HALLOWEEN HANGOVER: THREE EXTREMES 2 (2006) **

Three Extremes 2 was actually made before the original but released in the States afterwards.  It’s another trio of horror tales by three Asian filmmakers, but this time they’re all pretty much forgettable.  While each tale certainly has their moments, it’s a big comedown from the original (or… sequel, depending on how you look at it).

“Memories” (**) by Kim (The Last Stand) Jee-Woon is about a man grieving over the disappearance of his wife.  He is also suffering from a mental dissociative disorder, which might be making the situation worse.  As his wife tries to make her way back home, he sits around the apartment and has bizarre visions.  

Deliberately paced and frustratingly abstract, Memories tests the audience’s patience to little avail.  There are one or two gruesome bits, but that’s not enough to make up for the slower-than-slow slow burn build-up.  Because it’s Kim Jee-Woon, it’s by far the slickest looking tale of the bunch, so it’s got that going for it.  (Even the grainy, Grindhouse-y looking flashbacks look better than the rest of the movie.)    

“The Wheel” (**) from Nonzee Nimibutr is about an old puppeteer who is suffering on his death bed.  He tells everyone his puppets are cursed, but everyone chalks it up to superstition.  After his death, someone steals the puppets and people start dying. 

Killer puppets and demented dolls have been a staple of horror anthologies since Trilogy of Terror.  This one goes for a slightly different feel, which is admirable, but it isn’t very successful.  It also suffers from too much slow motion, murky cinematography, and a weak ending.  Its biggest sin is that it keeps the killer puppet action to the barest minimum, which is hugely disappointing.  

“Going Home”  (**) by Peter Chan finds a single father moving his son into a decaying, nearly-empty apartment complex.  While left home alone, the kid begins to play with a mysterious little girl in a red coat that seems to appear out of nowhere.  When the child goes missing, his father seeks help from a neighbor who just so happens to keep his dead wife preserved in mystical Chinese herbs the bathtub.  He kidnaps the father and ties him up while he prepares to bring his wife back to life.

This might be the best story in the collection, although that’s not saying a whole lot.  The problem is that the set-up with the little boy and girl is a lot more involving than the hostage drama that develops between the two neighbors.  The final twist is decent enough, and even a tad bittersweet, but it doesn’t make up for the lethargic pacing.

Most horror anthologies have a tendency to be wildly uneven.  This is the rare one where every story is basically a washout.  Since there’s nothing here that even approaches the first film’s classic “Dumplings” segment, most anthology horror buffs will probably want to skip this one.

AKA:  Three.