DAY TWO - The Houses October Built 2 #31daysofhorror
DAY TWO OF 31 DAYS OF HORROR
The Houses October Built 2 - 2017
“We get her here for one haunt, and you know she won’t wanna go home.”
The sequel that no one knew was happening has arrived! THOB was originally released in 2014 and quite quickly became a cult classic. Following a group of extreme haunters as they drive across the country trying to find the scariest haunts, they eventually come face to face with something so terrifying, it might just kill them. It was found footage, it was original, and it was super cool to see all the different haunts they went to. The ending was scary and left you with a cold crawl down your back.
Now writer and director, Bobby Roe is back with round 2. And it’s flipped the whole story on its’ head and…kind of works?
So, this time around we learn that the whole group survived, and Brandy has become internet famous for being “coffin girl”, the girl who was live streamed being buried alive. The police got involved and Blue Skeleton (the group that was haunting them) left her in the middle of nowhere and she survived. Brandy doesn’t like her newfound internet fame as that was the scariest moment of her life, she really thought she was going to die. The rest of the group however are cashing in on their experiences and in this new Halloween season are being paid to go through new haunts, film them, and rate them online.
Unfortunately, the last few haunts require that “coffin girl” be there or they’re not paying. So Zack, Mikey, Bobby, and Jeff convince Brandy to join them once more. But there’s a new haunt they’re hearing about called “Hell Bent” and a guy in a skeleton mask is following them. Could it be Blue Skeleton is back for round 2? Or is Hell Bent an even scarier, more dangerous haunt?
Okay, first off, there’s a lot of bad reviews out there already for THOB2 and while I don’t necessarily agree with all they’re saying, this isn’t the greatest sequel we’ve ever seen. The first three quarters of the film are once again, the group going through different haunts with nothing much happening. BUT – I expected that out of this film, and enjoyed it. I like seeing all the different haunts because I’m too chicken to do them myself, and that Zombie Run one looked AMAZING!
The characters this time are a little more fleshed out. Of course, Brandy is now a traumatized woman, and much to my dismay, the men of the group do not respect that at all. They practically bully and bribe her into rejoining the haunt, and make fun of her for being traumatized. The poor woman was buried alive!! But also, it’s pretty realistic that these bros wouldn’t respect that. So I’ll give them that. I was actually pretty annoyed at Brandy for giving in so easily but peer pressure is one hell of a thing.
Ultimately, THOB2 is basically just a rehash of the first film with a little bit of a twist ending. But what more would you expect from a sequel? And let’s talk about the ending – obviously, I won’t spoil it, but all the “scary” stuff happens in the final 20 minutes. It’s not scary, more spooky than anything, and as Brandy wanders through a dark and abandoned building you do feel a sense of the dread and terror she must be feeling. With the final reveal, I found myself rooting for Brandy and actually cheered during a certain scene. And of course, this sequel leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions in case they get funding for a third.
I will say this though – I am EVEN MORE curious about Blue Skeleton, and if a third does get made, I hope that it would focus more on that haunt group and what they’re all about.
Deep down THOB franchise is all about how far people are willing to go to get scared. It’s a reflection on how insane haunts are now and shows that our society is willing to get “kidnapped” and water boarded to feel that adrenaline rush of fear. Even Brandy, who was incredibly traumatized, still can’t get rid of that part of her that wants to be terrified. And I can respect that.
Overall, if you really enjoyed the original, I say the sequel is absolutely worth checking out. If you love haunts and are fascinated by them, check this out. If you want to be scared shitless and have a tone of jump scares, maybe take a pass on this one.
