Halloween II
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Writers: John Carpenter and Debra Hill
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode), Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Charles Cyphers (Leigh Brackett), Jeffrey Kramer (Graham), Lance Guest (Jimmy), Pamela Susan Shoop (Karen), Hunter Von Leer (Gary Hunt), Dick Warlock (Patrolman), Leo Rossi (Budd), Gloria Gifford (Mrs Alves), Tawny Moyer (Jill), Ana Alicia (Janet).
"Warning content may not be suitable for young readers, parental guidance is suggested."
Halloween is a big deal in most societies, in fact the really great thing about that day is everyone, or at least the folks that celebrate it dress up like their favorite iconic character. Ghosts, Goblins, Witches, Warlocks, Aliens, Superheroes, anything that comes to mind. On that very night of the Eve, houses are dressed up as well, spooky, scary, things that make you scream are prepared outside for anyone who dares to approach the house, and if you have enough courage to reach the doorbell, the uninvited guest will get treated with the scariest thing on the planet, candy. Yes the gross icky candy can be scary to taste sometime, lots of sticky, gross, disgusting, candy. And after the candy is thrown in your bag, you must have enough courage to make the next house, before the hell-hounds get to you, their stench of rotten eggs will absorb your pale skin as they attack your flesh. Everyone, celebrates this wonderful tradition every year, they dress up in different costumes, and the end the event, places of horror, haunted houses are presented to the public for a moment of scare.
What does this intro have to do with the Halloween review, it means everything in the world of horror; because you have to know a little bit about that night, it's important to our culture, it has been around since 1846, in fact it's been around for longer than that, it was commonly known as "All Saints Day," but in early colonial times because of the Protestant belief, the celebration has been limited. Halloween is common in the southern colonies in Maryland, as many ethnic groups meshed the American version of Halloween began to emerge. Halloween is a big deal in my family. My Daughter loves to get dressed, with her friends hitting the neighborhoods with me the zombie dad, driving them all over, it's a special moment, my daughter can have quality time with her dad, and even after the neighborhood candy marathon, we come home to either chili that my wife has made or cookies, something that she conjures on to our ghoulish plates. Look, i wanted to write this review, a fresh start to something different, going to change things up from now on, instead of the usual in depth opening, I'll start off with my points, and in depth look on the film. Sorry, my mind is spiraling, because Halloween is just around the corner, like i said, it's a big deal; food, candy, lots of fun with family and friends, that's what i mean when i mentioned culture. Some folks don't have that kinda of fun because of their religious beliefs, in fact they practice something else which is fine, everyone is entitled to their own fun. either way Halloween is a wonderful time of year.
Rant: A film has three Acts, the beginning, middle, and the end. The jump, scare, situations that make up a horror film are thrown randomly throughout the film. But, what is to much? can a film go all over the place, with no real direction. Yes, it can and when it does, your mind implodes in all ways shapes and forms. Halloween II is a great film to establish a point of reference, because you could even pick where the transition ends, a steady flow of a story makes a film enjoyable to watch, even if the film happens to be dated. 1981 is a long time ago, and film-making has made some huge accomplishments since that time. But, what if the film is dated? would you watch it? or does it make you cringe, so much so that you throw it aside, a dust collecting classic sitting on your entertainment center. All you can do is talk about how good the film was, but watching it, won't happen, in fact Halloween H20 is right next to the 1981 classic, but yet the main pick is a new film or a version that might come close to the classic, but lacks heart, and real direction.
The main problem with re-boots, and their approach to making the film is that it lacks substance. Michael Myers for example was played by Tony Moran. The 2007 version which is directed by Rob Zombie is a bigger than life version of the film, Tyler Mane is Michael Myers a bigger meaner than the original. What does this mean for the overall story? very simple, even though the film was re-booted, i give huge props to Rob Zombie who spoke to his friend John Carpenter about the re-boot. Zombie had scenes that payed homage to the original, a great idea, which gave the film more followers. The substance in the case of the 2007 film never parted from the original concept that was envisioned by Carpenter and Debra Hill. Rob Zombie only expanded the story, gave it life; to me this is a perfect example of reinventing an idea and not destroying the base.
Dated films have problems because the viewer has moods, they only watch the films at certain times. The mere campy scenes were huge advancements in the film industry, it was what they had, it was good enough at that time. Halloween II is the continued story of the first film, it starts where the last one ended. On the way Michael Myers kills as many people as he can get a hold of, stopping him isn't going to be easy, because his target is his sister, which she is in the town's hospital. The hospital scenes were good, even though the people in that particular hospital were morons, yes; the formula for a typical horror film is to be stupid, and act like a moron when confronted by a difficult situation. Real life situations doesn't apply, because you have been selected as a victim, and the victim acts like a true victim in the case of all horror movies, until the Scream films hit the silver screen. Scream was like no other horror film, the victims fought to stay alive, but before that film victims pretty much acted like the killer, or oppressor was to much for them.
The police in the film, were like all horror films characters, clueless in every way possible. They're looking for a pretty big guy wearing a mask which the odd thing about it, he was shot, meaning there would be blood, and recognizing him would not be the problem, because he was bleeding, and scary looking. Point bulletin, big guy, bloodied, slow walker, creeping around neighborhoods, even though it was Halloween it still was no excuse, law enforcement should of been on him. Still even with those issues, the film was good, i must have a place in my heart for crazy serial killer movies like this one. The story of Michael Myers is pretty cool, even after the violence and the blood.
Halloween II in my opinion is good, the camera work and the story telling is done well for that time, it wouldn't work in 2015, because that's what they did back then, and it shouldn't be altered in any way. John Carpenter is the master of horror to me, just my opinion. He directed great films and one of those was a small film called the "Thing," a masterpiece of it's time. Halloween II (1981) might be dated but it will always be a classic to me, and with that being said, don't let the movie sit somewhere on your entertainment center, open it up, watch it, and enjoy it. Remember Hollywood loves to flood the market with senseless horror films that don't even come close to Carpenter's film, or at least the substance that it presented itself with back in the day. Hollywood thinks that special effects and changing the story will be that connection to the past, but that connection they thought they had vanished from the start of the film; Unless it's made by a friend, Rob Zombie who cares enough to create a version that not only scares but adds detail to the Michael Myers story. The only way change is going to occur is simple, if your going to make the film than make sure you do it right, do not depend on effects, give respect to the original, like Zombie did for his film. Halloween II (1981) is a great, scary film that continues the story of the esteemed killer, Michael Myers. Catch stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence and Leigh Bracett as to name some of the actors that made this film great. And finally a big shout out to Tony Moran (1981), and Tyler Mane (2007), because without them and the sheer presence they both had while making the film, these films would've never been made, or at least parts of it.
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