Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

A few years after Angela Franklin's infamous Halloween party, the local kids are still talking about Hull House. A group of students from St. Rita's Academy who don't really believe the stories, decides to have their own party there. The bad news is that Angela never really left and has been waiting for some fresh new victims. In the 80s, when a Horror film was successful a sequel was usually out a year or two later. However, this trend died down quite a bit in the 90s, making way for something new. So it was a surprise that 6 years after it's release, Night of the Demons was turned into a franchise.

The way the original film ended, it didn't look like a sequel was in the cards. I guess since it had been such a hit on video, Republic Pictures didn't want to pass the chance up. There would be a new director and an almost entirely new cast. The only one to return was Amelia Kinkade as Angela, now to be the villain of the series. With sequels, the natural expectation is that we're just going to get more of the same. There are some familiar elements here, but actually the tone of the film is quite different.

The original starts so memorably and the good news is that 2 does also. I won't give it away, but let's just say Angela and religion don't mix. It's evident from the beginning that the humor has been cranked up for this sequel. It's not quite on the level of Evil Dead II, but it's still pretty wacky at times and a nice change of pace. Make no mistake though, there are still plenty of chills and wicked imagery to keep this from becoming a comedy. The moments where Angela comes from out of nowhere are especially effective.

The cast here is universally strong and this time it's not just made up of teenagers. Jennifer Rhodes as Sister Gloria really sinks her teeth into the role and gets to kick some major demon ass. The score and soundtrack are both different than in the original, but still memorable. We get to see Angela dance to another great metal song, this time in front of a crowd. There's also some eerie organ music at times, like the finale where Angela has prepared a sacrifice.

Steve Johnson and his group were also brought back on board to do the effects. They are equally impressive and there are also some nice surprises like the giant snake. The film also doesn't skimp of the gore, which was kind of lacking in the original. There are also a few unforgettable scenes involving some of these top notch effects. The lipstick makes a return in a scene that could make women pretty uncomfortable. It's good to know that writers continued the bizarre attitude of the first film.

Though the film isn't dull, the pacing is uneven in the first half. Fortunately, it picks up by the middle and just moves right along. And like it's predecessor, 2 doesn't completely avoid the cliches of dead teenager movies. The idea of the promiscuous teens biting the dust had gotten pretty tired by this point. Lastly, the films repeats some things from the original, but less effectively. Like most sequels, this one isn't as good as what came before, but is still a good film in it's own right.

7/10