Jing Cheng 81 Hao 2
2017 / 97m - China
Horror
3.5*/5.0*
The House That Never Dies II poster

Watches

November 30, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

After the success of the first film, it's hardly a surprise a follow-up was made. The setup of the sequel isn't too original, then again neither was the setup of the first film. It's just another Asian horror flick reliant on past trauma, mixing scares and haunts with a little background drama.

The "most haunted house in China" has switched owners again. While starting the renovation, workers dig up an old vase with a baby's corpse inside. The wife of the new owner works in a hospital and one of her patients starts to see a little girl following her right around the same time.

The horror itself isn't all that spectacular, and can get bogged down by some subpar CG. But the rest of the film looks incredibly stylish. Lighting and use of color are excellent, the camera work is lush, and the performances are more than adequate. A very solid film, sticking a bit too closely to genre conventions, but otherwise delivering a pretty tight genre experience.