Poor Alfie (Chelsea Islan). Writer/Director Timo Tjahjanto isn’t afraid to put his characters through the wringer, plunging them into the ultimate battle for survival and leaving a trail of dismembered limbs along the way. Two years after surviving a Sam Raimi-inspired night of hell, leaving her and young step-sister Nara (Hadijah Shahab) as the survivors of a demonic massacre, Alfie must face a new evil. The latest chapter in Tjahjanto’s saga shifts tones and ups the ante to create a darker, bloodier horror sequel for the midnight crowd.
Reeling from PTSD after the first film’s events, Alfie prefers a more reclusive lifestyle while raising younger step-sister Nara. She downs prescription pills to cope and keeps a vigilant eye out if the demon she battled in her family villa isn’t entirely done with her yet. The sisters’ attempts at a peaceful existence get interrupted when a group of masked strangers break in and kidnap them both, though not without a fight from Alfie. She wakes at an old orphanage. Orphans her age unleashed the demonic spirit of their former caretaker, and they need Alfie to help vanquish it. Of course, it’s not as easy as they thought, and the body count rises.
Tjahjanto’s continuation may feature a new demonic scenario, setting, and cast of characters, but it expects you to be already very familiar with Alfie’s previous encounter with evil. Emphasis on continuation; this is less a sequel and more a new chapter. With a propulsive narrative that doesn’t stop moving from the outset, there’s no hand-holding here. Tjahjanto wastes no time getting straight to the gory meat of things, which means it doesn’t dwell on rehashing plot beats from the previous entry. Some are mentioned, briefly, as needed, concerning how Nara landed on the orphans’ radar in the first place.
While May the Devil Take You drew overt influence from Raimi’s distinct brand of splatstick horror, specifically Evil Dead, in many ways, this chapter feels like Tjahjanto’s Evil Dead II. But not in the way you’d expect. There is a cellar with a possessed entity that terrorizes this new group of potential victims, and other nods to Raimi’s films. Still, the filmmaker eschews the humor in favor of a bloodier, more chaotic follow-up that bears more in common tonally and visually with Fede Alvarez’s take on Raimi’s franchise. If you thought the previous film’s characters had it rough, Tjahjanto conjures up some genuinely visceral moments of torture. If you’re familiar with the filmmaker’s work at all, you know that’s high praise.
The excessive carnage is a blast, but May the Devil Take You Too marks a much more mature effort by the filmmaker. The shot compositions add a polished aesthetic to the overall quality. More importantly, they allow Tjahjanto to keep the eerie atmosphere flowing between the more intense battles with the possessed. Always, always keep your eyes open to what’s happening in the background. Many of the creepiest moments tend to come from restrained, subtle details lurking when the characters aren’t looking. The quieter moments never come close to slowing down the brisk pacing because Tjahjanto keeps things visually interesting. More importantly, he employs a variety of scare tactics to keep things from getting stale or repetitive.
Alfie once again proves a formidable final girl, but the stakes aren’t as personal this round. Save for Nara, we aren’t given enough time to care about the orphans that have pulled Alfie into their battle against her will. From a horror perspective, that’s okay- who doesn’t love a higher, grislier body count in a sequel? Narratively, though, some of the emotional beats don’t pack as big of a punch. It probably doesn’t help that it moves at breakneck speed.
May the Devil Take You Too carves out its own identity with a more serious, polished effort. Though there’s not much connective tissue between films, its predecessor is required viewing (currently available on Netflix). The stakes aren’t as personal, but that doesn’t make seeing the hell Alfie is put through any less fun. For absolute demonic chaos that delivers buckets of blood and unnerving moments of possession, it’s another solid effort by Tjahjanto.
May the Devil Take You Too releases on Shudder October 29, 2020.
![[Nightstream Review] 'May the Devil Take You Too' Delivers Bigger, Bloodier Satanic Mayhem - Bloody Disgusting](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJF0xYl3XLA0BZsSEZLrxK4sIz8zq1Q_UzN4qpwNKnZwzjDveLZbjpit19v8RTv7h-R1vOFd3XJFwMtgz_fe0LMeZ49giBEDEbbXDCvc-CLtxJ67fAeIb1OZmH40RFGOEycPdraCQMJ0/s72-c/Screenshot_2.png)
0 comments:
Post a Comment