A hard-driving director, stressed crew, great expectations — and a tiny budget — made for a difficult birth in the case of this mother of all sequels.

It took a young team's blood, sweat and tears — and a triple-threat visionary — to make this bloodless yet scarily influential horror masterpiece.

With a studio on the line, an imaginative director in the pocket and an actorly demon in tow, this supernatural slasher hit raked in a surreal profit.

A painfully tight suit and budget, a passionate European auteur and on-set tensions fueled this blockbuster takedown of cutthroat corporate America.

The happily ever after? It's on screen. Behind the scenes, this litigious, loveless foray involved fisticuffs, Nostradamus — and iconic Black talent.

What began as a bald rip-off made a bloody splash as a splatter classic. Now the unlikely crew spills its guts about the highs, lows and gory effects.