Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Halloween II

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Horace Cordier
    Senior Member

  • Halloween II



    Released by: Universal Studios
    Released on: September 13, 2011.
    Director: Rick Rosenthal
    Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence
    Year: 1981
    Purchase from Amazon

    The Movie:

    HALOWEEN II has always been regarded by many fans with some suspicion. It was a troubled production - director Rick Rosenthal claimed that his original cut was an almost elegant suspense film sabotaged by studio tinkering. Iconic original HALLOWEEN creator John Carpenter stepped in during post-production to add some gore to the death scenes - and famously quipped that Rosenthal's original version was about as “scary as an episode of QUINCY”.

    The plot is pure simplicity: HALLOWEEN II begins exactly where the first one left off. Michael Myers, after being ventilated by Dr. Loomis at the conclusion of the first film with six shots at point blank range has, simply walked away. Veering into more supernatural territory we are left wondering whether Myers is even human. The rest of the movie consists of Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode being taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries and Michael stalking her. And of course he kills a bunch of people on his way to the grand prize.

    HALLOWEEN II is, bluntly, a shaggy dog of a movie. It is trying to do two distinctly different things that are directly at odds. It wants to be a carefully paced suspense film AND a crudely shocking slasher. The kills in this film display a higher level of gore than the original - the hypodermic needle gag is worthy of Lucio Fulci and the hot tub bit was quite extreme by major studio standards in the early 80's. This is contrasted with Rosenthal's attempts (especially in the beginning of the film) to build tension through meticulous pacing and careful use of music cues. And in many ways, it just doesn't work. It also suffers from a pretty intense strain on credibility. The hospital is the prototype for every ridiculous horror film where a killer goes after victims in a poorly lit and virtually deserted medical facility.

    The other main problem is Pleasance. One of the finest actors of his generation, the man here is saddled with a poorly written part that starts at an intensity level that is so high that he just doesn't have any place to go - at least logically. What Pleasance does is simply play for the bleachers - he's completely over the top. Its not technically a “good” performance but it is certainly an entertaining one. The man's dramatic line readings coupled with his non-stop antics like waving a gun around like a lunatic are a wonder to behold. At one point Dr. Loomis is tearing ass down a street filled with trick or treating kids firing wildly at someone in a Shatner mask that he thinks is Michael Myers. And he's being tailed by the incompetent sheriff! In the real world this nutcase would be in jail or under psychiatric observation - in the bizarre world of HALLOWEEN II he is an integral part of law enforcement.

    And yet, for all its flaws HALLOWEEN II is an entertaining film. The kills are graphic, Pleasance is a ton of fun to watch and the movie is never boring. Its also neat seeing gifted character actors like Leo Rossi (as an ambulance driver) in small roles. The film is also masterfully shot - cinematographer Dean Cundey shows once again why he is one of the best in the business - color palettes are simply stunning.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Universal 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is a solid piece of work. Detail is significantly improved over the old DVD pressing - sometimes even to the film's detriment such as making the wig Curtis is clearly wearing blatantly obvious. There was no digital artifacting that I could spot, nor was there any notable issue with black levels or edge enhancement. And no overzealous use of DNR either. Occasionally tiny white and dark specks (almost miniscule scratches) appear but these must be present on the source material and frankly are so minor that it does not have a significant impact on the viewing experience. And the film's grain structure seems natural and unhampered with.

    HALLOWEEN II's biggest letdown is in the audio department. We get 2 lossy tracks - a DTS Processed 5.1 surround mix and a stereo DTS 2.0 track. The 5.1 is not particularly impressive and seems tinny and lacking power at times. Truthfully, I preferred the stereo track. It had more bottom end and comes off as a more faithful representation of what the film probably sounded like in a movie theatre in 1981.

    Extras are excellent - the much remembered alternate ending that ran on TV is included as are other scenes from the TV edit. The other great treat is the full length TERROR IN THE AISLES documentary. Wryly narrated by Donald Pleasance and actress Nancy Allen it's comprised mostly of clips from horror/suspense films from the 60's and 70's but it's a lot of fun and fondly remembered by viewers of a certain age. Kudos to Universal for its inclusion - in a solid HD transfer no less.

    A quick note on the producer Moustapha Akkad controversy. His credit was removed from the Blu-ray but remained on the box packaging. Universal claimed that this was an honest mistake and that they will rectify the situation.

    Click on the images below for full size Blu-ray screen caps!
























    • Randy G
      #7
      Randy G
      Senior Member
      Randy G commented
      Editing a comment
      Somehow as a teen I saw this before the original and was underwhelmed. Once I saw the original all the flaws were even more evident but a revisit is probably in order at this point. I did like III. I remember Terror in the Aisles too, didn't get to see many of the films that were featured in that until years later!

    • Barry M
      #8
      Barry M
      Super Fiend
      Barry M commented
      Editing a comment
      TERROR IN THE AISLES is great, and looks like it was crazy fun to edit together. Looks great, too. I was expecting clips scavenged from scratchy trailers, but they had great materials to work with. Surprised, pleasantly, to see non-horror stuff like VICE SQUAD featured so prominently: while Wings is on, it turns into a pimp party, he really leaps through the clipfest. Martin Landau made me want to see ALONE IN THE DARK.

      I appreciate that they included HALLOWEEN II as a bonus feature. I should see that.

    • Mike T
      #9
      Mike T commented
      Editing a comment
      I've always felt that the first two, plus H20, make a perfect trilogy (so long as you throw all of the rest out and forget about them, which isn't hard). In fact, I rememember saying that very thing on another forum some time ago...and promptly getting shot down in flames for saying so.

      Mind you, a month or so later everyone there was saying the same thing, like it was an original thought, and the observation I'd made was somehow instantly discounted by the fact that other folk had come to the same conclusion.
    Posting comments is disabled.

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Severin Films
    Released on: April 30th, 2024.
    Director: Lee Frost
    Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
    Year: 1969
    Purchase From Amazon

    Hot Spur – Movie Review:

    Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
  • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Mondo Macabro
    Released on: April 9th, 2024.
    Director: Max Pecas
    Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
    Year: 1985
    Purchase From Amazon

    Death Squad – Movie Review:

    Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
  • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Quality X
    Released on: February 28th, 2024.
    Director: Chuck Vincent
    Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
    Year: 1982
    Purchase From Amazon

    Roommates – Movie Review:

    Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
  • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Blue Underground
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Jess Franco
    Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
    Year: 1970
    Purchase From Amazon

    Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

    Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
  • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Saul Bass
    Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
    Year: 1974
    Purchase From Amazon

    Phase IV – Movie Review:

    Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
  • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Radiance Films
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
    Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
    Year: 1969-1972
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

    Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
Working...
X