‘Kids Get Dead 2: Kids Get Deader’ Review
Stars: Leah Rudick, Alexander Kollar, Samantha Glovin, Bradley Creanzo, Bec Fordyce, Andrew Waffenschmidt, Jeff Foley, Kathy Biehl, Vonka Romanoff, Sam Albertsen | Written by Michael Hall, Robert J. Huntley | Directed by Michael Hall
Kids Go Into the Woods Kids Get Dead, that’s a long title for a movie. Imagine if a sequel came along, it would require some witty subtitle which would make the title even longer. Luckily for us though the sequel has been made, as it’s not set in the woods though some changes can be made. Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader is a movie that I’d describe as a “meta” horror, and as an independent film it is also one I expected to fall into the usual traps that low budgets tend to push these movies into. The first one did to a point, so would this one too?
With Casey (Rudick) from the first movie hunting down the writer of the “Kids Get Dead” novel to try to put an end to the killing, our focus is pushed to a party where the killer (Kollar) has now set his sights. As each horny teenage party-goer is slain and Casey gets closer to solving the mystery to putting an end to the slaughter, all the events are pulled together by our midnight horror movie show host Peaches McNeil (Glovin).
Using the same trick as used in the first movie creating the illusion that we are watching a late night horror show which prides itself on showing bad horror films there is a certain illusion created for the audience that this is going to be a bad movie, we have to expect it. The surprising thing for me though was that although there was some elements that could be cut out of the film (the Casey story line for example) as a whole the film worked. For the most part the acting was on an average that was acceptable for what the movie was trying to be and the story managed to flow well. The humour that was created by the “meta” horror added an interesting element to the movie and as the audience we feel that we know just what to expect. This is done well and even allows for a certain level of gore and nudity that we come to expect from a movie trying to be retro. We are watching a horror show showing a movie trying to be an eighties slasher flick. This gives Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader an interesting premise that keeps our interest.
I think with Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader it is a case that you have to be in on the joke. As I’ve seen the first movie I understand the plot and I understand what the movie is trying to do. There is a humour running through the film that does at times go a little too far, but for the most part it hits just the right level. I often find with a film like Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader there is a fine line with the gore, it can either go too realistic or feel cartoonish. For my tastes if we hit the right balance between the two then we are set for a fun experience, which is what I thankfully got with this movie.
In Kids Go Into the Woods Kids Get Dead I often felt the continuous jumps out of the film to the horror presenter didn’t work too well, it’s not something I’m often a fan of. In Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader I felt that this was handled better. The fact that Peaches McNeil was actually entertaining is a nice break from the movie, and in some ways saves it from a few pacing issues. Peaches is there to make jokes and even add some commentary about what we expect from horror, in many ways mocking the way that some horror fans often analyse what they see on the screen too much. This is comedy that I’m a fan of and thankfully it worked in the film.
I will admit that I start watching Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader expecting the film to be fairly entertaining but something I’d soon forget. Yes, there are some obvious elements that show the low-budget of the film but for the most part the movie knows what it is, is “meta” enough to mock itself in a way that is entertaining and gets away with some impressive gore. When you want a fun horror film, this is exactly what you are looking for.
**** 4/5
For more details on Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader visit the official website.
Hi, thanks for the positive review. I’m one of the actors from the film and I’d like to know if you could please change my name on the cast list? I’m not sure where Waffenschmidt came from that guy doesn’t exist, it’s most definitely “Andrew Saunders”. Thank you again though. Take care.
Best,
Andrew Saunders
Scratch that last comment. I hadn’t worked with the other actor.