Director: James Panetta
Year: 2025
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Years after a horrifying crime spree, a survivor of the Jacker rampage tries to deal with the news that a similar series of killings has started up again, targeting her and anyone else that comes into her life, as his bloodlust-filled rampage puts others onto his trail as the authorities race to stop him.
Review:
For the most part, this was a rather fun follow-up. One of the better factors with the film involves the central setup that manages to touch on a great continuation of the universe within the films and how it's affected everyone around them. With the survivor from the first film shown to still be alive and hoping to move on with her life by going around the talk-show circuit promoting a book about the incidents while also managing to tie into the means of resurrecting the killer to continue his spree once again, this comes across far better than expected. The early stages of the rampage where his spectral form tormenting her while she's doing these appearances and getting on with her life as her conflicting emotions over what's going on with the killer, from the terrifying nightmares to the series of deaths following those around her and why she keeps protecting him against those that try to stop his rampage make for a strong time here.
That also provides the film with a great opportunity for a series of intense and somewhat brutal stalking scenes, with the killer going around taking out the different individuals he comes across on his way to get to the woman who escaped his wrath. The first attack on the detectives looking into the series of disappearances in the area is a great way to start this off, much like the encounter with the victims in the car he encounters later on, which includes a strong chase into the woods nearby. The encounters elsewhere throughout the neighborhood, from the strong ambush encounters to the constant appearing to torment the main survivor in a flirtatious manner, provide a lot to like here, especially with the solid indie effects and fun nudity.
There isn’t much to distract from this one, but it does have some slight drawbacks. The main issue with the film is a confusing narrative that makes the survivor come off as a little inconsistent than expected. With the initial encounters between them being rightfully played with her afraid for her life at the idea of being caught once again by the maniac, the later scenes seem to shift to moments where she seems to be on his side crying out for his involvement or using their past to get under someone else’s skin that creates an inconsistent tone and some confusion over her intentions over the latter half of everything. Combined with the instances of low-budget limitations that show up on occasion, these few factors do bring it down slightly.
Overview: ****/5
An overall intriguing and likable indie effort, there’s a lot to enjoy here that makes this a wholly effective indie effort with only a few minor drawbacks that do hold it down slightly. Those with an interest in this style of genre fare, are fans of the creative crew, or enjoyed the other entries in the franchise, will have a lot to like here, while most others should heed caution.
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