10 Things You Learn Rewatching Halloween II (1981)

After the original film became such a massive success, producers and studios were quick to hop on the Halloween bandwagon, looking to produce a follow-up. Many saw the first film's open ending as a cliffhanger, rather than the final statement that Carpenter intended, which lead to them believing that a sequel was practically mandatory.

While Carpenter and Hill were reluctant, they did agree to return to write the script and produce the film. And by far, one of their most ingenious ideas, when it came to the sequel, was to set it immediately after the first film's ending. Financially, it's a smart move because it allowed Universal to literally advertise it as "More of the Night He Came Home" as if it was a natural extension of the first film that had always been planned.

But beyond that, one of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the way in which Carpenter and Hills' script analyses the way in which people react in the immediate aftermath. It showcases the people of Haddonfield developing a mob-mentality, as they all gather around the scenes of the murders. One particularly great scene even has a mob vandalising the old Myers' house in protest.

It's a strikingly realistic picture of the fervour with which innocent people can react in the aftermath of such heinous events. These details flesh out Haddonfield as a setting and payoff Loomis' warning from the first film to the police that if the public found out Michael Myers was back, they'd "see him on every street corner" and "look for him in every house".