Halloween II [30th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray]

Director: Rick Rosenthal Rick Rosenthal

Overview

While John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic Halloween irrevocably changed the style of horror cinema with its simple but relentlessly tense story, it triggered more than a decade's worth of uninspired, exploitative knock-offs, and one could easily list Halloween II among these failures. As with its predecessor, this film was written and produced by Carpenter and Debra Hill, but the terse style and unbearable suspense of the first film are missing, replaced by a more simplistic stalk-and-slash scenario. Directorial duties were handed over to Rick Rosenthal, whose lack of expertise is quite evident (though he managed to hit his stride two years later with the prison actioner Bad Boys). The plot picks up exactly where the original left off: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), shaken and injured from her battle with unkillable psycho Michael Myers, is taken to the Haddonfield Hospital for observation, while Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) continues his desperate search for his monstrous patient. An interesting plot twist has Loomis' investigations revealing Michael's true identity (some of these sequences incorporate footage of young Michael originally shot for the television version of Halloween, which contained scenes hinting at the link between Michael and Laurie). After slashing his way through the town, Myers manages to track Laurie to the hospital, where the remainder of the action takes place. Numerous night-shift employees are slaughtered in a variety of gruesome ways before Loomis catches up with his quarry, leading to an explosive -- and seemingly conclusive -- confrontation. Pleasence is compelling as usual, but Curtis, who made an auspicious debut in the original, is sadly wasted here, her character reduced to shuffling half-drugged through darkened hospital corridors and screaming helplessly. Carpenter's active involvement in the Halloween franchise continued to dwindle steadily from one sequel to the next, getting scarcely a mention by the time producers Hill, Moustapha Akkad and Irwin Yablans revived the series in 1988 for three more sequels.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2011
UPC:	0025192117558
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	R
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:33:00
Sales rank:	14,809

Special Features

Terror In The Aisles; Alternate Ending; Deleted Scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jamie Lee Curtis	Laurie Strode
Donald Pleasence	Dr. Sam Loomis
Charles Cyphers	Sheriff Leigh Brackett
Jeffrey Kramer	Graham
Lance Guest	Jimmy Lloyd
Pamela Susan Shoop	Karen,Karen
Ana Alicia	Janet
Kyle Richards	Lindsey
Tawny Moyer	Jill
Anne-Marie Martin	Darcy Essmont
Nancy Stephens	Marion Chambers
Leo Rossi	Budd
Cliff Emmich	Mr. Garrett
Hunter von Leer	Deputy Gary Hunt
Ty Mitchell	Young Gary
Nancy Kyes	Annie Brackett
Ford Raney	Dr. Mixter
Richard Warlock	Michael Myers,Craig,Radio-Carrying Teen
Gloria Gifford	Mrs. Alves
Anne Bruner	Alice
Dana Carvey	Assistant
Lucille Benson	Mrs. Elrod
Jack Verbois	Bennett Tramer
Adam Gunn	Young Michael Myers
Pamela McMyler	Laurie's Mother
Dennis Holahan	Laurie's Father
Howard Culver	Man In Pajamas
John Zenda	Marshall
Ken Smolka	1st Patrolman
Roger Hampton	Patrolman #2
Robin Coleman	Medic
Tony Moran	Michael Myers
Brian Andrews	Tommy
Helen Kelly	Nurse at the Hospital
Alan Howarth	Composer
John Carpenter	Composer

Technical Credits

Debra Hill

John Carpenter

Debra Hill	Screenwriter,Producer
Dino De Laurentiis	Producer,Executive Producer
Irwin Yablans	Executive Producer
Joseph Wolf	Executive Producer
Moustapha Akkad	Executive Producer
Jesse Wayne	Stunts
Rick Rosenthal	Director
Warren Hamilton	Sound Editor
Thomas D. Causey	Sound/Sound Designer
John Carpenter	Producer,Screenwriter