Search - Halloween II on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Graphic Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 05/01/2001 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 33 mins Studio: GT Media Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Horror, Slasher Film, Teen Movie See Also: Halloween II

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. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Jamie Lee Curtis - Laurie Strode
Donald Pleasence - Sam Loomis
Charles Cyphers - Leigh Brackett
Jeffrey Kramer - Graham
Lance Guest - Jimmy

Mega-maniac Michael Myers returns to wreak havoc in the hit sequel Halloween II. This second DVD release by Universal is a slight improvement over the Goodtimes DVD release, sporting a newly anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer. The transfer looks very good with only a minimal of grain and edge enhancement present. Overall, the colors and especially the black levels look well saturated and even. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and is just above passing. The soundtrack lacks any true depth or fidelity, though some instances of surround use are utilized in a few of the front speakers. The bulk of this track tends to come from the center speaker and is free of any distortion or excessive hiss. Also included on this disc are French and Spanish subtitles. Originally slated as a "special edition," this Halloween II DVD was sadly bumped down to nearly bare-bones status by Universal. The only extra features available on this disc are some thin production notes, a theatrical trailer for the film, and some cast and crew information. Maybe in the near future fans of this series will see a third, and better, edition of this classic sequel on DVD. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide