October Moon 2: November Son

Director - Jason Paul Collum (Safe Inside, October Moon)

Starring - Sacha Sacket, Judith O'Dea (Night of the Living Dead, Hole in the Wall), and Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity)

Release Date - 2008

Genre - Horror/Drama

Tagline - "It's time to dig up a few old friends... and bury some new ones"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I ordered the October Moon double feature because I want to support filmmaker J.R. Bookwalter and his MakeFlix brand but these films looked like ones I would typically not watch.  However, I went into the first film with an open mind and was absolutely blown away by the film.  It may not be the most horror oriented film I've seen in recent years but I really enjoyed it.  The blu release included the 2008 follow up October Moon 2: November Son which made it a great deal for the price.  After watching the first one it only made sense to follow it up with the sequel.  

     The film picks up two years after the events of the first film.  Several of the people affected by Elliot's murder is still living day to day dealing with the loss of their loved ones.  Eli, an openly gay photographer, moves into the apartment that Elliot once occupied with his fiancé before the murders happened and soon starts working for Elliot's mother.  Soon her gains her trust and she replaces her lost son with Eli before some evil intentions are revealed.

     October Moon is a fantastic film that I would recommend to anyone open to the viewing experience.  It is a little too long but it is a well made and put together dark drama.  October Moon 2 expands upon the film with new leads and returning characters.  It's fun but the impact of the first film can not be replicated here.  Where the first film an be revisited this follow up is a one and done film that just can't capture what the first film delivers.  The acting in this one is just as good, if not better, than the first film.  A good portion of the characters that return have more screen time and do a fantastic job with their performances.  The characters have great personalities and they really work.  With that being said, the new characters are a little uneven and not as fun or memorable.  The story for this one struggles for a bit before it finds it's footing.  The film does expand on the first film but it takes almost an hour for it to do so.  I'm all for a movie taking it's time to establish atmosphere and tension but this one is way too long and filled with unnecessary scenes.  Also, the story doesn't have the same impact as the previous film.  It's almost as if the film was written sometime after the first film and struggled to replace the characters that were murdered.  It has it's moments and is still entertaining but it's not as fun as the original.  Finally, this is not really a bloody film.  We have some make-up effects on "dead" bodies and some blood but those looking for a gory late 00's horror romp will be very disappointed.  Overall, October Moon 2 is a fun watch for fans of the first film but it has no replay value whatsoever.  The original film is far superior to this one but this release on blu does look better.  The image quality is so much better than the first film.