Welcome, one and all, to an all new Reaction & Review. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna be checking out a slasher film from 2002. That movie is "Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil". Which comes, once again, as part of "The Midnight Horror Collection" DVD 3-pack that contains the first 3 "Killjoy" films.
Now, for those of you that are new here, a couple of weeks ago, I reviewed the first "Killjoy" movie. And to put it simply, the movie was absolute garbage. It had special effects that were shit, even by the standards of low budget movies. It had plot holes that were so fucking massive that you could feed a baby whale with and still wouldn't be able to fill it's appetite. The characters all sucked, our clown killer was incredibly annoying, there was just NOTHING there in terms of writing that I would consider a positive.
And now, we have the sequel that came out 2 years after the original film. Now, unlike the previous movie, I didn't bother to read the plot for this one, because I wanted to go into it as blind as possible. So, I have no idea how much this movie is going to tie into the first one. The only thing I really want out of this movie is for it to be better than the first one. I have strong doubts that it's going to be good, but, at the very least, I want it to be marginally better than the first movie. That's all I'm asking for. I don't know if I'm asking for too much, but I'm gonna find out if this damn thing is, at all, watchable. So the only thing for me to do at this point, is if I shut up, and I push play, and I'm gonna do that right now. So, without further ado, it's time to kick back, relax, and check out "Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil".
3 minutes later
So, guys, the film's just started and I can easily confirm one thing so far. The sound-mix in this movie is fucking awful. I know you guys can't hear it for obvious reasons, but this sound-mix is just garbage. If this is how the movie's gonna sound like for the next hour and 10 minutes, then I fear I'm gonna be in for a torturous ride here.
18 minutes later
So, this blonde chick just shot one of our characters, after they trespassed inside her home. And then she's shot dead from one of our main characters. The sad part is that she was the only likable character that we had up till that point. And now that she's dead, I'm back to not caring about anyone in this entire movie. I hope and pray that Killjoy just kills everyone of these sacks of shits by the time that this movie's done.
2 minutes later
Did she seriously ask if the guy that was shot at a few minutes ago was OK? Lady, he was shot! I don't think anyone who is bleeding that badly could be considered "OK". My God, why are the characters in this movie so fucking stupid?!
9 minutes later
All right, I have a really stupid question that I'm probably not going to get an answer to, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. So, this black lady explains that, when she was really young, she was told a story about Killjoy, and basically gives an exposition of the events of what happened in the first movie. So...does that mean, then, that this movie takes place 20 years or so after the first movie? Because she said that she was told this story when she was really young. So does that mean that she's related to one of our main characters from the first movie? I understand that I'm asking logic from a series that seems allergic to it, but I'm really curious about that, and I have a strong feeling that I'm not gonna get an answer for it anytime soon.
8 minutes later
So, the black lady I mentioned earlier, I'm going to assume, is dead thanks to Killjoy's chattering teeth. I'm going to assume that, because we don't actually get to see the kill in action. All we saw was just the bathroom stall shaking repeatedly. Would've been really cool if we actually got to see the kill, but that would've been the first time this movie would've done something that was considered partially interesting.
7 minutes later
Well, it took the movie this long, but we actually got a decent kill in this movie. In fact, I will say that, even though it's pretty darkly lit, the special effects for that kill were...actually decent. They're not great, mind you, but it's certainly a hell of a lot better than what was in the first movie. So...I guess I gotta give the movie THAT much.
6 minutes later
You know, guys, that kill was sorta creative. Do you know what would've been better? If the actor playing Nick wasn't still breathing from his stomach after he 'died'. My God, this movie is just getting worse, and I don't think the next 20 minutes are gonna get better.
12 minutes later
That's it? That's how Killjoy dies is via getting water splashed in his face like the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz"? That was fucking shit! Aside from the fact that the water didn't even properly splash on his face, that is probably the cheapest fucking payoff that I have ever seen from any movie in a long time. God...fuck this movie!
The Review
Well, guys, that was "Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil". Thank fucking god, it's over. No...shut up! I'm done listening to your bullshit hip-hop music, movie. Fuck off and die! Jesus Christ, that was terrible. Um...I'm speechless, guys. I really am. This movie...oh my god, where do I even begin?
Well, I guess, when in doubt, start with the fucking writing. Now, I totally understand that, when you're doing a sequel to a movie, chances are that it's not going to have the same kind of quality as the first movie. Not that the first "Killjoy" movie had any real quality, but I'll get more into that when I talk about this movie. But anyway, sequels usually drop in quality with each passing film. The "Wishmaster" series fell into this trap rather easily, the "Digimon Adventure tri." series is a ridiculously mixed bag when it comes to everything after "Reunion", the first two "Starship Troopers" sequels definitely dropped in quality, even though I did kinda like the third movie, and every direct-to-video animated sequel/prequel that Disney shoveled out in the 2000's are all fucking terrible and should've never been made. So yeah, sequels can definitely drop in quality. But there are rare instances where a sequel can actually improve over it's predecessor. For example, last year, when I covered the "Short Circuit" movies, I actually really liked the second movie more so than the first one, because it actually improved on a lot of things that the first movie suffered from. I'm not really gonna go into too much detail, because you can just go read my review for both of those movies and you can find out for yourself. But anyway, that is one example done right, and it actually proved to be better than the first movie. At least, to me, it did. So...do you happen to remember my little comment I made at the end of the review for the first "Killjoy" movie? The one where I made mentioned that the sequels can't be as bad as the first movie? Well...I think I may have fucking jinxed it, because this thing is, somehow, even WORSE than the first movie. I truly didn't think that this movie would actually accomplish that sort of feat, but, sure enough, it fucking did. And I'm still baffled that this thing was actually worse than the first movie. The only thing that this movie improved on were the special effects, which I'll get to later in this review.
Now, instead of me talking about how much worse this sequel got, let's actually talk about WHY this thing got worse. Our story, what little there is here, is not that much better than what was in the first one. Hell, the first movie barely had a fucking plot, but this movie is just about as plotless as the first one was. So, we have our two officers driving these people to a detention center. And along the way, the engine on the front of the bus breaks down and all of our characters are stranded near the woods. So now, they gotta go find help, while trying to keep our prisoners in check. As for our characters, well, none of them are likable whatsoever. Actually, correction, there was ONE character that I actually liked. And it was that one blonde girl, that I mentioned earlier, that got shot from one of our male leads. I say she was the only one I liked, because she shot one of our idiotic characters that broke into her home. Basically, to set this scene up, all of our male characters try to go find help, and they find this home that belonged to the blonde girl. They knock on the door, but she doesn't answer. So, the main male character, who's name I don't fucking remember, leaves to try and find help, and tells the other three male characters to just relax at the front of the house and wait for him to return. One of the male characters, Ray Ray, decides to be an idiot and breaks into her home via the window. And after stumbling through the darkness of her home, she ends up shooting at him through the back. Somehow, he's not fucking dead, and ends up getting thrown out from the front door. The main male character comes back and decides to be an idiot. How, you may ask? Because instead of trying to calm the situation down and explaining things to her about what has happened so far, he ends up shooting her in the head, because he thought she was going to shoot one of our other male characters. I would've preferred the other way, because then, it would have one less worthless character to work with. But sadly, she's the one who ends up getting shot at, and we don't have anymore likable characters throughout this entire movie. And I'm not kidding about that. Nobody in this movie has any real depth or personality to speak of. Some of our characters swear more often than I do. Which I didn't think was actually possible, but here we are.
Anyway, so we have that for character depth. One of our female characters, Cecile, MIGHT be related to one of our characters from the first movie, but I don't know how much of that is true. Because, like I mentioned earlier, she was talking about the evil spirit of Killjoy and what he had done in the first movie. It was sort of a lazy attempt to try and bridge the gap between the first movie and this one, but at least it's something. And she, apparently, grew up around voodoo magic. And somehow, Nick, one of our other male characters, gets this insane idea of trying to bring Killjoy back to life so that they can save Ray Ray. So...I have couple of questions about that. If Killjoy's an evil spirit, why in the fuck would you even bother trying to resurrect him in order to save someone else? Where's the logic in that? I totally understand that this movie's allergic to it, but I'm just asking for the hell of it. What sense does that even make? Furthermore, how in the fuck did Ray Ray survive this long throughout, almost, half the movie? Because, like I said, he was shot at in the back. At that point, I don't think he has very long to live. Also, I'm not a medical expert in any fashion, but, last time I checked, you should NOT be moving a heavily injured body, especially when they're bleeding. You're suppose to leave the victim flat on it's back and not move it whatsoever. However, our brain dead retards called characters think that it's a good idea to carry the injured victim OVER the shoulder and just drag him throughout a good portion of the movie until they get to the voodoo woman's home. Oh, and, big spoiler, in case you really care about the fate of Ray Ray, he dies due to blood loss. So...not only was it a waste of time to try and move him around while he's bleeding to death, it was also a really stupid idea for Nick to suggest that they should resurrect an EVIL spirit so that they can save the life of some retard that served no purpose in this movie, other than make all of our other characters really fucking stupid. Well correction, they were already stupid to begin with, but still. Oh, and I should mention that male officer who shot the blonde girl again. I am not kidding when I say this, but after he shoots her, he disappears throughout the ENTIRE movie...up until he comes back to take on Killjoy. Why? Well, I guess he had to go and get help. But my answer as to why he was gone throughout the entire movie was simply fuck you, that's why. So, take that for what you will.
Guys, the writing in this movie is fucking trash. And I could be here for another hour discussing all of the failings that this movie conjured within it's writing, but I'm gonna try to move on from that. Because I don't want to sound like a broken record here. But anyway, writing in this movie is fucking terrible from across the board. And to add on to that, we have horrible acting. Nobody in this movie fucking tried. At all. I would've said the actor playing Killjoy was OK, but even he phones it in as well. Because, not only was he fucking annoying like he was in the first movie, he's also trying to do a shitty impression of Mark Hamill as The Joker. I'm not kidding, guys. Every time that Killjoy opened his mouth, all I could hear from him was his shitty impression of Hamill's Joker. And it really is THAT shitty, too. So, if you want ANY kind of reason to watch this movie, you can go watch it for his shitty impression. However, I would strongly recommend that you don't do that. But anyway, like I said, the rest of the acting is fucking awful. There are two other actors I want to make mention of. One of them is the actor playing Nick. I mentioned it earlier, but there was a creative kill in the movie that got, partly, ruined by bad camerawork, and also terrible acting. So, the kill involved Nick holding a knife that he was about to use against Killjoy. But Killjoy is actually able to be psychic and is able to use the knife against Nick by cutting himself with it. It looked really creative, and it would've been REALLY cool...if we didn't see Nick's dead body. Why? Because, on two separate occasions, you actually see Nick breathing from his chest area after he 'died'. I thought maybe the movie was setting itself up where Nick was suppose to come back, while barely alive. But no, that was just a case of poor camerawork. And it also tells me that this actor doesn't know how to play dead. And those shots were fucking amateurish at best. Now, the other actress I want to make mention of is the one playing Officer Martinez. Now, I normally would blame this on a god-awful script, because you can only do so much with a bad script. But this actress, I swear to God, does not know how to act. At all. She sounds terribly robotic in all of her lines, and it is fucking painful to listen to her act, because I don't believe she has ever acted a day in her life. And if she ever got acting roles after this movie, then I hope she took extensive acting lessons. Otherwise, she should be nowhere near a fucking camera! She is THAT bad. So overall, the acting is absolutely atrocious from the entire cast.
Now let's get to the special effects. And, believe it or not, I'm actually going to give this movie credit for it's special effects. Because if you'll recall, one of my biggest problems with the first "Killjoy" movie, outside of everything else that was terrible, was that the special effects were all cheap and shit at best. A lot of it was digital effects, and they were poorly done effects, too. Well, this movie was actually able to ditch those cheap effects in favor of practical effects. And the practical effects are pretty decent. Again, they're not amazing, and part of that has to do with the dark lighting, but blood effects that you're able to see are, once again, pretty decent. So, if anything, the special effects definitely improved in this movie. And also, makeup effects are also decent on Killjoy, as is the costuming. So really, special effects are the only real positive I can give this entire movie.
Camerawork here is OK, save for those couple of shots I mentioned involving Nick's breathing body. Lighting here is kinda shit. There is a lot of darkness in this movie, which also covers up most of the blood effects I mentioned a second ago. But for the most part, the lighting here is OK for everything else. Now we get to the sound-mix...oh dear heavenly fuck, the sound-mix. Guys, I have bit of a basic tip for those of you who are wanting to get into filmmaking. When you're filming a movie, the best thing you want to have is a boom mic. That way, you can actually hear the dialogue. It also helps that if you're filming your scene somewhere near traffic, the best thing you want to do is to loop in your dialogue. That way, you can eliminate background noise. Which this movie didn't do for the first third of it. I could BARELY hear the dialogue. In fact, when the officers were first introducing our characters, I could see the traffic that was going on behind the two officers, because the lazy retards who were filming this movie couldn't be asked to have a boom mic on hand, so you can understand what the characters were saying. But as is, the dialogue is completely drowned out by the traffic, so I couldn't tell what they were trying to say about our characters. There was only ONE attempt at looping in dialogue, but it was completely unnecessary. So, as our two officers are driving, one of our prisoners named Charlotte says two lines of dialogue. The first bit of dialogue was fine. The second bit, however, she says something, which I don't remember what, but her mouth is not moving at all! What was the point of adding in dialogue when she wasn't going to say anything?! And I wouldn't have had a problem with this, if it looked like she was mumbling to herself, but no, she made no attempt to say anything else! Yet, her dialogue insisted otherwise. Which there was no need for that at all! Jesus Christ...that bit with the unnecessary looped in dialogue was just awful. So yes, everything involving sound-mix from before our characters get stuck near the woods is fucking awful. And I understand that Full Moon is mostly known for being an indie film studio, but, guys, I've seen Full Moon do better before AND after this. But I guess back 2002, they didn't fucking care. And that is just depressing on a whole host of levels. Oh, and the music is also terrible as well, because it's mainly the same bullshit hip-hop music that was in the first movie. So yeah, the score and soundtrack are shit.
So...when all is done, can I recommend "Killjoy 2: Deliverance From Evil"? No. Fuck no! This movie is fucking shit from start to finish. In fact, it's just as bad, if not WORSE than the first movie. The only thing that this movie has over the first one is that the special effects are decent. But that's not really enough to justify why it's better than the first movie, because the writing is just as plotless as the first one, the characters are fucking stupid as shit, and, it's so fucking flawed on a technical level that it makes this movie cheap as shit! And do you want to know what the worst part is? I still have the third movie I have to sit through in a couple of weeks. I have almost no faith in that third movie being any good, or even watchable. But...I am still a little curious to see if it can prove me wrong. So, until then, I'm just gonna get the horrible taste from this second movie out of my mouth and watch something good. And seeing as how I mentioned Mark Hamill's Joker earlier, I'm gonna go and watch my copy of "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm". Because I need to watch something better right now, just so I can forget about this awful fucking movie.
Anyway, guys, with that, we come to the close of another Reaction & Review. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, take care, and I will see you all later. Peace.
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