After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.
Halloween II is good enough to deserve a sequel of its own.
– Janet Maslin,
New York Times,
30 Aug 2004
rotten:
It's a little sad to witness a fall from greatness, and that's what we get in Halloween II.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
23 Oct 2004
fresh:
The result won't make any converts, but Jamie Lee Curtis is as good as ever.
– Derek Adams,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
rotten:
This uninspired version amounts to lukewarm sloppy seconds in comparison to the original film that made director John Carpenter a hot property.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
27 Aug 2007
rotten:
Rick Rosenthal, who directed this 1981 sequel, doesn't have Carpenter's expansive, affectionate way with stereotypical characters, and without it they're empty shells -- bodies waiting for the slaughter.