As the 1990's got underway, Lovecraft's stories continued. Jean-Paul Ouellette took up the task once more, this time doing a sequel to the 1988 the Unnamable, this time focusing on a proper Randolph Carter, namely the 1919 short story "the Statement of Randolph Carter".
We open minutes after the first film. Howard (Charles Klausmeyer) is being loaded into an ambulance, while Tanya is hauled off by the police. Carter (Mark Kinsey Stephenson) stumbles free, having just escaped fighting off evil skeletons. He did manage to find a spell book belonging to the late Joshua Winthrop, something he entrusts with Howard.
The next day, Carter confronts Chancellor Thayer (David Warner), as a house with a blood crazed demon near campus is kind of a public health concern. Thayer tells Carter to mind his own business and maybe avoid sleeping in haunted houses.
Carter decides to take his concern to his friend Professor Warren (John Rhys-Davis); and as aside, if you are familiar with the short story that inspired this film, you shouldn't get too attached to Warren. Warren is enthralled with the idea and with a still recuperating Howard in tow the trio head back to the Winthrop House.
Why all the trouble? Carter was visited by Joshua Winthrop (Mike Gordon) in his dream, and the dead man blames himself for his daughter's evil. Warren, on the other hand, feels the monster that lurks in the old home can be stopped with insulin.
Yes, insulin; which works somehow. They find the demon wrapped in the roots of the old tree near the home. Warren injects the demon (Julie Strain) and somehow the demon turns into Joshua's daughter Alyda (Maria Ford). Case closed and one injection of sugar later, the confused and rather naked young lady is brought back to campus.
One catch though, as Alyda wasn't cured so much as separated. The demon part of her (Strain) is still very much alive and looking to rejoin her. She's also willing to rip anyone apart who gets in her way.
Not terrible, but once again it takes a short and effective story and drags it out to feature length. On its own merits it does have more tension than the first film, although Howard does so little he might as well been cut out. Good use of the Lovecraft mythos though and worth a view.
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