Alright, let’s dig up this corpse of a TV sequel and see what kind of rotting meat falls out: Trilogy of Terror II (1996). It’s the kind of made-for-TV horror that proves the scariest thing about the ‘90s wasn’t Y2K, but that networks kept letting Dan Curtis recycle his ideas. The original Trilogy of Terror (1975) gave us Karen Black acting her way through three stories, including the infamous Zuni fetish doll segment that scarred a generation. This sequel? It gave us Lysette Anthony, some questionable wigs, and the kind of storytelling that feels like a Goosebumps episode left in the dryer too long.
Story One: The Graveyard Rats
We open with a tale of greed, infidelity, and—rats. Not regular rats, but Corman-grade super rats that look like rejected Chuck E. Cheese animatronics.
Lysette Anthony plays Laura, a scheming wife who kills her millionaire husband after he catches her rolling in the sheets with her cousin. (Because nothing says “romantic getaway” like incestual tax evasion.) Naturally, hubby buries the access codes to his Swiss bank account in his coffin—because in this universe, the dead still think Zurich has better customer service than Chase.
Laura decides she’s too good to split the loot, so she shoots her cousin and dives headfirst into a coffin after a pack of flesh-eating rats. Watching her crawl through tunnels while shrieking, gun in hand, is less horror and more like an episode of Fear Factor hosted by Satan. When the rats finally corner her in another coffin, they devour her like she’s an Olive Garden endless breadstick.
Scary? No. But it does make you want to double-check your attic for rodents and bad life insurance policies.
Story Two: Bobby
Here’s where the anthology really loses its dentures. A grieving mother brings her drowned son back from the dead with the help of a magical amulet, some thunderstorm mood lighting, and apparently zero common sense.
At first, Bobby seems fine, if you ignore the fact he looks like he’s been auditioning for Pet Sematary 3: Backstroke of the Damned. Then he picks up a sledgehammer and starts chasing Mom around the house like he’s practicing for Home Alone—the Satanic Cut. Eventually, he drops the mother of all one-liners: “Bobby hates you, Mommy, so he sent me instead.”Then he reveals his demon face, which looks like a melted Halloween mask purchased at Rite Aid for 75% off.
It’s supposed to be tragic horror. Instead, it’s like watching a Looney Tunes short where Wile E. Coyote finally gets possessed by Pazuzu.
Story Three: He Who Kills
Ah yes, the return of the Zuni fetish doll, the franchise’s only claim to fame. The first film ended with Karen Black being possessed after wrestling this tiny murder machine. This time, the doll lands in the lap of Dr. Simpson (Lysette Anthony again, probably wondering who she pissed off in casting).
The doll still has its gold chain that prevents it from killing people. Naturally, it gets removed, and the little gremlin is back on the prowl. What follows is 30 minutes of grown adults being outsmarted by something that could be stopped with a sturdy boot. It shoots an arrow, it stabs with a knife, and it even hides in a briefcase like a homicidal Furby.
Dr. Simpson eventually tosses it into a vat of sulfuric acid—because apparently every museum in Ireland comes equipped with one—and the doll dissolves like Alka-Seltzer. Victory? Nope. She gets possessed anyway, puts on rubber gloves like she’s about to do the dishes, and then axes her boyfriend when he drops by. Romance is dead, literally.
Lysette Anthony: Three-for-One Special
Let’s be honest: the anthology lives or dies by its leading lady. Karen Black chewed scenery like it was a buffet in the original. Lysette Anthony, bless her, is clearly trying, but she spends most of the runtime looking like she wandered onto the wrong set. Her performances range from “desperate housewife who really hates rats” to “grieving mother who regrets necromancy” to “scientist who probably shouldn’t babysit dolls.”
It’s less of a showcase of acting chops and more like a punishment doled out by SAG.
The Real Horror: 1990s TV Production Values
Everything about Trilogy of Terror II screams “we had 14 days and a coupon for fog machines.” The effects are bargain-bin: rubber rats, lightning stock footage, a child demon mask that looks microwaved, and of course, the Zuni doll, which hasn’t aged gracefully. What was once nightmare fuel now looks like a wind-up Happy Meal toy gone rogue.
The sound design is worse. Rats squeak like dog toys, the thunderstorm sounds like someone banging pots, and every time the doll attacks, the music swells like John Williams scoring Kindergarten Cop 2.
Lessons Learned
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If your millionaire husband hides his bank codes on microfilm in his coffin, maybe just divorce him instead of feeding yourself to rats.
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Necromancy to bring back your kid? Fine. Just don’t leave the sledgehammer out.
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If you’re a professional academic in possession of a murder doll, maybe don’t stop for pizza before locking it in a lead vault.
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Rats, children, dolls—by the end of this anthology, you’ll never want to enter a Chuck E. Cheese again.
Dark Humor Highlights
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Watching Laura shoot her lover in the graveyard was less Double Indemnity and more Jerry Springer Halloween Special.
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Bobby’s demon face reveal is so goofy it makes Beetlejuice look like The Exorcist.
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The Zuni doll firing an arrow from a museum exhibit is the kind of comedy gold no one asked for. Robin Hood meets Chucky.
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Dr. Simpson donning rubber gloves right before possession—because even demons respect sanitation protocols.
Final Verdict
Trilogy of Terror II is less a horror anthology and more a collection of late-night cable filler stitched together with rat fur and rubber knives. The original was iconic (at least in one segment). The sequel feels like the world’s most depressing fan fiction: bigger rats, dumber necromancy, and a killer doll that’s been living off its reputation for 20 years.
You won’t be scared, but you might laugh, groan, and question your life choices for watching it. Then again, isn’t that what true horror is all about?
