Most reviewers here on IMDb seem to think that this sequel is an improvement over the original. I, on the other hand, think it's on a par with the first film, delivering the same kind of cheezy early-'90s vibe, and, as before, those staples of the genre, gratuitous nudity and a modicum of gore.
Although filmed four years after The Unnamable (1988), part two picks up almost immediately after the events of the first film, writer/director Jean-Paul Ouellette not bothering to explain why his main characters' hair is suddenly considerably longer. Police have arrived on the scene of the slaughter at the derelict Winthrop house, and Howard Damon (now inexplicably named Eliot Damon Howard) is carted off to hospital. While recovering, Howard (Charles Klausmeyer) is visited by the ghost of Joshua Winthrop (Mike Gordon), who begs for the young man's help in saving his daughter, Alyda, who has spent the past 300 years as host to the demon that killed Howard's university pals.
Meanwhile, Randolph Carter goes to Professor Warren (John Rhys-Davies) with the Necronomicon, convincing him to help track down the demon in the network of tunnels under the Winthrop house. Finding the demon trapped in the roots of a tree, Warren injects it with insulin; thinking that its host is dying, the evil being scarpers, leaving behind the beautiful and naked Alyda (played by the lovely Maria Ford). Carter takes Alyda to Miskatonic University, but is pursued by the hideous demon (played by B-movie babe Julie Strain), who wants to be reunited with Alyda.
As with the first movie, much of the film is padding, the characters running and hiding while the demon stalks the corridors of the university, but it's made watchable by the occasional bit of splatter (best moment: the demon shoves its hand through a professor's body) and the presence of sexy babe Ford, who spends a fair amount of time in the buff (although her long tresses conveniently conceal her breasts). The acting is adequate for this kind of nonsense, with David Warner popping up in a cameo to add some class, but the real star of the film is the creature, a wonderfully designed monstrosity that deservedly gets much more screen-time than before.
The memorable finale sees the demon attempting to enter Alyda's body (and who can blame it?), but winding up trapped in the wooden chair that Howard shoves in its path. Having just declared his love for Alyda, Carter is dismayed as the young woman ages in front of his eyes, but derives a little satisfaction by using the demonic chair as firewood.
Although filmed four years after The Unnamable (1988), part two picks up almost immediately after the events of the first film, writer/director Jean-Paul Ouellette not bothering to explain why his main characters' hair is suddenly considerably longer. Police have arrived on the scene of the slaughter at the derelict Winthrop house, and Howard Damon (now inexplicably named Eliot Damon Howard) is carted off to hospital. While recovering, Howard (Charles Klausmeyer) is visited by the ghost of Joshua Winthrop (Mike Gordon), who begs for the young man's help in saving his daughter, Alyda, who has spent the past 300 years as host to the demon that killed Howard's university pals.
Meanwhile, Randolph Carter goes to Professor Warren (John Rhys-Davies) with the Necronomicon, convincing him to help track down the demon in the network of tunnels under the Winthrop house. Finding the demon trapped in the roots of a tree, Warren injects it with insulin; thinking that its host is dying, the evil being scarpers, leaving behind the beautiful and naked Alyda (played by the lovely Maria Ford). Carter takes Alyda to Miskatonic University, but is pursued by the hideous demon (played by B-movie babe Julie Strain), who wants to be reunited with Alyda.
As with the first movie, much of the film is padding, the characters running and hiding while the demon stalks the corridors of the university, but it's made watchable by the occasional bit of splatter (best moment: the demon shoves its hand through a professor's body) and the presence of sexy babe Ford, who spends a fair amount of time in the buff (although her long tresses conveniently conceal her breasts). The acting is adequate for this kind of nonsense, with David Warner popping up in a cameo to add some class, but the real star of the film is the creature, a wonderfully designed monstrosity that deservedly gets much more screen-time than before.
The memorable finale sees the demon attempting to enter Alyda's body (and who can blame it?), but winding up trapped in the wooden chair that Howard shoves in its path. Having just declared his love for Alyda, Carter is dismayed as the young woman ages in front of his eyes, but derives a little satisfaction by using the demonic chair as firewood.