Halloween 2 (2009) Review

"Now, repeat after me: I love you mommy."
-Deborah Myers



One year after the events of the previous film, Halloween is approaching once again in Haddonfield.  Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is still coming to terms with what happened and is struggling to move on.  Dr. Sam Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) has written another book about the experience, but is accused of profiting off the tragedy of others.  The biggest question is: where is Michael Myers (Tyler Mane), whose body supposedly disappeared after the killings.  The truth is; Michael is still out there and is on his way back to Haddonfield to kill again.


What Works:

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Danielle Harris is one of the best parts of the Halloween movies and I'm so happy Rob Zombie chose not to kill her off in the previous film.  Her character, Annie Brackett, is given a much larger role in this film and is actually really likable.  She's much more stable than Laurie and is a strong and comforting presence in her life.  Their relationship is a bright spot in this film and Harris does an excellent job.

Brad Dourif returns as Annie's father, Sheriff Brackett.  I love Brad Dourif, but he didn't get much to do in the previous film.  He also gets a much larger role here and he is great.  He's got a few very funny moments with Annie and Laurie and I like his relationship with both of them.   Annie's death scene is a probably the most emotional death in the entire series and it's the only time I felt anything in this movie.  Dourif's performance when he finds her body is heartbreaking.  He and Annie are the only likable characters in the whole film and both do a great job. 

The death scenes are by far the most brutal in the entire series.  I know a lot of people aren't fans, but I do appreciate how far Zombie went with some of these kills.  I also appreciate the look of the bizarre dream sequences where Michael sees his mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) and his younger self (Chase Wright Vaneck).  The sequences are weird and don't really belong in this movie, but I like the look of them and appreciate that Zombie tried something different...even if it didn't work.

Finally, I am a fan of the hospital sequence in the first act.  It's extremely exciting and one of my favorite sequences in the series.  The energy level is insane and I love how quick and brutal it is.  The first time I saw this film, I was completely engaged because of this scene.  It's too bad this sequence was just a dream because this had a lot of potential that was simply wasted.


What Sucks:

As I said above, there were a lot of things about this film I appreciated, but they ultimately didn't work and I have to hold that against the film.  The dream/vision sequences had no business being in a Halloween movie.  And while I did like the look, the content of these visions comes off as pretentious.  This is something I would expect from a student film, not one made by a professional director.

Malcolm McDowell is probably the best part of the previous film, but for some reason Zombie decided to turn Dr. Loomis into a miserable jerk.  He is unbelievably unlikable in this film.  I simply didn't buy this drastic change in his character.  Sure, he was selling a book in the previous film, but it didn't feel like he was profiting off of Michael.  It felt more like a warning to the public.  This time around it's very obvious he's profiting off of the deaths.  It was a misguided direction to take the character and while he does get some redemption in the end, I wish they had gone a different direction with this character.

Laurie Strode is also much less likable in this film.  Unless she was interacting with Annie or the Sheriff, I really couldn't stand her.  I think this is equal parts the way the character is written and Scout Taylor-Compton's performance.  I'm sure her behavior is fairly realistic to how someone in her situation would behave, but that doesn't make her likable.  I was mostly just annoyed with her and wanted her off my screen.

Mostly this film just feels like a missed opportunity.  The hospital sequence in the first film is just so exciting that everything after that is a letdown.  The hospital stuff had amazing energy and pacing.  Finding out it's a dream is a bummer, especially because almost everything after that is just more of the same.  It's a far less interesting film than it could have been.


Verdict:

Halloween II is slightly better than its reputation suggests, but it's still not good.  It's got unlikable lead characters and poor directing and story decisions.  I did like a few of the characters, the hospital sequence is great, and I can appreciate what Zombie was trying to do, but ultimately he failed and I can't recommend this film.

 4/10: Bad 

      

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