Sequels can be tricky to make. Going in, people have preconceived notions of what to expect, and if it doesn’t match those expectations the film has a hard time finding success. Sequels to documentaries have an even harder time succeeding. That’s simply because in most cases everything that needed to be said was said in the first film. And there’s not much left to explain on the matter. The House in Between 2 is one of those rare sequels to a documentary that surpasses the original. The film isn’t fantastic, and it won’t be something people will be talking about for years to come. But it is far superior to the original.
The House in Between 2 again takes a look Alice Jackson’s haunted house in Florence, Mississippi. The sequel starts by showcasing the scant proof of the paranormal provided in the first movie. This includes the strange lights and voices, the opening and closing of doors and the baseball that rolls down the stairs seemingly on its own. It also explains that Alice is still too afraid to live in her own house. Alice has help though. The group of paranormal experts from the first film haven’t given up on trying to prove the existence of ghosts, and they have been joined by more experts. Together they try to discover what’s going on, so that poor Alice can move back into her dream home.
The first thing you notice is that The House in Between 2 has a much better production value than the original one. It’s not just the addition of music or the fancy graphics used to open the film that’s different. But it’s the sharpness of the picture and higher quality of interviews. The paranormal experts don’t come off as kooky as they did before. And you don’t want to write off what they are saying immediately as hokum.
The filmmakers also spend time giving a history of the region, something they didn’t do before, which helps make the film much more interesting. While their proof of the paranormal is questionable and open for interpretation, there is more of it this time. And their attempt at obtaining it is suspenseful at times and leaves you wondering ‘what if’? The film also avoids going off on tangents that go nowhere, like the first film did several times.
The House in Between 2 is a vast improvement of what comes before, so much so that you don’t really need to see the first film at all. If the subject matter is interesting to you, the movie will hold you attention and will intrigue you. But even then you will need to take it with a grain of salt as you watch it.
