ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011)
Starring Brian Austin Green, Owain Yeoman, Thomas Dekker, Danielle Harris, Nick Principe
Directed by Robert Hall
When last we saw the killing machine known as ChromeSkull, he was lying in a crumpled heap with his face melting off while Tommy (Dekker) and “The Girl” escaped the carnage he had left behind. We know what you’re thinking … “How could Chromey possibly survive getting his face melted off?” Dude … how did Jason survive … well … everything? You just can’t count a good slasher out, and by hook or by crook you know that he will always be back.
ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 begins the very second that the original film ends. After one hell of a blood-stained opening, we fast forward three months to find Tommy still suffering from the scars that fateful night at the convenience store etched into his psyche. The ChromeSkull murder case is still wide open for the police department, headed up by Detective King (Yeoman), and before our heroes have a chance to even catch their breath, more people start disappearing … including Tommy. From there it’s a race against time for the law to get to the bottom of all the ghoulish things that have once again begun to transpire. To tell you any more about the flick’s plot is to reveal some major spoilers, and that’s the last thing we want to do.
ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 is about as different from the previous film as possible in that it’s nowhere near as intimately set. This is mayhem on a much grander scale on a far bigger stage. And we learn who the menacing figure in the chrome mask really is. What his motivations are and how they affect the people around him. Yes, there’s much knowledge to be gained here, but never once is there a lull in the action. Bodies pile up in a fast and furious manner with each kill outdoing the last.
Speaking of which …
It’s impossible to review this flick without talking about the kills that are waiting for all of you gore-hounds out there. Let me be clear, and I do not say this lightly … Laid to Rest 2 could quite possibly be the most gut-wrenchingly violent slasher film of all time. Director Rob Hall and his special makeup effects team headed up by supervisor Erik Porn seemingly go out of their way to show you every single snapping tendon, sputtering bit of grue, and unfathomably deep gash in startling detail. All practical. All in your face. If you’re a splatter fan, this is like finding your own personal nirvana. Every time you think that one kill cannot be topped, another one comes along to blow your fucking mind. Simply put, you’ll be seeing some of the … Best. Kills. Ever.
And there’s a lot more meat on these bones than just top-notch effects work. The performances here go way above and beyond the call of the average horror movie. While ChromeSkull is still the star of the show, Laid to Rest 2 is very much Brian Austin Green’s movie. You won’t be able to take your eyes off him. The word “intense” is a bit of an understatement. As for Nick Principe as the killer … If you thought he was savage in the first flick, brothers and sisters, you haven’t seen shit! ChromeSkull is the personification of evil around these parts, and Principe’s performance easily ranks up there with some of the biggest horror heavyweights around.
Before you know it, you’ll be at the end credits as the runtime feels more like seconds instead of minutes, wishing that you could rewind and see some of those marvelous murders one more time. Maybe even several more times. ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2 is an uncompromising, unflinching, and thoroughly insane little film which will have you gasping and cheering every kill until the very last frame. It’s exactly what we watch slasher flicks for. Bring a mop.
4 1/2 out of 5
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