Hey gang, Valkor here. Last year I got the opportunity to review
a spooktacular anthology of film shorts known as “All Hallows’
Eve”; it offered up some pretty decent scares and Art the Clown
puts the film well over the top, adding the film to my list of
Halloween favorites (Mental note: put together a list of Halloween
favorites). Unbeknownst to me, there was a second entry being
developed and now the finished product, All Hallows’ Eve 2, has
landed on my doorstep, ready to get the Val-treatment. Just how
good is it compared to the first? Well that golden symbol gives
you a pretty good idea of what to expect – all kinds of awesome.
Also some spoilers ahead, so be wary.
All Hallows’ Eve 2, much like the first, is an anthology film that strings together 8 creepy shorts centered around one main story; the main tale finds a woman home alone on Halloween waiting for her boyfriend to call. However she’s taunted by a mysterious figure wearing a mask made out of pumpkin (by the end credits he’s known as Trickster), who first appears outside her building and suddenly inside just down the stairs of her apartment. At her doorstep she finds a mysterious video tape that probably (more than likely) was left by Trickster. Fortunately she has a VHS player to watch it. And what proceeds are a bunch of films with Trickster’s face appearing in-between. In no particular order, here are a three of my personal favorites of the 8.
Descent – a young woman arrives at her friend’s home to find that she’s been murdered. Unfortunately the killer is still present, but she’s able to hide just in time before he sees her. Unfortunately her mobile goes off, which was in another room. This alerts the killer that someone else was in the apartment and he leaves. Jump ahead six weeks later and the woman is still reeling from her friend’s death. And as she makes her way out of the office and onto the elevator, guess who shows up?
Jack Attack – a young boy and his babysitter are prepping a pumpkin for Halloween. The babysitter cooks the seeds of the pumpkin she just carved and after they've eaten a few of the seeds… that’s when the shit hits the fan.
Masochist – three teens pass by a carnival attraction that gives them the opportunity to make a masked man, who is tied to a wheel, bleed in order to win a prize. When the mask comes off, one of the boys realizes the man is his abusive father, which sets things up for some serious payback.
Sadly, Art the Clown is absent from this series of films; and I’m not too upset by it as Trickster is a suitable, though not as creepy – but still creepy, replacement. Plus it makes you wonder, if there’s going to be a third film… who or what gets the starring role?
The Good:
All Hallows’ Eve 2 is the perfect companion and follow up to the first film; it serves up an excellent selection of previously released tales brought together to provide the right amount of scares to complete your Halloween night – or any night for that matter. Some are short – like really short, while others are the perfect length that’s just enough to get the point across. I give credit to the idea of gathering a bunch of short horror films under one umbrella to give folks the chance to experience something new, different and just as terrifying as what’s put out for the main stream. Not all of the shorts are win, but they’re all watchable. As for the newest villain, Trickster, he works as the film’s antagonist, and while we don’t see enough of him as we did Art, knowing that he’s lurking about is enough to keep you wondering when he’ll appear next (spoiler: only towards the end). And that mask is just the creepiest! If I ever saw him standing outside of my house, I’d move to Canada straight away,VHS be damned! I’m not that curious! In the end if you’re looking to get freaked out this Halloween then definitely add All Hallows’ Eve 2 to your rotation.
The Bad:
I’m not feeling the wraparound story for this film – or should I say I don’t care for the opening. Woman sees a creepy dude lurking around her apartment and instead of calling the cops… she watches a videotape that this freak leaves at her doorstep. It's rare that I’d want to see a character die at the hands of a masked murderer, but in this case… yea, she deserved it.
The Ugly:
Jack Attack and the pumpkins bursting from the stomachs. Gruesome!
All Hallows’ Eve 2 is available now through Video On Demand (VOD) such as Amazon and iTunes; and as much as I enjoyed the first film (which you should definitely check out), I have to say I enjoyed the sequel just as much. The film offers up the right amount of scares that’ll certainly put a fright to your night. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving All Hallows’ Eve 2 a 4.
