Atelophobia: Chapter 2

Director - Joe Lujan (The Immortal Wars, Rust)

Starring - Corey Taylor (Slumber Tales, The Summoning),  Brittany Enos (Rust 2, Atelophobia), and Taylor Kilgore (Project M, Hex)

Release Date - 2018

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Beauty will never die"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     My Joe Lujan marathon is coming to an end.  This journey has been a wild ride full of ups and downs.  Sadly, we are ending on the biggest down out of the four films.  Rust proved to be a film with some fun moments and huge potential but the repetitiveness broke me down.  The follow up, Ru2t, was a much better film.  After those two it was time for Lujan's 2015 film Atelophobia.  I was worried this one would not be for me but I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  I couldn't wait to toss in the 2018 sequel but once I started I quickly realized that this film was a huge miss for me.  I still want to thank Lujan for sending this one my way and I'm sorry I didn't care for this follow up.

     The film follows the cast and crew of the horror film Atelophobia as they celebrate the film's release.  Things start out fun with some drinking and laughs but take a dark turn when everyone at the party starts to slur their words before passing out.  Soon they find themselves reliving the scenes they portrayed in the film by fans who are obsessed with Meredith.  

     I was excited for this one but it was quickly evident that this film wasn't going to give me something new.  In fact, we get the same film with the same characters going through the same torment they went through in the first film with the only exception is that there is a bit of a plot hole that makes this one leave you scratching your head.  The acting in this one is not as impressive as the first film.  We get the same cast, now playing themselves and not the characters from the film, as they go through the same scenario as previously seen.  The impact of their performances is not the same after seeing how amazing they were in the first film.  In addition, we once again get people that look like fans of Bile and Ministry delivering some cheesy dialogue that takes away from the scene.  The story for this one is unoriginal and is just another rehashing of the first film.  We get a little different angle in which the film happens but not enough to warrant a second film.  I really enjoyed the first film but this almost felt like I stopped it and just started it all over again.  Another complaint I have about the film is how "fans" are committing these crimes but I'm almost certain they were being abducted during the film's premier.  I may have misunderstood what was going on but if this was the film's premier how does the film have fans already?  Finally, the film tries to deliver some of the brutal torture scenes as the first film but the heart just isn't there.  We get some decent practical effects but the longevity and impact of the effects are nowhere near the first film.  Overall, Atelophobia: Chapter II is not a movie that I can recommend.  I can recommend the first film, and I do, but just stop with that film.