Halloween II (2009)

October 19, 2022 7:24 AM

A year after narrowly escaping death at the hands of Michael Myers (Tyler Mane), Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is at the breaking point, pushed to the edge by Dr. Loomis' (Malcolm McDowell) revelation that she's Michael's sister. Little does she know, the unstoppable killer is back in Haddonfield and, driven by visions of their dead mother (Sheri Moon Zombie), he is determined to bring about a bloody family reunion.

Also starring Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Brea Grant, Howard Hesseman, Margot Kidder, and Weird Al Yankovic (as himself).

Written & directed by Rob Zombie.

23% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The theatrical cut is streaming on Peacock. JustWatch listing. The Unrated Director's Cut is the one getting hype right now as underappreciated though. That one takes more work to find.

posted by DirtyOldTown (4 comments total)

Am I recommending this? No. I haven't seen it. But I have read several semi-convincing takes lately insisting that this is the wildest and most ambitious vision in any post-Carpenter franchise entry, particularly if you see the Unrated Director's Cut. So I guess I am going to have to track that down and watch it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:25 AM on October 19, 2022

I went to a Thursday midnight screening when this first opened in 2009 and remembered thinking that it looked amazing but mostly being confounded by it. The movie was shot on ultra-grainy Super 16 film, and it has a lot of really striking compositions throughout. I just finally watched the director's cut version this week and was very impressed. It's really bleak and gruesome, but it's also clear that Zombie spent a lot of thought and care on how to continue the story and the character progressions from the first movie. It's definitely not "fun," but it is certainly a movie only Rob Zombie could have made. If you're into that sort of singular filmmaking (and can stomach the grime and gore), it's definitely worth a watch.
posted by tomorrowromance at 7:52 AM on October 19, 2022 [1 favorite]

I forgot to mention that I watched the director's cut from the Blu-ray in the Halloween: The Complete Collection set. I believe it's identical to standalone Blu-ray of Halloween II, and it does appear that these physical media releases are the only way to see the director's cut as of this writing.
posted by tomorrowromance at 8:10 AM on October 19, 2022

I did find the Unrated Director's Cut for sale on Vudu for $8.99, which isn't that bad for a purchase.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:18 AM on October 19, 2022 [1 favorite]