Very rarely does the sequel top the original. Many times, we ever forget there was a sequel such as Meatballs 2, Speed 2 or Showgirls 2: Penny’s from Heaven. This is not the case with Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters. The second helping is so much better than the original. Director Donald Farmer made Shark Exorcist back in 2014 and continues the tale a decade later with a serious upgrade. You’ll believe a demon possessed killer great white shark can ruin your trip to the beach.
The first film featured a nun who sacrificed a baby by throwing the child into the water for a great white shark controlled by the devil to eat. Now the sister’s sister (Bigfoot Exorcist‘s Kimberly Lynn Cole) who happens to be a sister wants revenge for her sister the sister. She picks up a guy outside Big Daddy’s Fireworks, drugs him and takes him to Blanton Beach to let devil’s great white shark eat him. There are quite a few side stories that eventually merge onto the beach with the shark. Two young women on their vacation discover that neither of them wants a Mr. Right. Kacey (Murdercise‘s Jessa Flux) is entering the world of Party Stripping so she can afford a four-star vacation in Destin, Florida that half the time she calls Dustin, Florida. When she doesn’t believe her boyfriend can afford it, she badgers the host of the party to drive her to Destin. But they end up at Blanton Beach. Is her heavenly vacation going to end up in the mouth of a creature from Hell?
Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters does a major step up from the special effects with quite a few CGI sharks swimming across the screen. The best special effect is Jessa Flux as the party stripper. She is so obsessed with Destin, Florida that you might swear this entire budget was provided by the Destin, Florida Tourism Board. You almost forget there’s a shark in this movie as she puts the bite on two guys for her vacation dream. It did seem to feel like that this is a completely different movie that got edited into Shark Exorcist 2 until she gets detoured to Blanton Beach.
There’s a cameo from Larry Underwood as a beachgoer. He’s best known as Dr. Gangrene on Dr. Gangrene’s Cinetarium. The horror show can be seen at 10 p.m. on Saturdays on Nashville’s NECAT Arts Ch9 (and watched online). Shame they didn’t create a bonus feature to let Dr. Gangrene host Shark Exorcist 2 on the DVD.
One of my favorite moments is when a guy is shopping for fireworks steps outside the store to light a cigarette near the gas pumps. I was expecting to see whole place blow up. Guessing that wasn’t in the budget. Big Daddy’s Fireworks and gas station is gone although not from an explosion. It’s been turned into a real estate office which is less combustible. Thankfully Big Daddy’s Fireworks has been immortalized in the now legendary Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters.
Videos is 1.78:1 anamorphic. This was shot on what seems to be a variety of video cameras so there’s a bit of difference on picture quality between scenes. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0. You’ll hear the shark chomp victims even if you don’t quite see the gore.
Alternate Version (78:25) has different video effects. The opening with the nun in flashbacks is given a brown tint. The shark effects are different. It appears they used a puppet.
Trailers include Caddy Hack, Oujia Shark 2, Shark Exorcist, Shark Exorcist 2, Sharkencounters of the Third Kind and Sharkula. This is a Shark Week marathon. Caddy Hack has a mutant gopher killing Caddys.
Wild Eye Releasing presents Shark Exorcist 2: Unholy Waters. Directed by Donald Farmer. Screenplay by Donald Farmer & Jessa Flux. Starring Angel Nichole Bradford, Joe Casterline, Kimberly Lynn Cole, Alice Elliott, Tristen Elliott & Jessa Flux. Running Time: 78 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: May 21, 2024.
