BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 31: HALLOWEEN II (1981)

In 1978 John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN became the most successful independent film of that time. The story is a classic tale of good versus evil with a modern realistic slant. Michael Myers in a way was a Dracula-esque figure, an ultimate evil boarding on supernatural, preying upon the young. With Donald Pleasence's character of Dr. Loomis as Van Helsing and Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode as a Mina Murray archetype all the elements fell into place. And audiences embraced it. John Carpenter became a name in horror, Jamie Lee Curtis had a huge success for her first film, and Donald Pleasence began the role that would make him a legend.

1978 was a big year for horror with films like Dawn of the Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jaws 2, Piranha, Damien: The Omen II, Magic, I Spit on Your Grave, Faces of Death, and more. And the popularity of the genre would only continue to grow as the 1980's ushered in a new age of horror cinema. The success of Halloween was not lost on the other movie studios. A movie that only cost a few hundred thousand dollars to make and generated millions in revenue was something everybody wanted. Countless copycats emerged, some even achieving incredible heights of success (Friday the 13th being the greatest among them all).

With the "Halloween template" for success being ripped off and reused over and over, and sequels being as natural to horror as ketchup is to a burger, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable. Halloween ended on a cliffhanger. And in 1981 audiences were finally shown the ending.

THE PLOT

The nightmare continues. Michael Myers, after being shot six times by Dr. Loomis, is still at large in the town of Haddenfield, Illinois. Laurie Strode, the lone survivor of Michael Myers' massacre, is taken to the hospital while Dr. Loomis and the police continue the hunt for the killer. The night continues spiraling out of control as more bodies are discovered, innocent kids are mistaken for the killer, and the real Michael Myers yet at large. Meanwhile Laurie is sedated and hospitalized. She wakes up in the middle of the night to discover her stalker has found her. And everyone in the hospital is dead.

THE GOOD

Continuity. The setup at the end of the first Halloween left the perfect opening for a sequel. The night continues and Laurie hasn't escaped Michael Myers. The beginning of Halloween II flows seamlessly from the first film. This is helped immensely by nearly the entire crew and cast returning from the first film. Carpenter was tapped to direct the movie and probably would've had it not been for a scheduling conflict filming Escape From New York. Carpenter did however provide the script and produced the film along with Debra Hill. And Dean Cundy, the director of photography on the first film, returned to photograph the movie. Plus Carpenter's spiritual successor Alan Howarth composing the music ties the film together beautifully. From a technical standpoint the film has all the esthetics of the original.

Expanding Concepts. The two writers of the first film, John Carpenter and Debra Hill, return to write the script. A common misconception about the original film is that Laurie Strode's connection to Michael Myers is revealed. This is false. The revelation that Laurie is Michael's sister doesn't occur until Halloween II. This plot point becomes the backbone of the franchise and blows the story wide open. Halloween II also introduces another key plot point with major ramifications in the sequels, that of the Druids and Celtic mysticism. And Samhain, the end of harvest and the weakening of the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The druidic aspect is subtle but no less important. Not only does the audience receive everything they loved from the original, but they are also treated to new story details to set minds racing with theories and ideas.

Sequel Standards. The body count is bigger. The deaths are gorier. And there's even a little more skin on display. And all the actors from the original are back too (the ones that survived that is). All of the hallmarks of making a great sequel are present. There's even (what looks like) a definitive end to Michael and Dr. Loomis' story. If you wanted to stop here with the series you could.

THE BAD

Mystery Is Gone. An inherent drawback to most sequels is a slight lack of wonder. John Carpenter has said that he felt not knowing why Michael Myers was stalking his victims was more frightening than knowing the motivations. In some ways he is correct. A motivationless crime removes reason, logic, and consciousness. Once you know someone's motivations you can begin to understand and reason with the antagonist. Here, it's a catch 22. Michael's story needed to be expanded in order to believe his single minded drive to kill Laurie but by doing so he removes some of the terror. And in a sequel the audience is already familiar with the antagonist's modus operandi further diluting some of the thrill. Halloween II is no exception to these symptoms. In spite of these though the film functions nigh flawlessly as an extension of the original.

THE VERDICT

Halloween II is the perfect sequel. Dead Cundy continues his beautiful photography from the original, Alan Howarth picks up every musical theme set down before, and Carpenter and Hill expand the mythos and story to levels that would define the franchise from years to come. And Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence dives into their characters exactly where they left off. Nearly everyone who worked on the original is back under new direction by Rick Rosenthal. John Carpenter too acts as a producer in what is an almost seamless transition from one film to another.