Keep in mind, I never saw Laid To Rest. However, there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the franchise so when I saw that ChromeSkull: Laid To Rest 2 was available On Demand, I knew I had to see it. Even though I missed the first film, I was able to follow the sequel for the most part – probably because of the direct connection to the original movie. ChromeSkull literally picks up seconds after the last film ended. As the film progressed, it gave new insight into the previous film while building its own story as a sequel. So, point being – it doesn’t matter if you saw the first film to understand the second one.
In ChromeSkull: Laid To Rest 2, ChromeSkull narrowly escapes death and then escapes his restful bed with the help of his two minions (played by Danielle Harris and Brian Austin Green). After killing several new victims, he finally abducts a girl he dubs “new fish.” Now, the police must try to solve the mystery, track down the killer, and save the girl all while dealing with new bodies popping up on the wrong end of line.
First and foremost, I think gore fans will love this movie. The gore factor is high in this film; lots of splatter and intestines. While the mutilations are so intense that the victim would die instantly, and they don’t which makes it kind of cheesy, gore fans will eat…or lick, it all up. There are also some creative kills and one thing is for certain, ChromeSkull’s knife is easily one of the sharpest in creation.
Secondly, the film had its strong points as well as its negatives. I’ll start with the positives. The gore is above average. The script is acceptable. The continuity is great. The special effects are amazing. The acting is great. The film as a production is really good. The main character is very relatable and a good “survivor girl” type. She actually has a really great, long chase scene with the killer towards the end. I’m a huge fan of the good ol’ chase scene, so this pleased me as a horror fan.
The negatives are more knit-pick-y than anything. I didn’t like that at one point ChromeSkull dispatches four cops at once without suffering a single injury. There goes the cheesiness that I hate. Also, Mimi Michaels has no intelligence to her at some points. In one instance, she is literally just sitting there screaming as ChromeSkull creeps closer and close. Not to quote Scary movie, but “RUN BITCH! RUN!” If you knew you were going to get slaughtered, wouldn’t the fight or flight reflex kick in? The negative aspects of this film can simply be summarized as lack of being realist. But, hey, this is a horror film about a guy who got his face melted off in the last film, how realistic can we get?
A big part of me was excited to see this film because of Allison Kyler and Danielle Harris, both of whom had smaller roles than I had anticipated. Such is life. Maybe they’ll appear again in the third film, if they make one…and one would more than the other. You’ll have to watch ChromeSkull: Laid To Rest 2 to know what I’m talking about! At the end of the day, was this a good movie? Yes, it was above average. Did it live up to the standards of the first film and all the hype from 2009? Not really; just probably, barely missed it. But, it doesn’t mean you should miss out on seeing it. I encourage you all to go see it. While it isn’t at the top of my list, it’s still a great slasher, splatter exploitation film.
I am surprised you did not mention the competition between Preston (Green) and Chromeskull. That was kind of a huge plot point. No?
Didn’t want to give too much of the plot away. I mentioned Allison Kyler but not specifically what happens to her or who she plays.
I take it you’ve seen the film, did you like it?