Horrortales.666 Part 2 (2021) Review
Horrortales.666 Part 2 opens on a sombre note with a dedication to the late Scream Queen Julie Strain who appeared in the original and passed away earlier this year. We’re then informed by text and voiceover that The Burglar (Joel D. Wynkoop, Family Snapshot) is back to his old tricks after twenty or so years. Actually, it’s eighteen years since Horrortales.666 came out, but who’s counting?
Surprised by a supernatural presence (Jaysen P. Buterin, Bombshell Bloodbath) he’s forced to read five horror stories. This serves as the wraparound for Horrortales.666 Part 2 and was directed by Wynkoop himself.
“Open House”, directed by Matt Cannon. Sue (Noellie Burger) is prepping a house for sale on the anniversary of a double homicide. Co-workers Kate (Michelle Gibbs) and Beth (Amanda Sawayer) decide to prank her, with deadly results.
This certainly feels like something from the first wave of SOV horror. The twist is fairly easy to guess but a death by scalding more than makes up for it.
“The Last Farewell of Mr. Perez” written and directed by Marcelo Fabani is next. Mr. Perez (Marcelo Fabani) comes to learn what his true purpose is on his last day on Earth.
This segment features some effects that aren’t bad for a microbudget film. But its science fiction oriented plot feels a bit out of place in a horror anthology like Horrortales.666 Part 2.
Director Derek Braasch and co-writer Nina Trader are up next with “Slay Ride”. It’s Christmas Eve and Mr. Claus (Justin Bower) has just found out Mrs. Claus (Lillian Lamour) has been cheating on him. With one of the elves no less.
There’s some skin and a funny bit involving a masturbating Santa. But the uber-cheap mannequin parts gore detract from the overall effect of the segment.
“The Present” from Joe Sherlock is the story of Larry (Kirk Sardonis) who comes to find his wife (Roxxy Mountains) has a present waiting for him in the cellar.
This one doesn’t waste any time and delivers a nicely perverse tale of sex and violence featuring Roxxy’s Mountains.
The final story “My Life” from Phil Herman (Burglar from Hell) features Phil and Dustin Hubbard as themselves being driven to distraction by people wanting a role in Horrortales.666 Part 2.
This segment features appearances from Shawn C. Phillips (The Poltergeist Diaries), Debbie Rochon (Dark Ritual), Ari Lehman (The Lurker) and Debbie D (Giftwrapped & Gutted) among others in a meta tale that connects to the film’s wraparound. The cameos are frequently amusing but I’m not sure if this is the kind of horror the audience expects. I did notice the IMDB picture gallery for Horrortales.666 Part 2 references a segment that didn’t make the final film. Possibly this was made or expanded to keep the film from running short.
As ultra low budget anthologies go Horrortales.666 Part 2 is pretty good. None of the stories were really bad or bored me although the last segment, which runs nearly an hour of the film’s just under two hours, could have been trimmed a bit. The sci-fi elements of “The Last Farewell of Mr. Perez” might not work for some fans either, although it gets horrific towards the end.
Although tamer than you might expect from a film The Sleaze Box is associated with, there’s still a goodly amount of blood, boobs and degeneracy mixed through the stories. I do wish some of the effects had been a bit better than unpainted mannequin pieces, but that can come with the territory. If you’re a fan of microbudget horror and/or SOV Horror you’re the film’s target audience and you should have fun with Horrortales.666 Part 2.
You can order Horrortales.666 Part 2 on The Sleaze Box’s website. You can keep an eye on the film’s Facebook page for any news of streaming availability.