The Houses October Built 2: Houses built on a shaky foundation
(WARNING: Full spoilers ahead!)
The Houses October Built 2 is the sequel to the 2014 movie, following a group of thrill seekers, hitting haunted houses around the country, until they run into the wrong one. The original overall was an unenjoyable trek, featuring unlikable characters, who stupidly keep tracking down the Blue Skeleton group, despite so many warning signs to just stop their trip already. The movie ends with the group being buried alive. The sequel picks up right here, with the group surviving the ordeal. It is now the next year, and the group decides to do it again.
The first hour of this film is a vast improvement over the original. The group is believable and a lot more sympathetic than the original. Characters that have moments of questionable actions, such as returning to the road, or pressuring the lone female character Brandy to do more than she is willing, are given reasoning for their actions. Most of the first hour feels like a documentary with the group experiencing many different types of events for the Halloween season. A zombie 5k, zombie pub crawl, haunted houses and hayrides are all visited. Each event is treated with respect, and gives a great overview of how widely celebrated the season is in this country. The cinematography is incredible for a found footage film, with drone shots being used for great sweeping shots of the environment. During the first hour, Blue Skeleton is shown to be stalking the friends. This is shown by both having members of Blue Skeleton appear randomly in the background of scenes. Unfortunately they are also shown to be filming the group, using a camera with a blue filter. This just comes off as a bit silly, and does nothing but to interrupt the flow of scenes. It is a lot more effective and creepy when they just show up, especially when the friends do not notice them. Overall though, the first two-thirds of the movie are great, and a big improvement.
Sadly though, the last third of the movie is also there. When Brandy is confronted by a Blue Skeleton member, she rightfully is concerned and wants to stop. The rest of the group becomes so horribly annoying over this, that it destroys the dynamic built up earlier in the film. The group is then kidnapped and brought to the extreme haunted house they have been looking for, Hell Bent. Hell Bent is revealed to be Blue Skeleton, in a not so shocking twist. Here Brandy is sent through rooms, watching her friends get tortured. But then in a twist, it turns out that the friends have been working with Blue Skeleton since the original, all in an attempt to scare Brandy and get Youtube hits. Quite simply, this is possibly the stupidest moment in any movie this year. So the group justifies torturing their friend, because they will all get a lot of money at the end. Of course there isn't a check in the end, and the group just, leaves and goes home I guess? Plus, what feels like an attempt to create a full-on franchise, is severely hampered by the group Blue Skeleton itself. This movie reveals that they are nothing more than just a bad Youtube prank channel. How can an audience feel threatened by a group who just are not scary whatsoever?
Near the beginning of the film a newscast is shown, talking about the events of the first film, while also giving ominous warning of how what occurred the year later as being so much more violent and tragic. What was the guy talking about?! Nothing in this film backs up that description whatsoever. It's a very minor thing, but it just rubbed me wrong, long after the movie had finished. It just felt so false.
The Houses October Built 2, comes out the gate strong. It at first feels like a strong entry into the found footage genre. However, the last half hour just kills all momentum. If anymore Houses are made, it may be time to leave Blue Skeleton in the past, and start building anew.
1.5/ 5
