It’s been eight years since WWE Studios and director Gregory Dark released See No Evil to the masses. It received mixed to (mostly) negative reviews, but it was still a minor box office success. Despite people really digging the serial killer Jacob Goodnight (played by Glenn Jacobs aka WWE’s Kane), I think a lot of us put See No Evil on the backburner of our DVD collections…until WWE Studios announced last year that they would be producing a straight-to-DVD sequel to be directed by The Soska Twins, Jen and Sylvia. After a massive wave of publicity both in part due to the WWE brand and The Soska’s popularity in the horror genre, See No Evil 2 was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday. Here’s my review!
See No Evil 2 is written by Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby, and directed by The Soska Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska. Cast members include Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, Stakeland, Hatchet 3), Katharine Isabelle (“Being Human,” “Hannibal”), Chelan Simmons (Final Destination 3, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil), Kaj-Erik Erkisen (“Goosebumps,” “The 4400”), Greyston Holt (“Bitten”), Lee Majdoub (One Foot in Hell), Michael Eklund (“Bates Motel”), and with Glenn Jacobs returning as Jacob Goodnight.
“A group of friends pays a late-night visit to the city morgue to surprise Amy (Harris) on her birthday. But the surprise is on them when the one-eyed corpse of brutal psychopath Jacob Goodnight (Jacobs) unexpectedly rises from a cold sub-basement slab. Their wild party quickly turns into a terrifying slay-fest as the sadistic mass-murderer resumes his savage rampage complete with hooks, surgical knives and power saws.” – Lionsgate
To kick this off… I want to say that – whether you choose to believe it or not – film and television production is very much an art film. All the materials have to be in place to make a beautiful painting, or in this case a kick ass horror film. Danielle Harris is one of the biggest scream queens of all time with titles including Halloween 4, Halloween 5, Urban Legend, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2, Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet, The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond, Hatchet 2, Hatchet 3, Stakeland, Laid to Rest 2, Camp Dread… The list really goes on and on. With respect, recently I’ve felt like Ms. Harris isn’t being used to her full potential. Directors know she is a huge draw, so they just stick her in front of a camera and say, “Action!” In my opinion, See No Evil 2 is going to be the film that brings her back to prominence. She is so good here, better than I’ve seen her in a while. Almost thirty years into her career and she’s still got “it.” I have to give major applause to Jen and Sylvia Soska for knowing what a powerful brush they have and using her to paint an amazing portrait. Anyone can make a movie, but few people can direct.
Although Ms. Harris is the biggest star in the cast (which is why she is playing the lead), I do have to say that the rest of the cast were amazing in their portrayals, too. They were so well written, realistic, and were on point. Usually I criticize actors in horror titles for over-acting or under-acting, but in See No Evil 2 everyone was just perfect. I think their A+ grade performances, coupled with the morgue setting and Jacob Goodnight, really made the movie a cohesive piece of cinema. And, as a huge “Bitten” fan, it was interesting for me to see Greyston Holt play a different character than the one he plays on the hit SyFy series. I was impressed to see that he has a range to his acting abilities that goes far beyond, “I’m muscular and pretty! I’m going to kick the crap out of you!” Again, all of the actors and their characters were great, but Danielle Harris, Greyston Holt, and Kaj-Erik Eriksen were by far my favorites.
Above I briefly mentioned the fact that See No Evil 2 takes place almost entirely inside a morgue. No matter how old you get, no matter how many horror movies you’ve seen – morgues are always going to be insanely creepy. Not only that, but morgues have an almost unlimited source of weapons that a maniacal killer such as Jacob Goodnight could use at his disposal. It would make sense that See No Evil 2 would take place in a morgue because it is a direct follow-up to its predecessor. I mean, it literally takes place when the bodies of Jacob’s victims (and the body of the killer himself) are being transported to the morgue after the first flick. So, a direct sequel that takes place in a morgue featuring a big ass killer? Yeah, this movie was definitely my kind of style! Oh, wait! Before I move on, just how fucking big was that morgue? I felt like they ran at least two miles but were still inside.
Despite some annoying, stereotypical horror film clichés like characters stopping to talk while they’re being chased multiple times, the suspense level is still pretty high. The gore factor is lower than the previous entry, though. Jacob Goodnight doesn’t use the chain and hook as often, though he gouges a few eyes out. Compared to the last movie, he seems slower, less creative, and less powerful. But, to be fair, he really did get the shit kicked out of him in the last movie and he wasn’t having the best time in See No Evil 2 either. It’s kind of understandable that he’d be a little…winded, but I still was hoping for better. His brute strength really sets him up high with other slashers like Jason Vorhees. I think there’s enough blood and guts to keep people satisfied, but don’t expect anything too impressive.
See No Evil 2 was well worth the wait. There’s usually always a “sophomore slump,” but in this case it’s more of a “sophomore slouch.” Sure, it’s not completely up to par with the first film, but it is still freakin’ fantastic. I’m probably going to watch it again this week. It’s obvious to me why the Soska Sisters are such figures in the horror industry right now. If they keep directing titles like this, then the sky is the limit. I’m hoping to see Jacob Goodnight again in the future and for that I’m going to rate this an 8 out of 10. If anything, it taught me that being in a wheelchair in a horror film is never a good idea!
