Content Warning: The Following Article Contains Depictions of Violence
Some Halloween sequels are more beloved by fans than others. However, while entries like Halloween: Resurrection are universally reviled, there's no unanimous best sequel. Halloween II (1981) comes the closest to capturing the mood of the original, with it typically lumped towards the head of the sequel pack.
Even still, there are extreme opinions about the film on both sides. From those who find it plodding to those who feel it strayed too far from John Carpenter's original, Reddit users are all over the map on the merits of Halloween II.
Halloween is an undisputed masterpiece not just in terms of the horror genre, but on a larger cinematic scale. It's one of several works by John Carpenter that have inspired many movies. But one Redditor, thebigcreamer27, gave Halloween II a particularly high honor. As they said, "Halloween 2 (81) is better than the original."
Halloween II brilliantly retains most of the original's ambiance (and picks up mere moments after the first film's conclusion) even if it isn't as impeccably crafted. What really holds the sequel back from being as effective as the original, though, is the fact that the residents of Haddonfield, Illinois are aware of the fact that Myers is currently stalking their town. In some ways, that takes away from surpassing the original.
On a thread dedicated to unpopular opinions about the franchise as a whole, ambidextrous_Shape had some things to say about the first sequel. "Halloween II (81) is responsible for putting the series in a rut with its stupid twist that lasted for pretty much every Myers sequel until H18."
Laurie Strode being Myers' sister has always been a divisive twist for fans of the series. However, Halloween II was not the last solid entry of the franchise. It's hard to say the Halloween movies were in a "rut" when Halloween III (which has gone on to be a cult classic) tried something new. Furthermore, while Strode is mentioned in Halloween 4, it was far from being her narrative (it was her daughter's, Jamie Lloyd). Lloyd's story branches from Strode's, but it's still the series trying something new. Were Myers to consistently stalk Jamie Lee Curtis' character in every installment, that would be a rut. The fact that Danielle Harris' performance as Lloyd is among the best child actor performances in horror movies only helps to individualize Halloween 4 and 5.
In a batch of unpopular opinions about the series, mc_eazy had this to say about Halloween II: "Always thought Halloween II '81 is painfully boring."
Perhaps it is the film's prolonged stalking sequences (particularly before Myers enters the hospital) that this Redditor is referring to as boring. For the most part, Halloween II is just as quickly paced as any other sequel in the franchise. If what the Redditor was looking for were character death scenes, the sequel is even faster-paced than the original.
In reference to the twist established in Halloween II, hesojam0 had this to say: "People who don't like the brother/sister thing don't appreciate good storytelling." The issue is that their sibling connection is one of the strangest horror movie plot twists.
Some Halloween fans think the Myers-Strode twist is effective while others find it ludicrous. There are also some who believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Strode being Myers' little sister checks out in terms of the timeline (one of the overarching series' main issues). However, the anonymity of Michael Myers is what made him nightmarish in the original. It's a little unfair to say appreciating that anonymity is equal to not appreciating good storytelling.
One user, Flash-Over, had several points to make about the sequel. "OG H2 is a good slasher, but is completely void of the original's soul and I can't help but shake my head when someone says that they view 1&2 as one movie."
Watching Halloween and Halloween II back to back is one of the better horror movie double feature experiences. Both films work on their own (particularly the original), but Halloween II is seen as the installment that feels the most closely related to Carpenter's classic. Furthermore, there's the chance to see two distinct performances from Jamie Lee Curtis, an actor synonymous with her role in horror.
John Carpenter didn't return to direct Halloween II (or any other sequel) but he did provide its synth-fueled score. FinnSamson had something very kind to say about the reworked version of the original's theme: "Halloween 2 has THE BEST sounding theme song (even better than the original) and best intro out of all the sequels."
While the updated (and more intense) twist on Halloween's masterful composition has its fans, most would deem the first the best. Even more controversial would be the user's comment on the films' intros. The sequel opens with Dr. Loomis confronting the Haddonfield sheriff about the night's events. The original, however, opens on a six-year-old Michael Myers killing his sister. No sequel ever matched the intro in Carpenter's film, which stands as one of the best and most disturbing in film history.
In another part of their post, FinnSamson said, "Halloween 2 (1981) is the best sequel made." The hospital-set chapter easily ranks among the franchise's best installments, but many fans would disagree with the word "best."
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is one of the most tightly-paced and fun installments of the franchise. It also had a cast of memorable characters that buoyed the film's overall impact. Halloween (2018) also has a substantial amount of supporters who would place it at the top of the pack.
Like all sequels, Halloween II was made to cash in on the success of an original product. A now-deleted user, however, thinks it's the only reason the film was made. "Halloween II is no different than the other knock-offs that followed the success of Halloween. It didn't have the same tone."
Perhaps the sequel didn't have the exact tone of the original, but it was still far closer than the many other slashers released in the wake of Halloween's overwhelming financial success. The Redditor expounded on their point: "There was no reason besides a quick buck to explore the further adventures of Michael Myers. They only weakened his power with each additional film." The latter point is logical; if the audience is inundated with a scary character, that character will naturally become less scary.
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