The Houses October Built 2 (2017)

Movie Info

I think I’d rather watch a documentary about Takeru Kobayashi going to themed eating contests

A year has passed since Brandy (Brandy Schaefer), Zack (Zack Andrews), Bobby (Bobby Roe), Mikey (Mikey Roe), and Jeff (Jeff Larson) encounter with Blue Skeleton and with the Halloween season coming, there is money to be made. While Zack, Bobby, Mikey, and Jeff all have agreed on a Halloween tour, the real moneymaker “Coffin Girl” Brandy won’t agree to it. When Brandy is convinced to come for a paycheck and a promise of no haunted houses, legends of a place called Hellbent could bring horror to Halloween again!

Directed by Bobby Roe (who cowrote the script with Zack Andrews), The Houses October Built 2 is a sequel to the found-footage film from 2014. The film received mixed to negative reviews.

The Houses October Built had potential. The idea of diving into the culture surrounding haunted houses and the idea that there is a secret “underground” of haunted houses that are willing to cross the line is interesting. The original film failed however in that instead of building tension, it built yawns and instead of thrills, boredom. The Houses October Built 2 starts out with a similar idea and devolves into something even worse. A ******spoiler alert****** is in effect for the rest of the review.

We’re back…and the movie starts tanking

The first film lacked scares and featured idiotic characters. This movie is almost a bigger slap in the face on paper in that the same characters would get involved again in the same problem. The film does have the same good aspect…haunted houses, the workers there, and the people that frequent them are interesting. Unfortunately, Bobby Roe attempts to add a story to this. The idea that the characters (especially Brandy) would re-immerse in the culture a year later is unrealistic (I would have understood a few years later when they are scrambling for money and dying fame), and with today’s vapid online celebrity ability, they would probably be doing Dr. Phil, Ellen, or bigger shows or appearances.

The characters continue to be annoying. The movie really makes Zack, Bobby Mikey, and Jeff unlikable (since apparently they have been behind everything since the beginning) but Brandy Schaefer starts out likeable by saying no but then joins in. Much of the character development doesn’t make sense (especially when they all get knocked out and obviously have phone service since they can check their location when they arrive at Hellbent).

Please…just end

The movie looks pretty good and the film incorporated drones (a step-up from the first film). The positives of the movie still include the documentary-esque footage of some of the haunted houses and knowing that they aren’t that extreme or unrealistic. The whole last sequence in Hellbent doesn’t make much sense since the special effects of the characters being killed doesn’t look convincingly realistic (even if Brandy is traumatized).

The Houses October Built 2 feels like an extreme waste of time. The first film wasn’t very good and the good will this film builds is immediately blown when Hellbent starts. I hope with tepid responses and very little buzz surrounding this film that the Houses October Built franchise ends…and it won’t be missed.

Related Links:

The Houses October Built (2014)