Along Came the Devil 2

source: Along Came the Devil 2

There was a lot less cliches than I expected, but the copious amounts of plot holes made up for that. Its only real selling point is the horror scenes (as in the horror makeup and effects), but like I said, the plot holes and missing information overshadow the good stuff. My biggest pet-peeve was the unrealistic usage of blood (I know, weird thing to be obsessed with in a horror movie, but it was pretty cheesy). Did I like watching this? Eh. Would I watch it again or any other movies in the series? Hard no. Would I recommend it to others? Only if you like cheesy possession movies.

It was curiosity that drove me to this, and certainly not any worthwhile expectations. I watched 2018's 'Along came the devil' and frankly hated it, finding it dull and lagging even in the moments of would-be genre thrills; full of terrible dialogue, even the climax and ending, good on paper, couldn't make up for the rest of the preceding length. So why watch 'Along came the devil II?' Well, apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, and I'll watch just about anything. If nothing else it's nice to see that there's some continuity not just in the narrative, but in the people behind it, as filmmaker Jason DeVan returns, as well as some cast members. The thing is, even at its best, this is a very mixed bag, and it sort of loses track of itself. It seems to me like the cast are making more of an effort here than they did in the prior picture, so there's that; maybe DeVan has just loosened the reins about to as to facilitate such progress. Perhaps with the benefit of having prior story to build off of, there's considerably more strange goings-on in the plot to keep viewers engaged. I like the sound effects, and the music, and the hair and makeup work is swell. I even think there are some solid ideas in the screenplay, and at select points - certainly more than I'd have anticipated based on the 2018 film - the horror elements are realized suitably well to elicit some earnest chills and thrills. Why, this sequel even boasts a measure of atmosphere as the runtime advances. In some key ways, I dare say this is a definite step up from its predecessor. For whatever is sincerely done well, however, 'Along came the devil II' is also rife with other problems. What's peculiar is that while there's more happening in these ninety minutes compared to the first movie, there really isn't any more plot: we're rather presented with a loosely organized tableau of supernatural spookiness more than a concrete narrative. The central conceit, of possession and the emergence into the world of a demonic presence, gets bizarrely sidelined for long enough for us to forget it was there in the first place as a connection to the antecedent. The production design feels like a bizarre step down, and the production values generally - more vivid, on one hand, but on the other hand, more harshly glaring - and Jay Ruggieri's cinematography generally feels weirdly aloof and imprecise at many points. A preponderance of the dialogue and scene writing is blunt and heavy-handed, especially in the first two-thirds, lacking nuance; even the blood and gore feels overdone. Moreover, there a not insignificant part of the length that feels more like a conventional horror-thriller rather than a tale of possession and supernatural horror. Once it feels in the last minutes like we're back on track with a through-line from the first film - once again, though good and smart on paper, the ending is executed so brusquely that it just falls flat. Against all odds I think this is genuinely better than the 2018 movie. It has some of the same flaws, and some new ones, but in the very least there's more here to keep our rudimentary interest, if not also actively engage us. Still, for it to be better - how much is that really saying? I'd love to speak more highly of this than I do, but more than anything I keep flashing back to the way that despite all effort to connect the two features in their narratives, that thread is dropped or at least invisible for no small part of the plot in this instance. 'Along came the devil II' seems to have been developed more completely before it went into production, and I appreciate that more care went into it - yet as both writer and director, DeVan illustrates gaps in his skill set that leave this wanting in too many ways. There are worse ways to spend your time, including this title's progenitor, but then, I'm not sure why you'd really be looking to spend time with this in the first place.

Totally uninspired low budget movie and sequel with most of the budget used to hire one actor with any star power, Bruce Davidson ( who I love). He must have been a friend of the family to join because this production had nothing to offer. The script was an uninspired ripoff of The Exorcist. Without a decent script, the actors, who were okay, could contribute only so much. No exotic settings, just a few houses in suburbia America and no special effects to speak of. Plain vanilla storytelling with no style or character development. The production team should have studied "Babadook" if they wanted to see horror done properly.

If you are one of those people who got a * for people crying and sobbing the whole f-in movie and don't want to watch a horror movie..without actuall real good horror (Besides the cheap, generic jump scares) Then this is the movie for you!! The makers didn't spend NO time at all, thinking about what makes a good horror movie. NO time at all.

The title begs two questions. 1) When does the devil come along? 2) Did I have to watch the first one to see this one? The film doesn't open with a recap but at 40 minutes into the film, it talks about what happened in the first feature. Jordan (Laura Wiggins) comes home to her estranged father (Mark Ashworth) and family in hopes of locating her sister who is "away" with her aunt. The film opens with Reverend Michael (Bruce Davison) reciting the Catholic version of the "Lord's Prayer" most likely because it is shorter and was getting boring. Not as good as the first one which really wasn't that good to begin with. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Looks like there will be a part 3.

You know those sequels where none of the original cast wants to return, so they make the main character out of someone who was a minor one in the previous film? That's this. It is taken straight from early 2000s possession 101. It's got all the tropes, and doesn't do anything well. Then even more lame is the final 30 so minutes become a pure slasher film. Oh the killer/possessed has your standard black eyes too. It adds absolutely ZERO to the first film, which though also not good, was way better than THIS. No clue how this has a higher rating...at least part 1 had a halfway decent possession. I promise this is nothing you haven't seen 50x or more...right down to it's tired jump scare ending scene... Here's the plot quickly.. Begins w/ older sister getting the voicemail the aunt made in part 1. Who rushes home to meet her father who is now a "saved" man, and Father Michael. She's told her sister and aunt went out of town...the whole movie is spent with her waiting for them to return, and the waiting game for the father to go back to being nasty. Bigggg twist...the father gets possessed so he's evil again (yawn) and goes on a slasher movie rampage, he even uses an axe!!!! Haha...so original eh? We find out Aunt is actually in a catatonic state of shock due to first film, though we never see her once...Older sister saves her younger half brother and they kill their possessed father...Father Michael gets arrested, and the possessed Sarah (and likely Ashely as well) gets released, attacking Father Michael with a jump scare ending. We are not shown what became of big sis and the little brother but assumed they escaped or whatever. The end.

I'm not quite sure how the sequel was approved given how bad the first film was. But to this films credit, the timing of the jump scares were slightly better done. But the film still stinks

Just another overused plot. Poor effects, poor acting and bad script. This was a waste of time. Its only decent for a background noise.

DeVan Clan Productions have really stepped things up from the enjoyable first installment. Along Came The Devil II does a great job showcasing the growth of these filmmakers as it offers more cohesion, scares and another dose of the awesome Bruce Davison. It even managed to get me with a jump scare, which is a rarity. While it's not perfect, it is one of my favorite indie horrors from the year so far. I think people tend to judge indie films too harshly. Perhaps because they don't realize how insanely difficult and impressive it is to complete a low budget film, secure distribution and put your art out there into the world. That or they're just those with keyboards and way too much time on their hands. Either way, I hope you can look past the trolls and support these talented filmmakers. I for one am looking forward to whatever they bring us next.