The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2
review by Bobby Blakey
In 2016 Mike Epps teamed up with Traffik, Black and Blue and Fatale director Deon Taylor for the comedy spoof on the Purge. Now they are reteaming and bringing on Katt Williams for The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2. The film brings back previous cast members including Zulay Henao, Bresha Webb, Alex Henderson, Lil Duval, Andrew Bachelor and Tyrin Turner. Could this next chapter bring more laughs or should it move to a new neighborhood?
The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2 follows Carl Black who is about to face off with the neighbor from hell. Carl has only ever wanted the best for his family, but after surviving the events that led to his (not-so-) bestselling book, he’s moving everyone to his childhood home, where’s he’ll contend not only with his wife Lorene and kids Allie and Carl Jr. but everyone who drives him crazy: Cronut, Freezee, Rico, and an entire neighborhood of characters who seem to attract strange activity after dark. And nothing could be freakier than his new neighbor Dr. Mamuwalde, who may or may not be a vampire.
I actually found the first film pretty entertaining and had totally forgot it actually ended with to be continued. This latest one not only picks up after their move, but expands Tyrin Turner’s role after just an end of film cameo the first time around. We don’t get enough parody comedies like this that work, but I found this one as fun as the first one. What makes it work overall is that despite it being a comedy and spoof for the most part it also takes some elements just serious enough to buy into it all.
I was so happy to see so many return from the first film with some playing different characters and others just using creative ways to bring them back and expand their roles. It’s not breaking down any walls in the genre, but it brings the laughs and vampire fun that will no doubt please fans. More than anything I
was happy to see the always funny Kat Williams who is perfectly cast in this role. It’s almost a supernatural version of his character Money Mike in Friday After Next.
The rest of the cast are all good and some given a lot more to do to expand their roles as well as both old and new cameos that actually lead into a possible next chapter that I hope happens. If you had fun with the first one than you will no doubt like this one as well and yes you need to see them both to get all the jokes despite it not being overly complicated.
Decide for yourself and check out The House Next Door: Meet The Blacks 2 available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.