Introduction
On Friday, September 22nd, 2017, The Houses October Built 2, the rather unexpected sequel to The Houses October Built, was officially released.
Despite my feelings about how the sequel impacted the disturbing finale of its predecessor, I was pleasantly surprised upon reaching the credits.
Please note that the following review contains spoilers.
Review of The Houses October Built 2
The Houses October Built 2 resumes shortly after the series of events that precede it — Brandy (Brandy Schaefer) is confined to a wooden coffin and in the process of suffocating.
However, courtesy of a live stream hosted by the extreme haunt group, the Blue Skeleton, a police officer is able to track down the remote site of her torture.
Despite this fact, Brandy has already been moved to a different location, where she is subsequently left stranded on a deserted road.
From there, the film abruptly jumps to the future, utilizing cinematic-style footage and an alarming news report on Brandy’s TV to introduce viewers to the sequel.
Viewers are then brought back in time to around one year after the events of the original film.
Due to the success of the Blue Skeleton’s “Coffin Girl” live stream, the group has become famous — especially Brandy — and they have been offered a paid opportunity to review less extreme attractions.
Evidently more concerned with making money than helping Brandy through her trauma, the group once again departs on a road trip but soon discovers that without Brandy, they aren’t worth any money to the haunt industry.
In the aftermath of this revelation, Mikey (Mikey Roe) eventually manages to convince Brandy to go on another road trip.
As the film progresses, high-quality footage showcases their second road trip around various areas of the United States.
It soon becomes evident to viewers that the locations featured in the sequel are, in more than one instance, much more elaborate than the locations featured in the original film.
Furthermore, the comparatively brief sequences of video footage and cameos from the Blue Skeleton — although, in my opinion, somewhat unnecessary, at least in regard to the video footage — create an additional element that distances the sequel from the original.
That being said, the sequel cannot be fully appreciated until the credits.
By the conclusion of The Houses October Built 2, the entire premise of the sequel is turned upside down, leaving viewers questioning what they just watched.
Although the ending is not necessarily a cliffhanger, viewers will likely have a change in perspective and want additional information about the events before, during, and maybe even after the sequel.
Having noted this potential outcome, however, I believe that the film ended at a relatively appropriate point and would not have benefited from including the answers that viewers may ultimately seek.
In conclusion, The Houses October Built 2 proves to be a worthy sequel to the original, showcasing more elaborate haunt industry locations and incorporating a plot-altering twist that viewers are likely not to expect.
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Pumpkin Rating & Conclusion
Entertainment Value: 4 / 5 Pumpkins
Price of Film: 5 / 5 Pumpkins
Duration of Film: 5 / 5 Pumpkins
Pumpkin Rating: 4 / 5 Pumpkins
Despite some stylistic changes that may influence the opinions of viewers familiar with the original, The Houses October Built 2 is a successful sequel that further develops characters and presents a side of humanity and the haunt industry that is as memorable as it is appalling.
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Twitter: @HousesOctBuilt
Facebook: @TheHousesOctoberBuilt