Along Came the Devil 2

It's hard to know what to make of this movie. Overall, it is well-acted with good production values and it has a creepy premise. Despite all of this, it's just not very good. It's not scary, even the parts that should frighten us. What takes place on screen is just not compelling enough to pull in the viewer to allow us to feel threatened (and scared). We don't get to know enough about any of the characters to care what happens to them. Because the film fails to draw us in, it fails to creep us out.

I did like the sequel slightly more than the original. The major problem with ACTD 2 is that 70% of the film is simply dull, which is the kiss of death for a horror film. The ending improves on the previous hour and ten minutes or so, which made watching it just barely worth it. And why can't characters in scary movies EVER do what normal people would do and switch on a light?

There was a lot less cliches than I expected, but the copious amounts of plot holes made up for that. Its only real selling point is the horror scenes (as in the horror makeup and effects), but like I said, the plot holes and missing information overshadow the good stuff. My biggest pet-peeve was the unrealistic usage of blood (I know, weird thing to be obsessed with in a horror movie, but it was pretty cheesy).

Did I like watching this? Eh.

Would I watch it again or any other movies in the series? Hard no.

Would I recommend it to others? Only if you like cheesy possession movies.

So how does one watch a sequel to a movie he's never seen?

This is the question I asked heading into Along Came the Devil II, as I haven't watched Along Came the Devil, and nothing I'd read about it makes me want to. But I had an interview lined up with the sequel's lovely star, Laura Slade Wiggins, and wanted to do my due diligence prior to our conversation.

So I read some Cliff's Notes on the first one, pushed play on the screener, and was pleasantly surprised... at least for the most part. Things start with a bang, slow down for about 30 to 35 minutes, and then deliver all the goods in the final act. So solid first act, great last act, and a slow middle.

The film is aided by the great Bruce Davison, who can act his way around anything. He plays a troubled priest left over from the first movie, who's faced the Devil and believes that evil force has returned. Kudos as well to Ms. Slade Wiggins. She does some solid scream-queen work here, and is a strong female lead, keeping the SQ tradition alive.

Writer/director Jason DeVan might not offer anything new, but his film looks great and moves at a pretty fast clip. And he can stage a scare. The man's studied the genre, and knows what we're here for. Next time, there needs to be boobies though, Jason. Just FYI.

I'm going to give Along Came the Devil II a Good. I'd of liked a slightly faster paced middle act, but this was still a slick, creepy and well-made movie. Shawn concurs, and gives it a Good as well.

Absolutely horrible- waste of time and money. No point to this movie at all