A Haunted House 2: When Parody Goes Too Far
Malcolm (Marlon Wayans), overwhelmed by his girlfriend Kisha’s (Essence Atkins) demonic possession, abandons her to die in a car crash and flees. A year later, he’s moved on with a new family – single mother Megan (Jaime Pressly) and her two kids. They move into a new house, only to be immediately besieged by a variety of supernatural entities. Megan’s son conjures an imaginary friend, her daughter discovers a demonic entity within a mysterious box, Megan brings home a creepy Annabelle doll, and Malcolm stumbles upon a box of old tapes in the attic. To top it all off, the possessed Kisha returns, seeking to settle unfinished business with Malcolm.
Once a promising comedic talent, Marlon Wayans has gradually squandered the goodwill earned from his earlier parodies like “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood” and “Scary Movie.” While “White Chicks” (2004) managed to scrape by on inertia, “Little Man” (2006) and “Dance Flick” (2009) underperformed significantly. Wayans’ response was to make films ten times cheaper, hoping for better returns. Surprisingly, this strategy worked for “A Haunted House,” a goofy parody of found-footage horror films that recouped its low budget tenfold. Now, we have the sequel.
Expanding the Horrorverse
While the first film primarily targeted “Paranormal Activity,” “A Haunted House 2” broadens its scope to include a wider range of horror films. It takes aim at “The Possession,” “The Conjuring,” “Sinister,” “Insidious,” “The Last Exorcism Part II,” and, of course, the ubiquitous “Paranormal Activity 4.” To avoid the complexities of weaving these parodies together, Wayans simply assigns different films to different characters. The result is uneven, but since when has consistency been a requirement for parody?
The Problem with Excess
“A Haunted House 2” suffers from numerous flaws, the main one being Wayans’ tendency to overdo it. He never knows when to stop, milking each joke until it’s bone dry. Occasionally, this works, such as in the absurd scene with the murdered dog or the shockingly crude but amusing Annabelle sex scene. However, more often than not, this approach transforms mediocre gags into outright unbearable ones. The extended “runs” of characters rehashing the same jokes (racism, sexism, toilet humor – nothing is off-limits for Wayans) become exhausting. The first film was more concise in this regard.
Wayans’ Charisma Saves the Day
What prevents the film from completely falling apart is Marlon Wayans himself. Despite everything, he remains an actor with immense charisma, seemingly the last of his kind among black comedians. Where are Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Chris Tucker? The dedication with which Wayans throws himself into the ridiculous gags, practically turning himself inside out, commands respect. Even Jaime Pressly, a seasoned veteran of absurd roles, seems hesitant at times, while Wayans flounders with such joy and ease that you almost forget he’s wallowing in a fetid puddle of week-old garbage.