Director: Lawrence Fowler
Year: 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural Slasher
Plot:
Working for a special corporation, a group of workers are called out to a remote mansion to help deal with the dying matriarch in the area, but when they mysteriously disappear, they find that a cursed Jack in the Box has granted her health in exchange for their souls and must stop it.
Review:
This was a pretty solid if overall problematic follow-up. Among the better factors here is a generally solid means of allowing for the doll to return with enough aspects kept to ensure a connection with the original. Once again working with the idea of the doll housing the main figure being sought out to then be released and seek out the specific souls of a set of victims to grant a special wish to whoever found it makes for a fine way of keeping this one connected to the original with that being the main course of the doll’s rampage. That this one turns it into a select series of wishes, showing the gathered souls are to be used for helping the owner recover from her illness that they were called to treat, gives this a decent enough reason to gather everyone here and dump them in the middle of nowhere like they are.
From there, the film shows an enhanced sense of suspense with a strong series of stalking scenes, with the demonic final form resembling a clown-style killer running wild in the house, looking to claim the proper victims he needs. With the same sense of chills generated from the proper doll in the box appearing with the particular theme and summoning method utilized again, this successfully ends up drawing up some fine suspense to prepare for the full figure going around to carry out the proper stalking scene. From the initial appearance resurrected to stalk the cheating victim in the laundry room, the extended appearance in the kitchen, or the chilling encounter with a chained and helpless victim in the attic waiting for it to come get them, this one has some intriguing elements present to give it some fun points.
There are some big issues here that hold this one down. The biggest factor against this one is pretty much the same thing the original suffered from in its inherently sluggish and slow-going pace, which rendered this one far duller than it needed to be. That there’s far more time spent on the group getting to the mansion, the rules about why they're there, and the different history they have with each other that flies in the face of their purpose for being there caring for the ailing owner makes this one far longer than it should with the doll relegated to just select appearances scattered throughout the running time. Likewise, much like the original, that the kills are resolutely bloodless and don’t have any kind of gore or bloodshed is a massive disappointment, and that it never learned from the first one to repeat the same mistakes is a big issue lowering this one.
Overview: **.5/5
An intriguing enough if still problematic sequel, that this one repeats the same factors as the original, even if it goes for a slightly different storyline and setup, does undo some of its positive attributes. Give it a shot if you’re a fan of the original, appreciate this style of indie effort, or are curious about it while most others out there should heed caution with it.
Comments
Post a Comment