Halloween II (1981)

Halloween II is a 1981 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 a direct sequel to the 1978 horror classic, Halloween.

Plot
While Sheriff Brackett and Dr. Loomis hunt for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to hospital... and Michael is not far behind her.

Why It's Great

 * 1) It stays very true to its predecessor, capturing and keeping the terrifying and mysterious tone that the first film had.
 * 2) The acting is still spot-on, mainly from Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence.
 * 3) Many unexpected and surprising twists and turns, such as how Laurie is revealed to be Michael's long-lost sister.
 * 4) The film leaves no continuity errors or last-minute changes from the previous film.
 * 5) The setting and cinematography is amazingly done as it actually feels that it's occurring on the same night of the first film, even though it’s filmed in 1981, which makes it even more impressive.
 * 6) Several new interesting characters, such as Jimmy, a paramedic who has feelings for Laurie.
 * 7) While not as good as the first one, the soundtrack is pretty good.
 * 8) * The use of The Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" manages to make the song sound utterly terrifying, and it even gets a callback in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
 * 9) Well-done character and plot development.
 * 10) Dick Warlock does an amazing job at playing Michael Myers.
 * 11) The scenes are still unforgettable, mainly the death scenes.
 * 12) The idea of making a sequel that occurs on the exact same night as the first film at a hospital is pretty original.
 * 13) The ending is quite satisfying, as Michael gets burned alive and dies while Laurie survives his killing spree.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It wasn't really well-received, with low numbers at the box office and a 30% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
 * 2) Michael and Laurie being siblings, while surprising, is unneeded, as it gives Michael a motive, taking away that he had no motive in the first movie.
 * 3) Laurie, the main protagonist, doesn't get as much screen-time as she did in the first film.
 * 4) It is completely inaccurate and unrealistic for a hospital to be as deserted as the one that this movie takes place on.

Reception
Halloween II holds an approval rating of 30% based on 40 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 4.66/10.

Box Office
The film grossed $7,446,508 on its opening weekend. While the gross earnings of the sequel paled in comparison to the original's $47 million, it was a success in its own right, exceeding the earnings of other films of the same genre released in 1981: Friday the 13th Part 2 ($21.7 million), Omen III: The Final Conflict ($20.4 million) and The Howling ($18 million).Halloween II was a box office success, becoming the second-highest grossing horror film of 1981 behind An American Werewolf in London.