Halloween II

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Halloween II

R

1981

1h 32m

Holiday

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

108 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael Myers (Jonathan Prince) has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

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Critics Consensus

Its visual style preserves the chilling mood of its predecessor, yet Halloween II emerges as a lesser imitation rather than a worthy successor, amping up the body count to numbing effect.

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Alexander Walker

London Evening Standard

Jul 23, 2026

I don't know whether to be more apprehensive of a movie which exists only to carve people up, or the audience for which it was made.

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Jay Scott

Globe and Mail

Jul 23, 2026

When it's good, it's because it's imitating its predecessor and when it's bad, it's because it's imitating its own imitator.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Jul 23, 2026

"Halloween II" as a reprise, simply piles up a greater number of corpses.

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Terry Lawson

The Journal-Herald (Dayton, OH)

Oct 3, 2026

What's memorable about Halloween II is the eerie sense of watching moviemakers trapped by their own devices.

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Kirk Honeycutt

Escondido Times-Advocate (CA)

Jul 23, 2026

"Halloween II" plays out a bewildering series of carefully crafted gross-out moments which bear no real relationship to each other. The only thing that builds is its dumbness.

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Susie Eisenhuth

The Sun-Herald (Australia)

Jul 23, 2026

2/4

There's no doubt that producer John Carpenter and his team have perfected a pretty devastating No Frills fear formula. It's a class act all right. If you like that sort of thing.

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DONOVAN H

Sep 6, 2026

It’s my favorite Halloween movie.

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Keith

Sep 6, 2026

Still holds up to be one of the best sequels!

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Timothy P

@timop1919 4 hrs ago

The writing is awful and very misogynistic. And everyone is dumb and annoying. Just a terrible film and not worth seeing.... pretend it doesn't exist just like the newer finale trilogy does. And it makes me cringe when the doctor mispronounces Samhain.

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Justin S

@aone247 7 hrs ago

It was good, not great, I prefer the original, but it took steps to explain Michael and why he is going after the main character.

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Brenden D

@WestWardReviews 3 days ago

Better As A Set Than As An Individual This film works better if you watch it immediately following the original film. It keeps up the momentum at the start. The stuff at the hospital just isn't as engaging as Michael stalking teens in a neighborhood. Donald Pleasence is still solid. The Sibling Twist works better for Halloween 4 & H20 than for this movie itself. The set-up is very lack luster. Some kills are still wild & brutal. The ending is literally explosive. C+ or B- 6.3-6.9/10 Worth a watch if you're following up the original or gonna continue with 4 or H20 Otherwise, you might not be up for it

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Pixel W

@Pixelwave 4 days ago

Sticking to my normal review scheme. This movie should have a lower rating than the original. However. The improvement in this movie made from the original, it earns itself a very solid rating. The way Myers acts feels much more thought out and the writing in this movie has greatly improved. The acting also improved. Overall, a great movie. Definitely recommend.

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Rick Rosenthal

Director

Jamie Lee Curtis

Laurie Strode

Donald Pleasence

Dr. Sam Loomis

Charles Cyphers

Sheriff Leigh Brackett

Jeffrey Kramer

Graham

Lance Guest

Jimmy

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Synopsis

After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael Myers (Jonathan Prince) has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

Director: Rick Rosenthal
Producer: Debra Hill, John Carpenter
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Dino De Laurentiis Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Holiday, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 30, 1981, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 19, 2015
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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