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''Trilogy of Terror II'' is a 1996 American made-for-television
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...
horror film and a sequel to ''
Trilogy of Terror ''Trilogy of Terror'' is a 1975 American made-for-television anthology horror film directed by Dan Curtis and starring Karen Black. It features three segments, each based on unrelated short stories by Richard Matheson. The first follows a college ...
'' (1975), both directed by Dan Curtis. The film follows the formula of the original, with one female lead (
Lysette Anthony Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
) playing parts in each of three segments. In the episode "He Who Kills", one of the museum security guards is reading a ''Dark Shadows'' comic book, and enthuses about how he used to rush home from school to watch it. Dan Curtis created the TV series ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsp ...
'' in 1966.


Plot


The Graveyard Rats

A wealthy man by the name of Ansford (
Matt Clark Matthew Clark is a United Kingdom-based drinks distributor. Matthew or Matt Clark may also refer to: *Mat Clark (born 1990), Canadian ice hockey defenceman *Matt Clark (actor) (born 1936), American actor and director *Matt Clark (baseball) (born 19 ...
) discovers his young wife Laura (
Lysette Anthony Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
) having an affair with her cousin. Having video proof, he orders Laura to be faithful and honest or he will turn the video over to the news stations and cut her out of his multimillion-dollar will. Meanwhile, her lover Ben (
Geraint Wyn Davies Geraint Wyn Davies (, 20 April 1957) is a Welsh-American stage, film and television actor-director. Educated in Canada, he has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. His most famous role as the vampire-turned police dete ...
) comes up with the idea to murder Ansford and collect all his money. After Ansford is pushed down the stairs and killed, Laura and Ben are more than happy to collect their winnings; however, all does not go as planned. Before dying, Ansford transferred all of his millions into an account in Zürich and microfilmed the access codes, which were buried with him. Now, Laura and Ben have to dig up his grave and Ben climbs into the opened coffin to retrieve the
microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. F ...
. Soon after, Laura shoots and kills Ben to claim all the money for herself. All of a sudden, the body of the dead millionaire is dragged through a hole in the side of the coffin by large flesh-eating rats with red eyes and Laura is forced to crawl in after him through a network of underground graveyard tunnels. Eventually, the advancing rats corner her in another buried coffin. Laura tries to keep the rats away by firing her gun at them, but the rats quickly pour into the coffin and devour her. This first episode (screenplay by
William F. Nolan William Francis Nolan (March 6, 1928 – July 15, 2021) was an American author who wrote hundreds of stories in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and crime fiction genres.Jason V. Brock, "Finding Sanctuary: Running from the Zone to Logan" i ...
and Dan Curtis) is based on Henry Kuttner's eponymous short story, albeit considerably altered. In Kuttner's tale, the thief is a male cemetery caretaker who habitually steals valuables from the corpses in a graveyard beset by a colony of abnormally large rats.


Bobby

The second episode is a re-filming of a script by
Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science ficti ...
. It was originally written by Matheson for the Dan Curtis omnibus movie '' Dead of Night'' and was there filmed with different actors. It has been some time since Bobby "accidentally" drowned, leaving his mother Alma (
Lysette Anthony Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
) depressed and guilty. However, while her husband is away on business, she determines to raise her son from the dead. Armed with a magic book and a "
Key of Solomon The ''Key of Solomon'' ( la, Clavicula Salomonis; he, מפתח שלמה []) (Also known as "The Greater Key of Solomon") is a pseudepigraphical grimoire (also known as a book of spells) attributed to Solomon, King Solomon. It probably dates b ...
" (in this case, a talisman rather than a book), she conjures up dark forces to bring her son back. Before going to bed, a vicious thunderstorm approaches the luxurious beach mansion. Hearing a knock, she opens the door to discover her son. After cleaning him up, she begins to make him feel at home again. However, all does not work out when Bobby goes completely mad and begins to terrorize his mother in the dark house with a sledgehammer and a
butcher knife A butcher knife or butcher's knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering or dressing of animal carcasses. Use Today, the butcher knife is used throughout the world in the meat processing trade. The heftier blade works well f ...
. The mother soon realizes that it is not Bobby who returned to her, but a demon that had taken his place, as he says "Bobby hates you, Mommy, so he sent me instead," revealing his demon-like face, after which the screen blacks out.


He Who Kills

This segment, about the Zuni Fetish Doll "He Who Kills", is a sequel to the third segment of the original film ''Trilogy of Terror'', "Amelia". After finding the double homicide of Amelia and her mother from the first movie with the Zuni Fetish Doll at the scene, the local police drop off the doll to local Dr. Simpson (
Lysette Anthony Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
). As she begins to examine the doll, she learns that the doll comes to life when a gold chain is removed from his neck and that the Zuni Fetish Doll has a desire for flesh. It also seems to regenerate (the idea itself initially laughable to both Dr. Simpson and her assistant) as when she chips away the charred wood, the Zuni Fetish Doll seems to be brand new. After a quick pizza break, she discovers the doll missing. One of the officers investigates the surrounding museum, only to be shot down by an arrow from one of the exhibits, courtesy of the doll. After minutes of looking, she finds the doll attacking and running towards her with a lab knife as a weapon. Now Dr. Simpson is all alone in a large museum with a tiny killer on the loose. Much like the first movie, Dr. Simpson catches the Zuni Fetish Doll in a briefcase, giving her time to try to reach her keys. As the doll cuts through the case, Dr. Simpson tries twice to grab the knife, only to get cut as in the first film. The doll eventually breaks through, meeting the stabbing force of a screwdriver-like object from Dr. Simpson. Making the same mistake as the first film's protagonist, Dr. Simpson opens the briefcase, only to be bitten ferociously by the Zuni Fetish Doll. She eventually regains control and tosses the doll into a large rectangular container of sulfuric acid. As the Zuni Fetish Doll comes to a halt in its motion, Dr. Simpson goes to grab tongs in an attempt to remove the doll, only to be possessed by He Who Kills, the spirit inhabiting the doll. Later on, she kills her date with the same ax she tried to use against the Zuni Fetish Doll.


Cast

*
Lysette Anthony Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krull ...
as Laura, Alma, and Dr. Simpson *
Geraint Wyn Davies Geraint Wyn Davies (, 20 April 1957) is a Welsh-American stage, film and television actor-director. Educated in Canada, he has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. His most famous role as the vampire-turned police dete ...
as Ben *
Matt Clark Matthew Clark is a United Kingdom-based drinks distributor. Matthew or Matt Clark may also refer to: *Mat Clark (born 1990), Canadian ice hockey defenceman *Matt Clark (actor) (born 1936), American actor and director *Matt Clark (baseball) (born 19 ...
as Ansford * Geoffrey Lewis as Stubbs * Blake Heron as Bobby *
Richard Fitzpatrick General Richard FitzPatrick (24 January 174825 April 1813), styled The Honourable from birth, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, wit, poet, and Whig politician. He sat in the British House of Commons for 39 years from 1774 to 1813, and was a "sworn b ...
as Jerry O'Farrell * Thomas Mitchell as Lew * Gerry Quigley as Akers * Dennis O'Connor as Brig * John McMahon as Taylor * Alan Bridle as the Minister * Brittaney Bennett as the Waitress *
Norm Spencer Norman Spencer (23 February 1958 – 31 August 2020) was a Canadian voice and television actor best known for his work on Saturday-morning cartoons in the 1990s. He performed several roles for Marvel Comics characters, most famously Cyclops in ' ...
as Officer #1 *
Bruce McFee Bruce James McFee (18 May 1961 – 9 September 2021) was a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland region at the 2003 election. McFee served on the Scottish ...
as Officer #2 * Joe Gieb as the Dwarf Bobby * Alex Carter as Breslow * Philip Williams as Pete * Tom Melissis as Rothstein *
Aron Tager Aron Tager (June 30, 1934 – February 28, 2019) was an American actor, poet, artist and sculptor. Career As an artist, Tager had numerous exhibitions of his work and has sculptures installed at the following locations: Mount Anthony Union Hi ...
as Steve * Durward Allen as Spaulding *
Peter Keleghan Peter Keleghan is a Canadian actor and writer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Bellow in the comedy series '' 18 to Life'', Clark Claxton Sr. in the comedy series '' Billable Hours'' and Ranger Gord in '' The Red Green Show''. Currently ha ...
as Dennis


Production

''Trilogy of Terror II'' was produced by Dan Curtis Productions and first aired on Showtime on October 30, 1996. The film was directed by Dan Curtis, who also directed the 1975 TV movie ''Trilogy of Terror'' which inspired this sequel. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the original movie.


Home media releases

''Trilogy of Terror II'' was released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on September 2, 2008.


Reception

Brett Gallman from ''Oh, the Horror!'' gave the film a mixed review, feeling that the film "a quick way to cash in on a well-known property". TV Guide awarded the film 1/5 stars, calling it "belated", and felt that it was essentially a rerun of the original film.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trilogy Of Terror Ii Demons in film 1996 television films 1996 horror films 1996 films American horror anthology films American horror television films Films based on works by Richard Matheson Films based on short fiction USA Network original films Films directed by Dan Curtis Films with screenplays by Richard Matheson American supernatural horror films 1990s supernatural horror films 1990s American films