Back in 2006 when See No Evil horror movie was first released, a lot of people gathered in movie theatres and cinemas to watch it. A horror film produced by WWE (world wrestling entertainment) and starred by a popular icon, Kane, would definitely attract tremendous audience. Although the movie was average and arguably thrilling, it received mixed feelings and criticism. Jacob Goodnight (Glenn Jacobs “Kane”) was the main character of the movie. Kane was already a favorite WWE superstar then and well known. When people watched the movie, the least of their expectation was that a follow up would be made. The making of see no evil 2 came as a surprise when it was announced that a follow up movie would be released in 2014. Nonetheless, it features a wealth of new experience and thrill that are by far much better than the original movie.
See No Evil original synopsis
In the first release, a group of students are sent to an old and abandoned hotel to do some cleaning and refurbishment as part of their community service. They arrive and commence cleaning activities before they realize that another person already lives in the hotel. Since the hotel is quite messed up, it takes a while before they contemplate the existence of another person residing there. Jacobs is apparently a horrific murderous and barbaric personality who was abused by his mother when he was a kid. He therefore sees the sin in other people and ends up torturing them in barbaric fashion. When Jacobs (Kane) starts stalking and killing the students, they quickly transform from hotel housekeeping to running for their lives. There are various thrill sessions and moments, especially since Glenn Jacobs is a huge guy (almost 7 feet tall and wide). It is easy to picture him tearing the limbs of these students apart at any one time. Although the overall theme and storyline was cool, most people felt that Jacobs could have been awarded more scenarios and ferocity settings. Most critics therefore branded See No Evil original movie an average production.
The Follow Up
See No Evil 2 was just recently released as a follow up to the original movie. It picks up from where the first one left and features various settings that evoke heightened thrill and anticipation. Directed by the Soska sisters (Sylvia and Jen Soska), the making of See No Evil 2 depicts much improvement both in character building and setting. The story still revolves around Jacob Goodnight and a group of students, only this time they are in a morgue facility and not an abandoned hotel. A group of college medical students decide to surprise their friend, Amy Harris, on her birthday. Amy works at a local morgue, which is apparently where Jacob Goodnight’s body is kept. When the movie begins, it is believed that Goodnight is dead. The medical students arrive in jovial and a charming mood only to be surprised by a one-eyed scary monster raised from the dead. Jacobs is back! The students get locked in the facility and usual horror thrills, killings, ripping and brutal torturing begins. There are various dominant characters and their development is much improved when compared to the original movie. Kane is given the ferocity he deserves and his much enlarged frame makes him even more suited to his role. The plot building and transitioning is nothing less than standard and a number of techniques (suspense, premonition, flashbacks…) are thrown in. See No Evil 2 is a more entertaining and thrilling version. The original movie felt more comic and left out various aspects that describe a fine horror scene.
Behind the Scenes
One of the major undoing of the original movie was lack of recognizable horror faces and mapping of “Scene laughs.” A good horror movie is not always about brutal killings. It should include a couple of laughs and side-life themes, routines and events. You can have killings going on in one apartment of the streets while people are partying in the adjacent one. The making of See No Evil 2 came eight years after the first movie was released. Soska sisters who are behind it already have a horror movie reputation from their classic cult movie Dead Hooker in a Trunk. A number of familiar horror faces have also been included. One of the recognized improvements is Katharine Isabelle who plays “Tamara” (a crazy and weird vixen). The movie scripts were however written by the same people who wrote original See No Evil (Bobby Lee and Nathan Brookes). Kane (Glenn Jacobs) has been a WWE icon for over 17 years now. His experience has definitely increased tremendously and the role of playing Goodnight fits him perfectly. His frame and ferocious demeanor complimented the role as he picked up a bunch of college students one after another and ripped them apart. It is actually difficult to separate Glenn Jacobs and Jacob Goodnight. For the WWE universe, it is easy to note some erratic “WWE moments” in the movie. The morgue scene also presents an environment that is horror-friendly. This setting allows Goodnight to access hooks, surgical knives and other torture tools which he uses to savage young attractive buddies in a heightened slay-fest. The rampage can not be oversight although in general rating, there are still a lot of improvements that could have been made. That said, See No Evil 2 is undoubtedly better that the eight year old release. The movie runs for 90 minutes in total. It has fewer disappointments than the first and also features a new “horroric” setting.
Conclusion
WWE had made significant improvements in terms of movie production. They now have a large catalogue of their own productions featuring various WWE superstars like John Cena, The Miz and Randy Orton among others. It is understandable that they have more experience in movie production than they did in 2006. The level of modern technology also makes it possible to enhance certain aspects in ways that could not be achieved before. See No Evil 2 is not a master-class production when it comes to horror movies. It however contains several thrill elements and attributes that most horror fans seek.
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