Halloween II(1981) Movie Review

10/10

To start this review off, I didn't have high standards for is movie.  Only one person I know told me they like it, and I didn't think it was going to be anywhere near the first one.  I think I honestly like this one a little more though.  This movie is brutal, tense as can be, and at times even funny. It's everything I could want in a horror movie.  There's a great cast, great killings, and just a great direction for a movie.  

The first thing I can say about this movie is that Michael Myérs became much more creative with his killings.  In the first film, he was more of an ax and strangling guy, but in this movie he does way more.  I think the fact that the film had a lot more opportunities for this, since it takes place in a hospital.  This film also upped the gore, and really became all the more shocking. 

The film also has a great cast.  As said in my review for the first film, Jamie Lee Curtis was perfect for the role of Laurie Strode.  She has so much dynamic in showing her fear, and even though she isn't on screen as much, she is still memorable.  Donald Pleasance is once again brilliant too, and I like his character even more in this film.  The whole hospital staff is great too, because they can be really funny, but then they are terrified at the same time. The portrayal of Michael is great in this film too, because he is much more menacing.  The only thing I will say is that his mask is a little annoying in this film.

If there is anything I can call a weakness in his film, it would be that it lost some of the subtlety of the first film. This one is a much more open, and closer to a typical slasher flick; while the first one was really one where you appreciated the small things. While I don't see this as bad, I can see why a lot of the fans of the series and critics didn't like it. 

Overall, I think this movie can be much more easily understood by horror fans.  It is big, gory, and brutal, and it's what everyone wants in a film like this.  I highly recommend it to anyone who loves slashers, because it is loads of fun!