Halloween II (also known as simply H2) is a 2009 American slasher film, written and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the tenth in the Halloween film series and the sequel to Zombie's 2007 remake of 1978's Halloween. Starring Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, and Scout Taylor-Compton, the film follows Laurie Strode as she deals with the aftermath of the Haddonfield murders and her deteriorating relationship with fellow survivor Annie Brackett, Dr. Loomis trying to capitalize on those events with a new book, and Michael Myers as he seeks to reunite with his sister on Halloween once more.
For Halloween II, Zombie decided to focus more on the connection between Strode and Myers, and the idea that they share similar psychological problems. He wanted the sequel to be more realistic and more violent than the previous film, and to portray how the events of the first film affected the characters. Zombie also wanted to provide a glimpse into each character's psyche. Principal photography took place in Covington, Georgia, which provided Zombie with the visual style he was looking for. Zombie had trouble finding a place to include John Carpenter's original Halloween theme music, and it was only included in the final shot.
Halloween II was released in the United States on August 28, 2009, to negative reviews from critics. On October 30, it was re-released in North America to coincide with the Halloween holiday weekend. The film did not do as well as the previous installment, grossing $40 million against its $15 million budget. Zombie declined to return to film a further sequel, and the next installment, Halloween 3D, was cancelled in 2012.
