Dementia Part II is one of the strangest sequels I have ever watched. Doing an at-home double feature of the first and second films, it becomes even more bizarre that they share the same director in Mike Testin; co-director/lead star Matt Mercer is a new addition. The tone is so completely different from one film to the next. 2015’s Dementia was a predictable thriller elevated by a great lead performance from Gene Jones, as a war vet beginning to lose his grip on reality. Part II is shot in black and white, and its brand of horror is filled with disgusting, gross-out gags akin to Evil Dead. It is as far away from that original as you could possibly imagine.
Dementia Part II, filmed in only one month, follows Wendall (Mercer), an ex-con working for Handy Manny. He takes a job that sounds exceedingly easy on paper: unclog the pipes in the home of a sweet, elderly lady named Suzanne (Suzanne Voss). Wendall doesn’t have the slightest idea what this day will have in store once he enters Suzanne’s home…
At only 66 minutes, Dementia Part II is fast-paced in its ridiculous scenarios. Right off the bat, you know something is wrong with Suzanne. She spies on Wendall creepily through the front window, then the title flashes onscreen, followed by a simplistic orchestral score and old-school credits a la Psycho. From here, Suzanne’s level of crazy balloons monstrously. She seems to think Y2K “where the computers killed everyone” actually happened, and that “Skynet is real.” She slaps Wendall when he offers to unclog her pipes, then dances with him, and finally pulls a gun. Suzanne kicks him out of her home, then tries to undress him. This is all even before Wendall is forced to give mouth-to-mouth over top of Suzanne’s disgusting vomit and bile.
The black and white aesthetic adds to the bizarre oddball atmosphere. Crazy visuals, practical gore effects, and wild hallucinations culminate during a bloody finale that allows actress Suzanne Voss ample room for her crazy-old-gal audition. Films like The Visit and The Taking of Deborah Logan have nothing on Suzanne in Dementia Part II. You don’t need any familiarity with the first movie, as it receives nary a reference or mention. Confounding, repulsive and hilarious—this is indie horror filmmaking that just wants to deliver a fun and outrageous nasty good time.
Dementia: Part II comes to theaters on May 21st, followed by VOD, digital HD, and DVD on June 1st.
