Shudder Day: Grave Encounters 2

A Film that makes me yearn for the joy of being in an *actual* Haunted Sanitarium.

To find out why this Sequel is so divisive, read on...

A guy named Alex is an Online Film Critic- a respectable profession- who starts to learn more about the Film 'Grave Encounters.'

Yes, like 'Blair Witch 2,' we're going with The Film was a Film within this World...but also real.
More on that later.

He starts to make his own Film, but feels that making a 'Torture Porn' Film is not his vision.

Instead, he gets obsessed with the mystery behind Grave Encounters.

They also confirm the 2003 timeline for the first Film, in case you were wondering.

He gets his buddies and would-be girlfriend to go to the same Hospital- with the Caretaker long dead via suicide- and find out the truth.

This is all because a mysterious source sent him clues to go there.
Wait- did 2016's Blair Witch take that Plot Point from this Film?!?

Well, I guess we can call it even for how much this truly is Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows.

They wander around the place and revisit the key locations, literally showing you the big moments from the last Film.

Just like that Film, they do, well, the same bits.

I wonder if she'll grow a giant, monster face and scream.

She does.

The Building plays the same tricks as before- somehow making Exits vanish and walls appear- and our Heroes do the same dumb thing.

They just find little tweaks.  So, for instance...

In the first Film, they fell asleep and the ghost broke their lights.
In this Film, they fall asleep and a ghost checks their camera footage.

They also find out that they aren't as alone in the place as they thought.

It only gets stranger, deeper in lore and, to be honest, dumber from here.

I won't SPOIL anymore for you while it is getting a second chance this Month on Shudder.
The End.

A Film that was clearly designed to outmatch the original Film in every way.

Unfortunately, that came at the cost of logic, good storytelling and any real tension.

This one- like many Sequels, Horror or otherwise- goes deeper into its lore and suffers for it.

It both explains a whole lot more and also raises many, MANY more questions than you had before.

If you're here for the ghost stuff, it is the same as last time, save for a few new (for this Series, anyways) tricks.
This one goes ALL IN on the Ghosts being walking Plot Devices too, so enjoy that...I guess.

If this could have avoided more cliches, I'd like it more.
Hell, if it could have at least tried a few actually new ideas in regard to its Third Act, I'd at least be more generous.

Instead, this one is a big, dumb mess that manages to be 'inspired' by more successful Found Footage Films like Rec/Quarantine.

A Film that goes 'Here's what you wanted- right?!?'  Sadly, it's not that and just so much worse all around.