Jun 152013
Halloween II / Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Double Feature)
HALLOWEEN II Picking up precisely where its predecessor left off, Halloween II follows the same ill-fated characters as they encounter the knife-wielding maniac they left for dead in the first Halloween. It seems the inhuman Michael Myers is still very much alive and out for more revenge as he stalks the deserted halls of the hospital where his sister lies waiting. As he gets closer and closer to his terrified target, Dr. Loomis discovers the chilling mystery behind the crazed psychopath’s savag
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a Halloween fan’s delight – two for the price of one!,
in this two disc collection, you’ll find the only two Halloween films Universal Studios produced, the decent Halloween II and the odious Halloween III: Season of the Witch. so why did i give this product five stars? because i’m a Halloween fan and i know any other fan of the series will want to get this.
Halloween II picks up where John Carpenter’s classic left off. unstoppable killer Michael Myers is still on the loose, carving his way through victims on a bloody path that leads to the hospitalized Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). a large portion of the film takes place in a hospital, which is somewhat dismaying because a hospital isn’t a very fitting setting for a movie that takes place on Halloween night. and the blood and violence is ratcheted up considerably this time around, after its predecessor inspired a boom of gore-filled holiday slasher copycats that Halloween II had to keep pace with. the ending is explosive and seemingly final, leading to…
Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the misunderstood child of the franchise. Halloween III was an experiment in sequel-making, the result of Carpenter’s choice to end the Michael Myers saga which seemingly petered out at the end of Halloween II. Carpenter and partner Debra Hill were approached by Universal for another Halloween film, so they decided to turn the series into a sort of anthology in the same vein as The Twilight Zone, where each installment was its own self-contained story but involving the dark holiday in some way. with the aid of famous screenwriter Nigel Kneale, they concocted a story involving an evil novelty company using Halloween masks in an attempt to invoke Halloween’s mystical past by murdering millions of children on Halloween night. the film shares some aesthetic similarities to the previous two films (the opening credits involving the visage of a jack o’lantern and mysterious, calm killers whom seem to be able to walk faster than a normal person can run) but the comparisons really end there. the film shares more in common with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, sharing a disastrous, wide-spread conspiracy threat that the world needs to be alerted about before it’s too late.
the film is incredibly flawed (apparently, the evil plot which takes effect at 9 PM throught the country, but time zones didn’t seem to be a major factor in the plot’s planning), but the film can be admired as a cautionary tale of commercialism gone mad and technology made for our enjoyment and benefit being used against us.
both these films can be seen as the trial-and-error genesis of the movie sequel. one film adheres to the repetitive-yet-popular nature of most sequels, while the other film completely abandons popular movie sequel formula. Halloween fans will definitely like this product, but film buffs and students of film can find plenty to learn from with these two movies.
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|Two and Three, my Halloween saga recommendations, once you own the original of course!,
There have been many sequels to John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, “Halloween”, including an uncalled for remake that spawned its own sequel. But, I don’t think I could give a higher recommendation to any of the sequels than I can to this particular pair, except maybe “H2O”, which wasn’t a masterpiece but at least dealt with the original victim character of Laurie Strode. However, before I go into WHY I recommend these two sequels, let me give the customary brief synopses.
“Halloween II”, from 1981, picks up right where the original classic film left off. On that same fateful Halloween night in 1978, Michael Myers is still on the loose, Dr. Loomis is still in hot pursuit, and Laurie Strode is still fighting to stay alive, this time from largely from a hospital bed. The movie itself is little more than an extension of the hunt for Michael and an increase to his body count, a story-less plot that is the main reason I don’t like slasher film sequels (and many slasher film originals) and tend to lean towards monster-type horror films. However, read on to find out why I feel this one can be one of the more enjoyable Halloween sequels.
“Halloween III: Season of the Witch” is a complete change of tactics from the creators of the film series. Leaving Michael Myers for dead, this 1982 film was meant to turn the Halloween franchise into something that the Myers fans didn’t allow. A shame too, because it would have meant completely new horror stories set on the holiday in each new installment. The first and only one in this attempt at turning Halloween into an anthology series, “Halloween III” is about a doctor who travels to a strange little town to investigate a mysterious death. While there, he and the daughter of the deceased strike up a romance and uncover a disturbing plot by a mad warlock to exterminate countless children and their families through murderous Halloween masks. Horror films always fit well around Halloween, but this much maligned sequel is one of the few that I consider a must-watch near or on October 31st.
So, why do I recommend these two installments of the Halloween franchise above all the other sequels? Let’s start with Halloween 2. As a standalone film, this doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. It is nothing more than an extension of the ending of the original John Carpenter masterpiece. This really is nothing more than a feature-length extension of that film’s climax. There’s no plot. There are new characters, but they don’t amount to much in the long run. What makes this film work is that, with the returning cast, writers, and crew members, you can watch this film right after the original as though it is one long movie, and in that way it works well; especially if you enjoy all the chasing around of slasher films, which I admit gets a little boring for me, but with the superior style and cast of this film compared to the many lame copycats, it is still entertaining. This one also has the big reveal of Laurie’s relationship to Michael, which I assume was only cooked up to give this one more importance. Admittedly, even John Carpenter and co-writer Debra Hill didn’t want to make this story-less sequel, but they manage to keep it interesting with the great visuals and dialogue, and a classically disturbing scene about the whole razorblades in the candy scare that was prominent at the time. So, basically, this is a great one to directly follow (and I mean immediately) a viewing of the original film. Together, it’s like an extended cut version of “Halloween”. Though, if you don’t have the original film handy, then no point viewing this one. Recommended as the “Halloween” 1978 companion.
As for “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”, this is the one that is great as a standalone film. It needs no prior knowledge of the previous 2 films. This is its own story. Why do I love this one? Well, besides the fact that I would have loved the whole idea of making the film franchise an anthology series, this one is just a disturbing little film. I mean, the evil conspiracy plot of the villain is just so wicked, and he and his creations so creepy, that it’s just a really fun movie! Granted, it requires an attentive viewer. It has a big Nancy Drew quality of sneaking around in the dark trying to unveil a plot, but it’s full of worthwhile stuff, including the crazy death scenes, kind of attractive in a different sort of way female lead, and of course that unforgettable television commercial jingle, “Eight more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween; Eight more days till Halloween, Silver Shamrock!” I’m part of a small group of folks who really love this one!
So, that’s the films in a nutshell. Part 2 brings back Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence, while Part 3 stars Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, and Dan O’Herlihy. The double feature DVD release is basically a repackaging of the two films’ separate disc releases, so we happily get two separate discs here rather…
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|Halloween’s weirdest sequels.,
Halloween II: Not at all the best in the series. Better than Curse of Michael Myers, but worse than all the others. It has no real characters and no real plot. Just a pick up of where the last one left us to a cat-and-mouse through a hospital to Michael’s death. That’s about it.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch is my personal favorite of all the sequels. Too many people give this film a hard time because boo-hoo, Michael isn’t in it. Yeah, like we really need to see him running around stabbing people again. This is more of a spooky film and gets away from the slasher angle of the others.
I give Halloween 2 only 2 stars, but Halloween 3 gets 5 stars.
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