‘Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge’ Review
Stars: Jeremy King, Maria Olsen, Joshua Miller, Stef Estep-Gozalo, Shaina Schrooten, Steph Barkley, Chelsey Grant, Jack Hartwig, Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Graham Skipper, Kelli Maroney | Written by Alexandra Barreto, John Karsko, Jed Shepherd, Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns | Directed by Alexandra Barreto, Anthony Cousins, Jed Shepherd, Rachele Wiggins
Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge picks up where the original Scare Package left off at Rad Chad’s (Jeremy King; 100 Tears, The Pale Door) funeral. But this isn’t going to be a normal funeral because shortly after Moria (Maria Olsen; Ghost in the Graveyard, The Bone Box) wheels in a TV and VCR, the mourners find out that Chad has a surprise for them, four short films each with a test after it.
Set on New Years Eve 1989, “Welcome to the 90s” written and directed by Alexandra Barreto (Lady Hater) is a spoof on slasher films that sees Tony the Killer (Joshua Miller; Carnivale’ Creepshow, Sledgehammer) pass up the ladies of Sure to Die sorority and go after The Final Girls. Ellen (Stef Estep-Gozalo), Nancy (Shaina Schrooten; Revealer, Significant Others) and the others find that as the 80s come to an end so does their immunity to victimhood. Can Buffy (Steph Barkley; The Canyonlands, Bigfoot Famous) save them? Although it’s a bit too on the nose at times, it is an amusing segment and gets Scare Package II off to a solid start.
Next up, “The Night He Came Back Again Part VI – The Night She Came Back” directed by Anthony Cousins (The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds) and writer John Karsko’s (In Harm’s Way) sequel to their segment from the original film. And in the spirit of sequels, it adds a curse to its tale of Daisy (Chelsey Grant) and her brother Will (Jack Hartwig), a killer who refuses to die. This one is heavy on the gore, especially at the conclusion, which finds an imaginative way to open the door for a third instalment in this franchise within a franchise.
Writer/director Jed Shepherd’s “Special Edition” reunites Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, Emma Louise Webb and Radina Drandova from his movie Host. While hanging out in a lighthouse, the ladies take their interest in the urban legend of a ghost in the film Three Men and a Baby a bit too far. This was my least favourite of the segments in Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge. It felt fairly pointless and didn’t work for me at all.
The final story “We’re So Dead” was directed by Rachele Wiggins (Ciere) from a script by franchise creators Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns. It starts out as a mashup of Stand By Me and Re-Animator as a group of kids try to bring a man back from the dead. Then it ventures into the domain of The Fly for its finale. It’s an amusing and gory little tale that appealed to both the gorehound and cat lover in me.
This brings us back to the wraparound, which is also the work of Koontz and Burns. Overall I was a bit disappointed with its Saw-style challenges based on the preceding segment. Trying to figure out what other films they were referencing was more amusing than the challenges themselves. The concept has been done to death, both seriously and as parody. Unfortunately the only new twist Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge adds to it is its focus on sequels which sadly isn’t all that amusing in and of itself. A cast that includes Graham Skipper (Beyond the Gates) and Kelli Maroney (Night Caller) helps but can only do so much.
Thankfully three of the film’s four segments deliver and, combined with what does work in the wraparound, that was enough to keep me watching. The incredible work by the effects crew provides an added diversion to help get through the film’s weaker moments. It isn’t quite as good as the original, but Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge is worth a watch!
***½ 3.5/5
Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge comes to Shudder in December.
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