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Directed By: Rob Zombie
Starring:
Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie
Tyler Mane as Michael Myers
Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis
There has never been a Halloween film quite like this, a fact that is both its blessing and its curse. Rob Zombie has crafted a supremely unique film that is both groundbreaking for its series and yet undeniably odd. Zombie began his journey to remake the horror masterpiece, Halloween, in 2007 when he, equipped with a strong cast, gave new life to the iconic Michael Myers. His goal was simple: make Myers frightening again. His result: a mixed bag of good and bad that amounted to an entertaining, but uneven film. The primary problem was that Michael Myers was still not scary and the film lacked necessary suspense in favor of an excessively high body count. Zombie’s token hillbilly flare did not mix well with the subtle elegance of John Carpenter’s classic film. The good news about Halloween II, horror fans, is that it occurs solely within the world Zombie established and lacks unnecessary ties to the original franchise. The bad news is that, if you don’t like that world, you won’t like this film.
Occurring one year after the Halloween slayings covered in the previous film, Halloween II picks up with a traumatized Laurie Strode (Taylor-Compton) doing a terrible job of piecing her shattered life back together. Living with Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and her equally-troubled friend Annie (Danielle Harris), Laurie alternates between being practically comatose at times to being recklessly rebellious at others. As Halloween approaches, she finds herself plagued by horrifying visions that seem strangely ominous and foreboding. All of this becomes even worse when, while reading the new tell-all book by Dr. Samuel Loomis (McDowell), she discovers the truth about her identity and about her relationship to Michael Myers (Mane), himself. When Michael, having been missing but presumed dead since the last time he tried to kill Laurie, reemerges with his blood-soaked knife firmly in hand, Laurie will once again have to face her worst nightmare.
Perhaps this film’s largest departure from the Halloween legacy is the introduction of glimpses into Michael Myers’s mind. Haunted by visions of his mother, Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie), gowned only in white, Michael now has a reason for his madness: he hopes to bring Laurie back to his long-dead family. Rob Zombie unleashes a unique visual style in all of the nightmares that plague Laurie and the visions of Deborah in Michael’s minds. Though his creativity is admirable and these scenes are undoubtedly beautiful, they also seem wildly self-indulgent and, dare I say, egotistical. After watching the first nine films in quick succession prior to viewing Halloween II, it was refreshing to see a unique approach to the same old, tired Halloween story and I surprisingly did not mind the theory behind these scenes, but Zombie should have spent more time on his characters and less time on hellish dream sequences and nightmarish visions.
Zombie also attempts to bring a fresh glimpse into the life of Laurie Strode, but has put himself into an awkward situation that does not work out well. At times, Laurie is nonresponsive and depressed. At others, she is rebellious and borderline psychotic. Had he taken either approach exclusively, it would have worked; when the two are combined however, they lack cohesion and present Laurie, despite the valiant efforts of Scout Taylor-Compton, as a bit of a brat. The same cannot be said, however, for the characters of Sheriff Brackett and Annie, played superbly by Dourif and Harris respectively. They are the film’s only truly sympathetic characters, and Zombie excels in his ability to realistically portray how the tragic events of the last film have marked their lives. It may seem like I did not like Halloween II, but I actually did…despite its many problems. It is an original, intriguing film that will appeal to those who, like me, didn’t think that Zombie’s remake was bad. Zombie has made a strange and yet oddly fascinating film that, to my surprise, does indeed work well.
Occurring one year after the Halloween slayings covered in the previous film, Halloween II picks up with a traumatized Laurie Strode (Taylor-Compton) doing a terrible job of piecing her shattered life back together. Living with Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and her equally-troubled friend Annie (Danielle Harris), Laurie alternates between being practically comatose at times to being recklessly rebellious at others. As Halloween approaches, she finds herself plagued by horrifying visions that seem strangely ominous and foreboding. All of this becomes even worse when, while reading the new tell-all book by Dr. Samuel Loomis (McDowell), she discovers the truth about her identity and about her relationship to Michael Myers (Mane), himself. When Michael, having been missing but presumed dead since the last time he tried to kill Laurie, reemerges with his blood-soaked knife firmly in hand, Laurie will once again have to face her worst nightmare.
Perhaps this film’s largest departure from the Halloween legacy is the introduction of glimpses into Michael Myers’s mind. Haunted by visions of his mother, Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie), gowned only in white, Michael now has a reason for his madness: he hopes to bring Laurie back to his long-dead family. Rob Zombie unleashes a unique visual style in all of the nightmares that plague Laurie and the visions of Deborah in Michael’s minds. Though his creativity is admirable and these scenes are undoubtedly beautiful, they also seem wildly self-indulgent and, dare I say, egotistical. After watching the first nine films in quick succession prior to viewing Halloween II, it was refreshing to see a unique approach to the same old, tired Halloween story and I surprisingly did not mind the theory behind these scenes, but Zombie should have spent more time on his characters and less time on hellish dream sequences and nightmarish visions.
Zombie also attempts to bring a fresh glimpse into the life of Laurie Strode, but has put himself into an awkward situation that does not work out well. At times, Laurie is nonresponsive and depressed. At others, she is rebellious and borderline psychotic. Had he taken either approach exclusively, it would have worked; when the two are combined however, they lack cohesion and present Laurie, despite the valiant efforts of Scout Taylor-Compton, as a bit of a brat. The same cannot be said, however, for the characters of Sheriff Brackett and Annie, played superbly by Dourif and Harris respectively. They are the film’s only truly sympathetic characters, and Zombie excels in his ability to realistically portray how the tragic events of the last film have marked their lives. It may seem like I did not like Halloween II, but I actually did…despite its many problems. It is an original, intriguing film that will appeal to those who, like me, didn’t think that Zombie’s remake was bad. Zombie has made a strange and yet oddly fascinating film that, to my surprise, does indeed work well.
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