Its weird to think that it was a full two years ago that Robert Hall unleashed his now cult status slasher flick, Laid To Rest, to the world. The film gave the new generation of horror fans what Pieces and The Prowler gave to the older generation: an unrelenting slasher film, full of all the gore and blood one could ask for. It also introduced us to Chromeskull. With his now-iconic mask and knives, he carved his way into the hearts of horror fans everywhere.
Now, in 2011, we find ourselves back for seconds with CHROMESKULL: Laid To Rest 2. At the end of the first film, our villain (thought dead) was lying on the floor of a convenience store, face ripped off, head smashed in, as out heroine made her escape. picking up where that film left off, this sequel begins by showing us a secretive agency picking up the body of our killer in an attempt to save his life. We then meet our cast of old and new characters. Thomas Dekker, the highlight of the film for me, returns in a much larger role than in the first film. Brian Austin Green appears in what is likely the biggest role in the entire film, even more-so than chromeskull. He plays an employee at what is only referred to as "the agency" that seemingly revolves around the capture, chase, and killing of people, all recorded on tape. tired of being under-appreciated, Green's character decides he is fed up with the way he has been treated, and begins to take on the task of killing people while wearing the infamous Chromeskull mask. From there we get subplots involving the police investigation, and the story of a new girl whom the agency has picked for Chromeskull to stalk and kill. As far as slasher movies go, I doubt you will find a follow-up as good as this anytime soon. the sequel improved over the original in almost every way imaginable. The acting is far tighter in this with the addition of Green, Danielle Harris, and Owain Yeoman. The script also appears far tighter, with characters making far smarter, more logical decisions than in the previous film. Most of improved of all, of course, is the gore. without giving too much away, i will say this. You have never seen anything as brutal and unrelenting as the kills in this movie, fake snuff films not included. Disemblowments, decapitations, sliced off body parts, and more. its all there in glorious detail. Director Robert Hall seems to have decided that, after viewing the first film, that it simply was not disgusting and disturbing enough, opting for nearly double the body count of the original. There are a few drawbacks, however.
While the main cast may be better than the last films, the supporting cast and a few very minor characters have some acting classes to take, particularly the female and sort of "second in command" police officers. Their performances simply take a lot from the viewing experience when they are on screen. Also, as Brian Collins of Horror Movie A Day pointed out, the kills are not quite as interesting. Aside from that, the basic presentation of the movie is not stellar but is not terrible, looking like a standard DTV film shot on video.
All in all, if you enjoy horror movies, specifically slashers, and lots of blood, this is surely one to check out. Solid gore, direction, and performances make this one of the top 3 DTV horror films of the year. 8.5/10
Now, in 2011, we find ourselves back for seconds with CHROMESKULL: Laid To Rest 2. At the end of the first film, our villain (thought dead) was lying on the floor of a convenience store, face ripped off, head smashed in, as out heroine made her escape. picking up where that film left off, this sequel begins by showing us a secretive agency picking up the body of our killer in an attempt to save his life. We then meet our cast of old and new characters. Thomas Dekker, the highlight of the film for me, returns in a much larger role than in the first film. Brian Austin Green appears in what is likely the biggest role in the entire film, even more-so than chromeskull. He plays an employee at what is only referred to as "the agency" that seemingly revolves around the capture, chase, and killing of people, all recorded on tape. tired of being under-appreciated, Green's character decides he is fed up with the way he has been treated, and begins to take on the task of killing people while wearing the infamous Chromeskull mask. From there we get subplots involving the police investigation, and the story of a new girl whom the agency has picked for Chromeskull to stalk and kill. As far as slasher movies go, I doubt you will find a follow-up as good as this anytime soon. the sequel improved over the original in almost every way imaginable. The acting is far tighter in this with the addition of Green, Danielle Harris, and Owain Yeoman. The script also appears far tighter, with characters making far smarter, more logical decisions than in the previous film. Most of improved of all, of course, is the gore. without giving too much away, i will say this. You have never seen anything as brutal and unrelenting as the kills in this movie, fake snuff films not included. Disemblowments, decapitations, sliced off body parts, and more. its all there in glorious detail. Director Robert Hall seems to have decided that, after viewing the first film, that it simply was not disgusting and disturbing enough, opting for nearly double the body count of the original. There are a few drawbacks, however.
While the main cast may be better than the last films, the supporting cast and a few very minor characters have some acting classes to take, particularly the female and sort of "second in command" police officers. Their performances simply take a lot from the viewing experience when they are on screen. Also, as Brian Collins of Horror Movie A Day pointed out, the kills are not quite as interesting. Aside from that, the basic presentation of the movie is not stellar but is not terrible, looking like a standard DTV film shot on video.
All in all, if you enjoy horror movies, specifically slashers, and lots of blood, this is surely one to check out. Solid gore, direction, and performances make this one of the top 3 DTV horror films of the year. 8.5/10