Trilogy of Terror II (1996) Reviews

• Decent 90's TV Horror

  SnacksForAll1999-09-26

  Anyone born before 1980 can't help but remember that video cover that stared up at them from the spooky horror section shelf at the "Video Library." It was the one all the little kids loved to rent...it was also the one all the little kids loved to fast-forward through 80% of to get to the Zuni-doll story. And about 20 years later, the Trilogy of Terror is back, and the Zuni-Doll once again steals the show....but not entirely. The first story, about giant rats in a graveyeard, is well-written and memorable. The second story, while a bit creepy at the beginning, is for the most part....stupid. But not terrible. The third story (saving the best for last) marks the return of the infamous Zuni-Warrior doll. The sad thing about it is, is that it is really a cheap rehash of the classic original. Entertaining yes, but original? Hardly. But at least the first two stories were a little more memorable. The first two in the original TRILOGY were very well-written, but easily forgettable. The beautiful Lysette Anthony does her best in this made-for-TV horror flick. Actually, I was impressed with her acting, considering this film was, in a way, standard USA network fare. She seemed at least somewhat enthusiastic about this gig, and filled Karen Black's shoes nicely. All in All, TRILOGY OF TERROR 2 is good, clean fun for the whole family. That is of course, sarcasm...but, it IS good clean fun for that son of yours who makes a B-line for the Horror section whenever you visit Blockbuster Video.... 6.5 out of 10.

• Trilogy of Terror II: Did it really need a sequel?

  Platypuschow2019-03-25

  The gimmick to Trilogy of Terror (1975) was three stories where actress Karen Black would lead them all but playing different characters. Personally I didn't get the logic there and it was a pretty weak anthology. An astonishing 21 years later a sequel is born and even more astonishing is the fact it has the same creator. Dan Curtis returns to bring us another "Trilogy of terror" and it's no better than the original sadly. With no Karen Black in sight it tells three stories including giant rats, returning a deceased child from the dead and a sequel to one of the tales from the original movie featuring a killer African doll. I'm impressed with the commitment, the fact that we have the same creators and that we see a follow up story but none of it is exactly very enjoyable stuff. The first story is by far the best and reminded me of something Tales from the Crypt (1989) would do. The second was pretty terrible and the third was generic cat and mouse "Action" featuring the African doll from the first movie. The thing looks like the lovechild of Full Moon's Ooga-Booga and a critter! This sequel simply didn't need to exist and I'm stunned that they didn't even get Karen Black in as a cameo role. The Good: Geoffrey Lewis Same creator as the original Some loyalty to the first movie The Bad: No originality Un-engaging stuff

• "What is a Zuni Fetish Doll?"

  Backlash0072007-07-29

  ~Spoiler~ Trilogy of Terror II is Dan Curtis' sequel to his wildly popular 1975 television movie. Here we have three more lurid tales of fright and fun. Just like the first film starred Karen Black in all three tales, this time it's Lysette Anthony's turn. The first story, The Graveyard Rats, is my favorite. This one is about a couple (Geraint Wyn Davies and Anthony) having an affair behind the back of the woman's wealthy husband. When they decide to kill the tycoon for his money, things get interesting. His will states that he is to be buried in his family plot. Geoffrey Lewis plays the cemetery caretaker (and grave robber) who warns the couple not to bury the husband there due to the rat infestation problem. This does not bother the greedy couple until they find out that a vital piece of bank account information was buried with the husband. A few double crosses later and we find out who the graveyard rats really are. It's a perfect story in the EC comics vein. The next story isn't bad either. It's called Bobby and was written by Richard Matheson. Anthony this time plays a distraught mother who holds a seance to bring back her drowned son. But, does the child want to come back? You know from the beginning that things aren't going to end well. The last story is a direct sequel to the final story in the original Trilogy of Terror. I think you all know which one I'm talking about: the Zuni Fetish Doll story. This time William F. Nolan and Dan Curtis are writing based on the Matheson original. It's pretty much the exact same story, just updated a tad. Interesting though is that technology hasn't come very far since 1975 because they are still relying on quick cuts and shaky camera work to sell the doll action. So, if you enjoyed Trilogy of Terror, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy the sequel. It's simply more of the same.

• * *1/2 out of 4.

  brandonsites19812002-08-23

  Lysette Anthony takes over for Karen Black in this trilogy of scary stories in which she is the star in each tale. The first one is about adultery, murder, and grave robbers. The second tale is about a mother who uses black magic to bring her dead son back to life. The final and best tale is about the demonic African doll from the first film stalking Anthony. While the effects may be a bit on the cheap side, this is a fun and scary outing. Lysette Anthony is a good choice for taking over the Karen Black. Rated R; Violence and Profanity.

• So-So Sequel

  utgard142014-01-10

  Made-for-TV sequel to 1975's Trilogy of Terror, which was also made-for-TV. In the original movie, Karen Black starred in three separate stories. Here it's Lysette Anthony. The first story is "The Graveyard Rats." It's about a millionaire's young wife and her lover/cousin (Geraint Wyn Davies), who murder the old guy but find out all the money he had left was in Swiss bank accounts. The passcode for these accounts is on microfilm the old man had buried with him. So they have to go dig him up. But, oh no, what's this? There are giant fake rubber rats that are stealing corpses out of coffins. Good for some laughs, I guess. Anthony isn't a particularly strong actress and Davies is TERRIBLE. But it's got Geoffrey Lewis using an Irish accent so it's not all bad. The second story is "Bobby," about a mother who uses witchcraft to bring her son (Blake Heron) back from the dead. But he comes back not quite right and soon is trying to murder his mom. This is a forgettable story that starts out one way but quickly devolves into a repetitive slasher story with the kid terrorizing the mom. A very annoying musical score accompanies the kid on his rampage. I screamed for those stupid horns to stop. Weakest story in the movie. The final story is "He Who Kills." This is a sequel to the most popular segment from the original film, the Zuni fetish doll story. The police drop the doll from the first film off at a museum. It was badly burned so they want Dr. Simpson (Anthony) to examine it right away and tell them what it is. From here, in typical sequel fashion, we get a retread of the first film where the doll comes alive and tries to kill Anthony. Nowhere near as exciting or scary as the original but still the best of this movie. More annoying music. Made-for-TV movies had decreased in quality quite a bit by the 1990s. This is in large part because in the '70s and '80s, the weekly TV movie was a staple of network television. By the '90s the TV movie became something reduced to crappy cable channels and the occasional network effort like the Amy Fisher crap. They were a higher quality in the old days, for the most part. I'm not saying they were equal to theatrical films but they were a lot better than most of the stuff that's been produced for cable the last 25 years or so. Anyway, this is watchable enough. It helps that Dan Curtis, the director of the original, returned to direct this. It's nothing that will leave an impression but you won't hate yourself for having watched it either.