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THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 2: HELLGATE
Produced and Directed by Jon McBride, Mark Polonia, and John Polonia
Written by Mark Polonia
Edited by Mark and John Polonia
Director of Photography - Ray SteeleProfessor Pollenfax - Jon McBride
Female Ghost - Leslie Culton
Sikes Palmer - Jeff Dylan Graham
Devon Warren - Brice Kennedy
Marty Beck - Bob DennisTHE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 2: HELLGATE is a prime example of everything critics find wrong with sequels. The freshness that made the first film so much frightening fun is lost in the effort to cash in with a follow up. The biggest insult to the audience is that the best, most imaginative sequences from the first film aren't merely repeated, but flat-out re-used.
Before I continue, I have state that in all fairness I wasn't able to finish viewing HELLGATE. Upon two attempts I fell asleep. Planning to give it the old college try and make it to the end, I ended up returning the movie to my local rental house a week late. My biggest question isn't how the film ended, but who do I have to roll to get my money back.
One thing you can always say in favor of the Polonia's is that they bring a cinematic feel to most of their films. Technical elements such as lighting and composition have never been an issue for the guys who are arguably the most successful men in Shot-on-Video cinema. The weak points have all been in the storytelling.
To run down a list of Polonia Brothers cliches would be like running down a grocery list. As filmmakers their goals seem to be to make the types of movies they themselves enjoy rather than exploring new territory. If other fans also find enjoyment then that's just an added bonus.
Frequent Polonia collaborator Jon McBride is on hand as Professor Pollenfax, a parapsychologist and psychic investigating THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED. Our hero from the first film, Marty Beck, has been missing for months, but a book recounting Beck's adventures was delivered to his publisher and has been on all the best seller lists for weeks. Pollenfax's goal is to prove that Beck's disappearance is nothing more than publicity.
With two indentured servants…. err….students to monitor equipment, Pollenfax quickly realizes that there's more to the house than originally thought. The ghosts waste no time in telling Pollenfax that his days are numbered.
As Pollenfax's students, Jeff Dylan Graham and Brice Kennedy are given thankless roles. When you can count the cast on one hand, it's easy to figure out who'll make it and who won't. For those not initiated to the Polonia's, you'll learn early on that words like "tension" and "suspense" generally don't come into play.
With THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED, it appeared the Polonia's were moving in a new direction. One where series, psychological horror ruled supreme. That film was a study of dementia. There was no doubt that the house was truly haunted; the real question was Beck's sanity. How far over the edge would he be willing to go?
That's not a concern for THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 2: HELLGATE. The title pretty much tells you what happened to Beck and where we'll end up at some point before the end. No, I wasn't awake to see the actual Hellgate, but I've been told I didn't miss much. It's a cop out to relay second hand information in a review, but I have no plans to revisit this film in the near future…or anytime in the future for that matter. Anyone wanting to know why can go hunt down the Polonia's BLOOD RED PLANET.