By: Addison Wylie

The Haunted House films have their haters.  But, these comedies also have those happy-go-lucky appreciators who laugh like hyenas with each crass joke.  The difference between those two audiences is that the haters will openly vent about how these movies stink, while the others are too embarrassed to admit they chuckled.

A Haunted House was a guilty pleasure of mine.  It was a minor comedy that found success during its theatrical run, and featured Marlon Wayans fully throwing himself into the role of the film’s scaredy-cat lead.  The jokes were juvenile, but the audacity in their deliveries was what made us laugh.

The jokes are cruder and more graphic in A Haunted House 2, which turned plenty of giggles into groans.  Most of the jokes worked (especially those aimed at Sinister’s found footage), but a fair amount of them expired from prolonged immaturity.  A scene where Wayans has sex with a doll inspired by The Conjuring should not be as long – or as disturbing – as it is.  And, how did it make it past the MPAA!?

After a second go with Michael Tiddes’ sequel, I return with relative results from when I re-watched its predecessor.  However, not only do my original qualms about A Haunted House 2 stay in tact, but I want to use this opportunity to speak out to the filmmaking team behind these movies.  Their flaws can be fixed, but only with a hearty dose of discipline.

Interested in how a third outing could better itself?  Watch the latest webisode to find out.

Read my original review here!

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