The Houses October Built 2 sees the foursome from The Houses October Built back in action and touring extreme haunts once again.
I really hoped that The Houses October Built 2 would improve upon some of the missed opportunities from the first film and use the name recognition established from the original outing to build a better sequel. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. What we ultimately get up is a glorified rehash of the original that’s even less appealing.
The Houses October Built 2 is directed by Bobby Roe (who also helmed the original). Roe cowrote the screenplay with Zack Andrews. The film stars Bobby Roe, Zack Andrews, Brandy Schaefer, and Mikey Roe.
The Houses October Built 2 has many of the same issues as the first. Like in the original, the first two acts are largely comprised of a series of overly long and often unnecessary scenes. The makeup preparation for The Zombie Pub Crawl, The Pub Crawl, and the eating contest should have been nothing more than blips on the radar. However, the aforementioned sequences (and several others) go on far longer than they should have. The first hour is basically just glorified filler designed to whet our appetite for the finale. But there isn’t enough substance in the first two acts (or the third) to keep the audience engaged. The ending is ultimately disappointing and, once again, leaves too many unanswered questions.
I am kind of appalled that the same team from the original film is back. I appreciate that the second installment concludes the story from the first. But I think it should have taken a new direction from there, with a new group of unsuspecting friends finding themselves at the mercy of The Blue Skeleton. To see the same group of friends from the original springing back into action is just silly. Who says to themselves: “I mean, our friend got buried alive, but these people are offering us some money to come hang out at their haunts, so, let’s do it.” The fact that the guys even ask Brandy to come back into the haunt scene after being buried alive is really self-serving and made it difficult for me to muster any respect for any of them. Their actions succeeded in making me feel sympathetic towards Brandy but it alienated from the rest of the cast and left me really frustrated that they could be so cavalier in exploiting their friend and what she went through.
If you’re easily amused by gimmicks, you might find a few nuggets of enjoyment in The Houses October Built 2. But if you’re looking for a solid and worthwhile effort, I would definitely look elsewhere. The Houses October Built 2 is now available on VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray.
WICKED RATING: 3/10
Director(s): Bobby Roe
Writer(s): Zack Andrews, Bobby Roe
Stars: Brandy Schaefer, Zack Andrews, Bobby Roe, and Mikey Roe
Studio/ Production Co: RLJE
Release: January 2, 2017 DVD and Blu
Language: English
Length: 101-Minutes
Sub-Genre: Found Footage
