Picking up right where the first HALLOWEEN left off, HALLOWEEN II continues the story of the night HE came home. The notorious Michael Myers is still alive. Dr. Loomis, shouting “I shot him six times…I shot him in the heart…” tries to convince town sheriff Brackett that the monster is still on the loose. Meanwhile, seventeen year old Laurie Strode has been taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital.
After Loomis and Brackett find a trail that leads to the local elementary school, Marion Chambers (the nurse who accompanied Dr. Loomis in the first film) informs Dr. Loomis that by order of the governor, he is to return to Smith’s Grove, and leave Myers for the police.
Meanwhile, Myers has been on a rampage at the hospital. Killing each victim slowly, Myers makes his way through Mr. Garrett, the night watchman, Bud the ambulance driver, nurses Jill, Karen, Janet, and Mrs. Alves, and even the drunken Dr. Mixter. Laurie is left alone in the hospital with Jimmy, an orderly who has taken interest in the young woman.
Jamie Lee Curtis had cut her hair shorter after filming Halloween (1978) and had to wear a wig that matched her original hairstyle for the film.
The original idea for “Halloween II” was that it would take place in a high rise apartment building a few years after the events of Halloween.
Debra Hill told Fangoria in 1981 that there was consideration to make Halloween II a 3D film but it proved to be “far too expensive”. “Also, most of the projects we do involve a lot of night shooting-evil lurks at night. It’s hard to do that in 3D”.
When composing the music for Halloween II, Alan Howarth used John Carpenter’s original score from Halloween and added his tracks on top. If you listen closely you can hear Carpenter’s piano.
Goof: Loomis clearly shoots Myers seven times (instead of six) and you can see Myers backing up a ramp as he falls off the balcony to the front yard. In Halloween he fell to the backyard.
Continuity: As the ambulance approaches HMH, it has two red lights on the hood. In the very next scene the red lights are now on the bumper and they are now flashing.
Continuity: After the deputy slams Ben Trammer into the van and it blows up, his body slumps onto the hood of the car. In the next shot Tramer is upright.
Goof: In the scene where Brackett finds out Myers killed his daughter, right before Sheriff Brackett covers Annie’s face with the sheet, you can clearly she that her eye lids moving.
Dr. Loomis: “I shot him six times, I shot him six times, I shot him in the heart… this guy, this man, he’s not human!”
Laurie: “Don’t let them put me to sleep! Don’t let ’em put me to sleep.”
Dr. Loomis: “Samhain isn’t evil spirits. It isn’t goblins, ghosts or witches. It’s the unconscious mind. We’re all afraid of the dark inside ourselves.”
Mrs. Elrod: “Harold, you want mayonnaise on your sandwich. How about mustard… are you asleep again?”
Halloween II – © 1981 Universal Studios