Pretty Boy picks up where the previous film, Blind, had ended. Blind told the story of a newly blind actress, Faye, who is coming to terms with her new life, but had a murderous stalker watching her. I really enjoyed the first film. The film was beautiful to look at. The cinematography was astounding and the acting was great. I loved the story and the character of Faye. I do think the first film had some pacing issues and I wasn't totally sold on the ending, but it was still really damn good.
With the sequel picking up the exact moment where the first ends, it actually fixes my feelings on the final scene of the original, and I'm so glad we got Pretty Boy. Like the first film, the cinematography is artful and the directing by Marcel Walz is top notch, along with a great music score that I need to own. The character of Pretty Boy is explored more thoroughly as well. While he loses a bit of his mystery, he doesn't lose the fear he can put in your hearts. That mask along is shiver-inducing. Pretty Boy is a great slasher and in this sequel he gets to have more fun. With a bigger body count, there is a lot more gore, and the deaths get the job done.
I found the cast of characters quite charming in this second film. There are more characters, but I found most of them likeable and easy to root for. Some were even well developed. I was even surprised to see one or two of them bite it, as they seemed like they would survive.
The has a good level of fun and suspense. There are many humorous scenes, but it never turns into parody or camp. But I can't go further with this review without mentioning Sarah French. While everyone in the cast did really good work (Devanny Pinn stole so many scenes with her hilarious performance that I couldn't get enough of), the film belongs to Sarah. Her performance is excellent. She plays vulnerable and tough so well. She was our central lead and if her character failed, the whole film could fail, but the actress is nothing short of mesmerising. I would love to see her lead more projects in the future as she has the talent.
It was also nice to see a horror film with a gay male character, who is likeable and fun. For the first hour the movie had me by the throat. The final half hour took a different turn in the story. The final act takes a more torture porn kind of approach. It's not torture porn, but it has that same feeling. The final act becomes darker, more serious than the first hour. I liked the final act but it did seem to clash with the tone of the first hour as it felt like a different movie to me.
It was still really interesting though! This is where the backstory of our killer comes in, but I won't say more than that. We do get some good performances from Maria Olsen and the great Robert Rusler though! Even with the shaggy look, Rusler could still get it! I will state the final scene was a tad anti-climactic for me. But overall this was a really good sequel. I may have liked it a slight bit better than the first, but that's because I'm a sucker for a slasher! I hope there is a third film as I genuinely love these characters. I want to see Pretty Boy cause more horror, and I want to see a continuation of Faye's story. I want to say everyone did a great job, and I cannot wait to see what director Marcel Walz does next!
