Halloween II (2009) - Film Review

Halloweenthon Day 10

Halloween II is directed by Rob Zombie and stars Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, and Scout Taylor-Compton.

Plot
Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) struggles to come to terms with her brother Michael's (Tyler Mane) deadly return to Haddonfield, Illinois. Meanwhile, Michael prepares for another reunion with his sister.

Review
This is the director's cut by the way and I actually sat through the whole thing.

I will say that I think this movie sucks, but I like it slightly more than it's predecessor. It's more creative and it tells an original story instead of rehashing the original Halloween II like you think it might at the beginning.

The beginning starts after the end of the first movie and they go to the hospital where Michael starts his killing spree and Laurie escapes and Wilford Brimley comes back with donuts! So Michael grabs an ax, which is labeled "fire extinguisher" and kills him with it and Laurie escapes.

Throughout the movie, you see adult Michael, along with child Michael (who is a different kid than in the original), and Michael's mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) and she's a hallucination or ghost? I don't know. Also, Laurie sees her too.

If I can think of things I liked about this movie, I liked Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell)'s scenes, especially when he's with his assistant and the scene with Chris Hardwick and Weird Al. I do like how Michael puts on the mask only when he's killing, I do like how they portray Michael, and I do like how it tells an original story.

I last watched this movie a couple years ago and after rewatching it today, when Loomis' first scene played, I was thinking that maybe this wasn't as bad as I remembered as that was entertaining, but in the scene after that with Laurie and her friends at her work is when I realized that I still don't like this movie. Laurie and her friends are some of the things I don't like about this movie, and the reason I don't like them is because they're annoying. At least they die. Just like the last one, the characters all suck except for Michael, Sheriff Bracket (Brad Dourif), and Annie (Danielle Harris)

I do like how they portray Michael in this movie and what he does before Halloween. The other movies never show what he does those other 364 days of the year. Would he have an apartment? Would he have a job? No, he would be homeless, and how Rob Zombie portrayed that was one of the things I thought was good. Too bad most of the movie sucks.

Let's get into some bad stuff. The whole "ghost mom" thing with Michael, little Michael, and his mother is just weird. There's also this whole symbolism with white horses and dreams and stuff. When Laurie is at her therapist, she sees one of those Rorschach tests where it's very obvious it's supposed to be two white horses and asks what it is.

The movie shows that Laurie is still affected by the events of the previous film, but Laurie becomes way too annoying. Laurie in H20 was still traumatized but at least we cared.

Also, that ending. Michael and Laurie are in a barn and they're circled by police. Michael kills Loomis and all Michael says to him is "DIE!" So after all of these years, all you have to say is "die"? Maybe if he said something like "I love you" to Laurie it may make sense, but "die"?

So after that, the police open fire and kill Michael the same way he was killed in Halloween 4. Then Laurie comes out and grabs Michael's knife and attempts to kill Loomis but a cop shoots her. Then we see Laurie either in an asylum or some weird hallucination as she dies with Love Hurts playing because that totally worked last time.

Let's talk about the characters. Just like the last movie, Haddonfield is full of unlikable rednecks. Seeing Laurie struggle with that night could've been good, but she's just too annoying for me to care.

Malcolm McDowell isn't bad as Loomis, he's become a bit of a jerk who's only focused on his book sales, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't entertained with his scenes. And I couldn't help but chuckle when he was with his assistant. Also, he puts in his new book that Laurie is actually Angel Myers, Michael's younger sister, she reacts about as well as an attempted murder victim who learns they're related to the murderer would react.

Brad Dourif is good as Sheriff Brackett, one of the only likable characters in the movie but I can't think of much to say about him.

Danielle Harris is good as Annie, who is way more likable than Laurie. She tries to be supportive, but she gets quite annoyed with her. Also she dies.

Tyler Mane isn't bad as Michael but I've talked about him already with how he's a more realistic portrayal of what Michael would be doing those other 364 days of the year. And you just have to kill people and (mostly) not talk so it's easy.

Everyone else is ok too.

Overall, Halloween II is better than Rob Zombie's first Halloween, but there's more bad than good. The stuff with Michael and Sheriff Brackett is probably the best stuff in the movie, and I was entertained by Loomis, but that's about it.

I'm going to give Halloween II a 4/10.

Tomorrow I'll be seeing the new Halloween and hopefully it's better than this.

Previous review - Halloween (2007)
Next review - Halloween (2018)