Directed by Toby Wilkins. Written by Brad Keene. Starring Johanna Braddy, Gil McKinney, Jodie Hobson, Emi Ikehata, Shawnee Smith, Beau Mirchoff, Matthew Knight and Marina Sirtis.
Plot: a Japanese woman comes to Chicago to help a small family stop a new curse.
So, apparently Jake (Knight) didn’t die at the end of the last movie. He was found just in time for us to watch him die in the beginning of this movie. And it’s nasty, too. Shawnee Smith plays his doctor, who doesn’t believe in the curse until after she watches him die. Meanwhile, a woman, Naoko (Ikehata), in Japan, decides that she must come to Chicago to help get rid of the curse once and for all. The curse is alive and well in the Chicago apartment building from the last movie, where a young man, Max (McKinney), is managing the place and living there with his 2 sisters, Lisa (Braddy) and Rose (Hobson).
The curse is killing people in the building though and eventually it ends up possessing Max. And it turns out that Naoko is there because her sister, Kayako, is the woman who was killed by her husband that’s been haunting everyone. If this all sounds a mess, it is. This movie has some rule about the curse being reborn, as though the curse needed a fucking loophole to be stronger.
Another problem with the movie is that no one is likable. Especially the immature Lisa who just goes around to the vacant apartments in the building to have sex with her boyfriend, Andy (Mirchoff). And it certainly doesn’t help that the acting is only subpar. Most of the people – aside from Hobson and Ikehata – have like two facial expressions. And we’ve seen most of these people in other things, so maybe it’s the direction that’s off.
To add to all that, no one had a survival instinct. They’d just fall and refuse to get back up. There was no Freddy Claws, no reasonable motive and sucktastic rules. I guess the moral of the story is Don’t Kill Japanese People because they will come back and kill you, too.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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