Chris Knight: She Never Died is a 'sister sequel' that stands up nicely on its own

Olunike Adeliyi in a scene from She Never Died.

I’d never heard of a “sister sequel,” but it’s an appealing concept; take an existing movie and goose up Part 2 with some female energy. That’s what happens in She Never Died, a loose followup to Jason Krawczyk’s 2015 horror-comedy He Never Died. Krawczyk returns as screenwriter, but the director this time is Audrey Cummings.

Olunike Adeliyi stars as Lacey, a supernatural being of unknown provenance, though she denies being a vampire, a zombie or an escaped government experiment. She does readily admit to an insatiable hunger for human flesh, which she obtains, Dexter-like, from those who don’t deserve to keep theirs.

Lacey almost can’t help crossing paths with Godfrey (Peter MacNeill), an unorthodox cop on a one-man crusade to bust a human-trafficking ring. When he sees what she’s capable of, his immediate response is to ask if she wouldn’t mind killing a bad guy he’s been following. Her reply: “Can I eat him?”

Adeliyi gave a standout performance in Cummings’ last film, 2017’s Darken, and she’s just as good here, delivering a mix of deadpan humour and reluctant but deadly fighting skills. It’s no wonder that a would-be victim of kidnappers (Kiana Madeira) hangs around her like a puppy after she’s been rescued.

The film ends on a mildly confusing note that suggests a potential for more sequels – sister-in-law sequels? But the story stands up nicely on its own.

And a shout-out to the writing; lately I’ve been despairing at films that knock audiences over the head with expositional dialogue. A recent offender had one character tell another: “My son is the father of your children!” before adding for good measure: “Your children are my grandchildren!” I think she knows.

So I was tickled when evildoers Terrance and Meredith (Noah Danby, Michelle Nolden) were discussing some criminal matter and I was trying to figure out whether they were business associates or lovers or something else. The answer came in a perfect, natural line of dialogue at the end of the scene: “Would it kill you to call mom every once in a while?”

3.5 stars

She Never Died opens Dec. 6 in Toronto, with other cities to follow.