Director: David Black, Thomas J. Davenport, Robbie Hampstead, Jessica Hunt, Emma Jayne Lloyd, Sam Mason-Bell, Grant Murphy, Martin W. Payne, Mike Peter Reed
Year: 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Anthology
Plot:
Helmed by a variety of directors, a series of short films from some of the best and rising creators of the underground contemporary UK horror scene.
Review:
This was a bit more disappointing but still a likable enough anthology follow-up. Much like the original, the fact that this goes for a series of excessively unconventional and avant-garde shorts that are rather fun in concept when it dives into the more bizarre realms is a strong touch here. Featuring a slew of creatively challenging ideas that are pulled off more often than not, there’s a lot to like here as it goes for candy-coated fetish aesthetics, black-and-white silent-era build-up, or nonlinear storytelling mixed with more traditional approaches, there’s a solid variety throughout here that goes along with the gruesome imagery featured in the segments. From a malfunctioning sex robot taking commands too literally, a woman trying to create a bloodsoaked painting, or a fantastic bit involving two strangers attacking a victim in the woods, there are some fun segments on display here that keep this one going along.
While there’s a lot to like here, there’s also the struggle of trying to get into the stories told within the segments themselves. Some of the segments, including the opening where a man on a drug trip hallucinates a series of dancing women surrounded by weird balloons, a woman trying to adhere to the tenants of her religion while meeting a potential new boyfriend, or a man tormented by his unconventional son’s antics as he’s locked up all day in the upstairs attic, are fine in concept but just go on for so long in comparison to the rest of the segments here that they become a bit difficult to understand the point. Other segments, such as the man who receives a strange package while going about his day, are just too short to be anything other than cool, weird visuals without much else behind them, and while it’s not that bad, it does come off with enough to lower it overall.
Overview: **.5/5
Slightly disappointing but still enjoyable enough indie anthology, this one is a bit disappointing compared to the first entry, but still has enough worthwhile segments to be a curiosity watch at the least. Those with an interest in this approach, who appreciate this type of indie anthology effort, or who are fans of the creative crew, will want to give it a shot, as most others should heed caution.
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