Halloween II (1981) - 5/10

Huge step down from the first. For the first hour, Laurie Strode is barely in it, and the screen is occupied by forgettable and often annoying characters, like that paramedic guy who seduces the nurse. The film relied more on shock value than actual suspense and scares, such as the scalding water death, which was very unnecessary. Thankfully Dr Loomis provided mild relief and good character moments when he was on screen (which, a lot of the time, he wasn’t) and the music and directing were, like the first, very great. It also includes what I think is the best jump scare I’ve seen in a film (in which the music abruptly stops when the scare happens, instead of an obnoxious music cue or loud noise occuring). Overall, while it wasn’t terrible, I don’t think I’ll be re-watching it along with the original.