Connect with us

Home Video

[Review] ‘See No Evil 2’ Worth a Halloween Look

Published

on

See No Evil 2

‘Killer Karl,’ who reviewed Kristy for us, is getting more regular as he’s turned in his thoughts on Lionsgate and WWE’s See No Evil 2, opening this weekend on VOD.

See No Evil 2, the sequel nobody asked for.

In 2006 WWE and Lionsgate made sweet love and created their first baby, See No Evil, a slasher movie starring wrestling superstar Glenn ‘Kane’ Jacobs. It (surprisingly) went theatrical and didn’t fare well among critics nor fans, although some have found it does have long legs in terms of re-watchability. Even so, nobody ever wanted a sequel, or cared for that matter. So, when it was announced, it came as a shock. At least expectations were kept in check…

With See No Evil 2, WWE tapped Jen and Sylvia Soska to direct, who reunited with American Mary star Katharine Isabelle. It bizarrely opens up on the same night as the first, even though it took place 8 years prior. The problem with this is that it forces the characters to continually reference the first film over and over, which makes the film a but exposition heavy. Being that it’s the unfortunate direction the filmmakers chose to take, this is the path we must follow and it begins in a morgue, where Danielle Harris and her boyfriend finishing up work before preparing to celebrate her birthday. A pretty great scare introduces the friends, and brings the group into the single location that looks to be the same hospital used at the end of The Innkeepers.

During the festivities, the sex-crazed Isabelle rides a presumably dead Jacob Goodnight, who awakens angry and ready to punish the sinners. Although the violence is pretty regular, none of it is really all that impactful, with some being as tame as throats or heads being crushed, and the camera focusing on the dead or dying teens for way too long.

The introduction of a mask for Jacob Goodnight was a solid idea, although it appears it was an easy way to cover the effects filed eye that was removed in the finale of the first film. (And I’m pretty sure it switched eyes later in the movie.) I also don’t really buy his motive, which was force fed down our throats again through flashback (you know, to remind us that the first exists.)

It’s not a bad movie per se, and is surprisingly fun through the first hour. But once Jacob Goodnight begins stalking the halls everything slows to a crawl. Maybe it’s because the environment was so generic, or maybe it was because it’s not a franchise I care to see continue on, but it was hard to remain engaged until the very end.

That said, I wish this were a standalone sequel instead of being forced into a corner in trying to continue the events from 8 years ago. But as it stands, See No Evil 2 is a fun little VOD rental for your Halloween festivities, especially if you’re seeking something new to watch. Otherwise, you may be better off picking up the Halloween box set or Texas Chain Saw Massacre re-release for something that’s both nostalgic and franchise-worthy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear Jacob Goodnight is staying dead anytime soon…”

Editor’s note: I cleaned up the following review for grammar.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

Home Video

‘Herencia Diabólica’ – 1993’s “Mexican Child’s Play” Finally Has a Blu-ray Release [Review]

Published

on

Did you know that there is a Child’s Play-inspired film from Mexico? If you didn’t, you can thank Vinegar Syndrome’s new label Degausser Video for making 1993’s Herencia Diabólica available for the masses to watch. Or at least for the VS hardcore fanbase, Chucky completists and anyone else who needs something like this in their lives.

Director Alfredo Salazar, known for his writing connection to the 70s Santo film series, also serves as the writer here to bring us a film seemingly inspired from the Child’s Play franchise. While it has been recently labeled as the “Mexican Child’s Play” (there’s a special feature on the disc with that very title), the killer doll concept is where the comparison should start and end. Despite having some seeds planted by that franchise, Salazar delivers a story that blossoms into something unique.

Tony (Roberto Guinar) receives a letter informing him that his aunt has died, and he has inherited her estate in Mexico. He quits his job and uproots his life in New York with his wife Annie (Holda Ramírez) to relocate south of the border and move into his new crib. Now I know what you’re thinking, what person just quits their job and drags their wife to another country without having reliable monetary income? Tony does, everyone, Tony does.

And what’s the first thing they do once they arrive in Mexico and check out the estate? They hit the bedroom, naturally. We are treated to a sex scene with an erotica song that feels like a knockoff of “Sadness” by Enigma (remember them?). Sounds fun and all, but the scene takes place completely in the dark and we see absolutely nothing. Maybe that’s why the sexy-time tune was pumping, so we could know what was exactly going down.

While Tony goes on a job interview, Annie explores the estate’s grounds in a tedious chore to experience, going room by room, plodding along. But it does lead us to her discovery of our antagonist—the evil clown doll, Payasito! Of all the things in the house, she decides to bring this monstrosity down to show Tony when he gets home. What an exciting way to celebrate (sic)! Then out of nowhere, she spouts off some exposition about rumors that Tony’s aunt dabbled in the dark arts and now we know where our title Diabolical Inheritance (the English translation for Herencia Diabólica) originates. For those of you who keep score for things like that.

Before proceeding with this review, you really need to visualize what Payasito looks like to truly embrace the rest of the film’s shenanigans. While Chucky resembles a cute ginger child, Payasito resembles a small clown that is much larger in stature than Chucky. That’s because Payasito is performed by an actor (Margarito Esparaza) in clown cosplay whenever he’s on the move (like Mannequin 2), and makes some really horrible facial expressions. Chucky dresses in “Good Guys” overalls and a striped shirt, but Payasito wears a new wave Santa hat while sporting a Sgt. Pepper jacket and Peter Pan tights. As you can now tell, he is quite beautiful.

Back to our story, Payasito begins to spook Annie cerebrally until she becomes unnerved to the point of having a complete mental break down, making her easy prey to eliminate. She dies but the unborn child survives, with Tony believing that her death was caused by her mental instability. Fast forward some years later and the couple’s surviving spawn has grown into child Roy (Alan Fernando), who at this point has already bonded with Payasito to help him over the loss of his mother. Dun-dun-duuunnn!

Meanwhile wealthy Tony remains single, still grieving his late wife, until his blonde assistant Doris encourages him to move on with his life and start seeing other people. And by other people, she naturally means herself. As the old Kanye West song lyric goes, “I ain’t saying she’s a gold digger…”, and it seems that she might be until we learn more about her character. Doris is played by the stunning Lorena Hererra who has an extremely extensive resume in Mexico, and she carries most of the film quite well during the feature’s second half. The singer and former Playboy centerfold for their Mexico edition is by far the most recognizable face in the cast.

Doris and Tony do indeed hookup and she moves into La casa de Herencia, where she does her best to impress Roy and lessen his obsession with the doll. There is a scene where they go to a nearby park without Payasito that is filled with famous fairytale figures, such as Pinocchio, Cinderella and King Kong! What, you didn’t know King Kong is a fairytale? Me neither. But Roy continues to be obsessed with Payasito after their trip, much to Doris’ chagrin.

Her actions to separate him from Roy gets Payasito angry, setting up the film’s most memorable scene. We already know that Payasito is a devil doll like Chucky, but now we learn he also has the power to invade people’s dreams like Freddy Krueger! Does Payasito enter the dream world and concoct a creative way to kill Doris in her sleep? No, he harnesses his power to sexually assault her instead. Yes that actually happens. After she awakens, Doris grabs the doll and tosses him into a lake, only to find him waiting for her by the time she gets back to the house. So now we know he also maintains the ability to “transport” like Jason Voorhees too. This doll is the total package!

More insanity happens before we close out the film with the longest victim chase sequence ever. It makes the previously mentioned painful house search scene seem like an eyeblink. It feels like it’s the film’s entire third act, filled with so much padding that you could soundproof an entire three-story house.

So how’s the transfer? Considering it was created using a mix of VHS and film source elements from 1993, they did one heck of a job! The work they put into it is especially noticeable in the dream invasion sequence, with the pulsing multi-colored psychedelic visuals. Super trippy stuff. Even the film’s score provides a pretty chill vibe, during the times when Payasito isn’t on the prowl.

If anything you read has piqued your interest in the very least, you should give it a shot. But if not, it is best to leave this doll on the shelf.

Herencia Diabólica is now available to purchase at VinegarSyndrome.com.

Continue Reading