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HALLOWEEN II (1981) – Episode 205 – Decades of Horror 1980s

Jeff Mohr08 mins

“He was my patient for fifteen years. He became an obsession with me until I realized that there was nothing within him, neither conscious nor reason that was… even remotely human. An hour ago, I stood up and fired six shots into him, and then, he just got up and walked away. ” He shot him! Six times! …or was it seven? Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr  – as they count the shots The Shape takes from Dr. Loomis in Halloween II (1981).

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 205 – Halloween II (1981)

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While Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.

IMDb

Halloween II, the sometimes denigrated sequel to the original, is Jeff’s pick. The film picks up right where Halloween (1978) left off but with much more of an 80s slasher feel than the first entry in the franchise. Jeff laments the “apparent” loss of Dr. Loomis and thinks Laurie Strode is more of a target than an active participant. Crystal advises viewers that if they watch Halloween II without thinking too much, they’ll have a good time. She doesn’t care one way or the other about the reveal that Laurie is Michael’s sister and points out Michael’s move into the realm of the supernatural with his ability to survive umpteen point-blank gunshots.

Chad is glad Halloween II is different from the first entry in the franchise. To his mind, it would have failed if the filmmakers had tried to copy John Carpenter’s seminal work. He agrees that the filmmakers beefed up the gore and the violence to compete with early 80s slashers. He liked it coming out of the theater in 1981 and he still likes it. Though admittedly not fond of the Halloween franchise, Bill enjoys Halloween II more now than when he first saw it. He still doesn’t care for the Laurie-is-Michael’s-sister twist, pointing out that the idea doesn’t really go anywhere in this specific movie.

Collectively, your 1980s Grue-Crew enjoy Halloween II and though admitting it doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, give it a hearty recommendation. Hey! It’s Halloween! At the time of this writing, Halloween II can be streamed from Shudder and Tubi (w/ads) and is available on physical media as a SHOUT! Factory Collector’s Edition [4K UHD] and on Blu-ray as a stand-alone or in a variety of box set combinations from multiple companies.

For more Halloween franchise-related podcasts, check out these episodes from the Gruesome Magazine family of podcasts:

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Bill will be Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce (1985). 

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans:  leave them a message or leave a comment on the gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the website or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

Jeff Mohr
Jeff lives smack dab in the middle of the cornfields of Iowa and is a long-time horror fan. His first remembered encounters with the genre were The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan gorilla chases, and watching the first broadcast of The Twilight Zone episode, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." While he now qualifies as an old fart, he strives to be an Old Boy. Paraphrasing Robert Bloch, he has the heart of a small boy. He keeps it in a jar on his desk.

Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.

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