There are a few good unsettling moments to enliven this otherwise uninspired horror yarn, which at least is better than the first film in this series, SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK (I haven't seen the first sequel, so I can't comment). The main flaws of this film are the fact that it's clichéd, lame, and also that it manages to rip off a few well-known horror flicks in the process. I also could have done without the confusing sub-plot involving demonic half brothers, which is unclear towards the end and which leaves you guessing who is actually who. However, the main bulk of the film - survivors in a remote Antarctic station battle undead hordes - is done competently enough and there are a number of impressive scenes, despite the obviously low budget of the production.
I could talk endlessly about the flaws which hinder this film. The acting is poor all round, from the cast of unknowns whose biggest success has probably been in television series. The music is forgettable and the many inspirations are clear. The remote frozen setting has been done to death in THE THING and, more recently, the X-FILES episode Ice. The scenes of the zombie hordes smashing through doors and windows are directly lifted from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The special effects are used sparingly, mainly in the shape of black contact lenses for the demons. That's about it.
While mainly laughable, the film does manage to build some suspense from the claustrophobic location, and the scene where the crawler is driven through the underground tunnels while the survivors watch on a television screen is pretty eerie - an interesting precursor to later moments in THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL remake and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT which expanded on this "reality boost". In fact the film works best when concentrating on the suspense and dialogue between the characters instead of the action scenes which will no doubt disappoint.
I could talk endlessly about the flaws which hinder this film. The acting is poor all round, from the cast of unknowns whose biggest success has probably been in television series. The music is forgettable and the many inspirations are clear. The remote frozen setting has been done to death in THE THING and, more recently, the X-FILES episode Ice. The scenes of the zombie hordes smashing through doors and windows are directly lifted from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The special effects are used sparingly, mainly in the shape of black contact lenses for the demons. That's about it.
While mainly laughable, the film does manage to build some suspense from the claustrophobic location, and the scene where the crawler is driven through the underground tunnels while the survivors watch on a television screen is pretty eerie - an interesting precursor to later moments in THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL remake and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT which expanded on this "reality boost". In fact the film works best when concentrating on the suspense and dialogue between the characters instead of the action scenes which will no doubt disappoint.