Vault of Terror II: The Undead (2015), directed by Charlton Jacob Jacques, Gregory Kurczynski, Jerry Landi, John Renna and Sean Weathers.
Written by Julian Dickman, Bill Freas, Lynne Hansen, Jerry Landi, John McDermott and Sean Weathers.
Starring Lloyd Kaufman, Erika Smith and Tina Krause.
UNRATED
Let me preface this review by saying that I’m a huge fan of anthology films. Films like Twilight Zone: The Movie, Creepshow, and Tales from the Darkside were among some of my favorites as a kid. Sure, there are some stinkers out there, but they always have at least one gem, one shining moment hidden among the schlock, somewhere.
Vault of Terror II: The Undead was a pretty fun ride from start to finish. We get five short films, given to us as a part of a wrap-around horror story called The Fappening; based off of the real event where the iCloud was hacked, and many nude celebrity pictures were subsequently posted to the internet. In this film a sleazy film producer (Sean Weathers) has his stash of sex tapes leaked during “The Fappening” event. As you can imagine, his partners are not happy. His career takes a big hit as a result of the leak, and we see exactly what sort of toll this takes, and how far he’ll go to remain in the film industry.
Throughout the unveiling of the film producer’s story, we are presented with the other five short films:
He’s Not Looking So Great: A short about a guy who wants to break-up with his girlfriend while they’re on the run during the zombie apocalypse. Probably my favorite chapter of this anthology. We get an early zombie attack, some humorous dialogue, and a fitting end to it all. Great stuff!
Friends in Dark Places: Parents begin to notice some strange events that take place around their son. They find there is something that isn’t quite right about what’s transpiring and are met with a horrifying revelation.
Sepulcher: You know that one asshole that you can’t stand at work? Imagine being stuck in an office with him, and a handful of other co-workers, with no escape. Pretty fun, right? Just for kicks, let’s say that there is also a ravenous horde of zombies trying to pound down your door. That is exactly what Sepulcher is all about. With no means of escape, things quickly come to a boil. Let’s just say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Butcher Game: Ever wonder what a mass murderer does in his down time? After a night spent brutally dispatching a group of teenagers, we find that maybe the killer is a lot like you and me. The majority of the short is pretty standard slasher-type stuff, but the punchline comes at the end. The end is what makes this one special.
Demon Frequency: A cult of Satan worshipers summons a demon into the host body of one of their own. She heads out into the world to create an undead army, hell-bent on beginning the end of days.
The entire anthology was very entertaining from start to finish. Overall, each film displayed a wonderful since of humor, some very gory practical effects, and the acting wasn’t too shabby either. This was better than some of the mainstream horror anthologies I’ve seen, and it was due to the love that the filmmakers had for the genre. Well done all around. Vault of Terror II: The Undead is a fine way to spend 90 minutes of your time.
Editor’s notes:
The original Vault of Terror was a DVD collection consisting of two short exploitation films and two feature length horror films: Maniac Too! (2013), A Good Samaritan in New York City (2013), The Driller Killer (1979), and Night of the Living Dead (1968).
