Skull

Short and sweet, with no spoilers.

As noted in other reviews, the movie picks up where part one ended, but quickly goes another direction, as we find out Chromeskull has an entire team of people working for him. Again, as many reviews note, this is hard to believe, and a bit of a personal letdown, but I won't trash it like others. At the end of the day, I don't judge movies on whether they are realistic, as I take what I'm fed and go from there. Most serial killer/slasher flicks are unrealistic, so why wrestle with a plot over its "this could never happen" facets?

I put this movie in the "JUST O.K." boat. I came for the blood and gore, not superb storyline or acting, and in this respect it was fine. Due to working on intercharacter relationships, however, some of the intensity was lost, as well as the consistency of "kills," if that makes sense.

***NOTE: So I like blood and guts horror. Sue me.

But I digress.

Personally, I feel like the storyline tried to do too much for a formulaic slasher flick. I liked the original, as it wasn't about notable actors or personal relationships other than the people involved. With Brian Austin Green's inclusion, part 2 felt a bit contrived, as if attempting to find validation for the script. Besides the fact that he doesn't play a convincing maniacal killer, the beauty of part 1 is that the story doesn't rely on anything but sheer slashing. BAG was completely unnecessary and could have been played by any old chump and it wouldn't have mattered to me. Though, any time I see Danielle Harris, I'm happy.

Anyway...beyond this bit of beef, it was ok. The pace is different, since we already know what Chromeface does, and the story takes precedent over kills. At the end of the day, there just wasn't enough "meat" to take it from "just ok" to "good."

The production was on par with part 1. Shot on professional equipment, decent acting (but for BAG), editing, etc...all about the same as the original. Special fx remained decent as well.

All in all, if you watched the first one and enjoyed it, you'll be ok with the sequel (I hear there's another one in development...with BAG. Ugh), just don't expect quite as much. Not a total let down, but I think the writer just tried to do too much.

Notes on Parental Contact:

• There is a fair amount of profanity. At least as much as part 1, if not more.
• I would not call this a scary movie, but there are several scenes that could be described as "intense."
• Brief partial nudity but sex and sexual content is not a prevailing theme.
• Violence and gore is what most people would call "severe." As noted above, there are fewer killings in part 2 but the ones we do see are no less gory than the first. If you're a gorehound like me, it's fine. Lots of blood & violence with a smattering of gore for good measure.

For those who call this a terrible movie because the story is fake or the acting isn't Oscar worthy, why would you expect this to begin with? It's a straight-up slasher flick for the modern horror buff. Yes...they tried to add some "Saw"-like elements, but come on...what movie doesn't borrow from another these days.

So, if you watched the first, then you should see the second. Just know it's lost a bit of umph. Still worth the watch, just take what you're fed and go with it.

ChromeSkull (Nick Principe), who barely escaped death, is hell-bent on continuing where he left off... and forging a new path of terror and destruction.

Robert Hall wrote and directed this picture, just like the first part. And Hall proves he knows what he is doing in the big chair -- while primarily known as a makeup artist, he skillfully controls this story and makes it a very powerful franchise for the 21st century. And he has not left the makeup behind, either -- CG is used very sparingly, with more than enough practical effects and gore to satisfy any horror fan.

The cast is also a bit stronger this time, with horror icon Danielle Harris making a sizable cameo and the well-known Brian Austin Green in a starring role. His character calls to mind certain aspects of "Saw", which I think is unfortunate, but also overcomes those comparisons. ChromeSkull is not Jigsaw -- he cares not for redemption or to test humanity.

There is an expanded mythology in this film centering around "the organization", which I found to be a bit complicated and hard to follow. Maybe I need to view the first film again, view this film again or listen to the commentary. I feel there is a lot of potential here for exploring the organization, and also potential for sequels (though hopefully they do not proceed without having a solid story to tell).

This sequel is more mature than the original, but relies on the same strengths -- fast-paced action, terror and gore. If that is the type of horror film you like, this is a must-see for you. I do not wish to say it is anti-cerebral, but this is not a thinking film... it is blood first, story second... and not in a bad way.

The first "Laid to Rest" wasn't a great slasher but it was a alright slasher that is passable because of the creative kills with a single weapon. This time the kills are a bit more gruesome for this sequel but it also seemed like they just put in bunch of random character for ChromeSkull to kill. And that basically sums up most of this movie for the most part. If you have a weak stomach though it's just better to stay away from this if you do cause there is almost nothing in the story department. The acting is even more atrocious this time and almost laughable at times than actually makes the premise intimidating. There is more weapons that is used to gruesomely kill people but the only audience I can see really enjoying this movie. Is the audiences that like to watch people die in some of the most gruesome way possible with sharp objects. Although I seen similar movies like this before but even I had to cringe a few times while watching this. Also the mystery behind ChromeSkull is what sort of made the videotaping killer sort of interesting and this movie reveals a bit of ChromeSkull and who he is. I am not sure if this is a good thing but the premise is even more ridiculous this time around. And not only because ChromeSkull manage to survive the first incident, it just makes the killer more supernatural than human. Okay so it is now revealed that ChromeSkull is like some leader in some creepy secret organization. Although it isn't clearly explained what that organization is about. Like I said there is little to no script for this movie and to sum it up, it's a sadistic gruesome killing movie. But there is audiences for this type of movie so if your one of them this movie might be worth a watch with a group of friends that share the same interest. I personally just found this sequel to be gruesome but bland. The movie sort of picks up near the end and than fall short again because it just becomes too ridiculous and stupid.

3.8/10

Robert Hall's 2009 horror debut Laid to Rest wasn't perfect by any means, but offered a great gore-scheme and pacing and suspense that came to its favor. Its characters weren't very well crafted, and logic had to hide out so the film could do its thing, but overall it was a cute and enjoyable little gore flick. Did it ever need a sequel? Well, to Hall, since it was a moderate success on the message boards and online yes it did.

Laid to Rest 2, accompanied by the "Chromeskull" subtitle, is a bleak and ugly film not because it's gruesome and violent, but because its plot becomes blown out of proportion and it becomes a cocky horror film. Somebody should've whispered in the filmmakers' ears that this wasn't a big success, but a fairly unexpected one. The story has now become enlarged and has now gone to expand its boundaries to the point where it's unbelievable and contrived.

The film picks up right where the first left off, then manages to fast-forward three months later where we are introduced to Jess (Michaels), a girl going blind because of scar tissue in her eyes. Jess is drugged, kidnapped, and locked in a coffin by the killer who has a video camera on his shoulder and a shiny, chrome-silver mask in the shape of a skeleton on his face. He uses deadly, homemade knives that are something straight out of a sadist's mind, but are crafted with such detail they become one of the strongest points in the film.

I'm not going to even try to explain the backstory of the killer because I feel ashamed for even asking for it. I wished for minor backstory after seeing Laid to Rest. I thought, I'd like just a small, brief explanation of why this person was killing and videotaping it. I didn't need a huge, bloated, and exhausting storyline that is convoluted and outright ridiculous. The film wants to bring the top-secret, government business into play but it doesn't have the budget nor the skills to do so. This is a slasher film. It's a hack and slash, gorehound, bloody, disgusting, gruesome horror film that deserves zero conspiracy talk at all.

The fact that they bring the overblown backstory into play is just a clear sign of cockiness, but who can really blame them? If you spat out a random, unknown horror film into stores with a promising cover and you made big bucks off of it, you'd take the obligatory sequel one step further wouldn't you? Well, Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 doesn't take just one step, it takes about two leaps and, when you think it has officially stopped in one place, it manages to tip-toe a bit further and further. Have mercy.

Bobbi Sue Luther, director Robert Hall's wife respectively, played the heroine from the original film and makes a quick appearance in this one as well. Sadly, she's killed off very quickly just to bring in an annoying and obnoxious blonde girl instantly. She's no Bobbi Sue, and she's not even interesting enough to be concerned for unlike her.

Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 was somewhat promising, but ultimately falls flat on its face. There is a third film planned which I assume and sort of hope will close the series. I hope after this ludicrous sequel we at least get a final and respectable entry in a series that never got off its feet completely. Aside from gore, the series never truly accomplished much else. It succeeds in being a standout for a few reasons, but overall, when closely examined, or even mildly, it's just another horror film inspired by too many others.

Starring: Brian Austin Green, Danielle Harris, Mimi Michaels, Nick Principe, and Thomas Dekker. Directed by: Robert Hall.

I watched this movie just because Danielle Harris is in it. I wasn't very impressed with the first one, because acting was terrible and the whole movie didn't have the right "groove". So I didn't expect very much from this one. But I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was on a much higher level, the script is well written and it opens many questions, which hopefully will be answered in the next one. The killings are technically better made and the whole movie has that intense feeling. So this is one o the best slasher movies made in the last few years and I'm now waiting to see what will they do in the next one. At the end I want to apologize the makers for not seeing the movie in theater. I had to download it because I'm from a country where horror genre isn't very popular for our distributors.