ALONG CAME THE DEVIL 2 (Film Review)

                            Starring: Bruce Davison, Laura Slade Wiggins, Mark Ashworth

                                               Directed by: Jason DeVan

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  Sometimes you just can't go wrong with a sequel - in some facets, it can be used as a straight-up cash grab depending upon its previous film's monetary success, or it can be utilized as a continuation if the powers-that-be felt as if the storyline was not fully extended. However, in the case of Along Came The Devil 2 my initial feelers told me that this go-around wouldn't have been NEARLY as painful as the first movie's offering...so what was the outcome? Step on past the morgue slabs and let's chat about this one.

  The three words that come to mind when describing the first movie back in 2018 were regrettable, forgettable and lamentable - at least that's what the majority of viewers and critics thought. For me, it was just a mid-level Exorcist wanna-be that couldn't quite cut the pea soup - one watch and it was forgotten. I am all about second chances, and that's why when I was offered the opportunity to fire this one up for review I put it at the top of my watch-list - hell, sometimes second chances yield rewards, so why not? The movie, directed again by Jason DeVan picks up immediately after the events of the first film, and after a whopping 5 minutes I was already peering over my shoulder due to the opening chills - at this rate how can this possibly go wrong? We follow Jordan (Wiggins) - the sister of the unfortunate soul who got possessed in the first film and her return home. She's summoned back by her Aunt Tanya who's got a bit of bad news about her sis and believes that she should be around her family in these troubling times.

  Once Jordan arrives, she's met by her estranged, former boozy dad (Ashworth) and family priest (Davison), who knows a lot more about this possession-thing than he's letting on. Also, in-tow is her young stepbrother Xander (Cassius DeVan), who is developing quite the odd personality and temperament, and it becomes obvious that something is off with this equation, and my hopes for some serious devil-business were higher than high...then the LULL hit like a brick. Sadly, the amount of time between the film's first scare and when things begin to ramp up is greater than the Continental Divide itself. We're treated to a rather interesting series of violent events nearing the movie's final 15 minutes or so, but to be frank, the duration of insanely arid dialogue and action would be enough to piss off the Pope himself, and that was the killing quotient for this cat. Performances were steady and when there were frights they were effective - even the gore was freakin' fun but DAMMIT if there is talk about another bite to be taken off of this franchise's plate, can we please have the paced be picked up?

  Overall, Along Came The Devil 2 initially struck like a bolt of lightning, then took a cross-country trek on the shell of a three-legged turtle before hitching a ride on a methed-out jackrabbit with Red Bull in its veins. I'm not going to poo-poo this movie based on one COLOSSAL negative aspect, but if I did happen to watch this again, I'd be sure to fast-forward through the majority to get to the good stuff. It's at MOST a one-timer to watchers of the first film to see how the story has progressed, but this devil has surely been stuck in the muddy depths of Hell for too long. The film releases on October 11th in select theaters, and On-Demand and digital services.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5