A Haunted House 2

The surprise hit horror spoof returns for a sequel, with Marlon Wayans once again plagued by scary and absurd paranormal activity after moving his family into a new house. Despite an energetic performance from Wayans, this time round the film seems to be aiming straight for the gutter, with a racial joke or "comedy" sex scene its standby default. It does raise the occasional inane chuckle (a "blood sacrifice" scene makes the most of Wayans's near-constant state of comedic panic). But these flickers of amusement are rare, and the cycle of gags gets tiresome early in the film's short running time. In spite of the fact that it's lampooning more recent films (including The Conjuring, Insidious and The Possession), it's near the bottom of a sub-genre dominated by the Scary Movie franchise, created by Wayans and his brothers, which ran out of steam long ago. A Haunted House 2 will satisfy only the basest of humours, while simply repulsing (or offending) the rest of us.