Director – Tammi Sutton (Whispers, Isle of Dogs)
Starring – Debbie Rochon (Exhumed, Chainsaw Cheerleaders), Choice Skinner (CollegeHumor Originals, Reno 911!), and Trent Haaga (Psycho Holocaust, Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula)
Release Date – 2002
As most of you know by this point, I’m always open for sequels. While most of you bitch and moan about sequels and remakes I’m over here getting excited for new stories involving characters from movies that I enjoy. However, I was not looking forward to the sequel to the 2010 Full Moon film Killjoy.
This sequel, released two years later, could not remove the horrible taste out of my mouth that the first film left. I pushed on through this steaming pile knowing that the third film in the series was a huge improvement over the first two. Knowing I had to make my way through them to so I could review the newest Killjoy, I sat down with this one with low expectations…
**Spoiler alert** The film follows two officers and a group of petty criminals who are traveling from the city to rural America to work on rebuilding an old farmhouse as part of their community service. They are driving an older van and they break down on the way. The group split up and some of the men head out looking for help. They come upon an old shack and one of them is shot by a racist white woman. Their officer chaperons shoot her and more gun fire break out forcing the delinquents to carry their wounded friend while the officer stays behind to protect them.
They meet up with their group and set out again to find help for their fallen friend when they come across a spiritual woman who attempts to use magic to save him. When one of the girls hears of this she uses her past to conjure up Killjoy to protect them but Killjoy has other things on his mind.**Spoiler Alert**
What did I expect from a Killjoy sequel you may ask? Well, nothing to be honest. Several people told me that the third and fourth film were great while the first two were shit. I wanted to watch them regardless so I could form my own opinion. Sadly, they were right but the sequel was just a pinch better than the first which isn’t saying much. Picking your favorite turn out of the toilet is still playing with shit.
The acting in this one is better than the first film but it still has major room for improvement. Debbie Rochon is one of my favorite actresses in the indie horror game but she failed to find her footing in this one. She’s extremely loud and difficult to follow. The remainder of the cast is able to deliver believable, thought clichéd, characters that the viewer can actually get behind. This film saw the beginning of Trent Haaga taking over the role as Killjoy. His personality is starting to be shaped in this film but the character is still flat for the most part. Unlike the first Killjoy film where the audience wants everyone to die.
The story for this one takes Killjoy out of the urban setting we get in the first film and places it into the woods essentially making this one a Pumpkinhead film with a clown and no witch. I do enjoy southern horror but this story lacks everything that makes it fun. We have no backwoods type characters to harass the innocent wit the exception of the young woman that dies as quickly as she is revealed. All the elements from the film are put in that environment making it feel out of place. The story itself moves at a snails pace which creates a chore for the viewer to pay attention.
Finally, the film has some on screen kills but just like it’s predecessor it fails to deliver on the gore. We get some CGI and minimal practical effects. Overall, Killjoy 2 is an improvement over the first film but is still a pain to watch. Full Moon, what were you thinking?
