Halloween II

Halloween II is a 1981 American horror slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and originally served as a direct sequel to Halloween (1978), until it was retconned by the 2018 film serving as a direct sequel to the 1978 film. The plot picks up directly after the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.

Though Carpenter and Hill co-wrote the screenplay to the sequel, Carpenter was reluctant to extend his involvement and refused to direct, instead appointing the direction to Rosenthal. Stylistically, Halloween II reproduces certain key elements that made the original Halloween a success, such as first-person camera perspectives, and the film picks up right at the end of the cliffhanger ending of the original film and was intended to finish the story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. It also introduces the plot twist of Laurie Strode being the sister of Michael Myers

Plot

On October 31, 1978, Michael Myers is shot and falls off a balcony. Taking shelter to recover from his injuries, Michael steals a kitchen knife from the home of an elderly couple, and kills a teenage girl living next door. Laurie Strode, who narrowly avoided being killed by Michael earlier in the night, is taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, while Michael's psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, continues his pursuit of his patient. Accompanied by Sheriff Leigh Brackett, Loomis mistakes a teenager Ben Tramer for Michael, when Ben gets hit by a squad car which pins him to another vehicle that bursts into flames, killing him. Upon learning his daughter Annie was killed by Michael, Sheriff Brackett goes off duty to inform his wife, leaving Deputy Gary Hunt in charge to help Loomis.

At the hospital, paramedic Jimmy begins to fall in love with Laurie. Michael discovers Laurie's location after overhearing a news broadcast and makes his way to the hospital. Upon arrival, he cuts the phone lines and disables the cars. He wanders the halls in search for Laurie, killing security guards, doctors, and nurses that get in his way. Jimmy and nurse Jill Franco search the hospital for Laurie, who is trying to evade Michael. Jimmy finds the corpse of head nurse Virginia Alves and slips in a pool of blood on the floor, hitting his head and passing out. While Laurie wanders the halls of the hospital, she has a few dreams in which she recalls learning that she was adopted and had been with a pre-teen Michael. Meanwhile, Loomis is informed that Michael had broken into the local elementary school. As he investigates, he discovers clues connecting Michael to Samhain and the occult which might explain his apparent indestructibility, but his colleague, Marion Chambers, arrives to escort him back to Smith's Grove on the governor's orders under the enforcement of a US Marshal. Along the way, Marion tells Loomis that Laurie is Michael's sister; Laurie was put up for adoption after the death of Michael's parents, with the records sealed to protect the family. With the realization that Michael is after Laurie and being told that she was taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, Loomis forces the Marshal, at gunpoint, to drive back to Haddonfield.

After killing Jill, Michael finds and pursues Laurie through the hospital. She flees to the parking lot, and hides in Jimmy's car. Jimmy has awakened and he exits the hospital. He gets in his car with Laurie and attempts to drive away but he passes out again on the steering wheel horn, which alerts Michael of Laurie's location. Loomis, Marion, and the Marshal reach the hospital just in time to save Laurie, and Loomis shoots Michael six times once again. While Marion attempts to call the police, Michael awakens and kills the Marshal.

Michael chases Loomis and Laurie into an operating room and stabs Loomis in the stomach with a scalpel. Laurie blinds Michael by shooting him in the eyes with the Marshal's gun. As Michael staggers around trying to find them, Loomis and Laurie fill the room with gas. Loomis orders Laurie to run and proceeds to ignite the gas, immolating Michael and himself in an explosion. Loomis is presumed dead. Michael, engulfed in flames, follows Laurie out of the room before collapsing. The next morning, Laurie is transferred to another hospital.

The television version includes an extended ending where Laurie finds Jimmy alive in the back of an ambulance.

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode

Nichole Drucker as Young Laurie Strode

Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis

Charles Cyphers as Sheriff Leigh Brackett

Lance Guest as Jimmy

Pamela Susan Shoop as Nurse Karen Bailey

Hunter von Leer as Deputy Gary Hunt

Tawny Moyer as Nurse Jill Franco

Ana Alicia as Nurse Janet Marshall

Nancy Stephens as Marion Chambers

Dick Warlock as Patrolman #3

Adam Gunn as Young Michael Myers

Nick Castle as Michael Myers

Gloria Gifford as Nurse Virginia Alves

Leo Rossi as Budd Scarlotti

Ford Rainey as Dr. Frederick Mixter

Jeffrey Kramer as Graham

Cliff Emmich as Bernard Garrett

John Zenda as Marshal Terrence Gummell

Anne Bruner as Alice Martin

Lucille Benson as Mrs Elrod

Catherine Bergstrom as Debra Lane

Anne-Marie Martin as Darcy Essmont

Dana Carvey as Barry McNichol

Billy Warlock as Craig Levant

Nancy Loomis as Annie Brackett (corpse cameo)

Brian Andrews as Tommy Doyle dagger

Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace dagger

Jonathan Prince as Randy Lohnner

Jack Verbois as Ben Tramer