In anticipation of viewing See No Evil 2, I watched the first installment and, well, I didn’t finish watching it. I just didn’t care about any of the characters and I was a wee bit bored. Why watch the sequel? My deep and authentic respect and admiration for what Jen and Sylvia Soska have achieved thus far in the horror world is exactly why. Then we add Danielle Harris and Katherine Isabelle to the mix and it’s a female powered horror extravaganza! So, what happens when you throw four fierce females into a horror franchise starring WWE Superstar Kane?
Well, the sequel is immediately richer looking and, clearly, has a focus and distinctive feel. What I saw of the first film just felt uneven, unsure of itself and couldn’t seem to decided what kind of film it was trying to be. See No Evil 2 is a straight up slasher film that acknowledges the common law rules of horror and spits in their face. Shocker of shockers, a woman who is not afraid to own her sexuality is not immediately punished for that and it was greatly appreciated. No gratuitous nudity, yet there was plenty of sexy stuff for both genders. Ms. Isabelle may not have gotten naked, but the Soska’s know to show off those long, lean legs of hers every chance they get. Ms. Harris is equally treated as a human being who just happens to be ridiculously beautiful. This is where women behind the camera makes a huge difference. It may be a difference that not everyone immediately notices, but it’s an extremely important one and it is especially appreciated by this horror fan. That is not to say that men are not as equally capable of portraying women in a positively sexy way, but women just seem to hit it spot on more often than not. This specific touch is what saved the film for me.
Tamara (Isabelle) is seriously turned on by the notion that a serial killer is in the morgue and insists that her boyfriend goes with her to see Jacob. Her behavior with the corpse is both questionable and humorous. Tamara is so turned on, that her exuberant screwing brings Jacob back to life! That’s how good she is in bed. What goes on from here is pretty generic; serial killer is in a hospital full of cool-looking, vicious weapons and a bunch of horny kids. Do the math.
The Soska’s do an excellent job of using clips from the first film to help tell Jacob’s story to the uninitiated or to those with a short memory. Using bits from the first film also helps to better illustrate how much class and polish the Soska’s have brought to the franchise. We are also given a bit more history of Jacob’s mother in a feeble attempt to explain away his rage, but it’s so “been there, done that” it makes it hard to care. In fact, I became exasperated by Jacob yelling angrily about whores and whatnot. Let’s just take people’s eye’s out and stab them, o.k.? Stop dilly-dallying.
The Soska’s definitely know how to film a brilliantly beautiful kill scene. There is some truly awesome stuff going on in this movie and thank goodness, because the story and the characters leave a lot to be desired. When it comes right down to it, I would never have watched this film if the names’ Soska, Harris and Isabelle were not attached to it and I really do find them to be the only saving grace of this film. Without these ladies, it’s just another slasher that you’ve seen a thousand times. There is a bit of a twist on the usual horror rules towards the end, but then the movie goes and ends on a well-worn horror movie ending that this viewer found especially irritating. Not as irritating as the use of the song “I Can’t See You” over the end credits, though.
images: IMDb & listal.com
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