By Quin
Exactly the way I discovered All Hallow’s Eve in 2013, the sequel All Hallow’s Eve 2 appeared on the iTunes horror page just like the unmarked video tapes find their way to unsuspecting viewers in the two films; I seriously hope this is going to become a regular thing. The list of sequels that are better than its predecessor is short, but that list just got longer by one. All Hallow’s Eve 2 is truly great. It’s mature, it flows naturally, and it’s often breathtaking to look at. But the real miracle of the film is how the egos of several movie directors didn’t seem to get in the way of this whole thing coming together so beautifully. Before I go on any further, I need to say this: SEE THIS MOVIE!
Just like the first film, AHE2 (That’s what I’ll call it for short, you can even hashtag it) has a wrap around story. This time it’s a woman alone on Halloween. She hears a noise outside and when she looks out the window, there’s a guy in a pumpkin mask just standing there like The Shape in Halloween. She calls her friend (note that her cell reception is just fine) and tells her about the creepy dude, when all of a sudden there’s a knock at the door. She answers it (why wouldn’t she, it’s Halloween, maybe it’s a trick r’ treater) but no one is there except a dirty old beat-up looking VHS tape with words scrawled across it. The pumpkin faced guy is a few feet away too at the bottom of some stairs. She does what anyone else would do in a movie like this – she goes inside and watches the tape. Now let me stress this – once you get past this pretty cliche, possibly tongue-in-cheek but still somewhat questionable opening, the movie is damn near perfect.
While the first AHE had only three longer and very disjointed stories, this one has eight shorter, but tighter and more creative ones. Arguably the weakest of the bunch is called Masocist which is a whimsical and bloody allegory and revenge tale on child abuse. It features Bill Oberst, Jr. as a carnival barker. This one is thankfully the shortest. Also, A Boy’s Life may be too poignant for the more jaded and rabid horror fans, but it is genuinely touching and a bit scary. Jack Attack is the most visually appealing segment (So much Halloween Orange) and the ending will leave you squealing in delight. The biggest surprise I got while watching AHE2 was when Marc Roussel’s The Last Halloween came on. I recognized it instantly. Keri reviewed it as one of our “Horror in Short” pieces, and I loved it then. It’s basically a Halloween during the apocalypse short film, and there is so much detail. I’m so happy that it was included here.
I know I just reviewed All Hallow’s Eve and gave it my recommendation. However, now that I’ve seen the sequel, I have to admit that you could actually skip the first one and go straight to part 2. The original’s director Damien Leone has left the directorial duties to others in the sequel and he has wisely slipped into the role of producer. Missing from AHE2 is Art the Clown. While I enjoyed that character, the featureless and expressionless pumpkin faced stranger is clearly the smarter way to go here. He isn’t the star of the movie at all and because he’s not super memorable, this allows the segments of the movie to take center stage. Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown was a scene stealer, but it will be great if the full-length Terrifier movie I’ve heard rumblings about ever gets off the ground. That character deserves his own vehicle.
I have yet to see Tales of Halloween, which is the other anthology Halloween themed film out right now. But I have a hard time believing it could be any better than this. I guess I blew the verdict in the first paragraph – this movie is a big, gigantic treat.