Hong yi xiao nu hai 2 / The Tag-Along 2 (2017) - Sinister memories and weird tiger spirits - 7/10 (22/03/20)

The Haunted 2, also known as The Tag-Along 2, is the sequel to the successful Taiwanese horror movie released two years before this film. This movie revolves around the complicated relationship of a busy, nervous and severe single mother and social worker with her stubborn, proud and pregnant teenage daughter who mysteriously disappears in the mountains. Along with the father of the unborn child, a mother with a sinister past who overprotects her daughter and the young woman who survived the terrifying events in the first film, the desperate mother tries to save her daughter by confronting the vengeful ghost of a deceased little girl.

This movie is a decent sequel. It gives us some interesting background information about the vengeful spirit and also provides information what happened to the characters of the first movie. The new characters are fairly unique and viewers will care about their fates. The movie has a sinister vibe from start to finish. The locations consisting of abandoned amusement parks, creepy hospitals and foggy forests in the mountains are very efficient. The film has a few scary scenes but also convincingly ventures into the drama genre.

However, this film can't keep up with the very good predecessor. The film has a few lengths in the middle section. The special effects are more used than in the first movie which wasn't a great choice since they look cheaply made. The weirdest thing is however the teenage daughter's boyfriend who is at times the host of a mysterious god known as the Master Tiger. When possessed, this unusual characters is shown wandering, sniffing and roaring around like an animal. Those scenes may be connected to Taiwanese culture but they look unintentionally humorous or even ridiculous.

If you have watched and liked the predecessor, you may as well give this film a try. It's less intense at times and includes a few awkward ideas but it's still very atmospheric and highly entertaining. It's not a great but still a good horror movie that can be recommended to genre fans around the world.