May The Devil Take You Too Review- It’s Wild, Wacky, And Wet Gore

Shudder’s newest May The Devil Take You Two, an ultra-violent sequel to May The Devil Take You, is everything you expect and more.

Indonesian horror has been coming into its own. Films like Joko Anwar’s Impetigore and the gloriously gory The Queen Of Black Magic are blazing a trail for horror writers and directors. Timo Tjahjanto’s May The Devil Take You Too, the sequel to May The Devil Take You, is a prime example of the hard-edged effects, brain pulsing imagery, and demonic nonsense he is known for. It is nothing short of nauseating entertainment for fans of classics like Evil Dead and buddy group movies like It and the Goonies- only with a goo spewing demon.

While May The Devil Take You Too picks up where the first ended, it isn’t necessary to see one before the other. They each act as independent films that enhance and expand the original story without relying on each other. Following the first film events, Alfie and Nara have survived just barely and desperately want to start fresh. Unfortunately, a group of orphans have other plans and kidnap the two girls needing their help. Each member plays a stereotypical role, but they are fun to watch despite the obvious formulaic storyboarding, especially as they begin to get picked off. The orphans were terrorized by their foster father, who was possessed by the demon Moloch. They managed to burn him alive. The flesh may have died, but the spirit lives on, and he’s pissed.

The ragtag group of traumatized orphans takes the sisters back to their childhood orphanage, now defunct, to employ Alfie’s talents. Once back at the orphanage, sheer chaos ensues. There’s no point in trying to make sense of the logic because there isn’t any. This isn’t that kind of movie. For some reason, the group thought going back to the rotting home housing a demonic spirit with two kidnaps victims was a good idea. Alfie and Nara needed to go to the disturbing set piece. The rest doesn’t matter. The orphans are expendable as they become demonic fodder for a growing fire. As in the first film, Nara(Hadijah Shahab) and Alfie(Chelsea Islan) and their relationship are what matters. The two share a tender concern for one another that plays well off Islan’s later full metal jacket demon hunter.

The demon itself is gross. There is a fiendish glee Tjahjanto shows when capturing the gore that clearly pays homage to Raimi’s Evil Dead. It is over-the-top, disgusting, and hysterically funny. If you have seen and adore Evil Dead and the subsequent sequels, May The Devil Take You, too, will fit nicely into the same space. There isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking in the story or the effects, but that’s not necessarily a knock. When this kind of cheeky visceral violence is done right, it is a perfect blend of shocking and fun. That balance is achieved in this well-paced film that is equally full of cringe-worthy laughs and kills.

Moloch means business, and the creature makeup literally drips with malice. Copious quantities of wet oozing blackness leak out of every orifice while spider walking and head butting craziness are unsettling. Just because they are familiar tricks doesn’t mean they aren’t effective. For her part, Alfie gets some nice effects that are as comical as they are foul.

The hyper gory banger is a feast for the eyes and an assault for the soul. It doesn’t have the inventive gore of Anwar’s The Queen Of Black Magic, but it does have some genuinely revolting moments and more than a few laughs. It is hideous indulgent fun. May The Devil Take You Too is available on Shudder on October 29th, 2020.

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