Halloween II (2009)

   
Produced, Written & Directed by: Rob Zombie

Starring:

Scout Taylor-Compton .... Laurie Strode
Malcolm McDowall .... Dr. Samuel Loomis
Danielle Harris .... Annie Brackett
Brad Dourif .... Sheriff Lee Brackett
Sheri Moon Zombie .... Deborah Myers
Tyler Maine .... Michael Myers
Chase Wright Vanek .... Young Michael Myers
Brea Grant .... Mya Rockwell


Cameos:


Bill Fagerbakke .... Deputy Webb
Sean Whalen .... Becks
Margot Kidder .... Barbara Collier
Daniel Roebuck .... Big Lou
Silas Weir Mitchell .... Chett Johns
Octavia Spencer .... Nurse Daniels
Richard Riehle .... Buddy the Night Watchman
Howard Hesseman .... Uncle Meat
Duane Whitaker .... Sherman Benny
Mark Boone Junior .... Floyd
Caroline Williams .... Dr. Maple
Chris Hardwick .... David Newman
Weird Al Yankovic .... Himself

Release Date: Theatrical: August 28, 2009

*Images courtesy at: www.zapster.it

 

Rating:

 

Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) thought that she had killed Michael Myers (Tyler Maine) but continues to have nightmares about him as well as becoming like him while living with her friend Annie Brackett (Danielle Harris) and her Sheriff father Lee (Brad Dourif) plus his body was never found after a terrible accident with an ambulance that was driving his corpse away a year later when it's only a few days till Halloween.
To top this all off Michael's former counsellor at the Smith's Grove Asylum Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcom McDowell) wrote a book based on Michael Myers and is famous nationwide for it and became very greedy which upset alot of parents whom were victims to Michael's killings a year before but is convinced that Michael is dead.
However Michael seemes to be very alive and is going back to Haddonfield to stalk his sister Laurie and seems to be haunted by his Mother Deborah (Sherri Moon-Zombie) and by a younger Michael (Chase Wright Vanek) to bring his sister back to the Myers family. He kills others that get in his way till he gets Laurie all to himself as well as his ghostly family to top it all off.

 

I normally don't like sequels better than the original flick but I have to tell you I enjoyed this one alot better since the first one was a bit rushed with Michael Myers killing one after another and this time Rob Zombie focused a bit better with the story and Michael going to his journey back to Haddonfield and there was more going on on the few days counting right to Halloween night. It has nothing on the original part 2 since we only spot Laurie Strode in the hospital during the first bit of the film and then it takes place a year after that with her living with her friend and father. It borrows a bit on part 4 with a coroner scene on Michael escaping from the ambulance and killing one of the corner's as well as part 6 during a wild outdoor party. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that
I loved the darkness to the story showing ghostly presences since we don't really notice that in the original Halloween flicks.
It was showing tribute's to those retro films alot better than Rob Zombie's other flicks that is if you've seen House of 1000 Corpses and that one didn't cut it too well.
We have alot of fast paced action with this one plus Michael Myers doesn't always wear his mask while killing people and wearing a hood too so the story seemed a bit different in which a remake should be.
I will tip my hat off to Rob Zombie for this one and I hope he will direct a part 3 since a door was left open for one but it seemed to involve Laurie Strode at the end of the film and you will see what I mean once you've watched it. If you haven't seen this flick on the big screen then I advise you to check it out now since it does seem to have a 70's feel to it although it took place present day.

The acting is terrifically done as lead actress Scout Taylor-Compton struts her stuff alot better as Laurie Strode than in the first film showing extreme intensity and energy too along with her screaming and crying emotions too. SHe brought all of this together very well and knew how to act like a party animal as well. She earned her role to be a worthy character actress.
Malcolm McDowel
l returns as Loomis and shows a different type of personaity this time by acting greedy and full of himself after being famous for Michael's shrink. He brought out a good aggressive behavior too. Plus he was quite witty too in many spots of the film making out that he's a star.
Danielle Harris
is back as well and knew how to act bitchy and vulgar just like in the first flick as well as showing a nice caring side to her. I loved her work no matter what she did in it.
Brad Dourif
stood out better as the head sheriff showing a nice sacrcastic but charming appeal to his role in the film and knew how to act intense and upset when something bad happens. He brought all of this together and deserved the great credit by what he did. He can wear many other hats than the voice of Chucky from Child's Play.
Sheri Moon Zombie
showed a different side to her than a loving but dysfunctional mother like in the first flick as she really performed well by acting ghostly and evil. She had a great coldness to her speaking as well as performing like she's a deceiving angel like too.
I had to comment on Margot Kidder's cameo as a counsellor in the film as she looked great for the part and had the realisitc and caring but serious attitude for it.
We also have a good humoress performeance by Daniel Roebuck as a sleazy strip club owner and had the prefect looks for it too. He stood out well even if he was only in it for less than 5 minutes.
We spot many other cameo's of cult actors from horror film's during the 70's and 80's like in most Rob Zombie's flicks since it's a real treat to see them.

A woman is topless barebreasted making out with her employer during a strip bar after hours as well as her trying to escape from Michael fully naked briefly exposing her butt as well
A bunch of topless strippers are dancing on stage with a band at a Halloween party.

A face is being stitched up as well as a person's hand
We have a nurse's face sliced and then brutally slayed with lots of blood
There's tons of bloody stabbings and cut open throats
A head is cut off
A dog is gutted and eaten by Michael Myers
A guy's head is stomped to pieces
There's a violent bloodshed in a bathroom
Plenty of brutal bashing and slaying by Michael

Rob Zombie does an overly impressive job with this sequel showing a good beginning that involved his wife Sheri Moon and Chase Wright Vanek as mother and son in an asylum which looked heartwarming on her trying to make him happy.
Next we have a good dark shot on Scout Taylor-Compton all bloodied in the dark walking in the middle of the road acting like a basket case holding a gun with Brad Dourif coming out of his police vehicle and trying to talk some sense into her and slowly taking the gun away from her.
We spot a good dialogue between supporting actors Richard Brake and Dayton Callie as coroners having a discussion about sex and women driving along in the road and then a good reaction on one of them when they spot a cow and good close up shots on the vehicle crashing with them getting bloodied. There's a good close up shot on Callie acting weak in pain and shocked which looked natural and then a good shot on Tyler Maine coming up and cutting his throat which looked dark and creepy. There's a good shot on him later on walking along the long road with a distant shot on Moon looking like a ghost with a horse talking to him.
We have a good shot on Taylor-Compton acting weak limping in a hospital hallway as well as asking bit part actress Octavia Spencer for some pills in which she plays a nurse and we have a good shot on her turning around with her face sliced as well as a good freaked out shot on Taylor-Compton after seeing this and then Maine coming up from behind her wearing his mask and then nice blocking on him brutally slaying her.
There's many good shots on her running down some corrdior stairs in the hospital with her screaming as well as her running in a rainstorm and bit part actor Richard Riehle as a nightwatchman trying to calm her and she is choked up as you have a feeling something deadly is going to happen. We do spot a good shot on Maine whacking him in the back with an axe as well as him trying to tear through and get to Taylor-Compton with shots on her freaking out.
There's a nice moment with Taylor-Compton in a councilling room with bit part actress Margot Kidder counselling her about her nightmares with Michael Myers as well as talking about his body not found. We also spot a nice close up shot on Taylor-Compton starting to weep about missing her parents as that looked believeably emotional.
We have a good moment with Malcolm McDowell at a convention about his book on Michael Myers and him getting extremely obnoxious and vulgar telling everyone that Michael is dead when being questioned if he's still possibly alive which looked like that he was really arrogant.
We have a nice night shot on bit part actors played by Duane Whittaker, Betsy Rue and Mark Boone Junior in their truck having a discussion and then Maine standing in the middle where their vehicle is with both Whittaker and Boone Junior whacking him with a bat and then Rue trying to apologise for their behavior as that all was right on track and good timing too.
We spot a good shot on Dourif eating a pizza and acting sarcastic with a shot on Maine gutting open a dog and eating it.
There's a good shot on Vanek standing in front with a dark shot on Maine standing there behind him in a dark barn as well as Moon talking to them with a horse next to her telling them it's almost Halloween and finding his sister which was given a nice dark feel to it.
We spot a nice nightmare scene with Taylor-Compton putting on a clown outfit with a shot looking up on her as well as taping Danielle Harris to a chair and then screaming at her stabbing her along with other tense shots on some flashback scene's.
There's some good dialogue scene's with bit part actors Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Daniel Roebuck and Nicky Whelan in a strip bar having a discussion on seeing one of them on TV which looked good and entertaining.
There's many good shots between Phillips and Maine standing outside with Maine giving him threats towards him and about to get violent which Zombie showed a nice darkness to all of this as well as good intense shots on Maine stomping on his face.
We spot a good area at a book signing convention with bit part actor Robert Curtis Brown coming up to McDowell telling him being responsible for his daughters death and trying to shoot him which looked very creepy.
There's a great moment with Taylor-Compton freaking out and packing stuff up trying to get out of the house she's staying in with Harris trying to talk to her as this direction looked believeably dysfunctional.
We have a great moment with Taylor-Compton getting into a screaming rage with both supporting actress Brea Grant, Angela Trimbur and Mary Birdsong about her being Michael's sister and screaming out loud about it making this moment extremely tense. There's other good scene's with them partying out and getting drunk.
We spot many good shots on featured extra's at a party in their costumes as well as shots on a band performing with strippers. During this moments we spot a nice shot on Moon with Vanek and Taylor-Compton getting into a screaming rage asking who they are.
There's a nice shot on Maine entering a bathroom door towards Harris with her turning around and looking shocked trying to get away.
We spot a nice moment between Taylor-Compton holding Harris and sobbing along with some good shots on Maine smashing through a door.
There's a great close up shot on Dourif with a nice tense expression on his face entering his home demanding on what has happened.
We have a great shot on Taylor-Compton running through a field screaming with a nice shot on a light shining through some tree's.
There's a great shot on Maine turning over a car with Taylor-Compton inside as well as close up shots on her looking hurt passing out.
We spot a nice shot on Maine carrying Taylor-Compton along with Moon and Vanek walking with him.
We spot many good close up shots between Moon and Taylor-Compton with Vanek grabbing Taylor-Compton and Moon demanding her to tell her she loves her.
We have alot of good shots with actors as policemen circling around a shack holding rifles and a helicopter circling around the shack as well as McDowall trying to talk to Taylor-Compton and her just going crazy. This was one of Zombie's strongest work on this film. He eanred my respect as a great director although he did a good job in his other films although I wasn't a fan of them.

Tyler Bates returns to compose the music for this sequel using the same low maoning sounds from the original film as well as other good dark sounds. He also shows some good echoey piano playing for certain parts of the scene's along with low piano pounding which sounds really deadly for the terrors going on.

We have a bitchin songtrack like in the first film with alot of old school metal music and rock music too.
For one I loved how to Moody Blues was performing on a TV show at the hospital with their classic hit "Knights in White Satin" since it has that breezy feel to it.
I also loved the brief heavy metal track "AM I Evil" by Diamond Head during Laurie Strode's character speeding in her car.
We also have a cover song during the closing credits on a cover of Nazareth titled "Love Hurts" yet this band really bites by performing this one and it isn't the same.

Laurie Strode: [walking town a road covered in blood] I killed him... I killed him...
Sheriff Lee Brackett: [confronting Laurie] Who did you kill, sweetie? Who did you kill?
Laurie Strode: ...I killed him.

Laurie Strode: [about Michael Myers] I know he's not gonna come back just because of some stupid holiday.

Dr. Samuel Loomis: [in a press conference] Let me make this clear: Michael Myers is dead! D-E-A-D!

Laurie Strode: I'm not me.
Mya Rockwell: Who are you, then?
Laurie Strode: I'm Michael Myers' sister.

'Clown' boy: [spotting Michael Myers] Are you a giant?

Annie Brackett: Look at me, what is going on? Just let me call my dad, okay? We can talk to him.
Laurie Strode: You know what, I have a message for your dad! Tell him that Angel says "Fuck you!"
Annie Brackett: Who is Angel? Laurie!

Laurie Strode: [Yelling outside her house, drunk] Hey world, guess what? I'm Michael Myers' sister! I'm fucked!