#4 – Halloween II (2009)
Halloween felt compromised, like half a Zombie film and half a studio film awkwardly mashed together. For better or worse, Halloween II feels 100% like a Rob Zombie film. To some, that was incredibly off-putting. For me? I dug the hell out of it. This is an admittedly flawed film packed with wild moments that borderline on being pretentious, but I love the reach-for-the-stars ambition on display here. Zombie is rampaging through this sequel with as much wild abandon as Michael’s own unhinged nature within it and it makes me smile.
As a result, Halloween II is a brutal, ugly, and uncompromising piece of work. It’s no wonder it was divisive upon release and remains so until this day. The film is a rather bonkers take on both the characters and the franchise as a whole, pulling in way more esoteric elements than its predecessor. It’s also one of the few slasher sequels to actually tackle elements of PTSD in surviving victims head on. Few stalk-and-slash franchises dwell on such themes and certainly not in so a dark fashion. I understand why many (most?) do not like the film, but I dig its unique direction. I’d even go so far as to declare it one of my five favorite films in the Halloween franchise, but that’s a discussion for another time.
