All Hallows' Eve 2

In most every way this one was better than the first... except for one big part. The lack of the character Art the clown left this one as much more of a compilation of short films and not so much an anthology. While I'm sure they wanted to do something different with this one, Art was not only a wildly creepy addition but was also the connecting factor and cohesion throughout.

The actual over arching storyline between the shorts took a huge backseat and was very lacking which was unfortunate. Plus the pumpkin man severely paled in comparison to Art, but it didn't seem like they even tried tbh. In general it just felt a bit lazy.

Now, in every OTHER way this one was better than the first. The picture quality, the stories, the acting, the level of engagement and intrigue... all better. Because of this it kind of evens itself out to its predecessor landing pretty middle of the road. 5.5 rounding down to a 5. Would recommend.

Anthology films are few and far between recently. This project uses the structure as a way of showcasing nine often very short vignettes independently created by a different team and shown as a collection of unsavoury tales collected on a videotape. The tape falls into the hands, or rather is left at the door, of a young woman (Andrea Monia). The purpose of the videotape forms the enveloping story-line.

I won't go into details about the instalments, because their originality is very satisfying and it would be a shame to spoil that. Sometimes, instead of any detailed story, they are simply moments, like in a dream, of surreal occurrences which are nevertheless detailed and grounded enough to satisfy on their own merits. There are moments that had me turning away due to the graphic special effects, but this is far from drenched in gore. Rather, each weird tale builds up an ambience that is deliberately uneven and unpredictable.

This is a sequel to the original 'All Hallows' Eve' (2013), which was directed and produced by a different team. According to some reviews, the original was superior to this. This excites me, because I haven't seen it, and for the most part, I found this refreshingly original and generally well made.

I liked Art in the first one, but I didn't need him to be in the sequel for it to be good. In fact, I do appreciate that he isn't in it, because I don't want to see him become a cash cow that gets milked whenever someone wants to make a buck.

That said, the reason Art worked in the first one is that he tied the stories together. I felt that, overall, the shorts didn't connect, at least not for me. I didn't mind most of them, but they were too short to make an impact. Just when you start getting into them, they end. I think fewer shorts, each getting more time to develop, would have made this better.

I also didn't feel any connection to the woman watching the films. I liked Katie Maguire in the first one. The woman in this one is forgettable.

Overall, fun, but not great.

Whatever happened to the art of the horror anthology? In the good old days, they would consist of a handful of terrifying tales topped off with a suitably ghoulish resolution; nowadays, anthologies seem to comprise of numerous brief creepy vignettes with no story arc, no character development, and no satisfactory conclusion. All Hallow's Eve 2: The Reaping is a prime example, not one of its many chapters making the slightest bit of sense.

In the opening part of the wraparound story, a young woman finds a VHS cassette outside her apartment and pops it into her player (as if anyone has a video machine these days); on the tape are several spooky tales...

In the first, a babysitter carves a pumpkin in record time for the boy she is looking after. She cooks the seeds in the oven for a snack, but when eaten, pumpkins rapidly grow inside their bodies. This one is fairly gory, but logic plays no part, and the result is confusion.

In the second, a group of young trick or treaters menace the residents of what appears to be a post-apocalyptic town. It's a real head-scratcher, as the kids turn into horrific versions of their costumes (a ghost, a demon, a witch, and the grim reaper), with no adequate explanation for what is happening.

The third story sees two men making an offering to an unseen creature, but forgetting the vital ingredient. This tale left me totally non-plussed.

Next up is the story of a woman who witnesses the murder of her friend, and, six months later, finds herself trapped in a lift with the killer. This episode had potential, but blows it with another weak finish.

Part five is hardly worth mentioning: a carnival sideshow allows people to take their aggression out on masochists. It's so short and inconclusive it barely qualifies as a story.

Tale number six sees a young boy (who wears huge glasses) afraid of a monster that he swears prowls his bedroom at night. His mother does her best to convince the lad that his room is free of nasty creatures, but in the film's extremely predictable ending, she realises how wrong she is.

The penultimate story sees a man decorate his lawn on Halloween, using real corpses as props. Had this been a decent anthology story, the bodies would have come back from the dead to turn the killer into one of his own decorations. The actual ending just leaves the viewer hanging.

The last story is entirely in Spanish. I didn't have a clue what was going on.

The film closes with the girl watching the video being killed by a creepy figure in a pumpkin mask who emerges from the TV.

2/10. A huge disappointment, especially considering that I really like Art the clown and I was hoping that All Hallow's Eve 2 would give me the fix I needed until Terrifier 2. But he's not there! Not even a brief glimpse.

All Hallows Eve 2, the standalone sequel to the 2013 anthology horror film that introduced Art the Clown. This distinction is crucial because unlike its predecessor, the 2015 follow-up does not feature Art the Clown, a fact that often shapes audience reception and critical discussion.

"All Hallows' Eve 2" (2015), directed by Jesse Baget, Elias Benavidez, Andres Borghi, Antonio Padovan, Ryan Patch, and Marc Roussel, essentially functions as another horror anthology, connected to the first primarily by its thematic tie-in to Halloween and the concept of found footage or mysterious video content. However, it's less of a direct narrative sequel and more of a spiritual successor, taking a different approach to its scares.

The film's framing device revolves around a young woman who, on Halloween night, finds a mysterious, unmarked VHS tape on her doorstep. Intrigued, she pops it into her VCR, only to be subjected to a series of disturbing and increasingly terrifying short films. Unlike the first "All Hallows' Eve," which featured an overarching narrative tied to Art the Clown's malevolent presence, this sequel presents more disparate tales. The segments vary wildly in style, tone, and quality, a common characteristic of anthology films with multiple directors.

Some of the segments attempt to evoke classic horror tropes - jump scares, eerie atmospheres, and psychological dread. Others delve into more abstract or bizarre scenarios. One notable segment often discussed is "A Christmas Carol," which, despite its title, manages to be quite disturbing with its twisted take on the festive season. The segments in "All Hallows' Eve 2" are generally self-contained and don't contribute to a larger, unifying mythology or character arc, which was a strength of the original for many viewers due to Art the Clown's nascent character development.

The critical reception for "All Hallows' Eve 2" was generally mixed to negative, often drawing unfavorable comparisons to its predecessor. The absence of Art the Clown was a significant point of contention for fans of the original. Art's silent, menacing, and utterly depraved persona had made him an instant cult horror icon, and his exclusion from the sequel left many feeling that a core element of the "All Hallows' Eve" brand was missing. Without a strong, unifying villain or a compelling wraparound story, the film struggled to establish its own identity.

Furthermore, the quality of the individual segments was inconsistent. While some shorts might have offered genuine chills or interesting concepts, others felt derivative, poorly executed, or simply uninspired. This unevenness is a common pitfall for anthologies, where the strength of the best segments can be overshadowed by the weakness of the worst. Reviewers often pointed out that the film lacked the raw, visceral punch of its predecessor and that the scares felt less impactful without the singular focus provided by Art the Clown.

In essence, "All Hallows' Eve 2" (2015) stands as an example of an anthology sequel that attempted to capitalize on the goodwill of its predecessor's title but failed to replicate its most successful element - a terrifying and iconic villain. It offered a collection of Halloween-themed horror shorts, some passable, some forgettable, but ultimately lacked the distinct identity and memorable villainy that made the original "All Hallows' Eve" a noteworthy entry in the horror genre. For fans expecting a continuation of Art the Clown's reign of terror, the 2015 film was a significant departure and, for many, a missed opportunity. It underscores how crucial a strong, cohesive vision and a compelling antagonist can be for the success of a horror franchise, even within the anthology format.