Halloween II (2009)

Elevator Pitch: Halloween is coming up and the main players in this drama are beginning to congregate in Haddonfield. Laurie is living with Sheriff Brackett and is experiencing nightmares about her previous confrontation with Michael, Dr Loomis having survived the attack by Michael a year earlier has arrived in the town for a book signing, and Michael himself, having escaped from an ambulance  has been living off the grid and is making his way towards the scene of his previous crime.  Both Michael and Laurie are experiencing similar halucinations of a woman with a white horse. Michael has a big knife again!

Content: There is a bit of sex and quite a bit of nudity in a variety of contexts. Laurie has constant nightmares, which involve Michael with a big knife in the dark advancing and attacking people. Michael actually travels across country, shuffling along in the dark and randomly killing people. Laurie almost never stops screaming. Dr Loomis arrives and attends a book signing and argues with Sheriff Brackett. An air of doom hangs over the Brackett house in Haddonfield. There is a Halloween party where the party goers are dressed in fancy dress costumes and a number of young women are semi-naked in a “Rocky Horror Show” style.

A View: This film was generally panned by everybody although it earned more money than a number of the other Halloween films. I was surprised to learn that this outing is actually the 10th, although I watched it thinking it was the second. I don’t object to a bit of gratuitous sex and nudity but the arrival of Michael at the house of Sheriff Brackett, while his daughter was preparing to shower was taking it too far. And followers of my reviews will know that I’m not keen on too much action in the dark or a lot of shouting, so since this outing ticks these particular boxes and some of the scenes are particularly unpleasant I am making it an ALMOST DON’T SEE.

Additional Info:  A Halloween 3D sequel was programmed, but was discarded by the Weinsteins in favour of “Scream 4”.