By Shanda Block/entertainment editor
follows Myers’ string of murders through the town of Haddonfield, Ill. Photo courtesy Dimension Films
Rob Zombie’s sequel to his 2007 movie Halloween is somewhat disappointing.
One horror movie Web site says it was no secret that Zombie didn’t want to write Halloween 2 at all but was pushed into doing so. Apparently, Zombie didn’t care too much about how the sequel turned out.
Halloween 2 begins with Laurie Strode having a nightmare that Michael Myers is killing people in a hospital and comes for her. She wakes up screaming. Laurie frequently dreams of Michael coming back for her since his body was never found.
Laurie lives with Sheriff Lee Brackett, her adoptive father, and Brackett’s daughter, Lynda. Not too far into the movie, Laurie finds out that she is Michael’s sister, Angel Myers, and becomes extremely upset.
Michael’s mother, Deborah, and Michael’s younger self, visit Michael Oct. 29 to tell him he needs to get his baby sister on Oct. 31. He does just that. However, the younger version of Michael is not the same kid from the first Halloween either. This kid doesn’t have that same look or actions that say to the audience, “I really and truly could grow up to be a serial killer.” So the mediocrity this new kid brings just bores the viewers during this movie.
Dr. Samuel Loomis reappears. Audiences thought he had died in the first film, but evidently not. Having a character whom the audience thought dead magically appear is one of the many disappointing factors in the movie.
This death-defying Loomis writes a book about Michael’s natural behavior since he’s known him from childhood. Many people get mad at Loomis for the book and blame him for all the deaths. One man whose daughter was killed even tries to attack him at a book signing.
Halloween 2 is nothing like the previous Halloween movies, which in itself is refreshing, but it’s awkward in comparison to Zombie’s first Halloween. It’s as if Zombie didn’t direct this version. The Zombie of old would have had more killings, a better plot and more of a point to actions. But, again, he didn’t even want to make a sequel, so that takes away from a lot of potential the movie could have had.
Random killings and purposeless characters seemed pointless. In the prequel, Michael kills more people who relate in some way to the main characters, and most of the characters have served a good purpose by the end of the movie.
Halloween 2 doesn’t follow that pattern.
Many other little problems arise, such as a scene where Laurie’s shrink tells her, “Halloween is a big trigger for you,” implying it’s been several years when in fact it’s only been one. Then the question comes up about what on earth Michael has been doing that entire year. Pretending to be a normal person and saving the gore for his trademark holiday?
Even the ending is questionable, but no spoilers found here. Overall, Halloween 2 is just a puzzler and leaves audience members trying to decide if the film was worth the ticket price and the time.
