DVD Straightjacket - Demonic Toys 2

Synopsis:
A group of people on a world wide search for oddities find themselves trapped in a nine hundred year old Italian castle when they accidently unleash the Demonic Toys.

Special Features:
Demonic Toys 1 - Behind The Scenes Featurette, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys - Behind the Scenes Featurette, Puppetmaster 9 Teaser Trailer, Demonic Toys Trailer, Skull Heads Trailer, and Dollman vs. Demonic Toys Trailer.

Review:
Some things are better left unchanged. There are things that should be kept the way they are or were and not assimilated for the times. That's how I feel about the Full Moon films. They've held a nostalgic place in my heart since I first saw Subspecies back in the day. When you watch low-budget genre fare, a lot of times you take an attitude of viewing it to poke fun at it and get a laugh. Somehow, the Full Moon movies always seemed to demand your respect. There was always this "classy" feel to all their films, no matter how bad the special effects or acting were. It wasn't bad quality - it was Full Moon quality. Now, on to Demonic Toys 2.

Demonic Toys 2 is actually the fourth film featuring the deranged possessed killer playthings. It also ties into another Full Moon movie, Hideous, for some reason through the character of  Dr. Lorca. Charles Band likes to tie his different films together, so it actually isn't that surprising. Only two of the original "Toys" are in this one - the foul-mouthed Baby Oopsie-Daisy and the evil jester-in-a-box Jack Attack. They did add a toy named Divoletto to the bunch that looks like a devil doll that's been ran through the washer and dryer too many times. This new doll definitely fits in perfectly with the original two. Seeing the toys again in all their vulgar and killing glory was excellent.

The film had great atmosphere, which is something that Full Moon has somehow always achieved. This time the setting is a giant abandoned Italian castle with spooky passages and underground tunnels. It's also haunted by some crazy lady that was suppossedly possessed.

Of course, there's your typical set of characters. The crazy old doctor that collects forbidden items; the mistress that is only with him for his money; the assistant who is secretly conspiring with the mistress to take the doctor's fortune; the eccentric curator who is there to overlook everything; the doctor's medium and supernatural advisor who likes to perform seances on a whim; the poor stepson who is caught in a horrible life with the doctor and his mistress; and the innocent smart attractive female researcher who gets interested in the stepson and is watching over the Italian castle. They're all there and they're all trapped and forced to stay the night in this monstrous place with three killer toys and a demonic ghost that wants to be unleashed and live again.

The visuals and special effects are cheesy in just the right way. It's almost like they purposely made the special effects look like they were done in the '90s. There's also great shots of the outside of the castle with lightning flashing and rain coming down, just like in those old haunted house movies like The Haunting, The legend of Hell House, and others.

Overall, Demonic Toys 2 is exactly what you know it's striving to be. A lot of gory fun that takes you back to those late-night video-watching marathons you pulled in the early '90s. Remeber that - when you had less responsibilities and didn't take everything so seriously. (Review by Eric Shirey)