THE PLOT THUS FAR
Laurie Strode is rushed to the hospital, while Sheriff Brackett and Dr. Loomis hunt the streets for Michael Myers, who has found Laurie at the Haddonfield Hospital.
Image Comparison Notes:
Scream Factory DVD on Top
Universal 2011 Blu-Ray in Middle
Scream Factory Blu-Ray on Bottom
WHAT WE THOUGHT
The action picks up where it left off in “Halloween.” Michael plunges into the yard, hard enough to leave an impression of his body, after Loomis opens fire on him. When Loomis goes to confirm his kill, he realizes to his horror that Michael has gotten up and vanished. Meanwhile, the paramedics haul Laurie off to the hospital. Futilely she pleads with them not to give her anything that will put her to sleep. Of course, the doctor ignores her request and administers an injection designed to knock her out. Although Laurie is deadly afraid of Michael and what he is capable of doing to her, “Halloween 2″ doesn’t develop a strong sense of fear. The best scene finds a hospital guard investigating noises. When he opens a cabinet, an avalanche of items topples onto him. When he turns around, Michael is there waiting for him. Earlier, the guard had spotted blood in a trash dumpster and a shrieking black cat flew out at him. Everything else unfolds in a matter of fact fashion.
Of course, “Halloween 2″ is just a mindless horror movie, but the idiocy gets out of hand. The movie lacks a sense of humor, much less a sense of irony. Michael himself doesn’t speak, but he seems to know exactly what to do in every given situation and where to go. You cannot fool this bogyman. Sometimes, like in the hydro-therapy, you have to wonder if Carpenter and Hill aren’t going a bit off the deep end. I mean, Michael holds the poor nurse’s head under the scalding water, but the scorching water exerts no visible effect on him. When he casts the nurse aside, her face looks hideous. But, Michael Myers is the star here. Who cares about a few off-putting makeup effects?
The Shape is glimpsed as a shadow, and in one of the best shots, the ghostly white face looms behind several panes of glass through a darkened room. Dean Cundey revisits several shots from the original, like the mask slowly materializing out of the darkness behind an unsuspecting character. There are also a number of point-of-view tracking shots in this one; Carpenter did it first in the original, but this is also another favorite Argento trick, usually used to disguise the identity of the killer. The only difference is that here, we already know who’s doing it.
The DVD comes with the same special features as the Blu-Ray. You get plenty of new featurettes, interviews and deleted scenes. Plus, there’s the alternate ending and archival promotional spots for the film. The only major difference between the Scream Factory releases and last year’s Universal release would have to be the inclusion of “Terror in the Aisles”. Due to how hard it is to find a good copy of that documentary, I’ll keep my Universal disc in addition to this release. However, Scream Factory appears to be using a stronger print that keeps Akkad’s producer credit at the beginning of the movie.
The Blu-Ray is the real winner out of the two. The stunning 1080p transfer makes this film standout in a way that I couldn’t ever imagine. Plus, you get the television cut in just as amazing presentation. Dean Cundey is the pinnacle of modern horror cinematography and his work deserves such love. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is pretty strong too. I was finally able to find Dana Carvey in the movie due to my side channel speaker picking up his dialogue during the newscaster sequence. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to all horror fans.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
