The tyranist's thoughts
The sequel is better than the original, but in ways sort of difficult to quantify. Some things stand out as being better but others seem maybe a little worse. This entry continues to play with the vampire mythos created in the original, though, and that is something I definitely like.
Framed almost as a prequel (except that it happens in the midst of the first movies events instead of before) this one tells a peripheral story thst is sometimes engaging and sometimes vague. Apparently, Rachel from the first movie is upsetting the vampire community by giving unworthy people "the gift." As upset as this makes the vampires, it doesn't seem to have much to do with the rest of the plot. Central to the story is the conversion of a young woman named Tricia. For me this was the heart of the story and really what made the movie enjoyable.
Tricia is played very capably by Sarah Lippmann as a young, conflicted girl who has a choice of dying of an unspecified cancer or becoming a vampire and having to kill to stay alive. This is the kind of story that we've seen before in many vampire movies, but in this case, she appears to fully embrace the vampire life at last.
The dialogues was once again adequate and the production values low but not terrible. The real strength that this one displayed over its predecessor was that it had a much less circular plot. Even the elements that were somewhat out of place and peripheral to the story held up in a mostly traditional linear manner.
If you are going to see these movies, I'd recommend seeing them both. The mythos is interesting and this second film good enough that the first one is worth seeing for the set up.