Fake-out title which might make you think this is a sequel(it isn't) to some previous slasher flick. This one is a kind of forgettable entry in the whole 80s slasher avalanche of films. Notable for featuring Pauly Shore in one of his first big roles and being shot in the same mall where they made FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH among many other films from this era. Other big names include Morgan Fairchild as a pretty unnecessary character and Ken Foree, star of a vastly superior horror film in a mall called DAWN OF THE DEAD, in another pretty lame role as a security guard. In fact pretty much all the characters here are fairly unmemorable right down to our killer which is no mystery thanks to that title. The whole film, of course, tries to riff off the classic PHANTOM OF THE OPERA story(which also featured a kooky killer named Erik) but ultimately comes off as just a crappy imitation. There is a bit of gore with some eye-popping and head rolling. There are also some inventive deaths including death by a large fan, death by a forklift, death by an escalator, death by ice sculpture, death by a flame-throwing weed-killer, death by a snake popping out of a toilet and even a little kung fu thrown in. In only they had been as inventive with the plot as all that this might have been a better ride. AKA PHANTOM NIGHTMARE
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