Phantasm II (1988)

With production backed by Universal this time, Phantasm II trumps the original in not only scope but linear storytelling. Compromises with the studio resulted in the recasting of main character Mike (now James Le Gros) and a less illusory nature, which somewhat hampered the first Phantasm. The unlikely action heroes Mike & Reggie scour the countryside for the elusive Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) as he leaves a veritable wasteland of abandoned towns in his wake. With a higher budget they were able to pull off impressively disturbing creature and gore effects. Despite this, there are still signs of amateurish cinematography, such as focusing and editing problems. But most fans will dismiss these minor issues in favor of this satisfying adventure. 

3½ gold spheres out of 5

Mindwarp (1992)

aka Brain Slasher

I think the reason there’s a sliver of Ash in most of Bruce Campbell's characters is because there’s a lot of Bruce in Ash. He accentuates certain traits, of course, but they spring from something real. Furthermore, if he's one of the main stars of a film there’s a good chance he’ll be facing off against some kind of evil creature. Mindwarp is no different.
It goes for a 70s style version of the 21st century, which is something I really like; the poor-man’s pre-Matrix VGA port in the back of the neck was hilarious. The synthetic world that the female protagonist (Marta Martin) wants to escape is kind of similar, too, but the remainder of the film isn't. Much of it is set underground where the lighting is bad, but it helps hide budget limitations and makes sense because it's where the aforementioned evil lives.

3 skullfulls of blood out of 5