Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman

This frost-bitten sequel to 1997's surprisingly clever and enjoyable "Jack Frost" finds the titular killer snowman (voiced by Scott MacDonald) traversing to a tropical resort to harass shell-shocked Sheriff Tiler (Christopher Allport, looking like he'd rather have a recurring role on "7th Heaven" than do this again) and company once more. "Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman" is every bit as ridiculous as you'd expect, but is also even cheaper and dopier than you may be anticipating.

Opening with a title in the coolest of cool Windows '98 fonts, 'Chiller,' the chintzy look and feel of the film is established almost immediately, as if to warn you to turn it off before it's too late. Likewise, the cinematography is virtually non existent. "Jack Frost 2" has all the production value of a turn-of-the-century Comedy Central sitcom, but with hardly a fraction of the wit. Michael Cooney returns to the director's chair for this direct-to-video cheapie and although he tries to bring the same humor and energy from the first, it just doesn't translate. Just like snow can't hold up in a warm environment, neither can the original's charms redeem this sorry affair. Jack will try to make you smile time and time again, but his water-logged puns aren't enough to break the ice.

On the upside, the fast and loose feel of the production means that no one is taking this terribly seriously, and neither should you. Midway through the film, Jack sprouts a few dozen snowball offspring who wreak havoc on the resort, "Gremlins" style. These slightly entertaining bits, culminating in the film's deus ex banana (see it to believe it), offer moments of semi-inspired silliness, but by then, most of its cool has melted away. Take this one with a grain of rock salt.

I had to write in and warn potential Jack Frost 2 viewers that the version that is circulating around in the video stores (the VHS version to be specific) is void of good gore content. If you want to see this movie, which I recommend since it is a good rainy Sunday night tongue-in-cheek fest, get the DVD version that hasn't been cut to shreds!! Then you get all the eye gougings, head explosions and crushed bodies you would hope to see when you picked up the ever so taunting box at the store. Simply put, the cut version is the one you will probably see, and it sucks because of what ended up on the cutting room floor.

"Jack Frost" (1997) was a stupid film, though it was meant to be stupid...so it was actually very watchable and fun. It's NOT to be confused by the big budget disaster, "Jack Frost" (1998)...and if I had a choice, I'd much rather see the 1997 film instead.

For some reason, the folks who made the 1997 film decided to make a sequel...which is tough since the evil snowman in the first film was melted and stored in antifreeze containers. These containers were buried and some idiot decided to unearth them and revive the killing machine. This time, however, the snowman arrives on a tropic island where a lot of bimbos, idiots and the cast of the first film are there for vacations. This time, however, the snowman not only goes on a killing spree but later explodes into a huge number of killer snowball babies.

If all this sounds very stupid, well, you have pretty much guessed perfectly. The film IS stupid and never tries to be anything but stupid...much like many of the Troma films or "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". If you enjoy this sort of silliness, give the film a look. However, unlike the first film, this one has a bit of gratuitous nudity and the story isn't exactly necessary. Worth watching if you have relatively low expectations and low standards.

By the way, if you do watch, you'll have a rare chance to see Doug Jones without all the makeup that he's usually enveloped in with most of his films. He's near the beginning of the story and is aboard a life raft.

Title: Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman; Genre: Horror; Certificate: 18; Year: 2000; Director: Michael Cooney

Starring: Christopher Allport, Eileen Seeley, Chip Heller, Ray Cooney

Once in a while, a movie comes along that redefines the way you look at celluloid entertainment, if only for a short time. When flashy directors spend millions soaking their movies with state-of-the-art special effects, it supposedly increases the entertainment value of their work. Takes flicks like "The Matrix", "The 6th Day" and "Independence Day". I can honestly say that the entertainment ascertained from all the above movies paled in comparison to dismal B-movie "Jack Frost 2".

Yes, you heard me right. "Jack Frost 2" is utterly dismal. It is a B-movie in every sense of the phrase, looks like it was made with an expensive camcorder and stars actors who could very well be your neighbours. But despite this, it still managed to make me laugh so hard I thought I'd cough my lungs up right there.

The premise of "Jack Frost 2" follows similarly to the 1997 prequel. In the original, a serial killer is killed in a car wreck, but he somehow mutates into a snowman and seeks revenge on the sheriff who caught him. The sequel sees a lab expirement go wrong, and once again Jack Frost's remains mutate and he goes on a killing spree on a tropical island where our unfortunate Sheriff Tiler (Christopher Allport) and his wife are attending their friends wedding party.

But the beauty in this movie is not the storyline (as brilliant as a killer snowman on a tropical island is), or the script (which although generally awful, has some humorous and very witty lines). It could be attributed to any of a number of things. Perhaps the memorably bad acting and performances. Maybe the laughable special-effects and settings. The complete lack of editing, direction and production also help make this movie unforgettable. And finally the injection of Jack's "children" - a blatant rip-off of Gremlins, but hilarious all the same.

Not everyone is going to view this movie the way I did. Some will probably switch it off after 15 minutes. But if you like complete and utter rubbish, this is as good as it gets.

How about "Jack Frost 3: Jack vs Worzel Gummidge".

Rating: ***

If you have been reading my user comments, you will have seen that I enjoyed the original "Jack Frost" movie. I thought it was a pretty funny black comedy. So when I heard they had made a sequel, I was set to rent it. However, none of the video stores in my city got it (knowing that video stores watch screeners, that should have been my first warning.) It took years for me to get a copy, which I did by my Internet DVD renting service. On the DVD, I saw that there was a 3 year gap between the film copyright and when it was released on DVD - which should have been my second warning.

Anyway, I watched the movie, and I was sorely disappointed. The movie looks like it was made on a budget much smaller than the first movie (if that's possible). While the cheapness occasionally gets a laugh (check out the "airport" near the beginning), most of the time the movie looks very tacky. Some parts look like they were shot on videotape and not film!

Despite the cheapness, I might have still enjoyed the movie had it the wit of the first movie, but it doesn't. The humor this time around seems very forced, with (among other things) too many lame wisecracks by the snowman. The script also suffers from having a number of boring stretches, a lame climax, and the movie having to resort to ripping off "Gremlins".

Is there anything good about this sequel? Well, I thought that there were a few decent splatter scenes, which managed to be gory and amusing at the same time. But they are not enough to make it worthwhile to slog through the boredom and lameness in the rest of the movie.