No Halloween season could be complete without its installment from Scream Team Releasing. Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate enough to catch a few of their releases, and it is quite rare that I come across one that I dislike. A few years back, director Justin Seaman directed what is likely one of the more well known slashers of the past ten years. The Barn was his film, and it was distributed through his label Scream Team Releasing. That’s one of the films that I always try to see every Halloween season, along with a few other of their releases.
About a year ago, Justin began work on the highly awaited sequel and cast a number of horror celebrities to have cameos in the movie. Among those Justin was able to get were Linnea Quigley, Joe Bob Briggs, Diana Prince, Doug Bradley, and Lloyd Kaufman. Seeing that he cast all these famous actors in it, I was very eager to see this one. So, once I got my hands on the Blu I made sure to check it out. I was not able to see it upon arrival, but during my horror marathon in October, I knew this had to be part of it.
Spoiler Alert Set a significant time after the first movie, Halloween got banned after a number of teenagers went missing, but that ban is now lifted. A local sority is planning a fundraiser and decides to put up a haunted barn with a maze in the honor of the teenagers that went missing. But superstition and other traditions related to Halloween come in action when they knock on the barn, releasing the evil spirits that were trapped in the well. Now the monsters return to once again have their fun on the people who just want to enjoy Halloween. Spoiler Alert
The Barn Part 2 is the sequel I had high hopes for. The movie has it all, chills, slashing carnage, the atmosphere, the locations, and even the effects. Even though there are things I didn’t like about the movie, it’s something slasher fans can look forward to during the Halloween season. While there were some points in the movie that were a bit confusing with the story and casting and made me question its logic, there were other parts that made it enjoyable, and that is what matters. What I’m trying to say is that imitation is extremely hard to pull off, and while it did not capture perfection, it did come close enough.
The acting in this one was bearable. I was excited to see some of my favorite actors reprising their roles, as they did a splendid job in the first film. I do appreciate several characters in the film, but the casting is amusing, to say the least. Having been born in the mid-80s, I know I’m getting up there in age, but some of these college students and even teenagers are being played by actors who look older than me. Many movies do this as a gag, and it has become somewhat commonplace with fans of the genre, but The Barn Part 2 did it a bit differently. Other than that, I certainly did enjoy the cast with the cameos of the Scream Team Releasing filmmakers along with the horror legends who, along with the other Scream Team Releasing filmmakers, make cameos in it.
The film’s narrative builds off of the first one while also adding new content for fans. The sequels tend to only focus on slashing, but this particular one builds more on the story crafted in the first film, with additional elements of horror that were missing from it. I appreciated how the new monsters were accompanied by zombies. Having this in addition to the monsters’ back story provides for something that can be developed into several movies.
To wrap things up, I did think the film had plenty of practical effects and some more or less expected ones. I wasn’t too fond of the visual effects but the practical ones were interesting. The visual effects weren’t the best, but the practical ones were well done in New Monsters. I think The Barn Part 2 is a fantastic sequel to one of the greatest indie slashers released within the last decade. I’m glad to see where things went with the plot and the fresh details that were added here. I hope they make a third one, so I’m putting forward a recommendation to everyone.
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