The Horror Show
See No Evil 2
by Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska
Jacob Goodnight is back. Who’s that you say?
The WWE Studios bring Glenn “Kane” Jacobs back with the sequel of See No Evil. It’s been eight years since we enjoyed the gory murders of the scary and kind of lubber serial killer, who has been manipulated by his crazy, punishment-seeking mother all his life.
This time the huge and wounded serial killer terrorizes a group of friends and spreads uncontrollable horror in a morgue, where he was originally taken after being declared dead. His wounds, even though they were particularly serious and realistically fatal, were not enough to keep him from his bloody punishments and prevent the massacre. Apparently, he is a character that is bound to stick around forever.
In See No Evil 2 we see a bunch of cliché characters having fun and goofing around with each other; nothing extraordinary there. Lead actress Amy (Danielle Harris) works at the morgue with Seth (Kaj-Erik Eriksen) and from the very first moment, we are introduced to their shy and cute romance.
Amy’s friends decide to throw her a surprise birthday party at her workplace on the same night when Jacob Goodnight’s dead body is brought to the morgue.
The Soska twins, who stand behind the direction of the movie, use flashbacks to remind us of Goodnight’s gruesome murders and haunting past, but it is really hard to follow after eight years. That’s perfectly fine since there seems to be no connection to the choice of his victims. He’s just a violent and brutal serial killer, who punishes sinners – why not kill himself then?!
Being chased by a 7ft tall serial killer in a creepy morgue seems to be an appropriate and effective setting for a splatter movie. I don’t know how you feel about realism in such cases, but sometimes it’s a big disappointment when things are taken too far.
Apparently, there is no door strong enough to stop Goodnight. Did I say door? I meant wall. He can tear them down with his bare hands. In addition to that, Jacob Goodnight is not only immortal, but he is omnipresent as well. Remember in parodies, where the victim keeps running and running, while the killer is just walking at a steady and calm pace, but somehow he is always one step ahead? It’s something like that.
Goodnight is everywhere, even though the morgue’s halls seem vast and the rooms innumerable. His victims stand no chance and one by one they suffer in the hands of the one-eyed killer (note: in the first See No Evil one of the victims stuck a pipe in his eye but clearly it was not a big deal).
There are definitely a few plot holes that don’t add up and the story is far from realistic. But, that’s okay. If you are just looking for some stupid fun gore, you probably won’t mind the plot holes. I must also warn you about some annoying and not very successful characters, some of whom are particularly unlikeable (see Amy’s brother, Will, and her annoying friend Tamara). Amy is not great herself either, and her little romance with Seth will find a way to grow during the gory murders. The reason behind it is probably to create an emotional atmosphere and make their possible death more dramatic. Was it successful? Uh…
See No Evil 2 – Mind the clichés, annoying characters, and rather implausible events. It probably wouldn’t be my first choice.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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