DVD Reviews

Halloween II - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 12, 2010, 16:47 GMT

$Rob Zombie\'s H2 (Halloween) picks up at the exact moment that 2007\'s box-office smash, Halloween stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers\'s (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton). Evil has a new destiny. Michael Myers is back in this terrifying sequel to Rob Zombie’s visionary re-imagining of Halloween which grossed almost $80 million worldwide. It is that time of year again,$

Rob Zombie\'s H2 (Halloween) picks up at the exact moment that 2007\'s box-office smash, Halloween stopped and follows the aftermath of Michael Myers\'s (Tyler Mane) murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton). Evil has a new destiny. Michael Myers is back in this terrifying sequel to Rob Zombie’s visionary re-imagining of Halloween which grossed almost $80 million worldwide. It is that time of year again, ...more

“Bad taste is the petrol that drives the American dream.”

Rob Zombie steps into the director’s chair to carve another pumpkin of terror. However, this trip to the trailer park strays far away from the grandeur of John Carpenter’s classic and focuses on the gristle.

The barrage of nastiness is a bit hard to take. Definitely more trick than treat here.

In the past, Deborah Myers (Sheri Moon Zombie) visited the young Michael Myers (Chase Wright Vanek), talked of family, and gave the mad lad a white horse statue. Unfortunately, we know that things didn’t go so well in Michael’s treatment in the mental hospital.

He escaped and massacred teens on Halloween night. In the aftermath of that killing spree, Michael’s body is missing and Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton), Annie Brackett (Danielle Harris) and Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) are badly injured but the only survivors of Michael’s rampage.

Laurie and Annie suffer both physical and mental scars. Laurie has moved in with Annie and her father Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and is therapy (with therapist Margot Kidder!) to deal with her demons.

Michael (Tyler Mane) is not dead but instead wandering the country (looking like a mute, homeless Grizzly Adams!). He begins to have visions of his late mother and younger self instructing him that his family needs to be reunited. With mommy on his mind, Michael begins the trek back to Haddonfield coinciding with Halloween. Dr. Loomis is also returning to Haddonfield to try and hock his new book. All three will come together on that revered night and the blood will flow.

Rob Zombie takes John Carpenter’s terror classic and runs it through his unsettling “Hellbilly” machine. The results are bleak, gruesome, somewhat inbred, and hard to look at. I really didn’t care for his vision for the first film, thinking it was more akin to Texas Chainsaw Massacre than Halloween.

Zombie’s vision really has no heroes and the second film perhaps more so. Laurie Strode is suffering from both the mental and physical scars of her encounter with a knife wielding maniac. Dr. Loomis, not so much so, but he is more into making a buck and is milking his involvement with the Myers for all it’s worth. Not matter who it harms, as long as it puts some money in his wallet.

The only character that hasn’t change much is the brutal killing machine that is Michael Myers. Technically only his costume (and profuse facial hair, oddly looking much like Zombie) has signs of wear.

I liked how he teased us in the beginning of the film by showing us some hospital scenes and making us think his film would follow the other Halloween II. I also liked that Zombie chose to show that those that encountered the carnage of the first film have been irrevocably affected.

Usually in past films, scream queens made it out with not a scar. Not so in the “Zombie-verse.” Zombie’s world is full of pretty scummy folks.

In Carpenter’s film, it was about horror coming to suburbia. In Zombie’s film horror is the norm and each is shown in loving close-up (perhaps made even less appealing in high-def). It’s not an easy film to look at or like, at least for me. Brutality permeates every frame and I began to wonder if I’d end up in therapy like Laurie Strode by the time the credits rolled.

Halloween II is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1). Special features include a commentary by writer/director Rob Zombie. The film is also enhanced with MovieIQ, providing your player can go online.

The rest of the features are in high definition and include 25 minutes of deleted and alternative scenes, a 4 minute blooper reel, 9 minutes of audition footage, 3 minutes of makeup tests, 8 minute of “Uncle Seymour Coffin’s Stand-up Routines,” and 19 minutes of music videos from Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures.

I think I’ve liked Rob Zombie’s other efforts more than his take on Halloween - although the Devil’s Rejects was hard for me to watch. It seems that Halloween II leans more towards Devil’s Rejects and therefore it was not an enjoyable experience for me.

I will say that there are some nice special features on the disc (and that’s been added into my rating, so 2 stars for film bumped up to 2.5 because of them) but I found the film hard to stomach.