis is still really good, and sells how terrifying Michael is.

And of course we have Dr Loomis himself played Donald Pleasence. He gives a good performance, and adds an energy to the film.

His performance in this is pretty different compared to his more calm, and subdued performance in the original. I love him in both, but I do prefer his H1 performance more. Either way, he’s awesome in both movies.


Personally I don’t like this moment.

It doesn’t make sense how see didn’t see him crouching down when she came in. The way he kills her looks weird. And I really don’t like how Michael looks during this moment. Another thing is this moment is completely random, and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.


The third act of this film is one of the most creative, and awesome of the franchise. It really showcases how relentless Michael is to kill Laurie. Despite being on fire, he’s still coming after her. That’s terrifying.

For me, it’s up there with the original 1978 ending, and the H20 ending where Laurie chops Michael’s head off.

For me, Halloween II is the Empire Strikes Back of Halloween. It takes the mythology, and flips it on it’s head, while keeping the spirit of the first film intact.

I have always viewed this film as the second part of a trilogy, just like Star Wars.

Good write-up. I don’t entirely agree; I think II has a fantastic opening twenty minutes and a stellar closing twenty minutes, and an hour in between that drags on and on and in. A lot of good stuff here - the cinematography, the art direction, the acting - but a plot that is no plot. I’m also not a big fan of Dick Warlock’s Michael Myers.

For me, it’s a solid 7/10. I prefer 1, 3, 4, 6, H20, 2018, and Kills. I do like it more than 5, Resurrection, RZH1, RZH2, and Ends. But a lot of these are really close - 2 might be a 7, and Kills a 7.1, and H20 A 7.3. The ones I dislike OTOH I think are all quite bad.

To me Halloween II is more like Jaws 2. If you enjoyed the original and want a little more of that you’ll probably enjoy this. However neither sequel was anywhere near as good as the original films. Both Halloween and Jaws are best left as one-off films. The sequels take away more than they add to their stories.

Now having said that I do enjoy Halloween II for what it is and it’s the only sequel in this franchise that I ever watch. Everything after is so generic and cringey to watch.

the Original hero mask was kept by Castle after H1, however the mask mainly had a lot of the streaks n tips make all the markings you see, due to Warlock’s way of pulling the mask off by grabbing the hair, then pinching the nose and lastly pulling the eyes, he added Velcro to the neck since he hated the neck flaring out as much as it did when he wore it. Warlock has even said that Debra knocked him in a documentary about him never getting the walk right, yet she was on set every day, yet never gave him any direction or told him to walk a little faster.

I love H2, and it’s my second favorite film in the series. I love how dark and almost Gothic it feels with the synth soundtrack and the Samhain stuff…it all feels very fitting for the Halloween season. To me, H2 has an eeriness to it that the original didn’t have. I love the hunt for Myers with Loomis and the police, making the threat feel very real. Speaking of Loomis, my favorite character in the series no less, he has a great performance in H2 that I arguably like more than his H1 performance, but it’s very close.
I like the distinctive look of Dick Warlock as Myers, and his performance. I have always justified it by what little humanity was left in Myers was killed when Loomis shot him off the balcony at the end of H1, thus “killing” him, with his dead body being driven by pure evil in H2. The only thing I do not like about H2 is the brother-sister plot. Supposedly John Carpenter was up late one night drinking a six pack trying to come up with a reason for Myers to continue going after Laurie, and that’s what he came up with. I’ve heard he has regretted it since. It’s very odd to me, because Myers was never supposed to have a motive, which made it creepier.

Personally, I’ve never enjoyed Halloween II (1981). I’ll list my reasons…

  • Dick Warlock was just AWFUL as The Shape. Too short, robotic, no fluidity and I never liked how the mask looked on his head. I just wish they’d got Nick Castle back for it.

  • The direction of the film seemed very clunky. Rosenthal just didn’t have the vision or experience needed.

  • The cinematography was such a step down from the original, which is so confusing as Dean Cundey returned for it. The lighting was all off (too bright, imho) and the camerawork just wasn’t as accomplished. It seems very amateur. The first film looked like a multi-million dollar production, whereas H2 looked like it cost less than the original.

  • The score is abominable. I hate the synth aspect that Alan Howarth added to the original music. I remember the first time I watched it and when the main titles started, I literally said to myself “oh God no…!”

  • The acting was just so bad. I’m not saying that the likes of PJ Soles and Nancy Loomis were Oscar contenders in the original, but these people were just terrible. So typical of the time. Even Donald Pleasance and Charles Cyphers had their bad moments.

  • The script was so lazy, resulting in the characters being completely unsympathetic. Laurie Strode was written terribly, as she was barely in the movie! I don’t know if that was something that JLC asked for, but I just couldn’t understand why Laurie was written so underhandedly. And the brother/sister “twist” never sat well with me. Ever.

I don’t mind Halloween II. I’m a big fan of the DGG trilogy, but Halloween II is my favorite alternate timeline outside of that. Some things upset me, such as Laurie being Michael’s sister. I feel like it’s both a pro and a con. It’s a pro because I feel like it works as a pretty cool twist and answers a lot of questions. It’s also a con because it tarnishes what made the original so scary to me, being that he was just randomly stalking and killing. I also didn’t particularly enjoy how they changed Michael’s movements to be so slow and robotic compared to Castle’s Michael.

However, I do like Halloween II a lot. It’s probably like, number 4 on my rankings. As far as endings go, it’s one of the better ones, and it’s my favorite way they’ve killed Michael.
It’s a huge plus that Laurie, Michael, and Loomis are all in the same movie, and the atmosphere is very alike the OG

:drinkers: Agreed :100: % :rock:

Agreed :+1:

Halloween II was the first Halloween movie I ever saw. It was back in the 80’s one night on NBC. Now of course it was that odd TV cut they did for network tv back then, but it didn’t matter, I was terrified as a kid lol. Just something about Michael and that mask that stuck with me and left me wanting to see it again. And again and again lol.

Always loved the score too. I know I’m probably out on an isolated island with this, but the synth effect makes the score creepier to me. It’s my favorite Halloween soundtrack, hands down.

Of course the original Halloween has become my favorite once I saw it, but H2 is my number 2. In fact for me it’s almost neck and neck with H1. They go hand in hand and I can’t watch one without the other.

I prefer Loomis in H2 simply because he has more to do. He’s able to flesh out his character a bit more and I very much enjoy that. The ending is perfect. I remember as a kid I was freaked out that he was still trying to slash even though his eyes were shot out.

All in all, Halloween II is great and I hold it very close to the heart as it’s my first Halloween experience. Just great stuff all around.

I always wondered why his collar was open in certain scenes, and closed in others.

So I’m guessing this scene happened during early shooting.

Personally I’ve always preferred Michael with an open collar. It’s a very iconic look for him.

Dude this post is a banger, absolutely a fun read!

Watched it for the first time in a few years this halloween. It’s really not as good as I remember. The atmosphere is pretty good, the camera work is alright, but the plot is really bad. So many moments that just make me go “wow, this is fucking dumb.” How tf did Alice not see Michael in her living room? Why did that cop crash into tramer? Why did the guard just stand there when he saw michael? Why do 2 staff go fuck in the hospital? Why are there no other patients? Why didn’t the nurse just run to go get help when the tires were flat? Why didnt laurie and loomis just run away after Michael was blinded? Michael is infuriatingly slow at points, it looks dumb and isn’t scary. The sister twist is completely embarrassing. It sucks that Laurie is barely in the movie.

It’s a shame because as I said the atmosphere and camera work is pretty good, the soundtrack is cool. Michael looks badass. There are some really cool moments in the film that I like. But as the movie stands there’s just too much bullshit and stupidity throughout the whole thing that I cannot honestly say it’s a good movie.

I don’t think I could add as much as everyone else has pointed out and kudos to them for sure.

Personally, I think it would be my 6th favorite in the franchise… and that’s not even a bad spot on my list. It checks all the boxes for me in the sense of what the '78 flick does for me but just adds on to the same night. Michael getting crueler in his pursuit of what I thought was “the Girl that got away”. The only thing that takes it away for my was the brother-sister relationship. Though, this has a bigger impact on what the Shape is too me than that is at face value and what is on the surface for sure. Still love it, especially the theme and that basement chase sequence. I still do, and will always watch this around the Halloween season.

:rock: :pumpkin: :myers:

One thing I really appreciate about H2 is the theme. All the other (Michael Myers installment) Halloween movies are basically variations on the piano and metronome theme from the first movie, sometimes with rock (H6) or orchestral (H20) elements but still basically similar. H2 is completely different, however, without being something wholly new. The synth score is frightening and unique.

It’s my favorite of the series. The Myers portrayal, the cinematography, the atmosphere, the kills, the score, the suspense, the title sequence, and the third act really do it for me.

I don’t think it’s perfect but most of my issues are EXTREMELY minor.

It’s the second best movie in the franchise and nothing else comes close. The music, atmosphere, tension, “angrier” Myers, etc. are all classic.

Is it as good as the original? Nope, nowhere in the same universe. But it blows anything DGG did away and has a “rewatchability” to it that no other Halloween movies sans the original have.

There’s this weird counter-culture in Halloween fandom that tries to dump on it (often it’s the same people that try to claim with a straight face Halloween 4, where the mask looks like mid-2000’s Ric Flair’s face spray painted white, is a great movie), and it makes no sense to me.

Halloween ‘78 is the perfect film. I can debate that for days.

Halloween 2 is imperfect but not nearly as bad as most, including JC (who’s really just trying to protect the ‘78 film) pretend that it is. It’s a very solid horror film.

Second favorite of the series as well. I was 14 when it came out and there’s a lot of nostalgia in it and H1 for me. It isn’t the perfect classic that H1 was, but being second it literally couldn’t be. I do wish some of the inconsistencies between H2 and H1 weren’t there—even something as simple as styling the mask’s hair more like in H1 would help. And the obvious attempts to up the gore to compete with Friday the 13th take away some of the creepiness of the original, but none of that stops me from enjoying it far more than any of the sequels.

I do laugh when people complain about Warlock’s height, though. Yes, his movements and mannerisms are significantly different than Castle’s, but as far as height he’s a whopping one inch shorter than Nick. Had the mask hair been poufed and the coveralls not been quite so short, no one would know they weren’t identical in height, especially since his boots were taller. For better or worse I do give Warlock credit for making the character his own and even if he isn’t a mirror image of Castle, he still created a pretty damn scary and iconic look.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Halloween 4 is a very good - not great, but good - movie. The mask sucks; everything else in the film works. It’s better put together than II, which is so slow in the middle as to be borderline unwatchable.

First 20 minutes - 7/10
Last 30 - 9/10
Everything in between - 4/10

According to Nick Castle, he was around 6 feet tall when he was young. Nick Castle was also very skinny when he played Michael, so it made him look even taller.

Dick Warlock was a little more stocky compared to Castle, which added to him looking very short.