Well, I did end up seeing this movie after all. I thought about reviewing it earlier, but then it occurred to me that it would be rather fitting for a Halloween review. Well, by my Californian clock, it is, in fact, Halloween, so let's get on with it!
The plot of this film focuses much more on the character of Kristy (once again, played by Ashley Laurence). After the events of the last film, she has been locked up in a mental institute named the Channard Institute after the head of the institute, Dr. Philip Channard (played by Kenneth Cranham, who later went on to play one of the many members of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance in Hot Fuzz, as well as the lead role in the dramedy Shine On Harvey Moon). Dr. Channard seems quite interested in Kristy's experiences, as does his friendly assistant Kyle MacRae (played by William Hope, who also played U.S. Ambassador John Stadish in the Robert Downey, Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes). There's also another "guest" of the institute named Tiffany (played by Imogen Boorman, with her only other film role being that of Lorina in 1985's Dreamchild), a mute who happens to have a fascination with puzzles. Surely, that will not have any impact on the plot.
Much like the original, it is hard to describe the plot entirely without spoilers. One thing I can say is that I found the plot of this movie to be an improvement over that of the first one. The original's plot was decent as far as it went, but it seemed to have a lot of moments of meandering that are cut down, or almost non-existent, in this film. For example, the original has scenes of people getting murdered to give Frank blood to become whole. Something similar happens in this movie, for a different character, but is montaged rather than showing several scenes of it, giving the film a brisker pace.
Along with the plot shift comes a couple of new characters, all three of which are done quite well. Despite having little acting experience, Imogen Boorman does a fantastic job as Tiffany. Despite having no voice, she communicates her emotions quite well simply through facial expressions and body language, no easy feat even for experienced actors. Factor in her youth, being only 17 when the film was released, and it is a shame she didn't go on to more success than she did.
As for the two other main characters, William Hope does a decent job as the assistant with little knowledge of what is going on, but a great respect and admiration for Kristy. He is played as a genuinely nice guy, one you sympathize with, a huge improvement over the cardboard cut-out love interest of the first film (who, by the way, is written out with barely a mention. I'm not complaining). In addition, he has a greater impact on the plot than Steve did in the last film. Finally, we have Dr. Channard. He is the head of a psychiatric hospital in a horror movie. He is automatically a prick. He is played quite well, as someone who thinks he knows what he is messing with, while not really grasping the scope of what he is doing. Unfortunately, there is one issue I have with the character. It's not on the acting front, though.
There is a lack of new characters, but it is made up for in that all but one character from the previous movie returns. In fact, one of the main villains is a returning character. It's hard to say whether they did a better job acting in the first or second movie, but I can say that they were more enjoyably villainous in this film.
The real strength of this film, in my mind, lies in the treatment of lore. This film expands quite well on where, exactly, the Cenobites come from. There is no cult without a form of God, after all. This film shows what kind of God the Cenobites come from. They come off as darker and more menacing, at least initially. However, this movie also shows that the Cenobites are not truly evil. That said, this is definitely not a film that shows Hell in a good light, and is one of the few horror movies to suggest that Hell is tailor-made for each prisoner.
There is a disappointment when it comes to this film. The first two acts are quite well done. You get more of an idea what the Cenobites are all about, you get to realize who the villains are, who the heroes are, and realizing that the Cenobites are on neither side, and the plot is laid down nicely. The third act, on the other hand, is a downturn. The Cenobites are almost literally thrown aside for a new threat, and that threat is...goofy. Going from these dark, menacingly neutral threats to a cackling villain throwing medical puns left and right was a definite step down. The appearance of the villain didn't help, either. I chuckled in disbelief when I saw the villain. "Really?" I thought. "Is that really what look they are going for?" Yes, it was. I'd show a picture of the villain, but I'd probably get a warning for phallic imagery.
Not that weird and uncomfortable imagery is rare for this film. Clive Barker stepped down as the director for this film, leaving it in the hands of Tony Randel. The shift between directors showed in quite a few aspects. This film is darker in feel than the first, truly feeling like a horror movie throughout rather than a family drama with horror creeping in. Rather than using editing tricks, however, Tony Randel's directing style was more steady, but no less uncomfortable. Man hugging woman? Eh. Man feeling up woman? Little weird. Man feeling up woman, who is bound in bandages to cover up the fact that she is completely skinless? Yeah, that's creepy, and sums up the tone of the film nicely. It is rarely unrealistic, but it shows that fantastic realism can be quite a bit more uncomfortable than movies that go wild with unreality.
Overall, this film does some things better than the original, and some things worse. The new characters are well done, the tone of the film is horrific without straining suspension of disbelief, and the further development of the world and lore of the Cenobites was welcome and quite intriguing. The last act is a bit of a let down, and the main villain clashes with the tone of the film, but even a mistake that could sink a lesser film is not enough to bring down this one. On balance, I'd say it is better than the original, and should not be missed.
The plot of this film focuses much more on the character of Kristy (once again, played by Ashley Laurence). After the events of the last film, she has been locked up in a mental institute named the Channard Institute after the head of the institute, Dr. Philip Channard (played by Kenneth Cranham, who later went on to play one of the many members of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance in Hot Fuzz, as well as the lead role in the dramedy Shine On Harvey Moon). Dr. Channard seems quite interested in Kristy's experiences, as does his friendly assistant Kyle MacRae (played by William Hope, who also played U.S. Ambassador John Stadish in the Robert Downey, Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes). There's also another "guest" of the institute named Tiffany (played by Imogen Boorman, with her only other film role being that of Lorina in 1985's Dreamchild), a mute who happens to have a fascination with puzzles. Surely, that will not have any impact on the plot.
Much like the original, it is hard to describe the plot entirely without spoilers. One thing I can say is that I found the plot of this movie to be an improvement over that of the first one. The original's plot was decent as far as it went, but it seemed to have a lot of moments of meandering that are cut down, or almost non-existent, in this film. For example, the original has scenes of people getting murdered to give Frank blood to become whole. Something similar happens in this movie, for a different character, but is montaged rather than showing several scenes of it, giving the film a brisker pace.
Yeah, the puzzle box comes into play. Is that really a spoiler if you've seen the first one?
Along with the plot shift comes a couple of new characters, all three of which are done quite well. Despite having little acting experience, Imogen Boorman does a fantastic job as Tiffany. Despite having no voice, she communicates her emotions quite well simply through facial expressions and body language, no easy feat even for experienced actors. Factor in her youth, being only 17 when the film was released, and it is a shame she didn't go on to more success than she did.
As for the two other main characters, William Hope does a decent job as the assistant with little knowledge of what is going on, but a great respect and admiration for Kristy. He is played as a genuinely nice guy, one you sympathize with, a huge improvement over the cardboard cut-out love interest of the first film (who, by the way, is written out with barely a mention. I'm not complaining). In addition, he has a greater impact on the plot than Steve did in the last film. Finally, we have Dr. Channard. He is the head of a psychiatric hospital in a horror movie. He is automatically a prick. He is played quite well, as someone who thinks he knows what he is messing with, while not really grasping the scope of what he is doing. Unfortunately, there is one issue I have with the character. It's not on the acting front, though.
There is a lack of new characters, but it is made up for in that all but one character from the previous movie returns. In fact, one of the main villains is a returning character. It's hard to say whether they did a better job acting in the first or second movie, but I can say that they were more enjoyably villainous in this film.
Of course, the Cenobites return. This is the first movie in the series that actually refers to this character as "Pinhead" in the credits.
The real strength of this film, in my mind, lies in the treatment of lore. This film expands quite well on where, exactly, the Cenobites come from. There is no cult without a form of God, after all. This film shows what kind of God the Cenobites come from. They come off as darker and more menacing, at least initially. However, this movie also shows that the Cenobites are not truly evil. That said, this is definitely not a film that shows Hell in a good light, and is one of the few horror movies to suggest that Hell is tailor-made for each prisoner.
There is a disappointment when it comes to this film. The first two acts are quite well done. You get more of an idea what the Cenobites are all about, you get to realize who the villains are, who the heroes are, and realizing that the Cenobites are on neither side, and the plot is laid down nicely. The third act, on the other hand, is a downturn. The Cenobites are almost literally thrown aside for a new threat, and that threat is...goofy. Going from these dark, menacingly neutral threats to a cackling villain throwing medical puns left and right was a definite step down. The appearance of the villain didn't help, either. I chuckled in disbelief when I saw the villain. "Really?" I thought. "Is that really what look they are going for?" Yes, it was. I'd show a picture of the villain, but I'd probably get a warning for phallic imagery.
Not that weird and uncomfortable imagery is rare for this film. Clive Barker stepped down as the director for this film, leaving it in the hands of Tony Randel. The shift between directors showed in quite a few aspects. This film is darker in feel than the first, truly feeling like a horror movie throughout rather than a family drama with horror creeping in. Rather than using editing tricks, however, Tony Randel's directing style was more steady, but no less uncomfortable. Man hugging woman? Eh. Man feeling up woman? Little weird. Man feeling up woman, who is bound in bandages to cover up the fact that she is completely skinless? Yeah, that's creepy, and sums up the tone of the film nicely. It is rarely unrealistic, but it shows that fantastic realism can be quite a bit more uncomfortable than movies that go wild with unreality.
Overall, this film does some things better than the original, and some things worse. The new characters are well done, the tone of the film is horrific without straining suspension of disbelief, and the further development of the world and lore of the Cenobites was welcome and quite intriguing. The last act is a bit of a let down, and the main villain clashes with the tone of the film, but even a mistake that could sink a lesser film is not enough to bring down this one. On balance, I'd say it is better than the original, and should not be missed.