It is still Halloween night 1978 and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is in Haddonfield Hospital recovering from Michael Myers’ near-fatal attack upon her in John Carpenter’s seminal horror film.
She now believes Myers to be dead, but somehow he comes back from the grave and the mayhem begins all over again.
The majority of the hospital staff have gone home for the evening and those who remain, like Karen (Pamela Susan Shoop) and Bud (Leo Rossi), head to the hot tub for a quick make-out session.
This becomes one of the film’s stand out murder sequences as Michael looms in the background, pumps up the heat lever on the tub forcing Bud to get out; strangles him before continually dunking Karen’s face in the scolding hot water simultaneously burning and drowning her to death.
It’s the movie’s nastiest kill, but it was lifted directly from Italian master of horror Dario Argento’s Deep Red (1975).
Slowly but surely, Michael makes his way through all of the hospital staff – Jimmy (Lance Guest), Graham (Jeffrey Kramer), Jill (Tawny Moyer), head nurse Mrs Alves (Gloria Gifford), Janet (Ana Alicia), Dr Mixter (Ford Rainey) and bumbling security guard Mr Garrett (Cliff Emmich) – and tracks down Laurie for a drawn-out chase through the building for the conclusion.
At this point, Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasence) finds out about a secret file that was sealed after Michael was institutionalised that revealed his true relationship with Laurie Strode.
It turns out Laurie is, in fact, his sister, and since he murdered his older sister when he was 6 years old, they deduct that he’s obviously come back home to kill his other sister.
With the exception of H20, the sequels to John Carpenter’s 1978 horror masterpiece have been universally awful. However, like the aforementioned 1998 version, this was the only one to feature the original star, Jamie Lee Curtis, and is a better film for it.
Carpenter had a hand in the script but this is a by-the-numbers retread and the direction of Rick Rosenthal lacks flair.
Laurie Strode
Jamie Lee Curtis Dr Sam Loomis
Donald Pleasence Sheriff Leigh Brackett
Charles Cyphers Graham
Jeffrey Kramer Jimmy
Lance Guest Karen
Pamela Susan Shoop Gary Hunt
Hunter Von Leer Budd
Leo Rossi Janet
Ana Alicia Dr Mixter
Ford Rainey Mrs Alves
Gloria Gifford Jill
Tawny Moyer Mr Garrett
Cliff Emmich Marion
Nancy Stephens Marshall
John Zenda Mrs Elrod
Lucille Bensen Craig
Bill Warlock Randy
Jonathan Prince Gary’s mother
Leigh French Young Gary
Ty Mitchell Annie
Nancy Loomis Laurie’s mother
Pamela Mcmyler Laurie’s father
Dennis Holahan Young Laurie
Nichole Drucker Young Michael Myers
Adam Gunn Bennett Tramer
Jack Verbois Michael Myers, age 23
Tony Moran Lindsey
Kyle Richards Tommy
Brian Andrews Alice
Anne Bruner
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She now believes Myers to be dead, but somehow he comes back from the grave and the mayhem begins all over again.
Laurie Strode
