Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: An anthology tale told through the eyes of private investigators watching strange videotapes.
Review: As a big fan of the first film, I had really high hopes for this followup, but, honestly, I think it was rushed out too fast and suffered due to this. The first film had an extra segment, a more focused sense of direction, better special effects, a realistic, almost, snuff film-esque vibe, and more interesting ideas. Most importantly, there was no learning from the previous mistakes. This is not to say this film is bad by any means, and, in fact, it's quite good, but it just wasn't as good as it could/should have been. With this kind of a premise, the possibilities should be limitless, yet the stories felt cliched and unoriginal for the most part. They are presented strongly enough, but they play off shock value rather than any attempts to be scary or intriguing like the first film managed to execute more successfully. However, I did really enjoy the creativity toward how to introduce individuals using cameras this time around.
The Wraparound: I should note that I greatly appreciate the attention to the wraparounds in this franchise since many anthology tales lack a guiding theme, but, eh, this was a mixed bag for me. While I loved the idea of private investigators looking into a missing kid and then stumble upon the videotape collection, there was just something amiss. Everything felt too similar to the first wraparound except minus the suspense. Not pursuing the mysterious angle set up from the last film was a mistake although there was a cameo of sorts referencing those guys. We never discovered what was the whole deal going on with the old man and tapes the last time, but here we have things play out more straightforward with a worried mom hiring the investigators. Why the kid had the tapes is not addressed nor is this ambiguous nature to what happens to an individual who watches them. Having a "person" lurking in the background in between segments was cool, but it didn't have me on edge as it easily could have; I guess because I already knew it would just be the kid they're looking for. The first film dropped the ball toward the end of their wraparound as well, but this entry decided to follow suit for whatever reason. So watching the tapes makes you a demon zombie or something? Lame. I know they could have come up with a better plot line than that. But, to be fair, closing out on the wraparound was smarter than ending it after a segment like part one did.
Segment 1: This one started off with a lot of promise and pulled off that edge of your seat approach. Unfortunately, it was not able to maintain that ambiance and veered off into stupid territory too fast. Basically, some guy receives a prototype eye prosthesis that has an internal camera. For some inexplicable reason, this prototype allows the man to see the dead around him. The early scares work well with a body outline under the covers and a little girl at the end of a hallway teleporting in front of the man. That sense of thrill dies down quickly as we are introduced to some chick that explains the same thing happened to her after she received a similar ear prosthesis and can hear ghosts. For some random reason, the two fuck pointlessly in order to not give the ghosts attention, which, apparently, fuels their ability to interact with you. Before you even have a chance to say "what the fuck" this girl is immediately killed off. Then the guy somehow gains the cojones to cut out his camera eye. However, the ghosts grab the eye and shove it down the guy's throat before the segment comes to an abrupt end. I'd say this story was trying to be subtle implying the ghosts were perhaps killed by the man in the same accident that caused him to lose his eye, but the ghosts look to be wearing seriously outdated clothes so...I don't understand the point to anything. Some decent chills, but otherwise forgettable and wasted potential.
Segment 2: It's hard to explain, but there was something so shallow about this story. Clearly they were hoping to be, somewhat, original, but it came off too comical while trying to be sentimental or something? Essentially, we are shown a zombie attack (outbreak-ish?) from the perspective of the zombies. Some guy goes biking when he stumbles across a sickly woman asking for help. After seeing some obvious zombies, he is predictably attacked by the woman and later turns into a zombie himself. All of this is great and the methodical transition from human to zombie was interesting. As I mentioned in other reviews for film's that experimented with this notion, we so rarely see the villain's perspective that it's refreshing and I applaud the attempt. The man turns others into zombies and they attack a kid's birthday party. This is where things get too comical with people trying to fight the zombies and wimping out by not killing any kids. Oh come on, I thought this franchise was supposed to be pushing the envelope?! Finally, the man sees himself as a zombie, contemplates what he has become and blows his own head off. Seriously, a sad zombie? You want to know how this should have really ended? The girlfriend he had been talking to earlier should have been at the party and it concludes with him eating her or her being forced to be the one to put him down after he munches on some kids! Don't bitch out on me here, take things up a notch! I'd say this was the weakest of the stories because it kind of goes nowhere while playing on a novelty that was not implemented to the greatest capability.
Segment 3: This is probably the best of the bunch with some really great ideas, but it tackled much more than it could handle in such a short period of time. Either more focus should have been applied to the plot, dropping the loose ends, or they should take these concepts and rework them into a full film that can explore the ideas in detail. So there is some weird cult in Indonesia that, admittedly, is as cliched as they come, but while the approach to the cult is nothing new, the presentation was key to bringing this tale to life successfully and believably. A documentary crew wants to film inside the cult's compound after speaking with their fanatical leader, but the documentary crew are wasted characters with too much drama for the 20 minute story to address thoroughly. At some point the cult members, quite literally, drink the kool-aid and poison themselves to death while others shoot those who don't follow through. The cult leader goes berserk and kills one of the documentary crew members without the others noticing because they are arguing over baby and "who's the dad" drama. We realize that this cult had been practicing some kind of satanic rituals with the implication of trying to create a demon baby since we glimpse one of the failures. The one girl that is conveniently pregnant somehow gives rise to a classical interpretation of the devil (goat head, wings, etc.) as all hell is breaking loose; the use of the air sirens was a nice touch even if overused. The dead cult members resurrect as the last documentary crew member seemingly escapes. At the end, this guy's van suddenly crashes as the devil creature crawls on the car and says "papa." The intrigue is well done with subtle hints as to what will come while not being too overt, and, overall, there's a lot going to keep the audience engaged in some way. However, the effects were a bit weak, especially on that fake ass devil, and the story would have benefitted from a tighter script.
Segment 4: The final story was another mixed bag of decent ideas that failed on the followthrough. Like the first segment, this one was great up until a certain point when everything went completely downhill in the most nonsensical of ways. The story starts off with a funny and realistic buildup from a bunch of kids hanging out at one family's home while the parents are away. The kids are having a sleepover while the oldest sister is trying to screw her boyfriend. All manner of antics and hijinks ensue as the kids play pranks on each other throughout the day and night with a lone, foreshadowing shot of a creature under the water while the kids are playing in the water. See, this slow tension with a quick glimpse at things to come works extremely well on an audience, unfortunately, that momentum goes bye bye all too soon. At one point, a camera is attached to the family's dog as we see a lot of the events from his (?) perspective; this should have been creative but in hindsight turns out to be stupid. So aliens begin to appear lurking at the doors and windows of the home as the kids all become really scared. But before any kind of genuine sense of fear or dread can be established, the kids are quickly abducted yet somehow find themselves escaping and out in the water. At first I thought maybe the abduction was over and the aliens dropped them back off but nope...somehow they merely escaped the slippery clutches of aliens with butterfingers. The aliens come off as so unbelievably stupid it is hard to fathom how a writer thought these events could transpire in any shape or form. Sometimes the aliens are crawling along trying to be creepy while other times roaming around easily being eluded by fucking children! I mean, at least two separate times the kids ditch the idiotic aliens! Through much shenanigans, the aliens finally get all the stupid kids and the film ends with them dropping the dog from the air as it obviously dies. I don't know about you, but I'm so fucking tired of pets dying off in horror movies. It's like if you even see a pet, you know it's a goner! Forget any horror cliche you think is played out, this is the most played out cliche! Stupid aliens plus sorry ass cliches equals big fat fail in my book; it's a shame too because the aliens did look pretty good and the kids felt realistic.
Okay, so the worst story in the first film was worse than all of these tales, but the best story from the original was significantly better than all of these. More so, the first film had a better balance with a blend of various supernatural, paranormal, and straightforward segments. In fact, the most memorable tale from the first one was about regular people and felt so disturbing because it genuinely appeared as though it could happen to anyone. This film lacked that kind of long lasting fear or pretty much any deeper insights left to be drawn. On the other hand, the stories are interesting and mostly entertaining while maintaining a good level of pacing, acting, and directing--good, but not great. I would love it if they continued on with this series since there's endless potential, but I would hope they take their time and try not to rush the next one or at least coordinate the stories better to keep things more well rounded; the quality definitely was not on par with the first film. Hell, if they want to have a little fun, make "The Ring" be one of the tapes in the third installment as like a split-second shot! Overall, this is good movie, but it is like the polar opposite from the kind of tales in the first film. For some, you might even enjoy this film more if these are the kind of stories more your style; so check it out since it was released a little early.
Notable Moment: During the alien abduction segment when the kids lock one of their friends in a dog cage and spray him with silly string. I liked the overall sense of comradery between the friends and it felt real which is not the easiest thing to portray in fiction.
Final Rating: 6/10
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