Review: CarousHELL The 2nd

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

CarousHELL The 2nd
Directed by Steve Rudzinski
Silver Spotlight Films
77 minutes, 2021
https://silverspotlightfilms.storenvy.com/   

The original CarousHELL (reviewed HERE) was a ridiculously fun and gory release focusing on a murderous wooden carousel unicorn named Duke (voiced by Steve Rimpici), running free with scissors, among other sharp objects, and decimating the original cast. It can be seen on TubiTV, among other venues.

The original is one of director Steve Rudzinski’s most popular films, in part for the sheer madcap level of it, so he decided to make a sequel, for which I am quite happy and looking forward to seeing and reviewing below. Little of the cast from the first film made it to the second because, well, it had a relatively enormous and gory body count, so I’m interested to learn where the story goes from here.

Like other insanities such as ThanksKilling (2009; reviewed HERE), the fact that the story is batshit crazy actually enhances it rather than undermining it. When a film warps reality just a little bit, the credulity of the endeavor comes into question; but when all rules are off from the beginning (e.g., a wooden unicorn creating a hybrid baby with a human), like they did in “Gilligan’s Island,” it is easier to sit back and just accept the weirdness for itself. Rudzinski has done this flawlessly. For a second time.

Duke

Rimpici’s line reading for Duke is hilarious, though the sound of Duke has a different tone than everyone else since it was obviously recorded in a different venue (Phone? Recording studio?). Again, this does not take away from the story or the action, but is easily noticeable, which is why I bring it up.

While Duke is a wooden unicorn who is still capable of amazing feats of dexterity (through excellent cinematography and editing by Scott Lewis), his young son, Robbie (voiced by B. Barnabei), adopted by Ms. Lawrence (Judy HR Kirby), who has an indirect history with Duke, is a (literal) puppet with eyes that close and body that is softer thanks to his human side(created by Cody Ruch and Gabrielle Ventura). Whatever, Robbie looks both cute and well made. You know from early on this is going to be a bonding film between Duke and Robbie, with some growing by both. But in what direction? One can only imagine at 17 minutes in.

Robbie

And did I mention the Nazis yet? We meet a quad of them who have managed to find a way to stay young through stealing souls (reminiscent of 1985’s Lifeforce) since 1944 when the prologue takes place. Naturally, they are ridiculous characters in a Mel Brooks fashion. The leader is Ilsa (co-producer Aleen Isley, who was also hysterical in Captain Z and the Terror of Leviathan, 2014; reviewed HERE), obviously modelled in part from the title character in Ilsa She Wolf of the SS (1975), and her companion in terror, and there is Katrina (also co-producer, Rebecca Reinhart, who often appears in other films as the character Dr. Boobenstein), who is not as smart as Ilsa, but just as deadly. Then there is Katrina’s brother,  bumbling “master of disguise” hot dog cart salesman Klaus (Mark McConnell Jr.) whose stand’s name made me laugh hard enough to stop the film for a minute, and bumbling scientist and scene stealer Otto (Terence Lee Cover). They plan to “take care of” Duke.

I also enjoyed that despite all the weirdness, there is some minor social observations that sort of skims the surface, but is more an elbow in the side than heavy handed, be it commentary on the overuse of social media/cell phones, or the recent “Karen” phenomenon. There are also some Easter Egg nods to other films, such as Aliens (1986), or a self-reflexive nod (as Rudzinski is wont to do) to the first film, referencing Pete’s Pizza.

Even some cliches that have outlived their expiry date work well on a different level here, such as the montage of Duke and Robbie bonding. I laughed all through it because it relies on those very cliches, rather than in spite of it.

There are a lot of subtle moments, such as Duke reading a newspaper while smoking a pipe, as dads do (well, in ‘50s sit-coms, maybe…), or an image of a goosestepping Smoky the Bear type image. It really does help to pay attention to the little details, because Rudzinski and Isley, who also co-wrote the piece, work well with the minutia around the story, adding to the humor. I mean, who can not love lines like “You need to fight for your Reich to party.” Note, however, they do go a bit overboard on substituting “right” with “Reich.” But I’ll include that in the over-the-top level of… well, everything.

Meanwhile, the Nazi foursome are trying to capture Duke, which makes Duke’s “Oy vey” comment all the funnier. They will do whatever it takes to get him, even if it involves Robbie to snare him. The ways they try are quite funny and McConnell makes the most of over-emoting to create different “characters” that are similar enough to make the audience chuckle in their sheer ridiculous nature, but again, that is part of his charm.

Duke is much more “humanized” in this release, whether that is good or bad, but either way, you know the final act is full on furious. Until that point, the body count is small, but done away with gruesomely. Thanks to the Internet (even 100-year-old Nazis have their own fan pages, apparently), there is a chance for what we all came for, beyond the comedy: the killing field.

As with the first film, Duke seems to have quite the arsenal that just seems to show up in his hands… I mean, hooves. This is part of the “Gilligan’s Island” wardrobe vibe I mentioned above. Of course, this makes the killings more elaborate and enjoyable than just, say, gouging with a unicorn horn.

The SFX (also done by Ruch and Ventura) range from amusingly cartoonish (such as obvious mannequins) to really nice and gruesome. There is more time between kills than the first, but the ones that are there are worth the wait. Also, getting to know Duke’s back story has some twists that you probably will not see coming.

Note that the director likes the motif of more scenes during and after the credits (the scroll aren’t very long), so stay tuned for a nice cameo.

It may have been six years since CarousHELL, but it was worth the wait, and I do believe, as indicated by this story, we may not have to wait as long for The 3rd. Meanwhile, this film can be rented or bought at the Spotlight Films link above, and I believe you should without disappointment, if you like absurdist horror comedy with a side of bloody mayhem.