Sometimes sequels shouldn’t be made, and unfortunately for A Haunted House, directed by Michael Tiddes and written by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez, this was the case.
I actually quite enjoyed the first haunted house movie and was honestly a little excited when the second one was coming out. However, this movie was a major disappointment as most of the good scenes can be seen if you watch the trailer which unfortunately reveals nearly every potential funny viewers need to see.
Like its predecessor, the sequel spoofs horror films, this time taking jabs at movies such as “Sinister”, “Insidious,” “Possession” and “The Conjuring,” among a couple more. Also as in the first, A Haunted House 2, starts with Malcolm Johnson (Marlon Wayans- Scary Movie, White Chicks), moving into a new house. This time he has in tow a new girlfriend Megan (Jaime Pressly- My Name is Earl), and her two children, Becky (Ashley Rickards- Gamer), who has out-of-control hormones, and Wyatt (Steele Stebbins), who has a demonic imaginary friend called Tony.
After Shilo Junior not wanting to enter the home and crazy doll Abigail getting freaky, Malcolm is once again surrounded by a host of paranormal phenomena. When finding a box of old 8 mm film and spying an apparition in the footage, he unwittingly unleashes a demonic force intent on destroying him. Enlisting the aid of his neighbor Miguel (Gabriel Iglesias- Magic Mike), unorthodox pastor Father Williams (Cedric the Entertainer), and renowned paranormal investigators Ned (Hayes MacArthur- Bacherlorette, Life as We Know It) and Noreen (Missi Pyle- The Artist), Malcolm must find a way to stop the fiendish ghouls diabolical agenda. To complicate matters, back-from-the-dead Kisha (Essence Atkins- Dance Flick) moves in across the street, and there’s nothing more terrifying than the scorn of a demonic ex-girlfriend.
A Haunted House 2 is mainly a one-man show, with Marlon Wayans the centerpiece in the majority of the few memorable moments. His charisma and over-the-top style of theatrics drive the comedy, which if you’re not a fan of, will probably irritate you quickly. But to be fair, Wayans’s desire to push these in-your-face breakdowns into ever stranger territory occasionally yields the most twisted of chuckles.
A Haunted House 2 does deliver a few amusing moments, but these are far and few between so I wouldn’t recommend it. But if you liked the first as I did, you may want to check it out and make your own decision.
WICKED RATING: 4/10 [usr 4]
Title: A Haunted House 2
Director: Michael Tiddes
Writer(s): Marlon Wayans, Rick Alvarez
Stars: Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly, Cedric the Entertainer
Year: 2014
Studio/ Production Co: Automatik Entertainment, IM Global Octane, Wayans Bros. Entertainment
Budget: $3,500,000 (estimated)
Language: English
Length: 86mins
Sub-Genre: Comedy
