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FORGOTTEN SEQUELS

29/1/2019

Here at FakeShemp we're no strangers to sequels and prequels. In fact we tend to love them (remakes, on the other hand....). It's no secret that I have a messed-up adoration for Caddyshack 2, and Jarret loves Weekend At Bernies 2. We even have an entire podcast dedicated to movie franchises. And so you can consider this to be a safe space, free from judgement. And rather than asking "What the fuck were they thinking?" we approach more of a "There's another one? Hell yes!" attitude. We know what's bad, make no mistake, but we tend to embrace that shit.

Let's look at some sequels, prequels and spin-offs that you might not know exist. It would be easy for us to list some of those obvious titles like Return To Oz or Queen of the Damned, which are certainly obscure, but they're also on the cult spectrum. Here's a bunch of films that came from out of nowhere and left little to no impact.

BUTCH & SUNSHINE: THE EARLY DAYS (1979)
This unexpected prequel came along 10-years after Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid took the world by storm and gave us Hollywood's greatest bromance between Paul Newman and Robert Redford. And while a young Tom Berenger and William Katt never recaptured the spirit of their predecessors, they gave it a damn good shot. The film was directed by Richard Lester and did little to impress. In retrospect it's not as awful as it sounds and it's definitely worth a curious gander.

CARLITO'S WAY: RISE TO POWER (2005)
Direct-to-video titles are easy targets, but when Carlito's Way: Rise to Power arrived on DVD it generated a reasonable response and performed well as a rental. It is, of course, a prequel to Brian DePalma's 1993 film Carlito's Way starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn. There's no doubt that this prequel was a blatant cash-grab, however it was based on the author Edwin Torres' follow up novel After Hours and was backed up with a decent cast featuring Mario Van Peebles, Burt Young, Sean [insert ridiculous monikers here] Combs and Luis Guzman, who also appeared in the original. It was also directed by Michael Bregman who produced the first film, and when it comes to DTV titles there's a lot worse.

THE CELL 2 (2009)
The Cell hit cinemas in 2000 and caught everyone off guard. It starred Jeniffer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio and wowed audiences with its surrealistic horrors and incredible production design. Playing like Silence of the Lambs meets A Nightmare on Elm Street, it served as a perfectly good stand alone film, and yet in 2009 some dickhead thought that a second-rate sequel was in order. The result was a terrible follow up with none of the visceral wonder of the original, and a cheap production design that looked more like a budget pilot to an unwanted 24 spin-off. There is no need to pursue this one, trust me.

DELTA FORCE 3 (1991)
After the death of a stuntman on Delta Force 2 Chuck Norris chose not to reprise his role, making way for his son Mike Norris to lead the charge. I have to admit that this is a MASSIVE guilty pleasure for me and it's a movie I revisit more often than I should. The casting call reads like a D-grate precursor to The Expendables, with relatives of A-list stars enjoying their moment of glory. Joining Mike Norris is Nick Cassavetes (son of John), Eric Douglas (son of Kirk) and Matthew Penn (son of Arthur). Action B-movie legend Sam Firstenberg directs and it's well worth the $2 you might pay for it at Cash Converters. Furthermore, the series continued with 5 instalment of Operation Delta Force.

THE EVENING STAR (1996)
Even upon its theatrical release few people realised that The Evening Star was a direct sequel to the Oscar winning Terms of Endearment, and it wasn't until Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson's names appear on screen that the penny dropped. It's not the masterpiece that James L Brooks's original was, however it is an unassuming and often poignant drama nevertheless. Other stars include Juliette Lewis, Bill Paxton and Miranda Richardson, as well as an Oscar nominated performance from Marion Ross of Happy Days fame (she's really excellent in this). Based on the original novel's sequel, The Evening Star earns its right to exist and has aged rather well.

THE FIRST 9 1/2 WEEKS (1998)
Believe it or not this is the THIRD instalment in the series, with most people unaware that a second even existed. Part 2 was released as Love In Paris in the States (Another 9 1/2 Weeks internationally) and performed well enough on home video to warrant another chapter. As the title suggests this one is a prequel starring Aussie heart throb (at the time) Paul Mecurio in his late ditch-effort at Hollywood fame. The movie is a turkey and put a nail in the coffin of the franchise. It also featured Malcolm McDowell, who at this point had already been floundering in DTV hell for some time.

FLIRTING (1991)
This one feels out of place in this list because Flirting was a brilliant success at the time. It was met with rave reviews and won a slew of AFI awards. It is a direct sequel to the seminal The Year My Voice Broke, and was supposedly a middle piece to director John Duigan's "Danny Embling trilogy" (a third film is yet to be made). Outrageously Flirting is unavailable on any format in Australia, which makes it one hell of a rarity. Amazing performances from Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman make it one of the great Australian films that seems to have been forgotten. Track it down from overseas and make sure you add it to your collection!

THE GREAT ESCAPE II: THE UNTOLD STORY (1988)
Now this one excites me. A sequel to The Great Escape is the last thing anyone expected, especially after 25 years had passed, but along it came, and with a very dashing Christopher Reeve leading the charge. This one is more of a sidequel, as opposed to a sequel, with the events taking place concurrently with the original film. In an attempt for realism the film uses the characters original names (the original movie fictionalised them) and its story splits off from the events following that great escape. It's a curious film, made for television and split across two 90-minute chapters. It's better than expected and hard to find a legitimate copy, but well worth the time if the opportunity arises. Here's a link to a cheeky DVD copy.

HARD CORE LOGO 2 (2010)
Do you remember Hard Core Logo? It's a cult mockumentary from Canada, which took the world by storm in 1996. It documented a notorious punk band as they embarked on a self-destructive tour along the west coast. It was a shocking, yet earnest look at a subculture that presented like a trashy This is Spinal Tap. 14-years later director Bruce McDonald made a sequel, which took an entirely new direction and documented his own life following the success of that film. As well as being a fictitious bio-pic, it also explored the influence of the original movie. This sequel is a strange beast that is at first underwhelming but - perhaps - more resonating upon second glance. It goes without saying that HCL2 is strictly for fans of the original only. Note that prior to making this sequel McDonald had directed a companion film to Hard Core Logo called Trigger, starring Molly Parker and Sarah Polley. THAT is a cool movie indeed!

HENRY 2: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1996)
Fans of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer have every right to be angry about a recasted sequel to such an important and influential slice of cinema. And yet, as appraisal on the poster suggests, this was a total underdog that delivered the goods. Let's face it, it was never going to surpass John McNaughton's masterpiece, but genre director Chuck Parello gave it his all and made a nasty little picture that stands on its own. Parello rose up under the wings of Martin Scorsese and has forged his career making mostly serial killer films (In the Light of the Moon - aka Ed Gein, The Hillside Strangler). He casts a dark and foreboding tone across Henry 2 and continues the story from where the original left off. If your curiosity is peaked then it's worth the time. I interviewed Chuck Parello a few years ago and he gives some further insight into the film, including McNaughton's approval of it.

THE HIDDEN 2 (1993)
Jack Sholder directed Kyle McLachlan in the original sci-fi horror film, which was essentially an alien manhunt movie. Of course its story was more complex than that, but suffice to say it was the type of film audiences expected to spawn a franchise. That franchise, however, never got further than part 2, a second-rate sequel that collected dust in video store's along side other poxy sequels like Alligator 2, Scanners 3 and Trancers 3. I've seen it once so that you don't ever have to think about it again.

THE HITCHER II (2003)
Everyone loved The Hitcher right? And everyone loves Rutger Hauer's menacing performance as the psychopathic hitchhiker, right? Well rather letting that cultish classic stand proudly on its own, some turkeys decided to pump out a sequel some 17 years later. Thomas C Howell reprised his role and experienced a severe case of John McClane syndrome ("how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?"). Low and behold he finds himself stalked by ANOTHER psycho hitchhiker, this time played with effect by a deliciously twisted Jake Busey. This one ought to be poxy, but it's more of a guilty pleasure. I had a lot of fun with this one... although I'm sure I stand along.

K-911 (1999)
The original K-9 was released the same year as Turner And Hooch, and paved the way for a bunch of dog-themed buddy cop movies. Unlike most of them K-9 and Turner and Hooch were good. While certainly a comedy K-9 played it a lot straighter with a more sinister plot line. And as good as it was, no one asked for a sequel, least of all a low-rent DTV exploit featuring a podgy James Belushi. It was a mildly enjoyable and entirely unnecessary sequel, which was followed up 4-years later with a third instalment called K-9: P.I. Cringe. All 3 movies were released in a triple DVD pack, which means that you get the original flick with the bonus curiosity of an extra two.

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2006)
The original I Know What You Did Last Summer was a runaway hit back in 1996, which cashed in on the success of Scream. Both were written by Kevin Williamson who was Hollywood's golden boy at the time, and as any decent slasher does, it spawned an immediate sequel. That sequel was mostly ridiculed and reduced the series to bargain bin status, leaving little hope (or desire) for another. And then out of the blue, BAM, a third instalment featuring absolutely NONE of the original cast! Apparently this chapter languished in development hell for so long that the series star Jennifer Love Hewitt opted out, leaving no connection to the original lineage. The result was an awful wannabe slasher movie that remains as confusing as Urban Legend 3 and 4 (yes).

LAWRENCE AFTER ARABIA (1992)
Wait, what? Yep, here's another sequel that arrived decades after the release of the original. Much like The Great Escape 2, Lawrence After Arabia (aka A Dangerous Man) tells the story of T.E. Lawrence following the First Word War. It's a reasonably decent film that is well acted, but fails to resonate. But where it's influence lies is in the fact that the original Lawrence of Arabia is one of Stephen Spielberg's favourite films and it was Ralph Fienne's performance in this sequel which caught Spielberg's attention, leading to his casting in Schindler's List. A worthy venture for Fiennes to say the least.

MAJOR LEAGUE: BACK TO THE MINORS (1998)
No Charlie Sheen, no Tom Berenger and no Wesley Snipes. But Major League 3 does give you more Corbin Bernsen and Dennis Haysbert (lol). And heck, we get the addition of Scott Bakula for good measure. Of course a third instalment without the star power was never going to fare well, although I did watch this one with my kids a few years ago and it delivered the laughs. I guess it all comes down to having the right frame of mind and being amongst its target audience. Major League 3 plays to the Sandlot audience and is far removed from its R-rated predecessors.

THE LAST DAYS OF PATTON (1986)
George C Scott reprised his role as George S Patton for this made-for-television film, which came at a time when DTV sequels to major films (particularly military films) were all the rage. Others at the time were the Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission, High Noon 2 and Popeye Doyle. The film did little to expand on the original film and played more like a Hallmark movie than a genuine war film. It performed reasonably well in the ratings but did not garner much respect with the audience and there's been zero demand for a re-release.

PIMPIN' PEE WEE (2009)
Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith (BMX Bandits, Frog Dreaming, Man from Hong Kong) Pimpin' Pee Wee is the 4th instalment in the Porky's franchise, and was made purely for the purpose of retaining the rights to the property. Never intended for wide release, the movie takes cues from the American Pie series and shifts the original characters into a contemporary setting. Of course none of it matters because it wasn't really made to be seen. If you're lucky you might find it on YouTube, or perhaps a DVD rip somewhere online. the strange thing is that considering its purpose, Pimpin' Pee Wee is a lot funnier than you might expect and had nothing to lose when going for laughs. I spoke with Brian Trenchard Smith about the film, and you can listen to our conversation here.

ROAD HOUSE 2 (2006)
No kidding! Road House 2 is one of those mind-bogglers that has you asking 'why'? The original film starring Patrick Swayze has earned itself a strong cult following over the years and remains one of the great action gems from the 80s, and yet Road House 2 isn't a direct sequel but rather one of those tacky cash-in releases. It doesn't continue the story, or expand on it... nope, it's basically an el-cheapo rehash that is as fucking awful as you would expect.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY? (1976)
The title poses a good question. What DID happen to that baby? It's a shame that the makers didn't offer a decent answer, and what they gave us was a sub-par TV movie that was broken into "3 books", with each following seperate characters. It's all a bit stupid but Rosemary is now played by Patty Duke and her son, Adrian, is a hell-child who grows into a young man with evil intentions. We're in Omen-territory with this one, although Rosemary 2 has the benefit of coming before The Omen's subsequent sequels. This is hardly a film worth recommending, although hard-core horror fans will absolutely want it in their collection nevertheless.

SPLASH TOO (1988)
Okay, guilty as charged. I confess, I am a sucker for Splash Too. It's part of my obsession with part-two sequels and my particular fixation on them being spelled as "Too" (The Jerk Too, Teen Wolf Too, etc.). Of course it is a pretty average movie, no question about it, but with Disney whacking their label on it, the movie plays to a younger audience and has that "Magical world of Disney" feel about it. Tom Hanks was replaced by Todd Waring, Daryl Hannah by Amy Yasbeck and John Candy by Donovan Scott. Hilariously the only returning player was Dody Goodman who also reprised her role in Grease 2, suggesting tough times for her. Splash Too is another difficult title to come by, but I suspect that it might find its way to Disney's upcoming streaming service.

THE STING II (1983)
Yet another sequel to the Paul Newman/Robert Redford bromance. The Sting II was released theatrically and even earned itself an Oscar nomination for best score, and yet - as you can expect - it failed to resonate and quickly found its way to obscurity. Original writer David S Ward returned following his Oscar win for the first film's screenplay, but none of the original cast returned to join him. Their characters were downgraded to less profitable names like Jackie Gleeson, Mac Davis, Terri Garr and Oliver Reed... a relatively good cast regardless. And even less fucks were given to continuity with various characters being given contradictory traits and personalities to their persecutors. The Sting II is oddity that is worth adding to your collection. A fun film with a pretty damn sweet poster.

TOOLBOX MURDERS 2 (2013)
Toolbox Murders 2 gets a mention because of its strange development and production history. A sequel to Tobe Hooper's mildly successful 2004 remake, this gnarly film found itself blocked from release when a dispute between director Dean Jones and his producer got in the way. So rather than throwing in the towel, Jones flipped the proverbial bird and secretly shot new footage to recalibrate the plot and remove it from the Toolbox cannon. The film was originally released as a stand-alone title called Coffin Baby and proved to be a clever manoeuvre. The official sequel resumed and Toolbox Murders 2 was eventually released to DVD as originally intended. It's not a great film by any means but it's depraved and suitably disgusting!

THE TWO JAKES (1990)
Many people may know the title, or recognise the poster, but how many know that The Two Jakes is actually a direct sequel to Roman Polanski's seminal film noir, Chinatown? Yet another unnecessary sequel that is much better than it ought to be. It was a box office flop at the time and despite Jack Nicholson's return, it failed to recapture the essence of Chinatown. Nicholson directed the film and it did have it's champions, with respected film critic Roger Ebert singing its praise at the time. A third instalment was slated to round off the trilogy but the commercial failure of The Two Jacks stopped those plans in their tracks.

I could go on and on for days. The list of forgotten sequels is endless and my enthusiasm for the shittiest of shitty is concerning. And so here's some other examples without my commentary. Please continue the conversation in the comments section or on Facebook. What are some obscurities that you know??

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