Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal in his directorial debut, written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Dr. Sam Loomis. It is the second installment in the Halloween film series and a direct sequel to Halloween (1978). The plot picks up directly after the first film, with Michael Myers following survivor Laurie Strode to the local hospital, while his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis continues his pursuit of him.
On October 31, 1978, Michael Myers is shot and falls off a balcony. Taking shelter to recover from his injuries, Michael steals a kitchen knife from the home of an elderly couple, and kills a teenage girl living next door. Laurie Strode, who narrowly avoided being killed by Michael earlier in the night, is taken to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, while Michael’s psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, continues his pursuit of his patient. Accompanied by Sheriff Leigh Brackett, Loomis mistakes teenager Ben Tramer for Michael, when Ben gets hit by a squad car which pins him to another vehicle that bursts into flames, killing him. Upon learning his daughter Annie was killed by Michael, Sheriff Brackett goes off duty to inform his wife, leaving Deputy Gary Hunt in charge to help Loomis.
At the hospital, paramedic Jimmy becomes attracted to Laurie. Michael discovers Laurie’s location after overhearing a news broadcast and makes his way to the hospital. Upon arrival, he cuts the phone lines and disables the cars. He wanders the halls in search of Laurie, killing security guards, doctors, and nurses that get in his way. Jimmy and nurse Jill Franco search the hospital for Laurie, who is trying to evade Michael. Jimmy finds the corpse of head nurse Virginia Alves and slips in a pool of blood on the floor, hitting his head and leaving himself unconscious. While Laurie wanders the hospital, she has a few dreams in which she recalls learning that she was adopted and had been with a pre-teen Michael. Meanwhile, Loomis is informed that Michael had broken into the local elementary school. As he investigates, he discovers clues connecting Michael to Samhain and the occult which might explain his apparent indestructibility, but his colleague, Marion Chambers, arrives to escort him back to Smith’s Grove on the governor’s orders under the enforcement of a US Marshal. Along the way, Marion tells Loomis that Laurie is Michael’s sister; Laurie was put up for adoption after the death of Michael’s parents, with the records sealed to protect the family. With the realization that Michael is after Laurie and being told that she was taken to Haddonfield Memorial, Loomis forces the Marshal to drive back to Haddonfield.
After killing Jill, a scalpel-wielding Michael finds and pursues Laurie through the hospital. She flees to the parking lot, and hides in Jimmy’s car. Regaining consciousness, Jimmy exits the hospital and reunites with Laurie, but falls unconscious once again, due to his earlier head injury, on the steering wheel horn. Loomis, Marion, and the Marshal reach the hospital just in time to save Laurie as Michael reappears. As Marion attempts to contact the police, Michael kills the Marshal.
Loomis and Laurie are chased by Michael into an operating theater. Michael stabs Loomis in the stomach, wounding him, but Laurie shoots Michael in the eyes, blinding him. Loomis and Laurie fill the room with ether and oxygen gas. Loomis orders Laurie to run and proceeds to cause an explosion, blowing up the operating room with him and Michael inside, immolating them both in the fire. Michael, engulfed in flames, stumbles out of the room before finally falling down. The next morning, a traumatized Laurie is transferred to another hospital.
