PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In honor of CarousHELL 2 premiering at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont, PA tonight, I thought this was the perfect time to share my thoughts about this film. CarousHELL 2 was directed by Steve Rudzinski as well as co-written by himself and Aleen Isley. This film has a great cast. Steve Rimpici is back as Duke himself. Experienced voice actor Brittany Barnebei voices Robbie. Aleen Isley plays the lead villain, Ilsa. Judy Kirby plays Robbie’s Mom. Isla’s nazi minions consist of Terence Lee Cover who plays Otto, Mark McConnell Jr. who plays Klaus, and last not but least, the incredible Rebecca Rinehart who plays Katrina.
Synopsis for CarousHELL
Duke has always wondered about his purpose in life. Who he was, what he was meant to do. He just found out that he’s a father. At the same time, those who created Duke years ago have found him.
CarousHELL 2 is both a prequel and sequel. Fans of CarousHELL will be delighted to get insight into how Duke became what he is… a talking, killing, magical carousel unicorn. The backstory takes us all the way back to 1944 and if anyone was going to create a killer carousel unicorn, of course, it would be the Nazis. One of the first lines in the film is “pop goes the Nazi” and I knew from that moment that this film was going to be brilliant. Once we see Duke’s backstory, the film goes to the present time and Duke is bound to find purpose in his life and meet his son for the first time and it’s awkward but oh so sweet. I don’t know how Steve and Aleen manage to create a story that is not only bloody, gory, and super raunchy, but also incredibly wholesome but they did and I’m living for it.
Duke was just as entertaining as in the first film, and Steve Rimpici voices him perfectly and brings to life his wild personality. Robbie is perfect and so sweet and you can’t help but love him. I love seeing Robbie’s character development throughout the film and learning more about him (and yes, even carousel unicorn hybrid’s can have character development). The whole Nazi squad is evil, ridiculous, and above all entertaining. I really enjoyed Katrina and Klau’s back in forth sibling bantering.
The cinematography and editing were fantastic with special lighting and tones that remind me of something out of Suspira. However, what really made this film stand out were the amazing special effects, makeup creations, and creature designs by Cody Ruch. First, the design for Robbie was perfection and he was the most adorable and wholesome creature ever. There are also several scenes throughout the film that are gruesomely memorable, but one scene at the end with a melting face and gave me old school or vibes like Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow. It was insanely awesome.
Overall both films deliver an insane amount of blood, gore, and raunchiness, but what separates CarousHELL 2 from the original, is Duke’s journey in discovering who he is and who he wants to be. It’s a blast and I can’t recommend it enough. Plus, with twists and turns happening all over in the film and a cliffhanger ending, I’m almost certain we may get a CarousHELL 3 one day. One can hope, so fingers crossed! You can now buy the film at https://silverspotlightfilms.storenvy.com/, so be sure to get yourself a copy, support indie horror, and check it out!
