of the gory "Halloween" imitations that have glutted the film market, the filmmakers of "Halloween II" quickly point out the difference between building fear and suspense, and repulsing an audience.

"We started the cycle with "Halloween" says producer Debra Hill, "and maybe we'll end it with 'Halloween II.' People don't seem to realize that we showed next to no blood in the first picture. You think you're seeing a lot more than we're showing you. Chopping of people's limbs isn't scary or entertaining, it's disgusting." That "Halloween" was the first and most successful in the cycle seems to bear her out.

"Halloween II" is unusual in many respects as a sequel, perhaps most striking being that it begins immediately following the conclusion of the original. It is a sequel concept that may not have been exercised since "The Bride Of Frankenstein" in 1935. While the first film ends with the disappearance of the seemingly indestructible Shape, the sequel opens with his escape.

"Halloween II" was shot on location all around the greater Los Angeles area, much of it in the corridors of area hospitals. The stalking killer with a purpose is out of the streets and, this time, into the emergency ward. The resultant terrors he leaves in his wake are of the most horrifying sort.

Though it may surprise some native and transplanted Angelenos, it is possible to recreate a small midwestern town in the heart of Hollywood, and without having to build it. The Haddonfield home of Laurie Strode was actually in the