Halloween II (2009)

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif, Caroline Williams, Sheri Moon Zombie, Danielle Harris, Margot Kidder
Directed by: Rob Zombie
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) struggles to come to grips with the terror she experienced at the hand of Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) and the worry that he could come back for her.

Review:

Tim: I admit I was interested to see what Ron Zombie did with his horror movie sequel. I didn't exactly like the original, but I was intrigued to see what he did with this film. While I disliked the first film, I really enjoyed the look inside the mind of Michael Myers. I hoped Zombie would correct some of the faults and improve on the original. Unfortunately, it was not to be. This movie is terrible. In fact, this is a contender for worst Halloween movie. I hated it. I should mention I watched the director's cut, which is 14 minutes longer.

The movie opens with an intense, crazy 25 minute scene of Laurie struggling to survive when Michael Myers comes after her in the hospital. It really is a remake of the original first sequel (does that make sense?). This part of the film was so intense and so nerveracking that I felt like I could barely breath. It was great. And then, (spoiler alert), it's all a dream. That right there pretty much ruined the film for me. 25 minutes in, and we're just starting the film.

What's worse is that as soon as Zombie gets away from remake territory and ventures on his own, the movie takes a massive dive. I don't even know where to start. The film is bad in almost every way.

As I mentioned in my review of Halloween, I hated Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode. She was beyond annoying and no Jamie Lee Curtis. Taylor-Compton might have been even worse in this film. I could barely look at her on screen. She seems like a terrible actress, and I hated her in the role. It almost made me sick watching her. She was just tone deaf to what makes Laurie an interesting character. I was beyond bored by her.

I also hated what this film did to Dr. Loomis. Donald Pleasance made this role his own in his series of Halloween films. I loved the tone and his approach to the character. I thought Malcolm McDowell did a fine job stepping into his shoes in the first film. Here, the character takes a massive turn for the worst. Dr. Loomis is an unlikable, annoying, egotistical, and laughable character. McDowell and the script ruin Dr. Loomis, which is almost beyond my comprehension. It was so sad to see this character turned into something he never should have been. I can never forgive Zombie for ruining Loomis. This is the biggest fault I had with the film.

The story is stupid and redundant. Zombie writes a messy, boring script. There's way too much time spent on weird vision Myers has about his mother and a white horse. It certainly reveals some more about why Myers does what he does, but it didn't add much to the film at all. Too much of the film is spent on these uneffective moments. The rest seems to feel like we're just watching Taylor-Compton screaming, crying, or screaming. It's all a blur of boredom and stupidness. Honestly, I'm surprised at how unmemorable this film was.

Rob Zombie did a few legitimately cool things with the original. All that disappeared in this horribly inferior sequel. This franchise, which was once so good, has since fallen on very hard times. Yes, there have been worse Halloween movies, but not by much.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 4.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Halloween (2007), Halloween (1978)