Horror anthology films. Some people like ’em. Some people hate ’em. For myself, I’m honestly not sure. Trick ‘R Treat, The ABCs Of Death and Creepshow are a must-see, while films like Chilling Visions and Body Bags? Not so much. I never saw Damien Leone’s original All Hallow’s Eve, an anthology of three interconnected films that had received mixed reviews from critics (despite the fact that clowns are horrifying, no matter what film they’re in). Now the film’s sequel, All Hallow’s Eve 2 (due for a DVD release in February), expands the number of films to eight, with a new wraparound story.

Home alone at night, a woman (Andrea Monier) finds a VHS tape on her doorstep that contains a series of eight films. Unbeknownst to her, a murderer known as Trickster (Damien Monier) is using the tape to find his next victims.

First up is “Jack Attack”, directed by Bryan Norton and Antonio Padovan. A boy named Jack (Tyler Rossell) and his babysitter, Elizabeth (Helen Rogers), eat roasted pumpkin seeds after carving a Jack-O-Lantern. Unfortunately for them, the pumpkin didn’t take too kindly to being carved up, and exacts revenge. At eight minutes, there’s not a lot to this short, save for the gory special effects. I did like Jack’s initial reaction at the pumpkin innards being used as a nice foreshadowing of what’s coming.

Following that is “The Last Halloween”, directed by Marc Roussel. In a post-apocalyptic world, a trio of trick ‘r treaters torment Jack (Ron Basch) and his wife Kate (Emily Alatalo). Despite the nice makeup effects, this one was boring. It wasn’t so much a self-contained story as it was a setup for the eventual payoff. Also to note that at this point, the theme of Halloween-centred stories gets put on the back burner.

The same can be said of Ryan Patch’s “The Offering”, where a sacrifice in the woods goes awry after Isaac’s father (Bob Jaffe) forgets a special ingredient. Again, less story, more a setup for the fact that Isaac’s father is a jerk.

In a change of pace, “Descent” has a far more robust development than the previous three stories. Directed by Jay Holben (of Jack Frost fame), the short focuses on Andrea (April Adamson), who after witnessing her friend being murdered by an unknown man and narrowly escaping, learns that the killer works at her office. Making matters worse is eventually meeting the killer while trapped in an elevator. This one is definitely the best of the bunch. Not only does it grab you with its moments of tension, the mini twists involving Andrea’s cellphone and eventual big reveal at the end make it something you could easily find on The Twilight Zone.

As you’ve probably guessed, James Kondelik and Jon Kondelik’s “M Is for Masochist” was intended for The ABCs Of Death, but didn’t make the cut. The short tells the tale of Sam (Finn Kobler), who with his two friends participate in a carnival game that reveals a dark secret. It’s over far too quick, and doesn’t really allow you any time to invest in the characters. Furthermore, you’re basically dictated to like/dislike characters with no backstory. I did have fun seeing Bill Oberst Jr. as Sade, the carnival barker.

I’m sure that I’m not the only one, who after seeing Elias Benavidez’s “A Boy’s Life” thought of The Babadook. The story has has Max (Griffin Gluck) trying to overcome his fear of monsters in his room. He succeeds in capturing a monster, and trying to show his mother, Loraine (Christie Lynn Smith), that it exists. Incredibly predictable, the short tries to develop the characters by slowing the story progression down to accommodate, but it just ends up being boring, and definitely feels out of place compared to the rest of the shorts.

With Mike Kochansky’s “Mr. Tricker’s Treat”, the film picks up the Halloween theme again, and has Mr. Tricker (Michael Serrato) setting up his Halloween display, with all-too-real accessories. Another quickie that throws in a bit of humour (loved the valley girl bit), but ultimately just didn’t gel with me. Probably because Serrato comes off as more bumbling than menacing.

Directed by Argentinian director Andrés Borghi, “Alexia” is the last short in the film. The short revolves around Franco (Sergio Berón) mourning the loss of his ex-girlfriend, Alexia (Pilar Boyle). After being persuaded to unfriending Alexia on a social media website by his new girlfriend, Melina (Paula Carruega), strange things start happening. To the point with a good presentation, the short reminded me of Ringu with the visuals. Another great ditty.

Finally, the wraparound segment doesn’t add much more other than the usual expected outcome when the woman tries to remove the tape from her VCR. Really, it’s throwaway filler that could’ve benefited from more than just bookending the film.

Apart from “Descent” and “Alexia” being the standouts, All Hallow’s Eve 2 fails to be memorable. The idea for the Halloween theme is wasted on so-so efforts, jettisoned and comes back for one more so-so short before being dropped again. So, what was the point of having that theme in the first place? The same can be asked of using the VHS tape. That worked for V/H/S and it’s “found footage” method, but not the tape used in All Hallow’s Eve 2. It neither behaved like a old VHS tape during transitions between shorts, nor did it feel like you were watching a VHS tape. True, the gimmick might not have worked if it were a DVD, but the thing could’ve easily been reworked to have been a mysterious show on TV.

While it’s not a total waste of time, All Hallow’s Eve 2 won’t be replacing the better-made horror anthologies from the past. It’s worth a watch to see some of the gore effects and creepier shorts, but it’s an appetizer before getting into the real goodies with the stronger anthologies.