With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.

David Cronenberg’s 1986 horror film The Fly concluded with such emotion-filled finality that it didn’t seem to leave the door open for sequels. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) had transformed fully into Brundlefly and then merged inorganically with his Telepod, leaving a sobbing Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) to end his misery. But the huge success of the film, including critical acclaim and Academy Award-winning makeup, meant the inevitable sequel would follow. Three years later, The Fly’s special makeup effects creator, Chris Walas, moved into the director’s seat to helm a sequel that had an uphill battle from the outset in terms of expectations.

The Fly II opens with Veronica’s (now Saffron Henderson) nightmare from the first film brought to life; she gives birth to a squirming larva. She dies on the spot, and the larva splits to reveal it’s a cocoon with a seemingly normal baby boy inside. That child, Martin Brundle, is then raised by Anton Bartok, the man behind the corporation that originally funded Seth Brundle’s Telepod experiments. Bartok is still longing to complete Seth’s work, and feels Martin might be the key since he ages at an extremely rapid rate. In only two years, Martin (Eric Stolze) already reached the growth equivalent to a 25-year-old, and is desperate to find a cure for his mutated genes before he ages straight into death.

The Fly II may not reach the same emotional heights of its predecessor, but one scene always stands out for being so utterly heart-wrenching. Mirroring Seth and Veronica’s journey of the first film, a child-like Martin befriends a Golden Retriever in the Bartok labs. One night, the dog goes missing. It’s not until a couple of years later that Martin discovers the horrifying truth; the dog was used in further experiments with the Telepods, mutated into a monster, and kept alive for studying. This scene, and Martin’s subsequent choice to put his former friend out of its suffering misery, makes for one of the most heartbreaking in horror. It doesn’t just sum up the horrors of the first film, it sets up just how nefarious Bartok truly is so that the third act is rendered more satisfying.

The third act, of course, is the ooey gooey creature effect film we expected. This time with a higher body count and seriously gruesome deaths. Walas may have handed off the special makeup effects reigns to his FX company Chris Walas Inc, but he was still heavily involved with the decision-making in the practical effect department. Serving as special makeup effects supervisor was Stephan Dupuis, who shared that Oscar win for The Fly with Walas. All of which to say, that while the story doesn’t come close to the perfection of The Fly, it at least delivers practical effects-driven fun.

The story for the sequel came from Mick Garris, who also wrote the script, and Jim and Ken Wheat (Pitch Black, Riddick), as well as Frank Darabont also took passes at the screenplay. Admirably, the screenwriters attempted something new, a story that would thematically complement the original’s without trying to retread the same ground. But it doesn’t quite work, or at least it doesn’t achieve the same gut-punch feeling that Cronenberg’s masterpiece elicited.

Martin Brundle had large, daunting shoes to fill in this sequel. Save for a standout sequence involving the poor Golden Retriever, The Fly II doesn’t manage to be quite as memorable as a whole. But the team behind it gives it their all, and Chris Walas Inc.’s special effects make for a good time. If you wanted more acidic vomit scenes, double the monsters, and a much happier ending, well, The Fly II has you covered in spades.