- 1991movierewind
Episode #34: The Terror Within II
Listen to Episode 34 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - The Terror Within II takes place in a post-apocalyptic world caused by biological warfare that unleashed a plague that wiped out 99% of humanity and converted some into dangerous mutants. David Pennington (played by Andrew Stevens) is crossing the dangerous desert on his way to the underground base in Salt Lake City where he hopes to find safety. The base has their own problems as their crew is in desperate need for supplies and are constantly under attack by the monsters.
Screenplay by Andrew Stevens; Directed by Andrew Stevens, and released on January 18, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
Don't worry if you've never seen the first movie, they provide a recap of the disaster.
Besides, the lead character (played by the guy who wrote and directed) seems to have completely forgotten what happened as well.
There are quite a lot of characters at the base and we don't really get good introductions to their names or roles.
For a while, we were a bit confused about who was who, personified by there being two glasses guys. This one that died early on.
And this one next to R. Lee Ermey that is not the same guy, we swear! You can understand our confusion.
The action is pretty laughable at times. Most of the attacks are slow slaps.
And almost all of the gunfire has the noises, but not a single flash or effect on the gun itself to show that it's firing.
The movie is full of dumb mistakes from the characters. It makes no sense that they left the severed monster finger alone for days on end without looking at it at all.
The lead character ignores warning signs of the pregnancy, despite experiencing the first movie.
Good thing they have this weird science thing to allow them to go back in time and watch the conception somehow? Gotta love the future.
We also commented and joked about the IMDB FAQ page and marveled at how passive aggressive the whole thing was.
We talked about how they changed the name of the monsters from gargoyles to Lusus and how neither is good.
And we talked about the best character in the movie: Butch. Butch will be back in another 1991 movie!
Awards Talk: None to speak of for this movie, but we were amazed to see that the cinematography was done by Janusz Kaminski, who won an Oscar just two years later.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week our crime segment looks at the tragic murder of the film's composer Terri Plumeri. Here are a few of the articles Nikki referenced when researching the story and timeline.
We didn't talk about music at all, but instead went into detail about that week's Saturday Night Live episode which featured the debut of Jack Handy and the Richmeister character.
This would lead to being cast in Necessary Roughness, most likely.
Here's an example of one of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts in case you're not too familiar.
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 1 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 1 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - There are some bad movies that are worth watching multiple times, but this isn't one of them. It was nearly a carbon copy of the first film, but also worse. Butch the dog is the only saving grace. The only reason to watch it again is if there were a MST3K/RiffTrax type of commentary.
If you want to watch The Terror Within II, as of this recording in September 2021, it’s available on Tubi, Shout Factory TV, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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