Shudder Day: Vacation of Terror II

 A long-delayed follow-up, but for a good reason.

This 1991 Sequel is set on Halloween!

Let's dress up for it, shall we?

Remember the evil doll from the last one?

It somehow escaped- not ask me, they don't say- and is now on the loose again.

It ends up in the hands of a little girl who just happens to be the Daughter of a Film Director.

Our Hero sees this, but can't stop it.

He also fails to save this guy who was doing the same thing, but did get these MacGuffins to help him fight it. 

The little girl is also the Sister of this Pop Singer, who he immediately falls for.
She's played by Tatiana, who goes by one name like Prince, Madonna and Columbo.

Is it true love?

In a series of convenient events, the girl brings to the doll to her Halloween Birthday Party and accidentally cuts her finger on the knife for the cake.

It drips blood on a figurine (which NOBODY REMOVES!), so the doll pulls it down through the cake, licks the blood and transforms into an obvious claymation figure...

...before becoming a full-bodied creature that looks like one of the Witches from, well, The Witches after a serious chemical fire.

This all happens under the cake, by the way, which is a good 20 feet long.

The party ends when they find the dead P.A. under the cake.

That night, the girl is compelled to return because she forgot to grab the 7 Silver Coins her Dad gave her as a present.

The Sister comes along and now they're in peril, alongside our Hero (who stayed behind to prepare for this).

The Witch/Doll/Whatever-the-hell-this-is wreaks all sorts of havoc.

It kills a Guard.
It turns the young girl into a coin.

It drops the other Sister into the ground.

Can this creature be stopped?
Well, there's no Vacation of Terror 3, so....

A fun Film, even if it only has so many tricks.

The whole thing is an excuse for a bunch of weird moments and FX shots.  There's not much Plot here.

Pathos- be it Sister to Sister or Father to Daughter- is 80% of this Film.

That said, the craziness can be fun in small doses.  The FX look just cheap enough to be real, but funny.

All of the usual- Styrofoam blocks, pyro and lots of flying objects.
There's one shot- which has a room fill up with water with Pedro in it- that is just so laughably bad.
It's almost worth watching just for it.

Ultimately, the Film only has so many tricks.  
For instance, he brings like 6 of those molds with him and, so, many Scenes end with them being destroyed.  It happens so freaking much!

Is it good?  Not really.
Is it fun?  Yes.
Does this lady have '80s hair in 1991?  Yes!

Rene Cardona III delivers exactly what you expect.  If you want silly nonsense, you came to the right Movie!

Compendium: ALL of the 'Ringu/The Ring' Films

 While working on a different subject, it occurred to me that this needed to exist.

Over the years, I think I've done every official Ringu/The Ring Film.
That doesn't include the Chinese bootleg crossovers- since they don't have proper English dubs yet.

As such, let me put a link to ALL of the Reviews in chronological order.

1) The Ring- Kanzenban (1995)- the forgotten OG is the closest to the Book, but also short.

2) Ringu (1998/9)- The classic where most people start.

(Side-note- I own a Japanese DVD that somehow is also Region 1.  Weird)

3) Rasen (1998/9)- The intentionally ignored Sequel actually played at the same time in Theaters in Japan.  No, really!

4) Ringu 2 (1999)- A year later, they pretended that THIS was the real Sequel.

********

5) The Ring Virus (1999)- A Film so popular in Japan and the World that South Korea made their own.  Why not?

********

6) Ringu 0- Birthday (2000): The so-so Prequel that doesn't really match up with future Films.  Oops.

7) The Ring (2002)- The one that casual fans (not to make that a slur) know and love.

8) Rings (2005)- The super-completionist in me made sure to cover this Short Film that bridges The Ring and The Ring 2...and is only available on the latter's Special Edition DVD.

9) The Ring Two (2005)- Let me just use the word 'two' to make things easier.  This is easier than explaining so much of this Film.

10) Sadako 3-D (2012)- We're back to Japan after a break.  We're also in the time when 3-D was revived (not that I watched this Film in it)

11) Sadako vs. Kayako (2016)- Japan's answer to Freddy vs Jason.  It's kind of bonkers and I love it for that.

12) Rings (2017)- Let's hop back to America for this very forgotten Sequel.  More retcons and backstory, plus a Big Bang Actor.

**********

13) Sadako (2019)- Back to Japan again.  It seems like they are trying to make a new Series here with the last Sadako Film...I guess.

* I'll cover the 2022 Film that I just learned existed later and add it in *

New Flix: The Nun II (2023)

 In spite of my general Conjuring apathy, I keep watching these.

It's a bad habit.

In the Opening Scene, we see a Priest and a young kid at a Church.

The kid 'heard something' and tells the Priest.

It all ends in the poor Priest being floated in the air and set aflame.

Wondering if the kid survived (and how)?  You have to wait.... a while.

The Film proper follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), who's now a Nun.
Is that why this is called The Nun II?

Joking aside, she has visions of Maurice (from the last Film) and is, conveniently enough, sent to investigate the possible return of the Demon where Maurice is.

Oh, and the other Priest from the last Film- he died of cholera between Films.  Oy.

The split narrative follows Maurice- who is possessed, but doesn't know it- and the woman he loves, alongside her kid.

Lots of teasing and a single Nun appearance, where she straight up kills a kid.

Irene is sent on the path of the Demon, who is looking for yet another Religious MacGuffin.  They set it up earlier in very obvious 'this is important' dialog.

What I don't get- why no Priest can stop this demon?
Why can it kill a dozen of them (off-screen)?  Does their God not care?

The Nun pops up another time, but don't get too used to it.

Meanwhile, the Plots eventually intersect as Irene finally realizes that Maurice is possessed and that the MacGuffin is where he is.

This gets us to this long, build-up to a Nun reveal...that no sane person would stay and wait to see it happen!

Can they keep the MacGuffin out of the hands (or face) of the Demon?

Will she show up for more than 5 minutes?

Will the timeline still hold up?

To find out, stream it now...

I don't hate it.  I don't love it.

I guess I'm agnostic.

The Film looks fine.  They used real locations to give it a natural look.
It's not a terrible Plot.  It was funny to see how blatantly they recapped the last Film...with Farmiga mere feet away.

The problem is my usual one with these Wan/Wan-adjacent Films- the Pacing.
The Film kind of meanders along with random jump scares.  For me, the Plot never got all that engaging.

It is not for lack of trying- they threw about 10 Characters into this with a Backstory.

The Film is mostly a series of quick jump scares/Scenes loosely tied together.

I did like the Goat- more of that please.

In closing, I just can't help but think how different things would have been if James Wan had stuck with the original design for the Demon.

Would we have spin-off Films still?

A Film that is decent enough if you're into that kind of thing.  For me, it lacked lots of many variables that will make me come back or even remember it years down the line.

Tubi Thursday: The Toolbox Murders (1978)

 Before I cover the remake that I bought for a dollar, let me check out the original.

It's old, so it must be good, right?

As the Credits roll, we hear a Preacher on the radio...and then the car suddenly stops to show us an accident.

And we're back.  That was odd.

A man shows up and kills a lady with a drill, before putting on a mask...for some reason.

He kills the lady next door AND her visiting friend (a new Poor Bastard of Cinema?).

We can clearly tell who this is AND Cameron Mitchell has top billing...so are we not supposed to know he's the killer in the next Scene.

Oh well, he stalks a naked lady and kills her with a nail gun...eventually.

He also makes sure to kidnap this girl we've only met once before.

Oh, well- who cares about characterization?

The Film takes an odd turn now as the Brother (the guy in the back who looks like Josh Meyers) tries to solve the case and find his Sister.

He works with the Nephew of Mitchell, who we aren't supposed to know is the bad guy yet...I think.

Said guy is played by 'Will' from Land of the Lost.

We finally learn the backstory of our Killer in a bunch of lazy exposition delivered to the kidnapped lady.

Basically, his Daughter died in a car accident and he got religious/crazy (aka pulling a Russell Brand).
He targeted his victims as 'heathens' that were 'perverted.'

Can I just watch Tenebrae instead?

The Brother finally figures things out, finding the Toolbox and all, but the Nephew won't let him snitch.

He douses him in gasoline (left lying around in a pan, because reasons) and lights him on fire!

The climax ensues when Nephew confronts Uncle.  He kills him, after Mitchell freaks out when his baby doll is stabbed.
No, really.

Nephew isn't better, taking the poor girl (who is supposed to be 15).
The next morning, he tells her that he killed her Brother and the Uncle...and she grabs some scissors.

She's seen walking away later covered in blood.  Cue fake 'This is real' text and The End.

A Film with a good, if very sleazy Intro...and not much else.

Credit where credit is due, the Director knew how to sell an Exploitation Flick in 1978.  In fact, after hearing about how profitable Texas Chainsaw Massacre was, that was what he did.

After we get past that part, however, it's really not that interesting.
The Nephew Actor is good, but nobody else really stands out.  Even Cameron is just playing crazy with no real nuance.

The Ending is all sorts of messed up.  So weird to build up that Detective so much and he just does nothing.

The Film knows what it wants to be.  For instance, the second victim strips down, shows her breasts AND gets killed before we even learn her name.

For pure sleaze, it peaks early.
True story- the guy who played the Nephew would go on to co-create a Show for Children's Educational programming.

No joke!

A sleazy drive-in flick that ages about as well as you'd expect.  If there was more of what was interesting, I'd recommend it much more.

New Flix: Smile (2022)

 Make 'em Smile, Make 'em laugh!

This is 2022's surprise (to Paramount) hit Smile.

A Psychiatrist at an Emergency Intake Hospital meets up with a new Patient.

She tells her that she is being 'hunted' by an 'entity.'

She freaks out before she starts to have an eerie smile....

...and she cuts her face and neck open.

The poor lady watches it, calling for help but unable to stop her.

She is understandably freaked out.

She's given time off shortly after this, which is 100% logical.

What's less logical is how she starts to see things...like the dead Patient at Birthday Party.

Since she lives in a Movie, the Cop who checks out the earlier death just so happens to be her ex-Boyfriend.

He offers to help her solve what is going on.

Weird- how did I mix up this Film and The Ring?
Oh well.

Things get worse as she learns that none of the victims of whatever this is lived more than a week.

Huh.  There it goes again.

Can she find out the way to save herself and stop whatever this strange entity is?

Can she keep the people around her safe?

Does the fact that I watched this Film knowing that a Sequel is out in 2 days affect things?

To find out the answer to those first two questions, stream it now or, Heaven forbid, buy a physical copy.

A good Film, but it does take a while to really make things very interesting.

The Plot here is good.  That said, it is a slow burn...in the middle.  Yeah, that's a little odd.

This one starts out strong, but then kind of drags a bit while it make things all about our Heroine's mental break.

That's not a bad Story at all.  It just isn't quite as interesting as Evil Entity spreads via Death among the populace.

The Actress does a great job.  The Supporting Cast is also pretty good.  Some- like Kal Penn- are better than others, of course.

My critiques of the pacing are somewhat lessened when you view the Film as a whole, because that Finale is really, really good.

I joked about it, but there are some real Ringu/The Ring vibes here, from the Female Protagonist haunted by a strange force to the literal 7-day timer. 
I don't think it is a case of outright stealing- that Story has just been made SO MANY times since 1995 that I think it is hard to avoid even accidentally.

Smile is a strong Film as a whole.  Just know that the middle is a bit slow and go along for the ride.  Kudos to the Marketing Department as well.

A Film that borrows a few familiar ideas, but ultimately succeeds.  Time will tell if this one becomes iconic though.

New(er) Flix: Zombieland- Double Tap (2019)

 Pure luck brought this into my life.  I might as well celebrate having power again by covering it!

This is Zombieland: Double Tap, the 2019 Sequel to the 2009 Horror Comedy.
For as much as I feel that Zombie Films are overdone (mostly because they can be made super cheap), that one felt fresh.

Did it break new ground?  Not really, but it played with Genre conventions just enough and was charming, so I was good.

Can a long delayed Sequel be worth it?

On the plus side, everyone is back.  It is funny to see how the Marketing promoted it being by the Writer of Deadpool (2016) and Director of Venom (2018).  Wasn't the original press enough?

Regardless, let's see how much fun and splatter can be had with...

It's been 10 years since the last Film and our Heroes are aiming big.

They decide to move into The White House!

All seems well.

They got a home.
They got a family.
They got random stuff left behind.

So why is there a simmering tension?

The ladies leave (for personal reasons) and this depresses the other Heroes.

Okay, mostly Jesse Eisenberg, since...you know, that's his default emotion.

He meets a vibrant, Tiffany Straton-like lady and they hook up right away.

Well, it's all fine unless Emma Stone comes back....

She does.

Her Sister wanted some independence and left her.

So now she's back with the guys to rescue her, since she's hitching with a hippie.

The gang finds new allies...and frenemies.

The survivors are reunited in a brand new location that is not as safe as promised.

Can our unarmed Heroes win the day?

To find out, watch it now...

A very fun Film that definitely delivers more of what you want and gives you something new too.
In other words, a good Sequel.

The Plot is more nuanced than most Zombie Films with the Characters each having their own Arcs throughout.  Just because your monsters eat brains doesn't mean that your Characters can't use theirs!

While I personally have some issues with Woody Harrelson's beliefs, he's very fun here.  Hell, I can even stand Eisenberg, which is a big thing for me.

The new Characters are a nice addition- no question.

I also liked the new, mutated Zombies.  Nothing groundbreaking, but good stuff too.

The only real gripe I have is the minor Cameo by Grace Randolph.  Was she more well-liked in 2019?

Seriously though, this is a fun Sequel that was worth the wait.  It's also another Cult Film that brought in Rosario Dawson in for the Sequel to court its surly Lead.
That's 2 for 2 now!

Next time, normal scheduling should resume.  I've got a Remake of a '70s Film that I've not seen and it is by a late-great Horror Director.  Stay tuned...

Craven Less: The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

 Alright, who asked for this?

Oh right- the Movie Studio when a $15 million Film made $70 million.

This time, we get some National Guard Members being sent out on a rescue mission to the infamous Hills.  Mind you, these guys just FAILED their last TRAINING Mission, but why not send them?

We get a different clan of Mutants here and no other relation to the Plot.

Wes Craven (who co-wrote this with his Son) apparently envisioned the Film featuring the return of Brenda, who is actively assigned due to her previous encounter there.  That went out the window when the Actress was too busy making LOST to be in this.

As such, there's, well, no Plot relation other than 'Government investigates area.'  Weirdly, they name the group- Sector 15- so this retroactively feels like world-building for a Shared Universe (a la SHIELD or Monarch).

There is no other Sequel.
This Film is also not to be confused with The Hills Have Eyes PART 2 from 1985, which I already reviewed in 2010.

Let's see why this one made about half as much and made sure that there was no such thing as The Hills Have Eyes 3 (unless you count The Asylum version) for the second time so far in History...

Our Cold Open features a pregnant woman (who isn't named, but at least isn't Brenda) tied down to a bed and delivering a baby...that is stillborn.

The Mutant kills her.

After that...Scene, we see some Scientists checking out some of the last Film's Sets.

As noted, the Government sent them.
They die like the Scientists in the last Film's Intro, setting a pattern.

Our Heroes are a bunch of National Guard Members.

They go all Blue Kestrel Down against some 'insurgents,' but...

...it was just a training mission...with live ammo and grenades.

Their Drill Seargent (is that still the right term?) berates them, introducing them and their one defining character traits.

The high point- insulting one guy for being against the Iraq War, since 'all Presidents lie- it's their job.'

In spite of just failing, they are called in to check on Sector 15.

They find no evidence of the bodies- the Hill Cannibals having OCD, it seems- and the bulk go looking.

The Leader specifically tells them not to 'bring too much ammo, since it is heavy.'
Sigh.

The Cannibals attack strategically, since I guess a singed copy of The Art of War was left behind.

They get them on edge and the 'doughy Soldier' accidentally kills the Leader.
He falls to his death moments later when he climbs down an obviously cut rope.

The remaining group is reunited as the ones left at base failed miserably.

The Jeep- destroyed.
Their guns- gone.
The survivor they find- dead.

Now one of the only two women in this Movie is about to get grabbed by a gravelly cannibal.

We, the audience, know why they want her.
Thankfully, our Leads find out when one of the guys from the Intro dumps exposition and then offs himself.

You'll never guess what happens- the guy accused of not being brave and 'macho' becomes the 'brave, macho' Lead.

Where did they come up with this?!?

We also get the one friendly Mutant.
Again- where did they get THIS idea from?

The Cast is slowly picked off as they go to rescue the captured Soldier.  You can guess what happens to her without me saying it, right?

It all comes down to our Lead and the two ladies as they do battle with Papa Hades, who's just a grunting pituitary gland of a man.

They kill him and exit...but are watched by another Mutant.
No Sequel.
The End.

A pretty nothing Film in all of the ways that ultimately matter.

Positives- the make-up looks great...or gross.  The Mutants are all different and look freaky.
There is clearly some creativity put into this side of things, like with the half-rocky one.

Mind you, one of them is just Sloth from The Goonies though.

In the other aspects, Writing, Production, Acting and Directing, it's not as good.

The Actors aren't bad, but nobody is amazing.  The Desert Sets look good, but we've already seen them before.  The Story is really basic and so much is Copy-Paste.

The Direction isn't terrible, but the shots aren't all that great.
The erratic Editing at times and soundtrack don't help matters.

All in all, it is very familiar and the changes aren't enough to make this one stand out.  They even reused the 'Mutant watches them' ending.

You have to imagine that if they had made a third one, the Heroes would have defeated this Mutant and then been observed by a Mutant who had somehow hijacked the ISS!

Next up, I'll go to a different Horror Remake.  I can't go right from this to Texas Chainsaw- can you blame me?  Stay tuned...