All this talk of re-shoots and
Carpenter’s lack of enthusiasm
may lead you to believe the film
is a mess, but that’s far from the
truth. It never reaches the high
watermark of the original but
as slashers go it’s probably the
second best entry in the subgenre. Carpenter’s limited input
is enough to elevate it above the
competition. It also gives us a
mythology, establishing a connection to the celtic roots of the
Halloween festival, and an Empire Strikes Back style revelation
concerning Myers’ family connections. The character of Loomis is brought to the forefront and
Pleasence is given some great
monologues, which he delivers
with manic gusto.
Carpenter returns on
soundtrack duties, this time
recruiting the aid of synth wiz-
ard Alan Howarth. Like the film
itself, the score is amped up
in a more aggressive manner.
Howarth would go on to take
over from Carpenter as the series progressed, ensuring the
themes set down in the original
remained intact. Like the Halloween imitations, the score has
something of a disco influence,
the main theme now featuring
a kick drum. The slasher genre
is in some ways the film equivalent of disco music - both were
kicked off by geniuses but ultimately ruined by talent-less
hacks seeking a quick buck.
Halloween II is best viewed
back to back with the original
for the full ‘night he came home’
experience, but as a stand-alone
slasher it’s still one of the very
best.
4 ½ stars out of 5
NewJerseyStage.com
2015 - ISSUE 10
36