Halloween II Review

Warning. This is a review of Rob Zombie's Halloween II. Not a review of John Carpenter's Halloween II, and how it was so much better than the new one. Those of you who can't help yourselves but compare it to the original, can leave now. Anywhere, on to the review. Like I said, this is not a remake of John Carpenter's Halloween. This is a sequel to Rob Zombie's Halloween, and as hard to believe as it is, it's a pretty good one. The film picks up one year after the Halloween Masacre, and Laurie Strode is still being haunted by serial killer Michael Myers in her dreams, despite everyone telling her that he's dead. Her therapist tells her that because the authorities were unable to produce a body, that it's hard for her to feel any sense of closure, especially with Halloween day drawing near. Little does Laurie know, that Michael Myers really is alive, and he's got a family reunion planned, the likes of which Laurie will never forget. Though not a very scary film, Halloween II is a bit frightening on a mental level. There are a lot of images, and thoughts put into your head throughout this film that really puts the characters sanity to the test. I wasn't anticipating liking this one, just because the first trailer wasn't making it look very good, and the ones following weren't much better. I was pleasantly surprised however, as this is a decent followup to an okay remake. If anyone tells you that they hated it, it's probaly beause they hated the remake, and can't get over the fact that this isn't John Carpenter's Halloween anymore. Though a good sequel, Halloween II is not without it's flaws. There are two really annoying characters in here, who you want to die from the very begining. They're just plain idiots. They're a couple of girls who act like they're drunk...all the time.... Also, I noticed that there are a lot of inconsistencies between this film and Rob Zombie's original. In the first film, Michael was silent whenever he killed. In this, you actually hear him grunting and screaming as he stabs his victims. And another example: Laurie Strode acts like a completely different person. Like, I understand that something like the Halloween Massacre would cause someone to drastically change their behavior, but this is ridiculous. Aslo, I understand that Rob Zombie likes working with his wife Sherri Moon Zombie, but in here, it's like he crowbars her in. Really, she holds very little purpose in the film. Other than those little problems, Halloween II was a good horror flick, and a pretty decent followup. Check it out.