Film Review: SEE NO EVIL 2 (2014)

Generally speaking, I love a good suspenseful, gore film that’s entertaining even when the plot is a retread of better films that came before it.  That is how I felt about the original See No Evil (2006) in which I enjoyed the hell out of the film despite it being a stalk ‘n slash film.  The sequel See No Evil 2 (2014) took eight years to finally make it to the screen resurrecting Jacob Goodnight (Glenn “Kane” Jacobs) after his death at the end of the first film.  He did get a pipe thrust into his eye/head and plummeted several stories to his death where he hit the ground – hard. 

In this film Goodnight’s body and several of his victims are taken to the local morgue where the nightshift is handed the task of taking care of the bodies.  It is here that Amy and Seth (Danielle Harris and Kaj-Erik Eriksen, respectfully) are charged with one of the biggest massacres that they have ever faced.  It also happens to be Amy’s birthday but when she’s unable to go out and celebrate (to help Seth) her best friend Tamara (Katharine Isabelle) and her friends decide to bring the party to the morgue.    It seems the perfect night for a party until Goodnight decides to not stay dead and to have his revenge on everyone in the morgue.

Now this seems like a great idea for a film except that this film is no way as entertaining as the original film.  Goodnight doesn’t kill his victims in interesting ways nor is there a lot of gore and blood.  The first film was very stylized whereas this film lacks any particular style.  Whereas the first film focused on the character of Goodnight, he takes a backseat to the characterization of his victims which for the most part aren’t all that interesting.  The best thing about the film is the fact that all the actors bring their “A”-game which could’ve have been an easily throwaway film.  I believe this goes to sibling directors Jen & Sylvia Soska.

The Soska sisters take a mediocre screenplay by Nathan Brooks and Bobby Lee Darby and turn it into a show piece to show audiences that Harris is a very formidable actress with range and that Isabelle is probably one of the most demented yet fun actresses out there as she brings flair to her necrophilia obsessed  character (which could have easily become a caricature).  I’ve yet to see the Soska sisters’ previous films Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009) and American Mary (2012) but if this is just a small taste of their talent then I’d rather see their next original film rather than another work-for-hire.