Director
Victor Garcia
Cast
Amanda Righetti Ariel Wolfe
Cerina Vincent Michelle
Erik Palladino Desmond
Tom Riley Paul
Andrew-Lee Potts Kyle
Steven Pacey………Dr. Richard Hammer
Jeffrey Combs………Dr. Vannacutt
DVD Release Date: October 16, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 81 Minutes
The Movie
Ariel Wolfe hasn’t spoken to her sister Sara in a long time. Sara was one of the only survivors from the infamous night in the house of Dr. Vannacutt, but Ariel refused to talk about it anymore once Sara insisted that all the deaths were due to ghosts and spirits. That little spat caused Ariel to never see her sister again. Sara ended up taking her own life when things seemed to get to be too much.
Ariel knew her sister wouldn’t commit suicide so she took her friend Paul with her to check things out and that is where they met Dr. Richard Hammer. Sara had contacted him before her death about going back to Vannacutt’s house and retrieving a statue known as the Baphomet Idol. The Idol is hidden somewhere in the house and worth millions. Dr. Hammer wants it to put into a museum for all to see. Refusing to help him, Ariel and Paul go on their way.
Soon after though, they get entangled with a group of thugs led by Desmond. They are treasure hunters after the Idol simply for the cash it is sure to bring all of them. Desmond shows that he is willing to do anything to get the Idol once he reveals he’s the one that killed Sara. Being taken against their will, Paul and Ariel go with the gang to the house and are forced to help search for the Idol. Upon arrival, the Professor and his small group are already there looking as well. Working together so to speak, the group sets out to find the Idol and prove that ghosts don’t exist. But the house has different ideas.
This was simply one of the most useless sequels I have ever seen. The original House On Haunted Hill in 1959 is a classic and the remake in 1999 actually succeeded in capturing a bit of that essence and delivered a good film. This sequel was pointless and actually takes away from the remake in making it seem as if everything we learned from it was not true. The reason the house is haunted is because the insane Dr. Vannacutt tortured people and their souls are trapped inside. Now all of a sudden there is a secret power behind the house in the form of an Idol? Get real.
All of the actors were chosen carefully for this film in that they needed to have every stereotype imaginable represented. There is an Australian, Americans, a Chinese girl, the black guy, the dorky white guy, the bad ass, and a few big boobed girls to round out the group. Some of the acting itself is laughable at best, especially when they are trying to have a serious conversation or when Ariel all of a sudden has vast knowledge of everything going on in the house when a ghost grabs her face. It still amazes me how everyone who dies gets killed almost immediately but Ariel always gets touched so she can have a flashback and then let go.
Trying to literally come up with a brand new idea in order to make a sequel is ridiculous. One of the only things that were done correctly is that the mansion appears to be left in exactly the same condition as it was from the night Sara Wolfe and her group was there. It’s a really nice touch. From there it just goes all to hell. Perhaps making it only eighty minutes long was appropriate, but you still may find yourself saying the same thing my girlfriend did when we were about halfway through. “How much longer do we have? Because I really can’t take much more of this.”
The Video
The film is shown in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and actually looks quite decent. Everything is seen in nice bright colors when needed and the darker scenes, which are abundant, are seen without being too black or shadowy. Overall, it is a great looking film that suffered the fate of bad CGI.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it sounds decent as well. Hearing creepy noises from all around you is the make of a great horror film. Or at least it’s what crappy horror films do in order to save a little of their dignity. Return does it nicely with some mood-setting music and awesome sound effects.
Special Features
Character Confessionals Gallery – A sixteen minute feature that is essentially your “behind the scenes” featurette. Clips from the film are interspersed with words from the cast and crew on how they felt making the film. They of course consider it to be extremely scary, but really fun to make.
The Search For An Idol: Dr. Richard Hammer’s Quest – This is a very short three minute feature with actor Steven Pacey discussing the Baphomet Idol and his character’s constant quest for it. Nothing too interesting.
Additional Scenes – Four deleted scenes are thrown in and would have added virtually nothing to the film. I’m not quite sure why they were left out though anyway considering the short running time.
Mushroomhead “Simple Survival” Music Video
Trailers – The Reaping and Blade Runner
The Inside Pulse
As good as the remake remarkably was; well take that success and multiply it by ten to figure out how bad this film is. The only good thing about it is the evil freaky nurse and being able to laugh at some of the deaths. When the Chinese girl gets her face sliced off ninja style by Dr. Vannacutt, I literally cracked up laughing. That and the continuity are the only redeeming qualities, but I doubt the filmmakers’ main goal was having people laugh at their “terrifying scenes.” With special features that you won’t care to watch because the film is so bad, it makes this DVD totally unnecessary. Don’t buy it. Don’t borrow it. Don’t rent it on a day when you’re extremely bored.
