8 Most Criminally Unloved Slasher Movie Sequels

Commencing just seconds after the first film finishes, this Michael Myers killing spree continues into the same blood-drenched night on October 31, 1978. Because of this, for those who ever sit down to enjoy John Carpenter’s Halloween, it’s important you know that this direct sequel released three years later in 1981 could and should always be watched straight after. It’s basically a part-two continuation of the first film’s events, brilliantly concluding Laurie Strode’s Halloween night in Haddonfield town hospital.

Like the original, Halloween 2 has that stripped-back, atmospheric-type feel to its story-telling, and the shadow-lurking Michael Myers is just as hauntingly sinister. With this sequel being so directly linked to the original premise, it’s an utter travesty part two never gets the recognition it deserves as an integral part of such a beloved slasher franchise.

As it is with most slasher sequels, there is, of course, still some flaws that were ultimately avoidable - firstly, Michael’s stretched-out and yellowing mask is frustratingly not quite the same, and there’s some pretty dodgy camera work in some of the chase scenes - but because John Carpenter and Debra Hill returned as its screenplay writers, there’s still so much joyous suspense that keeps your heart nervously pounding. Jamie Lee-Curtis is just as charming in her symbolic final girl role too.