Retrospective: sLaughterhouse II (1988)
Jake Semmler
http://artyfarty.8m.com/slaughterhouse_2.htm---
"You'll die laughing...all over again"
- sLaughterhouse II tagline
"Every memorable horror movie needs a strong antagonist. sLaughter House's
Pigsby Malone delivers, again. Uglier than Freddy Krueger, more sadistic
than Jason Voorhees, weirder that Norman Bates not to mention far more
humourous than the Crypt Keeper, Pigsby is on a seperate pedestal entirely
so far as villains are concerned.
In this outrageous sequel to The sLaughter House, the former 'Laughter House
Clown Training Institute' opens again for 'business'. For those who came in
late, Pigsby was the ClownMaster before a Satan-inspired nuclear accident
rendered him and his trainees into horrible mutants who try to entertain to
death any foolish humans who came near the sLaughterhouse. As in the first
movie, Pigsby and his mindless minions again dollop out their special brand
of shock entertainment to the unwitting victims; a bunch of airhead
teenagers in search of a makeout nest.
You want decapitations? You got'em! Blood splattering everywhere? Like mist!
Impalements? Plenty for all! Convulsing organs wrenched prematurely from a
'volunteer, spasmodically squirting pustuous bile, in the magic show to end
all magic shows? You won't believe your eyes.
You'll die laughing...all over again, with sLaughterhouse II."
-From the sLaughterhouse 2 website
"sLaughterhouse 2 and its predecessor are films in the tradition of
Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. The story, while
clichéd, provides for the shock horror entertainment that audiences are
looking for in this kind of film. The special makeup effects by Ray Wolfe
and his team are astounding to say the least, and Pigsby's face is even more
expressive and realistic than before. Victor Caliph, again as Pigsby gives
him a larger-than-life physical presence. And unlike the first film where
they brought Dariel Andazola in to dub Pigsby's voice, they have actually
used Mr. Caliph's, which is just as phlegmatic and even spookier."
-New York Film Review
I thought I would include these quotes because they are quite good and I
agree quite a lot with what they say. sLaughterhouse 2 is the sequel to the
1991 movie sLaughterhouse set in an evil clown school filled with creepy
monter-clowns. A bunch of teenagers (four to be precise) stumble into it, in
this film, a bad move!
The hapless teens are quite pleasant to watch, except when they are being
impaled! Julia Mooreton plays Julie, a cheerleader out looking for some fun.
Freddy Samuels, of TV's 'Daydream' fame is quite good as Julie's love, Jim
the Quarterback of the high-school football team. Nancy McLintic plays Suzy,
the worrier of the group and Julie's best friend, with a special sixth
sense. She cautions them to not enter the sLaughterhouse when she says
"Look, you guys, I have a feeling about this place." Foolishly, the others
don't listen to her. The other main character is Billy, Jim's wisecracking
buddy, played by Haskell Cunningham. At the start he and Suzy hate each
other and are only exploring around because their best friends are there.
But by the end they have grown to love each other, and when Pigsby finally
dumps them into the acid, their skeletons float up in an embrace. Their last
words to each other are "I love you". The romance was quite touching and it
is sure to appeal to the female members of the audience.
While Steven Snow's screenplay is quite corny, it has some quite funny
one-liners especially from Billy and of course, Pigsby. Before the night
watchman is killed, Pigsby asks: "Do you want to hear a killer joke?" He
then proceeds to scream so loudly in his ear that his brain explodes. I
frankly went in, expecting a Horror movie with comic bits thrown in. While
it is quite a good movie, it just wasn't what I was hoping for personally.
The other problem, is that the film switches from being deadly serious at
parts, to mocking itself at others, and then back again. I simply hope that
when the sequal is made (and I guarantee they'll make one) the writers
figure out what sort of film they're trying to make.
Michael Welton is quite a good director, but sometimes he tries too hard and
it is not as successful, as it could be. There are some quite strange,
scary, funny touches in places, like the blood oozing from the letterbox and
the bowling game with skulls. Some things are gratituosley violent though.
This is not a film for young children, I'd recommend 15 and above. The
music, by Johann Simmet is perfect for the film. Highlighting every scene
and quite spine tingly and scary.
In the words of Pigsby, 'Sit back and relax. You're going to have the time
of what's left of your life!'
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com