Nice effects though.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I'm a sucker for supernatural/monster based Horror movies. And the "Wailer 2" just happened to catch my eye at a local video store. So I decided to check it out. (Hey, it was Halloween, so I HAD to watch a few things to fit the celebration!) Now, I can't speak about comparing the sequel to the first film, because I have no access to the first, but the second plays out like a solid movie of its own right. Actually... I shouldn't just say it's a solid movie; it's actually a fun and spooky movie! The thing I appreciated the most was the cinematography. The movie, entire, looked fantastic. Even nighttime scenes were clear to see, and the visuals worked wonders. (I especially loved the "Monster Vision" sequences.) Being a monster fan, this film's possessed lovely certainly fit the bill. Alternately alluring one moment, positively demonic the next, this is a monster that SHOULD be earning its name in the list of legendary film beasties.But what about the other film elements, such as acting and effects? I did subtract one star for the acting, but to be fair, the roles I didn't feel that convinced by were bit characters. So you only have to deal with their ham-fisted acting for a few minutes at a time. The main characters worked well, and you actually did get a sense of sympathy for their plights.The effects were great, for a low budget affair. Oh, and I LOVED the scenery. The setting of Mexico worked well, and didn't feel out of place as a viewing opportunity at all.So, if one were to take some minor acting snafus aside, they'd come up with a fun and frightful Horror film that deserves a viewing.

In the spirit of Halloween, I rented "The Wailer" and "The Wailer 2" over the weekend.I watched "The Wailer" first and found it had some inspired moments but overall it was boring, the production value was cheap, and some of the acting was not too great.So I wasn't expecting much more from the sequel, "The Wailer 2". I was pleasantly surprised."The Wailer 2" picks up a few month after "The Wailer". A professor travels down to Mexico to free his daughter, who he believes is possessed by an evil spirit, La Llorona. Though searching for her dead children, La Llorona kills any man who see her.The opening scene is cool and sufficiently gory. We meet the Professor, who is having visions of his daughter Julie killing unsuspecting men. What follows is an adventure of sorts with the Professor and a newly made friend, Chava, pursuing La Llorona."The Wailer 2" has a high production value. Filmed in Mexico, everything appears authentic and appropriately creepy. The lead actors and actresses are competent, and the makeup effects are very good. While I can't say I was scared out of my seat, I did find the scenes with La Llorona suspenseful. The scene with a cowboy and a gun was particularly nerve wracking.On the downside, some of the acting of the secondary roles are mediocre and two characters, a cop and a detective, were almost incomprehensible, due to their broken English. Also, there was a lot of focus made on a symbol in the film. Much dialog was focused on the symbol but I never really understood it, nor did I feel it was necessary.The climax of the film was exciting with a great location, good effects, and believable acting. The film ends a bit like the original "Wailer", kind of ambiguously suggesting the story is not over.All in all, I thought this film was good and surprisingly better than the original. To be fair, it is a different film, with less scare and more suspense, but good none the less.