In Defense Of: “Halloween II” (1981)

Of course, I would be remiss to not mention what Halloween II is most famous for, which is the late reveal that Laurie and Michael are siblings. On one hand, it does sort of deflate the idea that Michael is just a force of nature, and I personally can understand why many may find it – to put it bluntly – stupid, particularly since it gives Michael a motivation the character really didn’t need. Laurie has convenient flashbacks partway through the film where she figures out their connection on her own, while Loomis learns of it in the final act, but it feels less like a clicking together of puzzle pieces and more a needless attempt to ground Michael in a way that does the film a disservice.

On the other hand, it’s hard not to view the reveal through the lens of how influential it was on both pop culture and the future of the franchise. How many people on the street know the name Maggie Burroughs, let alone that she’s Freddy Krueger’s daughter, which was otherwise a pretty massive reveal for the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise? Likely not many. But how many people know Michael and Laurie are siblings? A lot.

This single twist led to the arrival of Jamie Lloyd to the franchise in the fourth through sixth films. It gave us 1998’s Halloween: H20, a pretty solid sequel that saw Jamie Lee Curtis return to the series so that brother and sister could truly go head to head. It carried over into Rob Zombie’s two films as well. And even Green’s effort, which ignores the events of Halloween II, has had characters within it address the famed connection by dismissing it as a mere rumor to make it clear to audiences that it won’t be adhering to that crucial piece of the mythology that has defined the series for decades.

Whether you like the twist or not, it’s hard to deny that Halloween II was influential, but even with the twist set aside, the sequel still stands as a great companion piece to the first film because it actively set out to wrap the Myers saga up for good. Even though that attempt ultimately failed in the long run, it’s still admirable for what it gets right. It never feels like it spits in the face of the first movie, even if the focus on a higher body count pushes it deeper into the type of standard slasher fare that permeated the decade, and is a nice send-off for its three core characters despite the fact they’d all eventually return.

Even though Rosenthal lacks a certain visual edge that Carpenter brought to the table, his efforts to adhere to the groundwork of the first film ensured that Halloween II is enjoyably efficient. And with Carpenter and Hill still in the fold at that point – they’d go on to leave the franchise after Season of the Witch – there’s at least a tangible sense that everyone involved was invested in wrapping this up, and for a follow-up we didn’t need but got anyway, that’s a quiet blessing that helps it hold up better than it has any right to.