Animal Instincts II (1994)

Director:

Gregory Dark

Writer:

Daryl Haney (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A divorcee has flashbacks of her life while, unknown to her, her next-door neighbor--a security expert--plants video cameras all through her house so he can spy on her.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Lesbian | Lesbianism | Female Nudity | Female Frontal Nudity

Cast

Shannon Whirry	...	Joanna Cole
Woody Brown	...	Steve
Al Sapienza	...	Eric
Elizabeth Sandifer	...	Catherine
Jennifer Campbell	...	Mary
Eric Fleeks	...	Officer
David Gautreaux	...	Phillip
Tom Reilly	...	Man with Loose Tie
Dean Scofield	...	David
Alex Walters	...	Man #2
Debra K. Beatty	...	Cindy
Charles Boyer	...	Officer
Rob Dorfmann	...	Bartender
Doug Jeffery	...	Lover
Hugh B. Holub	...	Fred

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:18 (cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Axis Films International

Movie Connections:

Follows Animal Instincts (1992)

Shannon Whirry "Likes to be watched" said the video box...And, shamefully enough, I quite liked watching.

There's something not quite right here. I definitely saw this film under the title "Animal Instincts 2" (As is correctly displayed on the IMDB), but, when I was in a video store the other day, the film matching the credits and plot summary for this picture was for "Animal Instincts 3." The shop also stocked parts one and two (Both starring Miss. Shannon Whirry), but 'This' part number two (The one in the shop!) seems to have somehow disappeared off the face of the Earth. And, to complicate issues further, around six months ago, I saw the rubbish "Animal Instincts: The Seductress" being shown on Late night Television (So that must be part four, I guess....) So, why all the confusion? What are these 'Missing instalments' all about?

Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. These films are only made for one purpose, and isn't usually to win Oscars or to have a million awards thrown at them during the Cannes film festival. In fact, "Animal Instincts 2" is just another straight-to-video, pretty well made and very formulaic 'Soft-core-erotic thriller,' this time in the "Fatal Attraction" or "Basic Instict" vein. It's also by soft-porn thriller master Gregory Hippolyte, who genuinely appears to be perfecting the art of film-making when it comes to this undeniably popular sub-genre.

So, what's the story this time? Well, Shannon Whirry is the seductress who just loves to be watched, and, Woody Brown is the nearby neighbour who just loves to watch. Currently going through a bad patch in his marriage, odd job security man Mr. Brown (Who reminds me LOADS of a younger William H Macy), decides to place mini-cameras inside smoke detectors of the women's bedrooms of which he does work in. One of his customer's just happens to be Miss. Whirry (Nice coincidence), and, as Brown sits up at night watching the frantic goings-ons in Whirry's bedroom, he decides he can't resist a slice of the action himself....

As stupid as it may sound, "Animal Instincts II (Or 3) is quite a beautiful film, or, at least, it's very nice-looking and it has a goregous, haunting soundtrack (Seriously....). Rent it out and you'll see what I mean (Just tell the guy behind the counter in the video shop that it's for somebody else). The movie doesn't look cheap, and it certainly doesn't look like soft-core porn in disguise as something else. I guess Hippolyte's job is to disguise soft-porno conventions into 'Proper' movies in making films such as these, and, he kind of succeeds.

Like it or not, "Animal Instincts 2" has a story, and, like it or not even more, there isn't any particularly bad acting in there too. Shannon Whirry is the yet-to-be-discovered and far more attractive Sharon Stone, whilst poor little Woody Brown isn't such a bad fella. Mr. Hippolyte CAN direct a movie, and he's perfected the art of interweaving sex scenes into a standard Hollywood-style film, without allowing the production to appear as nothing more than just pure porn. If you like watching these 'Sort' of films just for the sex scenes, I'd say there's around ten in this....

The story itself is pretty stupid, but it never takes itself too seriously, and there's a few memorable moments (Like the part where Brown watchs Miss. Whirry 'Reveals all' round a swimming pool, whilst the brilliant Debra Beatty (From "Cyberella") is on dead nasty and bitchy form as a model.

Rubbish but a right laugh. If you know what I mean. It's certainly more entertaining and 'Beautiful' than a European art film. And WHO IS that woman whose taking exercises in front of Woody near the start?