“ABC’s of Death 2” left a lot to be desired, and seemed to really leave a lot of the more interesting segments on the wayside. The folks at Drafthouse Films have been kind enough to spotlight 26 runner ups, all of whom tackled the letter “M.” These shorts were not only popular with audiences and judges but get the chance to appeal to the same audience that the winners did, and it’s a great opportunity to see what we missed out on. I think the sequel really left out some excellent shorts, many of which deserve to see light on another anthology somewhere down the road. As with “ABC’s of Death,” the segments are very hit or miss, but this semi-sequel is a much more solid collection of shorts than the official sequel was.
Tag Archives: Sequel
Stake Land 2 (2016)
Fans have wanted a sequel to “Stake Land” since its premiere in 2011, and while the conditions of it being a TV movie aren’t ideal, thankfully the follow up is just as good as the original. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen continue what Jim Mickle started delivering a sequel that’s just as bleak and complex as the original. “Stake Land 2,” once known by the superior title “The Stakelander,” takes off six years after we met the dynamic team of Martin and his enigmatic mentor Mister. Fans of the original will be happy to know that original stars Connor Paolo and Nick Damici return as the characters of Martin and Mister, with the sequel placing a greater emphasis on Martin as an adult. Writer Nick Damici also returns to progress the characters further and does a bang up job opening up this world even further and unfolding a narrative that transforms in to a whole other tale of survival and revenge by the second half.
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
It’s really hard to ignore the charm of Ernest and his Halloween adventure. “Ernest Scared Stupid” most definitely has a lot of nostalgic value and sentimental value, but it’s also a very good kids’ horror movie where Ernest battles a bunch of trolls. Ernest and Jim Varney has just always had a good chemistry and here it’s on full display when trolls are unleashed during Halloween. Here, Varney plays Ernest as a garbage collector in a Missouri town. Hundreds of years before a troll that used magic to turn kids in to wooden dolls was locked in a tree and kept dormant. Ernest helps his three friends Kenny Binder, Elizabeth and Joey construct their own tree house which they use as a means of entertainment and warding off the local bullies.
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
In 1977, James Earl Jones co-starred in what is arguably one of the greatest movies ever made, and what is arguably one of the worst movies ever made. “Exorcist II: The Heretic” is a fine example of what could have happened if the original “The Exorcist” ended as an ill-conceived pseudo-spiritual mess. A bad idea from beginning to end, it’s one of the iconic bad sequels that is famously recollected by its producers as the movie that literally got them chased out of a theater by angry movie goers. Four years after being victimized by a demon, Regan MacNeil has somehow managed to put her life back together and live some semblance of normality. Sadly after the demonic possession, everyone’s life was just about ruined, and Regan’s life remained basically the same, as her mother Chris is frequently out of town. Does a girl have to get possessed again to get your attention, Chris?
Return of the Underrated Horror Heroines
Yes, I’ve spent a lot of time ogling women in film and pop culture, but I do love strong and independent women who give me a hard time. So for the past years, on every Halloween, I have dug through various horror heroines that I think are completely underrated. This is another edition of ten horror heroines that I think deserve their place in the pantheon of heroines like Ellen Ripley, Laurie Strode, and Nancy Thompson. These are strong, powerful, courageous women, many of whom can run circles around the men in their movies, and I love them.
The Conjuring 2 (2016) [Blu-Ray/Digital]
After the blundering misfire that was “Annabelle” I was a bit scared that “The Conjuring 2” would be a bland follow up to what was one of the best contemporary horror films ever made. Thankfully James Wan not only outdoes himself, but builds on the mythology of Ed and Lorraine Warren. “The Conjuring 2” follows the tradition of the original film, putting the Warrens in to an impossible situation where they have to do battle with a powerful evil. What’s more is that the evil has chosen to pick away at a vulnerable lower class family once again, prompting the Warrens to risk everything for the sake of one victim’s soul.
Little House on the Prairie: Legacy Movie Collection (DVD/Digital)
When I was a kid, “Little House on the Prairie” was one of my favorite shows and I saw it all the way through the end. It was the drama that always kept me interested and engrossed, as Michael Landon was a favorite of my household. For fans of the series, the “Legacy Movie Collection” comes to DVD with three movies that close the series and resolve the entire saga of the Ingalls once and for all. The famed TV show starring Michael Landon and Victor French, and loosely based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, followed the Ingall family as they dealt with the hardships of living in the late 1800’s America, and how they fared against various obstacles in their lives. The series was a compelling drama that ended in 1983, and gained another life among a new generation that followed the series when it went to syndication.