10 Things You Learn Rewatching Halloween II (1981)

By the time 1981 rolled around, John Carpenter had moved on from Halloween. Carpenter was busy filming Escape From New York and prepping The Thing while Halloween II was filming, and so he left a very big director's chair to fill. After considering several options, the producers and the studio ultimately decided on first-time director, Rick Rosnethal.

And while Rosenthal does a serviceable job, even he has been quick to point out that he was little more than a yes man on this production, attempting to simply keep things as on-brand as possible. Which left plenty of room for returning cinematographer, Dean Cundey, to take center stage.

Cundey's work on the first film was crucial to its success. And here, he is able to take his work to even more delirious heights. His framing is even more precise, his use of light and shadow is even braver, and most notably of all, his introduction of gonzo vibrant colors into the visual palette works some surprisingly delightful wonders.

Choices like the ghoulish green light he uses to light Loomis and Sherrif Leigh Brackett as they drive around Haddonfield are positively inspired. And honestly, one of the most entrancing shots of the entire film is when Loomis is in the back of the car with Marion Chambers. In order to make the car look as if its moving, Cundey uses an assortment of lights arranged all around them to look as if they are flying by various light sources, and it is so ahead of its time its easy to see how Cundey would go on to become Spielberg's go-to DP.