Halloween II Blu Ray Review (Via Vision)

Halloween II is a 1981 slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys, The Witches of Eastwick, The Birds II: Land’s End, Smallville, Distant Thunder, and Halloween: Resurrection). It was produced/written by John Carpenter (Escape from New York, The Fog, The Thing, Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, In the Mouth of Madness, Assault on Precinct 13, and They Live) and Debra Hill (Halloween franchise, The Dead Zone, Adventures in Babysitting, Clue, and The Fisher King) returning from the original feature. It’s a direct follow up to 1978’s Halloween. It was executive produced by Irwin Yablans (Tourist Trap, Fade to Black, Hell Night, and Prison) and Moustapha Akkad (The Message, Appointment with Fear, Free Ride, and Halloween series). This sequel was distributed by Universal Pictures. The budget was $2.5 million and it grossed $25.5 million at the box office in the United States. On October 31, 1978, Michael Myers (played by: stuntman Dick Warlock from Haloween III, Pumpkinhead, Firestarter, and Spontaneous Combustion) is shot by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (played by: Donald Pleasence from Halloween franchise, Phenomena, The Great Escape, American Rickshaw, and From Beyond the Grave) and falls off a balcony. He survives and escapes into the night. Wandering the alleys, he steals a kitchen knife from a couple and he starts his killing spree again. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (played by: Jamie Lee Curtis from Terror Train, Prom Night, The Fog, Halloween franchise , Trading Places, and A Fish Called Wanda), who was nearly killed that night is taken to the Haddonfield Hospital while Loomis continues his pursuit of Michael with the assistance of Sheriff Leigh Brackett (played by: Charles Cyphers from The Fog, Major League, Death Wish 2, Big Bad Mama II, and Elvis). Loomis mistakes costumed teenager Ben Tramer (played by: Jack Verbois from Predator, Nowhere to Run, Dark Angel and The A-Team) for Michael which ends up in a brutal result. Sheriff Brackett abandons the search after getting bad news. It leaves Deputy Gary Hunt (played by: Hunter von Leer from Trancers III, The Unholy Rollers, The Stone Killer, and Into the Sun) to take his place. At the hospital, paramedic Jimmy (played by: Lance Guest from The Last Starfighter, Jaws: The Revenge, Plan B, and Knots Landing) and nurse Virginia Alves (played by: Gloria Gifford from 48 Hrs, Vice Versa, D.C. Cab, and Going Berserk) spend time with the traumatized Laurie. Michael makes his way to the hospital and chaos happens all over again as the body count rises. In her hospital room, Laurie dreams about the time she learned she was adopted. She remembers she once visited a young boy at the sanitarium. Jimmy and nurse Jill Franco (played by: Tawny Moyer from California Suite, Looker, and House of the Rising Sun) search the hospital for Laurie. Loomis discovers clues connecting Michael to Samhain and the occult, which might explain his apparent indestructibility. His colleague Marion Chambers (played by: Nancy Stephens from Halloween franchise, American Dreamer, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and Escape from New York) arrives to escort him back to Smith’s Grove on the governor’s orders and under the enforcement of a US Marshal (played by: John Zenda from Paradise Alley, Bad Boys, Colors, and Catchfire). On the way, she tells him that Laurie is Michael’s younger sister. Loomis forces his way back to Haddonfield to rescue Laurie. Michael is a blood thirsty killing machine dedicated to finding his last family member. Can Loomis save this town from it’s living hell again???? Halloween is one of the greatest horror franchises ever made and it’s definitely has some of the best slashers ever produced! John Carpenter took the genre and made it his own. His work here is nothing but top notch quality especially his classic score for the film. It’s one of most memorable musical compositions in any genre for cinema. Almost everyone in the entire world instantly knows where it’s from when they hear it. It just stays with you after you experience it. Director Rick Rosenthal does a great job at keeping the exact same vibe as the first one. It still almost feels like a Carpenter feature regardless. His fingerprints are all over this one. Donald Pleasence gives one of the best performances in horror as Dr. Loomis and Jamie Lee Curtis is one of the all time greats when it comes to scream queens. They both have fantastic chemistry together. Michael Myers is such a great character and always keeps you on your toes due to the mysterious history of the role. This sequel amped up everything from the original. It has more nudity and lots more bloodshed when it comes to the kills. A few of the main characters from the first one return for this follow up. Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis are still the main highlights of this production just like the first one. Stuntman Dick Warlock steps into the iconic villain role Michael Myers for II and I think he’s even better than the original one plus the quick cameo unmasked version. He’s my personal all time favorite Myers when it comes to the classic Boogeyman. It has a solid supporting cast that includes Charles Cyphers, Lance Guest, Leo Rossi, John Zenda, Nancy Stephens, Gloria Gifford, Hunter von Leer, Tawny Moyer, Dana Carvey, Pamela Susan Shoop, and Cliff Emmich. Halloween II is one of the best horror sequels of all time. It takes the momentum from the original and just increases all the great things about it plus it more edgy than that one. I’ve always felt Halloween and it’s sequel were basically one long film because they both take place on the same time so I generally watch this back to back with the original. HIGHLY recommended!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Via Vision Entertainment! This 1080p (2.35:1) transfer is the same restoration from the original camera negative that was used in the United States for it’s other home video releases. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the disc. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the bloodshed is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a brand new and exclusive “Audio Commentary” with author Dustin McNeill. The Halloween writer and fan shows his appreciation for this sequel here. It has an archival “Audio Commentary” with director Rick Rosenthal and actor Leo Rossi. This one is loaded with information. It’s a fun track and they keep the conversation going pretty much the entire time. It has an archival “Audio Commentary” with actor Dick Warlock and it’s moderated by Robert V. Galluzzo. The stuntman tells all kinds of personal stories here. “The Nightmare Isn’t Over!: The Making of Halloween II” is a 45 minute archival piece from Red Shirt Pictures. It has interviews with Rick Rosenthal, Dick Warlock, Irwin Yablans, Dean Cundey, Alan Howarth, Tommy Lee Wallace, Nancy Stephens, Leo Rossi, Ana Alicia, Tawny Moyer, Lance Guest, and others. This is a top notch extra covering this horror sequel. They are all very honest here about Halloween II. They chat about the script, production, and their own experiences. It has the 13 minute archival “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: The Locations of Halloween II” from Sean Clark. This horror television series was always entertaining and fun. Sean takes you on a tour for a variety of locations. Actor Robert Rusler has a hilarious cameo in this. Lots of them popped up on older Scream Factory releases. It has 8 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It has 2 minutes of an “Alternate Ending”. It has an “Trailer”, “TV Spots”, “Radio Spots”, and a “Still Gallery”. There’s not much new material for this set but it’s still loaded with extras. One of the coolest things about this overseas home video release is that the little over 93 minute “Television Cut” gets his own disc here. Before it was on DVD only or it was shoved on a disc with all kinds of other stuff on it. Since it’s alone now, it has more room to display it’s highest possible quality. It definitely has a completely different vibe to it. It has a faster flow and sharper edit. All of the gore is gone but it has more character moments added to it. There’s a decent amount of additional material for this TV version. I always enjoy seeing an alternative take on a feature that I am a fan of. Halloween II has excellent packaging for this limited edition release of 1500. It includes 6 different art cards, high quality slipbox with a holographic cover, and it has 2 blu rays in the set. It’s available everywhere in Australia plus a few select locations in the states, CHECK IT OUT!!!!