LE FEAR 2: LE SEQUEL (2015)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Carlos Revalos (Kyri Saphiris) is the incompetent filmmaker who is pitching to make a horror film that features vampires and presumably witch doctors. A South African executive producer (from Nollywood - Nigeria's answer to Hollywood) named Dirk Heinz (played by Andrew Tiernan) promises a huge 10 million dollar production deal as long as Carlos puts up 500,000 pounds of his own money. Aye, there is the rub. Why on earth does Carlos have to put up money for a proposed 10 million budget? Good question.
Enter Nollywood producer Efi (Seye Adelekan) who is some sort of hip, energized yet completely hopeless and clueless man that basically ruins the production. When Carlos asks for a studio set, he gets a used, smelly caravan vehicle. Props and FX master brings in Halloween decorations! An actress plays a vampire in ways that even Vampira would object to. Queenie (played with an edgy wickedness by Victoria Hopkins) is the sex-starved makeup artist who seduces the cinematographer and an actress. A lead actress (Denise Moreno) is nonplussed by the shoddiness of it all. "I want horror," screams Carlos consistently and all he gets are inflatable alien dolls and an Ed Wood-type inflatable UFO from a FX expert who supposedly worked on "Avatar"! When the lead actress angrily exits, a Japanese actress who can't speak a lick of English replaces her. A 35mm motion picture camera and a dolly are requested and all Efi brings to the table is nothing but an old 8mm camera.
There are many laughs and a few groans in "Le Fear II." For one, the appearance of the title of the film on occasion runs a little dry (maybe it should be introduced twice during its opening credits, the second time it can be shown in bigger letters as it was in Robert Altman's "Brewster McCloud"). I also think a little tightening of a couple scenes would help - there a few dry spells that do not elicit much laughter such as Queenie aiming incessantly for a quickie with the cinematographer (far funnier and titillating is Queenie seducing the vampire actress). Carlo's shocked face at the progress of the movie could be sustained longer periodically. Still, I love the freewheeling Efi whose very cluelessness (including his misunderstanding of the word "gremlin) ups the ante on laughs that had me in stitches throughout - he steals the movie singlehandedly.
This review of "Le Fear II" applies to a work-in-progress - the official date of release is not till April 2015. In terms of other movie-within-the-movie movies, "Le Fear II" is nothing new technically (aside from the shadiness of the South African producer and money man) but it is consistently smart and witty (it will be funnier to those who have participated in the making of grade Z schlock).
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