Halloween II

Horror is usually built around a clear contrast between good and evil. Either something good enters an evil place (hixploitation, haunted houses), or something evil enters a good place (most slashers and zombie movies). One of the problems (though it doesn’t necessarily have to be seen as such) of Halloween II is that it basically overturns the above mentioned rule. Rob Zombie’s “good” Halloween world looks so lawless that the masked bum Michael Myers fits almost perfectly and doesn’t feel like a great menace. I’d say that the “good guys” there must be used to stuff like this. Add to that the dodgy dream sequences and the only conclusion is that Zombie’s second Halloween is not classic horror, and certainly not classic Halloween. As far as I’m concerned, it was a very unusual film that got on my nerves throughout, to the point that only by the end I realised that it isn’t so bad. (09.12.2009)

Zombie has always been and will continue to be just as nasty in his films as usual. The style and taste of this director not only did not appeal to me, it sometimes downright disgusted me. Halloween II is therefore again a mess thrown on Carpenter's original classic, and they will keep reviving that Myers guy and won't let it go. I don't know if the problem is that I don't remember the previous installment at all, but there were no shortage of traditional vulgarisms, big exposed breasts of bar dancers and prostitutes, and strange creatures everywhere you look. Zombie topped it all off with some magical "visions", unnecessary decoration that annoyed me terribly and turned Myers' life into an incomprehensible circus. I wouldn't throw it away, if only because of the abundance of blood, which thankfully still holds it all together. If Zombie hadn't tamed it with his own brutal and dirty way, he wouldn't be himself. In my opinion, this work of his, however, was too affected. (02.02.2014)

Here we go again—classic Michael taking out defenseless victims in every way imaginable. Shame it’s just the same old mess on repeat, right? Fingers crossed this is the last time we see this son of a bitch on screen. 15%. (29.06.2010)

Rather than being a standalone film, I would describe Halloween II as a kind of a DLC to the first film. It works with the motifs from the previous film, with the difference being that the script has totally abandoned anything resembling a coherent plot. There’s also an absolute emphasis on Michael's rampage, which creates a sort of dreamy atmosphere of a psychedelic trip. I can see why my friend said afterwards: "That was bullshit!" I also didn't find it all that surprising that two-thirds of the audience was gone after the lights were turned on. All Rob has done is confirmed that he is unmatched in film brutality in contemporary Hollywood. The insane violence, with full-frame head stomping or throat slashing - which does not avoid women - goes far beyond what is permissible not only in terms of political correctness but also in terms of moral standards. Admitting that you liked something like this isn't really the best calling card for personal film taste, but we are who we are. Regardless, this is Rob's weakest film. From a more objective point of view, for the aforementioned lack of plot, and especially for Dr. Loomis, there’s been no bigger idiot yet that emerged from his screenwriting. PS: Now it really needs something more distinctive, although I wouldn't be opposed to a third film because the ending is damn funny. (30.10.2009)