Halloween II (1981)
★★★ — Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II arrived three years after John Carpenter's original turned a modest $300,000 budget into a defining moment for the American slasher genre, and the pressure to capitalise on that success was considerable. Carpenter himself returned as writer and producer alongside Debra Hill, though he handed directing duties to Rick Rosenthal, a television veteran making his theatrical feature debut. The story picks up in the same fictional Illinois town on the same night, a continuity choice that was unusual for horror sequels of the era and one Carpenter reportedly pushed for. Dino De Laurentiis's company backed the production, and with a $2.5 million budget it went on to gross over $25 million, confirming that Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence still had plenty of commercial pull.
Oh where to begin with this franchise. Halloween 2 is a strange film in that it picks up immediately where the first one left off and follows largely the exact same premise. The thing is... with multiple sequels, reboots and alternative timelines you wonder where this one just fits in at all. As a standalone film it's fairly average. That's all I can say really.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1981 | Watched: 2025-05-18
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Jamie Lee Curtis: The Fog (1980) · Halloween (1978)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
