Halloween II (1981 Film)
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- This article is about the 1981 slasher film. For the second Rob Zombie "Halloween" film, see Halloween II (2009 film).
| Halloween II | |
| Theatrical release poster by Robert Gleason | |
| Directed by | Rick Rosenthal |
| Produced by | Debra Hill John Carpenter |
| Screenplay by | John Carpenter Debra Hill |
| Starring | Jamie Lee Curtis Donald Pleasence |
| Music by | John Carpenter Alan Howarth |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Edited by | Mark Goldblatt Skip Schoolnik |
| Production company | Dino De Laurentiis Corporation |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date | October 30, 1981 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Box office | $25.5 million |
Halloween II is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and originally served as a direct sequel to Halloween (1978), until it was retconned by the 2018 film serving as a direct sequel to the 1978 film. The plot picks up directly after the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.
Though Carpenter and Hill co-wrote the screenplay to the sequel, Carpenter was reluctant to extend his involvement and refused to direct, instead appointing the direction to Rosenthal. Stylistically, Halloween II reproduces certain key elements that made the original Halloween a success, such as first-person camera perspectives, and the film picks up right at the end of the cliffhanger ending of the original film and was intended to finish the story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. It also introduces the plot twist of Laurie Strode being the sister of Michael Myers, a feature that would form the narrative arc of the series in subsequent films, including Rob Zombie's remake and its sequel, but was dropped from the 2018 film trilogy. Filming took place in the spring of 1981, primarily at Morningside Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on a budget of $2.5 million.
Halloween II was distributed by Universal Pictures, and premiered in the United States on October 30, 1981. The film was a box office success, grossing over $25 million domestically, though it received mixed reviews, with praise for its performances and atmosphere, but drew significant attention from film critics who criticized its overt violence and gore compared to the original film. Years later, it has been considered one of the series' best films, usually only behind the 1978 original film. Originally, Halloween II was intended to be the last chapter of the Halloween series to revolve around Michael Myers and the town of Haddonfield, but after the lackluster reaction to Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Michael Myers was brought back six years later in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).
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[edit] Plot
[edit] Cast
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† Archive footage
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
[edit] Writing
[edit] Casting
[edit] Filming
[edit] Direction
[edit] Music
- Main article: Halloween II (soundtrack)
[edit] Post-production
[edit] Release
[edit] Theatrical run
[edit] Critical response
[edit] Television cut
[edit] Home media
[edit] Merchandising
[edit] Novelization
[edit] "Halloween II murders"
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
[edit] External links
Template:Halloween series Template:Rick Rosenthal Template:John Carpenter
