Halloween II

Halloween II

Year: 1981
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis
Directed By: Rick Rosenthal
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Rating: R

     There is nothing quite like the original, and they never even thought they would be making a sequel to the first movie.  This was also supposed to be the final in the set, but due to the horrific movie that was Halloween III: Season of the Witches, they decided revamp the series, but that is not what this post is about.  Halloween II is one of the better sequels in all of them that are made, but there has still not been a sequel or remake that really can match what the first one created.
     Halloween II starts off where the first one ended, Jamie Lee Curtis returns to reprise her role as Laurie Strode and Donald Pleasence also returns as Michael Myers doctor.  Michael Myers continues to stalk Laurie Strode who is taken to the hospital.  A difference with this movie to the last is that Michael starts off the movie by killing random people, which strays from what he was doing in the first movie.  Also, and something that will be a problem until Halloween H20 comes out, is Michael's mask will never be the same.  The one thing that they should have repeated, was the man who played the Shape in the first movie.  Again, Michael Myers will never move the same way again.  Really, A Nightmare on Elm Street did it right, by having Robert Englund in all 8 sequels, until the reboot.
     The story follows Michael in the hospital stalking his prey yet again.  It has a similar feel, except there is way more "jump out" scenes in order to try to make the audience jump in their chairs.  Again, this does contain the idiot plot, that slasher films love, so I am sure people are still going to be saying, "Why doesn't she just do this, or that...etc."  Like why the hell was the hospital so empty?  But again, if those didn't exist, slasher films also wouldn't exist.  The great thing about this movie, is that it answers all your questions about why he is stalking Laurie Strode.  I don't want to give that away here, but if you know anything about the movies, you already know.  In the end, this was again meant to be the last of the Michael Myers series, but that is not the case.  Jamie Lee Curtis would not return to reprise her role as Laurie Strode until Halloween H20 in 1998.
     I will give this one 3 of 5 over-sized butcher knives, where as it is not as good as the first, but better then the rest.  I would go on a limb and give it 3 1/2, but that would be like 3 over-sized butcher knives and a paring knife.  I guess that is another different in this movie, Michael strays away from his butcher knife, and uses a variety of weapons, which kind of takes away from his signature weapon, but he will eventually get back to his use.  In comparison to other iconic horror movie figures, Michael uses the most of different weapons, so maybe it isn't such a stretch.  Definitely see this, after you see the first, so your questions will be answered.

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Halloween

Halloween

Year: 1978

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis

Directed By: John Carpenter

Rating: R

Run Time: 91 Minutes

     Halloween is probably my all time favorite horror movie in the original slasher genre.  I will be the first to admit that Michael Myers still haunts my dreams to this day.  I did a new thing with this movie, I watched it with people who have never seen it before.  In my eyes, this is a movie everyone should see.  It is the movie that started the chain reaction of horror movie slasher flicks (Psycho helped too).
     Haddonfield, IL is the setting for this low budget, massive grossing picture.  This movie was filmed in a matter of days, for the low budget of $300,000 and grossed over $40,000,000 in the US alone.  Talk about a great business decision to roll with this movie.  It is about a man, known simply in the credits as "The Shape" but we later find out his name is Michael Myers, who murders his sister when he is a kid.  After 15 years in a mental institution he escapes, and heads back home to wreak havoc on Haddonfield.  This movie is left with very little explanation of why this is happening, and why The Shape is targeting the people he is targeting.  Not until 1981, when the sequel was released would any of your questions be answered.  This is Jamie Lee Curtis' first film and really jump started her career in Hollywood.  The Shape will become one of the most iconic characters in movie horror, and Halloween would spawn 8 sequels, including one that had nothing to do with The Shape.  It was remade by director Rob Zombie, and I will review those later.  There is talks of a third installment to these remakes, but will not be done by Rob Zombie thank goodness.  In my opinion, John Carpenter needs to take back his glory.
     I watched this movie with two of my friends, and I am proclaiming to them it is great and scary.  However, after the end of the movie, they were saying, that wasn't scary, that was stupid, blah blah blah.  Here is my advice to you.

1. Don't watch this movie and be doing something at the same time.  It takes away from the whole vibe of the movie.

2. Let all logic go out the door, because all slasher pictures are based around the idiot plot.  Idiot plot is where all logic and common sense are gone, because if it was there, all the problems and situations wouldn't exist.

3.  Watch this movie in the dark.  It is a very dark movie, taking place mostly at night, so it will help you see the screen better.

4.  Have the volume up more then you usually would because the music is what makes this movie even more suspenseful

     The reason you have to do these things are because think about the time this movie was made.  The audience was different, and they don't have to do what they do now, i.e. constant gore and blood everywhere, followed by a terrible plot (Saw 2-7).
     I am giving this movie 4 out of 5 over-sized butcher knives.  Again, getting a 5 out of 5 is going to be tough with me because that would be the perfect movie, and there are very few that I give to that.  I love this movie and really liked what was going on and the way it was filmed.  Every sequel had a new person playing Michael Myers, and would never really be as good as The Shape in this movie.  Who knew that walking slowly would be so hard.

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Fun Fact:  The Shape's mask in this movie, is a William Shatner Halloween mask painted white.  There were two masks being considered for this role, and when the actor came out in the Shatner mask, the crew was in shock, and they knew the hit the jackpot.  Who knew a Star Trek mask would be so influential?

Thank you all for your comments, and I will look to add them to my list of movies to watch.  I apologize for not posting more, I have watched 4 already and just need to get those posted to you guys!  Thanks.