The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter

Classic horror movie of the early 90's. This movie is actually one of the movies that stand out in my memory back from the early 90's when I watched it for the first time on VHS. I just had to purchase it on DVD when I had the chance.

I loved the story and found it to be thrilling and good. It drew from the Lovecraft universe in a good way, and I was nailed to my chair throughout the entire movie (and it still does whenever I put it into the DVD player).

I have watched this movie maybe 5 or 6 times over the years, and never gotten tired of it. Of course, a certain amount of time have to pass before you put this one in the DVD player again.

When I watched this for the first time, I was fairly unfamiliar with John Rhys-Davies, but found his acting here to be believable and good. And this movie also introduced me to Maria Ford, which I must say is a plus for this movie.

The atmosphere of the movie is dark and brooding, which works well throughout the entire feature. Of course the effects are sort of bad in today's standards, but back then they were great. Especially for a fairly low budget movie. I liked the make-up on the creature, and were surprised to find out that it was Julie Strain underneath it.

If you like the work of Lovecraft and have a taste for the movies based on Lovecraft's work, then you should not let this movie pass you by. Even today, this movie is worth watching. Even though Jeffrey Combs is not in this Lovecraft-based movie, it is still providing good entertainment. It has a good, solid story, no real boring moments throughout the length of the movie, and I think it is a must have in any horror fan's DVD collection.

I accidentally rented Unnamable II tonight, thinking I was renting the original for the first time in a few years. (The original was one of my favorite Gothic horror films.) I was disappointed that I had grabbed the wrong movie, but still enjoyed seeing this one.

With the possible exception of The Godfather II, sequels never match the originals & this one is no exception. Still, Oulette does a good job in leading us through this dash through campus, with the hideous she-demon behind us. The idea of the split demon-normal girl is intriguing and the lovely Maria Ford is convincing as the 300-year-old coed. Mark Kinsey Stephenson is again solid as the scholarly and fearless Randolph Carter. (Doesn't every college English Department have a senior bookworm like this?)

My only complaint-and this is one I might not have even thought of before returning to grad school-is that the professors are all Scooby Dooish `all-knowing' doctors. Professor Warren (John Rhys-Davies) apparently is an oral folklore specialist within the English Department…unless he is possibly in sociology or some similar field. For him to have a passing knowledge of quantum physics is not unthinkable. For him to look at a mutilated body and tell claw marks from incisor marks is stretching it considerably. For a literature professor to be running around with a portable microbiology lab in his little black pouch, though, and setting up a microscope, etc., in a dank, dark cave and making glib pronouncements about the blood, however, is akin to no one suspecting `Old Hank' or whoever as being the Scooby Doo villain. Folks, as one who is around professors every day (and who hopes to BE a college history professor in a couple of years,) I can attest that the average English or history professor barely understands how to connect to the Internet or operate PowerPoint, let alone set up a mini-science lab in a dark cave in five minutes!

This one is okay, but I need to see the original again. Part of the reason I wanted to see the original tonight was so I COULD do an updated review. But that will come. People aren't exactly standing in line to do these two movies. Still, this one is definitely worth watching. Give it a chance!

The competently low-budget sequel (which was made 5 years after the original) sees the story continue where the first film finished off, and director Jean-Paul Ouellette delivers a far better effort on this Lovecraft outing than on the previous one. However while being rather expansive, slicker and better paced, it was kind of laid-back on the violence (which the first film wasn't afraid to bare) and jolting thrills (which aren't as imposing). Some things happen off-screen, but there a few twisted and ravaging acts caught. The slick tone seemed to be aiming for pulpy fun in a fast-moving chase format than the simmering atmospheric jolts in a confined setting, and for most part it works.

Returning characters Randolph Carter (exaggeratedly acted by Mark Kinsey Stephenson) and Eliot Damon Howard (a solid Charles Klausmeyer) make for a fruitful chemistry, as they must do battle again with the demon with no name. Along for the ride is John Rhys-Davies and Maria Ford who spends plenty of screen time in the nude under her flowing long hair is very convincing in her part. Julie Strain is the lucky one who gets suited up in the creatively effective make-up FX of the titular demon and David Warner also gets in the act, but with very little in the way to do.

This time around the story (with a consistently witty script) holds a little more substance and character to its framework (where modern science and ancient folklore come to terms) and explores the possibilities, than reverting to a simple stalk n' slash exercise. After the leaving the tunnels under the Winthrop house, this time the action mainly occurs in the illustrative backdrop of the University grounds. The openness of it didn't do much in the favor of holding suspense, but the atmosphere is glum and its straight-laced quirkiness lends well.

This sequel picks up directly where part one left off and finds the two main characters from the original film seperating the human half from the demon half of part one's monster. They flee with the human half, but the demon eventually escapes from her prison and seeks out the human part to her and killing anyone in her way. Sometimes exciting, sometime scary, slightly better then part one, but bland.

Rated R; Violence, Brief Nudity, and Profanity.

This might be the only Lovecraft movie sequel to actually adapt a Lovecraft story ("The Statement of Randolph Carter," which actually preceded "The Unnamable") and is a superior sequel. Well, I think it is superior since I can't remember liking THE UNNAMABLE that much (outside of some nice make-up). Stephenson is an unusual lead, a very intense nerd totally focused on his task at hand. Klausmeyer, who inexplicably sees his character renamed from Howard Damon to Eliot Damon Howard, is good as well. Completely underutilized David Warner slipped in for one day to shoot a scene as the college chancellor and Rhys-Davies might have been there for a couple of days. The film offers lots of gore and, again, the creature design is pretty damn spiffy. The real star, however, is b-movie actress Maria Ford. This might actually be her strongest acting role as the displaced 17th century girl (and I'm not saying that because she spends 50% of her screen time nude). Sadly, I decided to look her up online and she has had some horrific plastic surgery in the ensuing years.