H2: Halloween II (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  Extremely bizarre, and the strangest Halloween-related film I've ever seen. The film is horribly sloppy, unfocused, and poorly written, but it is to be commended because Zombie came up with a unique and interesting concept, and stuck with it. The problem is that he succeeds in… More
  Extremely bizarre, and the strangest Halloween-related film I've ever seen. The film is horribly sloppy, unfocused, and poorly written, but it is to be commended because Zombie came up with a unique and interesting concept, and stuck with it. The problem is that he succeeds in doing something different, but fails to execute that "something different". Some of the characterizations were good, but others, such as the way Loomis is characterized is bad in the context of the plot. The best parts of the movie are the music and the visual style, but that is to be expected considering who the director is. There are some good sequences to be found here, but things are horribly unbalanced. My biggest hope is that Zombie either learns to become a better and less lazy writer (by doing away with all things white trash and fleshing out the story and characters) or that he hires someone else to be the screenwriter for his next project, whatever it happens to be. The kicker here is that he had planned to make a really psychological film where it was to be revelaed that everything was in Laurie's head and that it was her doing it, and only thinking it was Michael. That would have been cool. Unfortunately, the studio intervened and forced him to keep Michael at the forefront. Also, good god the film is too excessive with the violence. I'm okay with strong violence, but this goes way over the top and becomes more pointless when we don't really care about the victims.

• Jeff "

  
  As a die-hard fan of the original Halloween, I felt that the remake was pretty good despite the fact it was different. The sequel to the remake concludes Rob Zombie's take on the Michael Myers saga. The result, I thought were decent at best, but the film lacked something to… More
  As a die-hard fan of the original Halloween, I felt that the remake was pretty good despite the fact it was different. The sequel to the remake concludes Rob Zombie's take on the Michael Myers saga. The result, I thought were decent at best, but the film lacked something to really make it a good follow-up to the remake. The performances here are good, never anything good, but never bad either, like some of the other remakes, and subsequent sequels. I felt that H2: Halloween II was a fairly decent sequel, but it wasn't as good as the remake. The film had a good, creepy atmosphere, but it also lacked the suspense that the remake had. This one felt like it tried to outdo the previous film, but unfortunately missed the mark. That's not saying that the film is a failure, I'm just saying that it could have been much better. I felt that the end result was a film that could have been better if Rob Zombie would have taken his time with this sequel. I mean, I love Rob Zombie as a filmmaker, and he has made one of the best horror films of the last ten years, The Devil's Rejects. But with H2: Halloween II, this is one of his weaker efforts as a director. The film was entertaining, but as a die-hard fan of the original, I really think they should stop milking the franchise. They've done everything they could with the Michael Myers character. I personally feel that Michael should put his carving knife back in the drawer where he originally found it in 1963 and call it quits.

• Eric A

  
  I liked the first H1 reboot but I can't really say the same for this one. I expected a lot more.

• Coxxie M

  
  "Die, you fucking bitch! you fucking bitch! Im gonna fucking kill you! fucking die, you fucking bitch! you fucking cunt! fucking bitch!" obviously Rob had a bit of writer's block after the Devil's Rejects. he knows that the best thing to do when in the midst of… More
  "Die, you fucking bitch! you fucking bitch! Im gonna fucking kill you! fucking die, you fucking bitch! you fucking cunt! fucking bitch!" obviously Rob had a bit of writer's block after the Devil's Rejects. he knows that the best thing to do when in the midst of the ol' wriin' block is to direct a remake and sequel to the remake. he just should have known not to write them. there were so many moments watching this where i had to think, "fuck, this looks pretty good. nice cinematography and shit. but do we really need three more truckdriver jokes?" and do we need this much "fuck" and "bitch?" i swear to Rob that is the first time i have ever had a problem with profanity in a film. the movie is going to be a piece of shit for anyone watching it except for the "i like tall spooky men who stalk teens fucking in daddy's room and slice their A-cup boobs off and suck the blood off them and then fantasize about their dead stripper mom and jack himself off with his rusted knife!" and if you do belong to that crowd, then brace yourself for Rob Zombie's THE BLOB.

• Dean !

  
  No wonder this went straight to DVD in the UK. It is a gritty, raw film with some graphic, brutal violence....as you would expect. However the film does just feel a bit of a mess overall and a big disappointment after the great 2007 remake of the original Halloween film was done so… More
  No wonder this went straight to DVD in the UK. It is a gritty, raw film with some graphic, brutal violence....as you would expect. However the film does just feel a bit of a mess overall and a big disappointment after the great 2007 remake of the original Halloween film was done so well. The visions of his Mum at least offer an idea in to Michael's mind but the film just seemed all over the place at times.

• Lee ?

  
  Tired already of Rob Zombie's trashy repulsive characters. Yeah his first movie was an interesting interpretation of John Carpenters original but the novelty has worn off quickly. However, Michael Myers fans are treated to a ruthless assault of brutality by their number one… More
  Tired already of Rob Zombie's trashy repulsive characters. Yeah his first movie was an interesting interpretation of John Carpenters original but the novelty has worn off quickly. However, Michael Myers fans are treated to a ruthless assault of brutality by their number one screen villain who notches up a decent body count before the end credits roll.

• Jason C

  
  Umm, yeah. Other than to parade Rob Zombie's trophy wife around, is there any reasonable point for all that White Horse bullshit? The answer is, no. What a mess. Rarely even mildly entertaining. Piss poor ending too. A waste of Michael Myers' good name.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  not interested

• jd c

  
  Not a complete failure (although pretty close), but still a failure. What a messy mess of a movie. An entertaining mess at times, but too far in between to save this film. It seems Zombie relied on the editing to fix the film more than his own actual filming technique. Kind of like he… More
  Not a complete failure (although pretty close), but still a failure. What a messy mess of a movie. An entertaining mess at times, but too far in between to save this film. It seems Zombie relied on the editing to fix the film more than his own actual filming technique. Kind of like he said, "Okay guys, let's shoot whatever looks cool BUT make it quick. Don't worry, I'll fix it in the editing lab." I do know he said he felt like he didn't have enough time to make this film because of the production company, but guess what Rob...if time is an issue for you in this industry then just DON'T DO IT. That's what pre-production is for. Get a better crew, improve your prep work, and act professional God damnit. Mostly every director has a time limit, very short ones too, and if not, then they make their own schedules. BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE YOURS FOR 2 FRIGGING YEARS. People have other things to do, the world doesn't revolve around you. I also remember in an interview with Howard Stern he was asked if the remake was anything like Halloween II (1981) and Zombie said something along the lines of, "No. I can't even remember part 2. Didn't it have something to do with a stupid hospital the whole time?" Not in those exact words (for I watched it a long time ago), but I distinctly remember him (calmly)insulting his memory of the film. It just wasn't a polite statement. But that's not my point. The point is this. How the fu*k can you consider yourself a horror expert if you don't even know shit about Halloween II (1981)? You know what though, screw that. Let's say he doesn't even consider himself an expert on horror, if you're going to frigging remake a Halloween film AT LEAST WATCH ALL THE SEQUALS. Because if he had, he would have at least gotten the fu*king cinematography right (because all the films share that same element) instead of that grainy and shaky cowboy shit full of trashy characters and unnecessary bloody violence (for this type of film). It was done wrong, all wrong, and it could've been better too. This was Zombie?s chance and he blew it. He's now thinking of remaking The Blob. Zombie please don't screw that up, and don't make Sherrie Moon play the Blob, she's too skinny and human looking...oh, and watch The Blob first before you remake it...both of them...they're good movies...don't forget...okay bye.

• David L

  
  Michael Myers is still at large and no less dangerous than ever. After a failed reunion to reach his baby sister at their old home, Laurie Strode is immediately taken to a hospital to be treated by the wounds that had been afflicted by her brother a few hours ago. However, Michael… More
  Michael Myers is still at large and no less dangerous than ever. After a failed reunion to reach his baby sister at their old home, Laurie Strode is immediately taken to a hospital to be treated by the wounds that had been afflicted by her brother a few hours ago. However, Michael isn't too far off and will continue his murdering 'Halloween' rampage until he gets his sister all to himself. When you read or listen to the interviews of director Rob Zombie after the completion of his HALLOWEEN remake, you'd notice he didn't want to make a sequel nor was he planning to. However, a couple of months later, he regained interest in a sequel and had a limited amount of time to shoot the film for the close release date. After watching this film, it's apparent everything was rushed to get this film out of to the deadline. It was as if the script was made up while they were shooting the film. What a mess! The film starts off interesting, to be quite honest. We're given the definition of one of the film's themes: The white horse. I liked it because it gives this franchise a new direction to branch out of than be the usual slasher film. However, it all goes down here from there. The interesting and unique ideas presented in here ends up being quite bland and ridiculous. It's apparent Zombie was trying to make a surrealistic slasher film. In fact, this film would have been the product if director David Lynch made a slasher film. However, everything was executed so badly and confusingly. By the end, there is no words to describe what the white horse is even though we are given the definition of it in the first frame. The film also meanders all over the place between a half-baked surrealistic film and your usual slasher with every cliché that you can ever see in this type of genre. One thing I complained about in the first movie was the violence, which was quite disgusting. Zombie didn't quite go over-the-top with it as one may have feared. However, this film gives "backstabbing" a whole new meaning. Imagine the violence in the first film multiply by 100. The death scenes are so brutal, mean-spirited, and distasteful just for the sake of violence and gore. It was as if Myers took a bottle of steroids since the first film. Where he take an average of three stabs to kill the victims in the first film will take him thirty stabs to overkill the victims in this here. The characters are a mess as well, which is quite a surprise considering all of the surviving cast members from the first film reprise their roles. Scout Taylor-Compton as the heroine is so different from her character in the first film that you almost don't recognize her. She's more bitchy and whiny as ever before. She's bipolar in a way that she screams and cries in one scene and is trashy and happy in the next. Malcolm McDowell isn't much better either. If any, he's worse than Compton. As a stable and understanding psychiatrist in the first film, he's PMSing and a jerk in here. Danielle Harris continues the trend as the evermore annoyed and cranky friend of Compton. Don't get me started on the new cast members. With no hope, it's surprising to say the one saving grace in this entire film with more dimensionality than every character combined is Brad Dourif. His character actually gets more development and I'm saying that in a good way. He gives a terrific performance. Overall, everything seemed to be completely different since the first film. That's also including Haddonfield itself, now looking more like a hillbilly and trashy town more than ever. I would seriously hope the main cause of the film's badness is due to the time constraints it was in because I think Rob Zombie to be a terrific director with his own unique visual style. Sure, some will probably end up liking this film. There always are. However, there's more likely of a chance that one will not like the film. Watch this film only if you can bring yourself to watch it.

• Arash X

  
  Not only the worst Halloween film ever but also one of the worst horror movies ever made, The film's awful pretentiousness kills any chance of enjoying it at least as a so bad it's good horror flick OH and the ending...I just can't find the right words

• Dean M

  
  This sequel of Rob Zombie's 2007 remagining film is really different story to the original 1981 sequel as well as this is more violence, gore and coarse languages. Hate to say... this is quite okay what you can see the rooms and backdrops were dark and sleazy looking. All the… More
  This sequel of Rob Zombie's 2007 remagining film is really different story to the original 1981 sequel as well as this is more violence, gore and coarse languages. Hate to say... this is quite okay what you can see the rooms and backdrops were dark and sleazy looking. All the characters looked like they needed a good bath. The women looked hideous, with mangy hair and dirty punk outfits. What made the John Carpenter original so great was that you had a warm, sweet, feisty young heroine in the form of Jaime Lee Curtis. In this one, you've got a whiny, shrieking, babbling Scout Taylor-Compton, probably the most uncharismatic horror heroine in horror movies. When she's not screaming non-stop, she sobs and goes into convulsions. The Michael Myers monster is like a cartoon. And the final scene in the movie is ridiculously laughable and will most likely give you a WTF look on your face. The first one is more better than this sequel.

• Josh L

  
  If all of the characters from the first movie weren't in this film, you wouldn't even know this is a Halloween movie. It's as far from the roots of the series as any film has ever been. There's no theme music, Michael has his mask off half the time and looks like a… More
  If all of the characters from the first movie weren't in this film, you wouldn't even know this is a Halloween movie. It's as far from the roots of the series as any film has ever been. There's no theme music, Michael has his mask off half the time and looks like a hillbilly with a large jacket, and he grunts and even speaks a word of dialog towards the end. Why? I have no clue, but it certainly makes him less scary... With all this said, this is a brutal and depressingly dark movie that will take some time to get out of my brain. It's images are definitely at times sadistic and there's too much violence, even for a slasher film, but I was never really bored watching it. It's at least interesting from start to finish, even if its pacing isn't consistent and tone switching gears instantly. I do think this would have been a better movie if Rob Zombie had decided to take his "vision" and do an original horror movie rather than butcher classic characters, but the almighty dollar was calling. There's certainly material here that I think would work if someone else besides him was directing too. I hate how he always puts in the white trash talk that is an instant turn off. I just don't think it fits with the source material and it is becoming a cliche in his body of work. Zombie also doesn't have a steady hand on the story which doesn't completely gel, and having two completely different versions of the movie that don't resemble each other that much doesn't help (for the record I watched the "directors cut"). Final thoughts: It wasn't horrible, but it certainly could have been much more.

• Roy G

  
  Ultra-gory sequel/remake is brutally violent, badly made.

• E.J. B

  
  (Review coming soon)

• _kelly .

  
  This must be disappointing movies week for me. Here's the thing: I think Rob Zombie is one of the best film-makers working today and he gets so much shit even though he makes great movies - except for this one. So here's a list of what I don't like about this one:… More
  This must be disappointing movies week for me. Here's the thing: I think Rob Zombie is one of the best film-makers working today and he gets so much shit even though he makes great movies - except for this one. So here's a list of what I don't like about this one: -opens with a dream sequence that probably should have stayed real, especially after the impressive hospital scene over title credits -nevers answers questions as to what happened to Michael in the two years between killing the coroners and re-emerging in a swampy bit of town -defines the "white horse" metaphor at start and then beats us over the head with it every ten minutes -casting and acting of the Laurie part, I think she was far better in Halloween '07 -doing the ""you're safe now", then BOOM and your would be hero is slayed by the killer" several times without any shred of irony or acknowledgement of the device as overused - it's like Zombie is making all the mistakes in his bigtime horror film that he was making fun of in "House of 100 Corpses" and has nothing to say for it except "well it works and it gets me paid. I don't give a fuck if it's lame cuz I made the kill brutal." -overuse of blood to compensate for lack of real tension and horror -underlighting effects scenes (probably cuz all the money was used on the soundtrack licenses) -that Laurie stil didn't know she was Boo, I mean that's kinda BAD police protocol to have not told her with his body not recovered -that you have to buy both DVD versions, director's and theatrical, to get both version of the ending, neither of which totally satisfy and still remain vague - in a bad way - without director's commentary -overlap of Michael and Laurie's visions Things I liked: -overlap of Michael and Laurie's visions -continuation of storyline -art direction -costuming -Michael's look -brutality of the kills -sound effects -consistent blood shades -Loomis as a douchebag -the "I'm done wit dis shit" ending of the director's cut This is a mixed bag movie that could have been 80% better with a little more thought-out and clever script. Lead actress in Laurie's role needed to be recast; I don't think she is directable and every featured extra with a line outdid her. Confusing and ambiguous but not in a good way - in a way that screams half-assery. Gore hounds may see some decent kills but nothing that raises any bars or even stands out as anything other than "I wish they woulda invested the dough to shoot that kill totally lit with top of the line effects instead of blood and bashing indiscernable objects in underlit mostly dark blue tableau". BOTH endings, director's cut and theatrical cut, are disappointing and very bleh. If you are going to watch this flick, check out both endings as they are radically different in terms of who dies and how, but don't expect to find the theatrical ending on the Director's Cut release or vice versa; you will have to go to a streaming or torrent to find the alternate from the version you have. In the theatrical, there are two great effects displays on the kills, but one likes the finality and higher degree of realism of the director's version. Still, like any horror ending, everyone will watch both feeling that it could have been done better. Actually I wouldn't mind this film having "pick an ending" feature where they'd be like five endings. That's almost how you have to play horror because it's a slim margin of horror film that have endings that don't feel hokey, fake, or forced, and Halloween II is definitely not in that elite category.

• A.D. V

  
  Theatrical Cut: Other than Michael's apparent ability to teleport I liked the film just fine, warts and all and ultimately it's really no better or worse than the previous film. Director's Cut: Coming soon

• Luke B

  
  To it's credit, it's better than the majority of sequels in the original Halloween series. Unfortunately, the flaws are just too big to ignore. Zombie is obsessed with creating his own vision and this leads to some bizarre choices and plot details. As before, Zombie wants us… More
  To it's credit, it's better than the majority of sequels in the original Halloween series. Unfortunately, the flaws are just too big to ignore. Zombie is obsessed with creating his own vision and this leads to some bizarre choices and plot details. As before, Zombie wants us to sympathise with the villain, so he is now followed around by a white horse, a younger version of himself and his mother. A choice that cynics will imply was just to get Zombie's wife some more screen time. Mane's ferocious strength translates well, but when walking around as part of the odd-bunch, it becomes distracting. Zombie tries his hand at some artistic flourishes, which would be welcome, and would feel right at home in an original piece. As part of the Halloween mythology, it just sucks out all of the fun. An acceptable slasher, but one that mixes the laughable with the horrific in a tasteless mix.

• Conner R

  
  Rob Zombie has brought back everything I love about the slasher genre with this unrelenting and ruthless trip into madness. Michael knows only two things. One is that he loves his mother and the other is that he must crush and destroy everything in his path. This is one of the most… More
  Rob Zombie has brought back everything I love about the slasher genre with this unrelenting and ruthless trip into madness. Michael knows only two things. One is that he loves his mother and the other is that he must crush and destroy everything in his path. This is one of the most brutal and surreal mainstream horrors. The things that happen are not pretty. Animal killings, decapitations, and blunt trauma are just a few of the things that occur. If I could only recommend one horror movie right now, it would be this.

• Brian D

  
  Halloween 2 picks up after the events of the first one and again we go on a killing ride with Michael Myers. But Rob Zombie pits us with a sheer killing machine and a re-inverted Michael Myers too, more beef up and extremely dangerous and someone you never want to meet in a dark ally.… More
  Halloween 2 picks up after the events of the first one and again we go on a killing ride with Michael Myers. But Rob Zombie pits us with a sheer killing machine and a re-inverted Michael Myers too, more beef up and extremely dangerous and someone you never want to meet in a dark ally. Mr. Zombie again shows he?s a talent as a director given us some of the most terrifying killings I?ve seen, the raw energy that he put into those scenes and nastiness too is truly nerve shattering. The biggest problem is the story, its ok and beings the story together but the middle acted of the movie is slow and dull given that the first 25 mins was so good and extreme. And the conclusion is good but yet again the film is left open which isn?t a surprise. Over all not a bad sequel and some of the terrifying killings put out on screen .But I am hoping the Rob Zombie can move on to something different next time as this guy got talent in horror.

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