The Unnamable II [DVD]

... but sadly, not the whole. I remember having liked Halloween II a whole lot better than the original as a kid. I still like it better, even though the reason why is not as clear to me as it was back then, since I shortly realized that not even urgent care clinics look so quiet and empty on Halloween night as the hospital in the movie. For a while and maybe thanks to the media hype, I thought Terminator 2 was better than part 1, since it brought to closure the universe it had created in the first one and it was done with the right budget. Simply and honestly, it was more spectacular and the CGI was almost as watching real magic. These days I give more credit to part one because the nature of movies is visual, and that's where James Cameron first realized his nightmarish vision of the torso of a human skeleton made out of metal chasing after somebody who, like in all bad dreams and for whatever reason, couldn't run to escape... And just like the original Halloween and the much inferior original Unnameable, the tone was more even and less convoluted: I consider all three in equal measure as horror movies. I used to be part of the majority, who prefer sequels that are actually related to the original and, whenever possibly and plausibly, pick where they left. Now I'm not so sure. Once again, the tone was more even in part I and, after all, that's where they came up with the winged, gargoyle- like monster which, like the Terminator, is what gives the franchise its name and reason to be (for better or worse). However, even though this is supposed to be a horror movie and turns out to be more of a comedy of absurd and hysterical proportions, is just more elaborated, much much more. Some whole sequences are the stuff of full- fledged classics. A couple of examples: the scene where the nosy dorm girl tries to get Alida dressed, -which in itself is a pretty suitable name for this particular heroine-, or the death of Dr. Mendez and its aftermath. The combination of comedy and sci-fi elements worked really well for me, maybe because they take me back to the unintentionally funny (or maybe not so) , teenage oriented AIP gigantic monster flicks from yesteryear. On top of that, you get a pretty nice introduction to molecular biology, quantum physics, applied linguistics, ancient languages and early development pedagogy in a single package, coated with a sappy, overtly prominent, romantic melodrama element for the sake of catering and, therefore, getting more people in the establishment. After all, theaters once were one of the most sought after places for teenage couples. The whole mechanics of the breakdown of sugar rationale (without any rationale or explanation given why anybody would carry insulin without being a diabetic, and more than one vial of the stuff!!!), in order to separate the good from the bad half of the monster, may be a nudge to that. It may also be a nudge to the fact that in order to make sense of this movie, you have to literally endure the "original," which I found abysmal even for slasher standards. Let a note be made that, just as the silly, cheap and pedestrian flicks that one would see at the drive- ins in B&W, slashers are for teenagers from the 80s generation on. Once you get older, they just don't work. Even though I will probably never own a copy of the "original" and that I don't care for that "if somebody did it first, they did it better" saying, this is the best part of what, very unfortunately, is a whole. They recently released such original by itself on blu-ray. I guess my whole point is that it would have been nice to have a cheap, all-in-one release of both, since they couldn't have neglected part 1 in order to release this much better sequel on blu-ray instead. This one tries to be a whole bunch of different things at once with bare- bone production values, especially in the over and under acting department: Just the way I like them! In other words, don't see it by itself. Don't see it by yourself, either!

I haven't seen this movie in a long time, but overall great movie.

Definitely just for major fans of the original, from which this sequel continues directly. Just don’t expect the depth, seriousness or thoughtfulness of Lovecraft as this is more campy than classic despite the numerous Lovecraftian references.Part 1 SIDEBAR: Based on H. P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Unnamable,” The Unnamable (1988) begins in the 1800s when a screaming monstrous Alyda Winthrop (Maria Ford; The Haunting of Morella, Slumber Party Massacre III, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead) is locked away in a vault-like attic by her father, whom she brutally kills when offered a kindness. We know nothing of what she is or why she is monstrous. Skip to present day (late 1980s) Massachusetts and a group of Miskatonic University students—one being a descendant of the cursed events past—spend a night in the house, some typical Night of the Demons-esque haunted house shenanigans ensue, and they eventually uncover more of the house’s history upon discovery of the Necronomicon.Picking up immediately when The Unnamable (1988) ended, we find police and paramedics as Howard (Charles Klausmeyer; The Unnamable) is taken to the hospital. Crime scene investigators reviewing the gory remains compare the incident to “what happened in Dunwich” some years ago. Now obsessed with learning the origins of the ancient evil they had encountered, Carter (Mark Kinsey Stephenson; The Unnamable) must study the Necronomicon and return to solve the mystery.Carter seeks help from the admonishing Chancellor Thayer (David Warner; In the Mouth of Madness, The Omen, The Company of Wolves) and occult expert Professor Warren (John Rhys-Davies; Waxwork, The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Carter and Warren explore the tunnels under the graveyard (from part 1), find writings in the language of Cthulhu, and free Alyda from the demon… resulting in one angry demon that wants its host back.Lacking any of the mystique or horror cultivated in part 1, the creature (Julie Strain; Blood Gnome, Witchcraft IV, Heavy Metal 2000) features much facial latex work and a rubber bodysuit. Moreover, our monster now moves more like a hulking gargoyle than the sleek mysterious demon from part 1. When it knocks things over I’m reminded of the rigid motions of the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) or Pumpkinhead (1988). The gore is barely adequate with an occasional claw plunging into a chest cavity, but I can only handle so many claw slashes before I get a bit bored the lack of variety.This sequel just feels yet more like a B-movie than the already borderline B+ quality of the original. The monster’s "female anatomy" are much more prevalent, our hero is running around with a naked girl with limited speech ability and fairy tale long hair covering her delicate bits, and most of the movie is the monster’s pursuit of its original host Alyda. Fully embracing its badness, at one point the creature spreads its wings and “zip-lines” at its victim in the worst possible stunt of the movie.Director Jean-Paul Ouellette (The Unnamable) did rather well with his first movie, but this sequel just doesn’t do it for me on its own. Sure, it’s entertaining B-movie fare and I enjoy seeing the story continued from part 1. It’s simply not enough for a recommendation.

I’ve never had the opportunity of seeing the first film so I have no idea what I might be missing. This sequel, on the other hand, is a hoot, thanks in large part to the bizarre performance by Mark Kinsey Stevenson as Randolph Carter. He’s confident and hilarious because he is so confident and matter of fact. Unflappable, he has no problem dealing with demons or watching friends die horribly. The plot, such as it is, involves separating a woman from the demon she’s become. The problem requires defeating the demon before it kills them. This eventually leads to a showdown in the Arkham Library. John Rhys-Davies and David Warner put in brief appearances. Equally amusing is Charles Klausmeyer as Howard, Carter’s unofficial sidekick and comrade in arms. I don’t know if this adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s work was meant to be a comedy, but I appreciated it as such.

Bon service mais il faut avoir vu le premier pour regarder le second

i enjoyed this movie, and got it for a great price used and in good shape