Review: Halloween II

Saw Halloween II in theaters, and I must say I was highly disappointed. You can tell by my profile that I am a bit of a Halloween buff considering I work for a Halloween Costume Website. The first of these retellings was excellent. It added new depth to characters that were lacking in portrayal and took new turns into unexplored territories of the franchise. This newest installment did nothing of the sort. I felt the original gave the appearance that the film was set in the 70s and then perhaps the 80s, however in this they have cell phones, make references to Fergie, there are new cars, etc. Also, they give no explanation as to how Michael miraculously survives multiple .357 (a gun designed to destroy tissue and organs) gunshot wounds. Also, it's indicated that Michael was only grazed by the round Laurie fired into his face at point blank range. However, there is quite a lot of arterial spray for a simple graze. Not to mention, even though Michael is supposed to be this behemoth monster, the pain would be so immeasurable that he would not have made it ten feet. Then of course, there was the portrayal of Michael. After his mother died he never speaks in the slightest. He takes several extremely damaging blows and doesn't so much as whimper. I would have no problem with this but for the most part when he kills someone he grunts like a caveman, something he did not do in the first. I understand that I am referencing the first installment of the retelling quite a bit, but I feel that if you're going to make a sequel that follows nearly directly after the first, then you should at least stick to your character designs and plot concepts. Now, for the final nail in this coffin, Sherri Moon Zombie appears quite a bit in the movie as a ghost. I don't really consider this a spoiler, so I didn't mark it as such. The real reason she is in the movie, is because she loves attention and I don't think Rob zombie could deal with the fact of making a movie that didn't involve his wife in some way. Her ghostly appearances would have been freaky and weird, if she wasn't in every other scene, looking ridiculous and rattling off her dialog in the poorest manner. Also, why is the child version of Michael a ghost with his mother? Last I checked he wasn't dead, he just grew up. I would accept that when Michael put on the mask it represented a fracture in his psyche, but the boy version of Michael is wearing a mask as well. So if Zombie was trying to achieve that point, he simply made it redundant. I only give this movie a 2/5 because the gore was quite good. But if you're looking for something more than that, or perhaps you hope that this movie will broaden the characters more-so than the first, I suggest you look elsewhere. Reluctantly 2/5. (Also, fun fact, a third is already slated and is going to be in 3D. The best part: Rob Zombie isn't directing it.) -Halloween Costume Kayla