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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Halloween II (1981) in Movies

Mar 5, 2021

Halloween II (1981)

1981 | Horror

7.4

(23 Ratings)

Movie Rating

There's a fair amount to love about Halloween II, a sequel set on the same night as the original, immediately following that films ending.
For instance, I can admire the style that director Rick Rosenthal was going for, attempting to make his sequel feel as much like the first film as possible, the idea being that you could watch both back to back.
There a few creepy shots here and there. One that really sticks is the shot of Michael in the darkness just before the poor nurse get killed with a syringe. Another is Michael on the CCTV when he first enters the hospital. Another is when Laurie see Michael across the parking lot underneath a red light. and then there's Michael with blood running out of the eye holes in his mask, followed by him walking out of that one room completely ablaze. It's all to do with Michael then! Once again, this movie showcases how his straightforward design is striking and rightly iconic.
It's nice to see Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie, and Donald Pleasance back as Loomis. All in all, it does truly feel like a sequel, but there's something missing.

The original is one of my favourite horrors ever made, and Halloween II, despite its positives, just fails to capture the same essence. This is partly to do with the script. It feels like a lot of the actors were just told to ad lib all their lines or something. The tension building scenes go on for a little too long also, ironically voiding a few scenes of said tension. It's feels like the first film in everything but execution pretty much.

It's a heavily flawed sequel, but it's still a decent watch, and is certainly one of the better sequels in this long running series. It deserves credit for the bit near the beginning where Loomis shouts "you don't know what death is!" before the synth heavy version of the theme tune kicks in, that was badass.

Kudos

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Angel: Book 1 in Books

Jan 6, 2021

Angel: Book 1

L.A. Weatherly | 2013 | Children

4.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

This review and more can be found at my blog <a href="https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com/">A Romance Reader's Reviews</a>

1.5 stars

I finally finished it!

This begins with Alex out on an angel kill, introducing us to what he does in life and the danger angels pose to the public. Then we meet Willow as she fixes a car in the school parking lot before a popular girl from school asks her to do a psychic reading on her and Willow reluctantly agrees. What she sees freaks her out and starts a train of events that cause her to be hunted down by every angel and member of the Church of Angels in America. Luckily she runs into Alex and together they go on a journey across the country to try and find out more about Willow's past and how to stop the angels forever.

I didn't buy this that long ago and got it cheap off a second hand site. I thought with it being a YA Paranormal book that I'd get sucked right into it but I didn't (I started it last November). It took over 100 pages for something exciting to happen and a little longer before it really got going and then I was sucked in enough to read about 50 pages at a time. It did turn into a quick read after that and I'd finished the book within three days but I wasn't really interested in the story, I just wanted to finish it.

I liked how the angels were bad in this, that is definitely new to me. They're normally the good guys come to save the world and the people who live on it, not the bad guys who are feeding off humans to survive.

I can't say I was fond of either main character and I felt their love for each other came out of nowhere. This book just didn't gel with me at all and I won't be continuing the series.