We've just been set back hundreds of years

Rating: 1/10 (31 October 2005)

MILD, MARKED SPOILERS AHEAD.
This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen. I have never seen the original, but I was with a group of friends who were desperate to see the sequel, as they are fans of the original, so we decided we would go. After hearing about the original, I was excited to see this one, but I was deeply disappointed.
This was a violent film, and when I say "violent", I mean violence on a level that you've likely never seen, unless you're into snuff. The thought of being deeply disturbed by this movie didn't even occur to me; I'm an adamant fan of the Kill Bill films, and have been a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino for years. No amount of violence can get to me, until I saw this.
Here are some things the movie did wrong:
1) Script The writing wasn't bad for the more mysterious characters, such as John, but for basic human characters faced with insurmountable obstacles, the script was either way over the top, or not touching enough on the tension there should be between characters. The plot could have been far more elaborate and that could have been a saving grace, although I don't think anyone would ever notice it.
2) Direction It was erratic. There's no excuse for camera work this poor. The film gave itself a lot of grief by not exploring the whole house. If these people are so desperate to get out, why don't they explore the whole building? There were tons of doors left unopened and it made the characters seem even stupider then they already were.
3) Photography The photography was completely overdone. There's no need for the bright yellows, it doesn't advance an atmosphere, it just makes the film look like a music video.
4) Acting This film featured some of the worst acting I have ever seen. Period.
5) Staging The traps were not creative at all. Instead of making it seem like he wanted them to get through the traps and learn something, it just seemed like he wanted to kill them for his own twisted pleasure (For example --< SPOILER AHEAD >--The seen where the guy is put in the furnace. What is he supposed to learn from that? And why didn't they stick something in the furnace--like a poll or something--and knock the syringes down? It doesn't make sense, and I refuse to suspend disbelief for a film like this----). There wasn't much to the traps, and it could have made the movie a lot more interesting if they had worked on the traps some more.
6) Violence Unless you're a sociopath, there's no reason for anyone to ever see this. This is on par with snuff and it makes me sick to think that some people find this entertaining. At least snuff has the dignity to tell you what it is beforehand. This is an exercise in cruelty, and how much violence the public can handle, and the answer is, people line up in droves for this garbage, then bask in it. This is truly horrific, and not in the way it intended to be.