The Houses October Built 2

The Houses October Built 2 (titled Hellbent in some countries) is a 2017 American found footage horror film directed by Bobby Roe, who also stars in the film. A sequel to the 2014 film The Houses October Built, its plot follows five characters suffering from trauma a year after the events of the previous film, wherein they were kidnapped and held at a haunted house attraction.

The Houses October Built 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBobby Roe
Produced byZack Andrews
Steven Schneider
Written byZack Andrews
Bobby Roe
StarringBrandy Schaefer
Zack Andrews
Bobby Roe
Mikey Roe
Jeff Larson
Music bySteve Yeaman
CinematographyRicardo Sanchez
Andrew Strahorn
Edited byCesar Martinez
Production
company
Foreboding Films
Distributed byRLJ Entertainment
Release date
  • September 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Houses October Built 2 was written by Bobby Roe and Zack Andrews, the latter of whom produced the film with Steven Schneider, whose hits include Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Devil Inside and M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit , Split and Glass. The film was released in theaters on September 22, 2017.[1]

Plot

After being rescued from their ordeal at the hands of the Blue Skeleton haunted house, five friends decide to get through their post-trauma stress by facing their fears and going on another haunted-house road trip. However, when they begin to see signs of the Blue Skeleton on their ride, they realize the nightmare they survived a year ago is far from over.

Cast
  • Brandy Schaefer as Brandy
  • Zack Andrews as Zack
  • Bobby Roe as Bobby
  • Mikey Roe as Mikey
  • Jeff Larson as Jeff

Music

A soundtrack and music video was released for the movie on September 1, 2017 titled The Music October Built. It included a re-imagining of the jazz song "Halloween Spooks" by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and "Blue Skeleton Man" by Mr. RAY.[2]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an audience rating of 50%.[3]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter found the film lacking saying "Exhibiting all of the same weaknesses as its predecessor, as well as a fatal lack of originality, this iteration will probably mean the nail in the coffin for this smugly self-regarding series, at least on the theatrical circuit."[4] John Squires of Bloody Disgusting found the sequel underwhelming, saying, "The organic charm of The Houses October Built is mostly absent from The Houses October Built 2, which chooses to rehash the storyline from the first film rather than expand upon any of the interesting threads that were laid out in it"[5] and ultimately giving the film two out of five skulls.[5] Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects found that both the first film and the sequel were guilty of "found footage issues that sink most others using the format;" but whereas the original "succeeds anyway thanks to strong chemistry between the friends and some terrifically creepy sequences," the second film "lacks the scares to make them forgivable."[6]

However, Dread Central's Matt Boiselle gave the film four out of five stars,[7] writing: "The cinematography is much more streamlined this go-round, and it's nothing but a fun time to be had, that is until the real chills come rolling in, and it's a wait worth holding out for."[7] M. L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News gave the film a positive review but cautioned, "I think the larger scope kind of hurts the overall story. I liked the twists and turns added, but the finale will piss off some," while ultimately saying, "The sequel is bigger and better...The Houses October Built 2 is a fun follow up that’ll please those attracted to the first film."[8] JoBlo says "Like any good sequel, The Houses October Built 2 takes everything we loved from the first film and expands those elements, while at the same time giving us something bigger, better, and faster this go-around."[9] Scream magazine's Jessy Williams wrote that "It's smart, funny and ties a tidy ribbon around the two films, crafting a neat Halloween double-bill that is filled with scary thrills, laughs and an ending that is sure to shock. "[10]

Home media

The Houses October Built 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 2, 2018.[11]

References
  1. Squires, John (August 16, 2017). "'The Houses October Built 2' Gets a Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  2. Squires, John (September 6, 2017). "The Houses October Built 2' Gets Halloween Soundtrack Album". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  3. "The Houses October Built 2 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  4. Lowe, Justin (September 21, 2017). "'The Houses October Built 2': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  5. Squires, John (September 21, 2017). "[Review] 'The Houses October Built 2' Buries So Much Franchise Potential". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  6. Hunter, Rob (September 18, 2017). "'The Houses October Built 2' Review: Found Footage Ills, Too Few Chills". Film School Rejects. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  7. Boiselle, Matt (September 22, 2017). "Houses October Built 2, The (2017)". Dread Central. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  8. Miller, M. L. (September 22, 2017). "AICN Horror: Leatherface! 47 Meters Down! The Houses October Built 2! Revelator! Let Me Make You a Martyr! The Resurrected! Zombies! The Mummy! Watch Over Us! The Creep Behind the Camera! & The Creeping Terror!". Aint It Cool News. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  9. Sprague, Mike (2017-09-21). "The Houses October Built 2 (Movie Review)". JoBlo.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  10. Williams, Jessy (2017-09-18). "The Houses October Built 2: Film Review'". screamhorrormag.com. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
  11. Squires, John (2017-11-30). "'The Houses October Built 2' Scares Up Blu-ray and DVD Date". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
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