Has the feel of an indie straight-to-tv movie, and yeah, there's plenty to criticize. From bad acting to cheesy attempts at scares, this one's far from perfect, and falls a quite a bit short of its predecessor. But that doesn't mean it's not a good, Halloween-themed thrill ride.
The over-arching plot starts off basic. They rush the first few segments, and rush the breaks with the main arch in between.
The first segment is actually really, REALLY cool. It's short, but kinda shocking, and leaves the audience going "whoa." And as a bonus, there's a bit of a John Carpenter's "The Thing" element to one certain part. It's fun, shouldn't disappoint.
The second segment feels like a production of Spirit Halloween. Has an interesting premise, some cool aspects with the kids, but has a cheap execution. Very rushed, feels like an early Peter Jackson short. Not to say it's bad, but it's far from great.
Third segment is interesting. It's rushed as well, very short, and hardly any context is provided. Yet, somehow you're able to piece together what is happening, and create your own theories what led the father and son to this point. Acting's not bad. Nothing shocking on screen, but it feels like a campfire story told in 3 minutes by a scout leader to a bunch of wide-eyed cub scouts. And when the scout leader is asked by the scouts to explain everything, the scout leader takes a pull from his flask and tells them to shut the hell up and figure it out themselves.
By the 4th segment, we're only a third of the way through the movie. Starting to feel like the "ABC's of Death," only with more scares, thought, creativity, budget, and talent. And less rushing. Still, this segment isn't half bad either, despite trying to hard to be clever.
By the 5th segment, you may be wondering how many freaking segments there are. And this segment is just stupid. Maybe it could have been better, but, and I hate to sound like a broken record, it's WAAAAY too rushed. Feels like filler.
6th segment (holy crap, is that Pam from "The Office?!?" Wait, no it isn't) tries to tug on your heartstrings a bit. There's more context, time to think. Throw in a disturbed kid, a parent in mourning, cliche drawings of a child, it becomes real easy to predict. Kid's a great actor though. Characters do earn some sympathy points. And she gets the "Mother of the Year" award.
7th segment, well, it catches the spirit of Halloween no doubt. Despite it apparently being made on someone's mid-2010's smartphone using random people around a Californian neighborhood for actors. It's weird, not bad, but not great.
8th segment tries to be with modern tech. It's ok, some freaky imagery, but otherwise it's a bit weak. And the guy really needs some decor in his apartment.
That's......pretty much it. Some lows, some highs. 1st and 3rd segments were my favorite. The main story arch is entirely forgettable. Whole thing worth a watch, nonetheless.
The over-arching plot starts off basic. They rush the first few segments, and rush the breaks with the main arch in between.
The first segment is actually really, REALLY cool. It's short, but kinda shocking, and leaves the audience going "whoa." And as a bonus, there's a bit of a John Carpenter's "The Thing" element to one certain part. It's fun, shouldn't disappoint.
The second segment feels like a production of Spirit Halloween. Has an interesting premise, some cool aspects with the kids, but has a cheap execution. Very rushed, feels like an early Peter Jackson short. Not to say it's bad, but it's far from great.
Third segment is interesting. It's rushed as well, very short, and hardly any context is provided. Yet, somehow you're able to piece together what is happening, and create your own theories what led the father and son to this point. Acting's not bad. Nothing shocking on screen, but it feels like a campfire story told in 3 minutes by a scout leader to a bunch of wide-eyed cub scouts. And when the scout leader is asked by the scouts to explain everything, the scout leader takes a pull from his flask and tells them to shut the hell up and figure it out themselves.
By the 4th segment, we're only a third of the way through the movie. Starting to feel like the "ABC's of Death," only with more scares, thought, creativity, budget, and talent. And less rushing. Still, this segment isn't half bad either, despite trying to hard to be clever.
By the 5th segment, you may be wondering how many freaking segments there are. And this segment is just stupid. Maybe it could have been better, but, and I hate to sound like a broken record, it's WAAAAY too rushed. Feels like filler.
6th segment (holy crap, is that Pam from "The Office?!?" Wait, no it isn't) tries to tug on your heartstrings a bit. There's more context, time to think. Throw in a disturbed kid, a parent in mourning, cliche drawings of a child, it becomes real easy to predict. Kid's a great actor though. Characters do earn some sympathy points. And she gets the "Mother of the Year" award.
7th segment, well, it catches the spirit of Halloween no doubt. Despite it apparently being made on someone's mid-2010's smartphone using random people around a Californian neighborhood for actors. It's weird, not bad, but not great.
8th segment tries to be with modern tech. It's ok, some freaky imagery, but otherwise it's a bit weak. And the guy really needs some decor in his apartment.
That's......pretty much it. Some lows, some highs. 1st and 3rd segments were my favorite. The main story arch is entirely forgettable. Whole thing worth a watch, nonetheless.