See No Evil 2
Dirs. Jen & Sylvia Soska
Slasher films are infamous for instigating a seemingly unending chain of sequels. Cynically speaking, slasher sequels are generally inferior titles (though there are exceptions) that simply rehash the plot of the original in a desperate bid to capitalise on its success. Speaking as the owner of various slasher franchise boxsets, some sequels can of course surpass expectations and actually enhance the impact of the original, fleshing out characters, exploring back stories and expanding mythos.
Of all the slasher films you’d expect to spawn a sequel - and a rather belated one at that - See No Evil (2006) probably wouldn’t be high on your list. A conventional, if rather unremarkable affair, it featured WWE star Kane (Glen Jacobs) as a reclusive psychopath brutally murdering a group of young offenders who, as part of their community service, are sent to clean up the old abandoned hotel he resides in. While commercially successful, it was essentially a re-run of old slasher conventions, grimed up with an urban setting, juvenile offenders and Kane making a bid to become a new slasher icon. While it didn’t particularly warrant a sequel, it got one. And a pretty decent one at that, with a surprisingly good cast (Katherine Isabelle! Kaj Erik-Erikson! Danielle Harris!) and effective direction courtesy of the Soska sisters.
See No Evil 2 might stick closely to the slasher formula, as its teenaged characters are violently dispatched by a hulking psychopath in a sprawling underground morgue staffed by a graveyard shift skeleton crew (Erik-Erikson and Harris), but with the Soska sisters at the helm, at least it has fun while doing so. The Soskas weren’t responsible for writing the script, but they were able to revise it and convince the producers to let them tweak a few aspects. As such, they play around with conventional gender roles, throw in a few twists - adding some oddball charm and dark humour - and lead us to a surprisingly bleak denouement with unexpected pathos. While things are fairly light-hearted to begin with - cheeky references to American Mary and grim foreshadowing abound as the camera lingers on various medical instruments throughout the opening credits - as soon as the stalking and slashing commences, the Soskas prove astute in ratcheting up tension, particularly during a number of taut chase sequences, and maintaining a suitably stark and creepy atmosphere.
See No Evil 2 is a slasher sequel with a group of rather likeable characters the audience may be inclined to root for, particularly Kaj Erik-Erikson as Seth, the aforementioned Katherine Isabelle, who delivers a particularly gonzo, highly strung performance and is one of best things about the film, and the ever reliable Danielle Harris. As Jacob Goodnight, Kane proves to be a formidable antagonist with all the makings of a classic slasher villain, right down to his stiflingly religious upbringing (explored through various flashbacks) - which taps into that old moral conservatism slashers are famed for - and his startlingly violent crusade to cleanse society of the ‘morally corrupt’ who, in this case, are a group of friends gathered at a morgue for a surprise birthday party.
With echoes of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, See No Evil 2 picks up immediately after the events of the previous film, the same night in fact, and its murderous villain is similarly revived in a morgue, setting the scene for a brutal killing spree. Unlike the aforementioned slasher sequels however, the remainder of See No Evil 2 actually plays out in this creepy setting and it doesn’t just serve as a prelude to the villain making his way back to a favoured stomping ground, a la Haddonfield or Crystal Lake. It’s a seriously creepy backdrop and, with its shadowy, labyrinthine hallways, is milked for all it's worth to enhance the atmosphere.
As a Soska sisters' film it’s not quite in the same league as their previous titles, particularly American Mary, but its an interesting slasher sequel that’s a cut above its predecessor and further evidence (if any was needed) that the Soskas are emerging as two of genre cinema's most interesting filmmakers.
