Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: Three years after the last massacre, a sorority creates a Halloween haunt that inadvertently summons the demons back once again.
Review: The first entry was a lot of fun despite the low budget and flaws, however, I think they missed the mark the second time around. I was hoping production value and the scope would be bigger and badder--maybe even touch on the apparent devil coming up from hell--but we get a cheap time skip to brush over part one's ending. Lame. Making matters worse is that none of my complaints about the first movie were addressed. For example, the demons are able to punch your heart out of your body on a whim, yet, the characters are holding their own in a fight?! In the first movie I assumed shenanigans like this could be explained by being in a costume in order to play into the rules of Halloween. Guess not.
Things aren't all bad; let's address the positives. You still get plenty of carnage candy. I'd have to actually count up the bodies to compare, but, needless to say, a shit ton of people are killed this time around too. The quality of the gore is on par with the first except more instances of half-assing. I was expecting this aspect to be taken up a notch, but I'm fine with what we got. The only part that felt like a genuine evolution was the three main demons fusing into one big monster toward the end. We do get some titties, there was a goofy charm to some of the characters which was amusing, and, of course, there was an ample amount of cameos from horror icons; my favorite was Doug Bradley, playing the grandpa that was mentioned in part 1, discussing the urban legend that started all of this.
Where this entry truly falters is in regard to the story. It's simply weaker in general, and moving things up in time to the early '90s was never utilized. The main guys from part 1 are also written out of the story for the majority of the running time; one shows up around 50 minutes or so in and the other literally shows up in the last 2 minutes. Now, they do hint at them being turned evil potentially, especially considering the final shot, but that doesn't have an impact on the plot until maybe part 3 that is apparently in the works. I know I shouldn't expect a lot from an indie movie, but a sequel is the time to unleash and go balls to walls!
Overall, if you liked part 1, you will probably enjoy part 2. It's not quite as good, but it does manage to deliver on the parts that I think fans will want the most. For me, I anticipated improvements to the story and effects which didn't come--disappointing for sure. Leaving out the previous leads was another bad decision that led to shitty writing and shenanigans of the non-fun variety (my least favorite form of shenanigans). Last, Halloween wasn't as important in regard to the rules and way that the demons functioned which is probably the most egregious of the missed opportunities. Oh well...let's see if part 3 can bring it all together.
Notable Moment: When the one guy dressed as a pumpkin dies. I swear, this guy maybe has 5 seconds of screen time, but his line delivery is so bad it's amazing! It gives off "hey grandma, we need you to be in our movie" vibes.
Final Rating: 5.5/10
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