Director: Libby McDermott
Year: 2020
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Investigating a local legend, a group of paranormal researchers heads out to a spot in the wilderness looking into reports of ghost sightings in the woods, but when they realize they’ve come upon a psychotic killer rumored to be responsible for other murders they band together with the police to survive.
Review:
There was a lot to like about this one. One of the finer aspects of this one is the rather intriguing setup that provides this one with a nice connection to the previous film while staying a solid singular entity. Taking the events of the first one as a singular point with the killer still being on the loose in the same area of the woods but now bringing in the paranormal research team looking into him but being completely unaware of that previous rampage, their exploits in trying to uncover the supernatural only to stumble into the realistic is a great ploy that manages to bring about some rather interesting connections here when used in conjunction with the investigation into the events on the outskirts of their trip into the woods. As the police officers are looking into the trail of bodies left behind while the team conducts their search, this all comes together rather well for a solid enough storyline at play here.
As well, there’s also some fun here with the confrontations in the woods where these various beings are interconnected throughout the middle part of the film. With the initial attacks focusing on the killer stalking and confronting the team of students in the woods where he can use a few intriguing tactics to offer some solid suspense with how he sets up the situation before taking them out, which lets both the stalking over the walkie-talkie or coming across the tongue-less victim in the woods. There’s also the series of low-budget shootouts here that take place throughout the woods, at the lake where the recovered bodies are found, or at the cabin where they encounter the individual thought to be the killer but the course of events turns this into a bit more energetic fare than normal which ends everything a fine note. These factors manage to make this one quite likable for what it is.
There isn’t much wrong here but it does have some issues. Among the biggest factors here is the wholly disjointed storyline about the killer left in the area as a mythic being that’s credited for a series of rampages in the area for a far greater time than what should be the case. Stated to be responsible for a crime spree in the location dating back for a century, and for sure blamed for a crime spree in the area nearly forty years earlier which makes perfect sense, the whole idea of him also being the culprit for the original series of massacres would indicate a supernatural presence which is perfectly fine. However, the whole thing being said as a legitimate flesh and blood human is a bit harder to justify which makes this part of the film rather confusing and underwhelming. As well, much like the original, there are also cases where the low budget gets brought on display which isn’t as obvious as the original or as detrimental as the previous issue but still holds it down slightly.
Overview: ***/5
A rather fine indie follow-up that has quite a lot to like, the few issues present here aren’t too bad and manage to make this a solid enough genre effort for those that enjoy this kind of feature. Those that are fans of the style or approach here, as well as those who enjoyed the original, will have the most to like here while those who aren’t into those factors or enjoyed the original will want to heed caution here.
This review ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
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