I had real problems starting this review, mostly because it's a movie that completely lacks depth or meaning - but still, somehow, fascinates me. So I had to go to IMDB and check out the official page. I found something very important in the trivia section:
"When Eric Freeman played the role of Ricky, he had a strong eyebrow movement in his performance. His eyebrows moves up and down in total of 130 times."
And yes. That's true. Because I've never seen a human being (or animal) move their eyebrows as much as Eric Freeman does, and thanks to the wonderful world of the internet someone made a montage of it:
So, but if we let the eyebrows go I can state two things:
1. Eric Freeman is a terrible, terrible actor.
2. Silent Night, Deadly Night OPart 2 is actually not that bad.
It was made to recoup some of the money lost after the first movie got banned everywhere and Mickey Rooney threaten to "run the scums who made this movie out of town" - at least until he needed the money and starred in one of the sequels as well. The first idea was to shoot a couple of scenes with a mental patient imagining that he/she did the kills from the first movie, but the storyline evolved and suddenly it was Billy's little brother Ricky (who's featured in the first film) who's gone mad after his brothers murder spree and now himself have become a killer. He recalls the story of his life to his doctor - both what his brother did and later his own murders!
This means the first 35-40 minutes is footage from the first film, with a wrap-around-story starring Eric Freeman. This works better than it would. Then it goes over to his own life, which have a couple of fun kills - but is less gory than the first adventure and then it takes another turn. I know some people wouldn't agree with me, but it's not boring. Freeman's terrible acting is quite fun to watch and the flashbacks (which includes stuff neither he or his brother was involved in and stuff where he was only an infant, so he has a very good memory!) looks quite good.
SNDNP2 is actually an extremely stupid film with some very good ideas. If you see it as it is, silly, you will enjoy it. Pity the flashback footage from the first film is the from the R-rated, more or less bloodless version, which would had made it even more entertaining. The build-up from the interview with the doctor, the scenes from the first movie, the new flashbacks and the final scenes which haves Ricky on a rampage is interestingly enough very evenly put together. Like it was meant to be this from the beginning. Which it wasn't, but sometimes even filmmakers have some luck.
I can find any other things to write, sorry. This is silliness extreme, with exploding eyes and flashback-nudity. I have seen better, I have seen worse... but it's still a quite logical and fun sequel to the sleazy original trasherpiece. For slasher-fans only. Or for those who's seen it all and looks for a final idiot trip before the eternal sleep.
"I had real problems starting this review, mostly because it's a movie that completely lacks depth or meaning - but still, somehow, fascinates me."
hahahahhah....well, I´m glad that you found something write about it.
"And yes. That's true. Because I've never seen a human being (or animal) move their eyebrows as much as Eric Freeman does"
Aw, come on Fred....it works for Jack Nicholson then it will work for Freeman!
hahhahahhah...or maybe not......
"It was made to recoup some of the money lost after the first movie got banned everywhere and Mickey Rooney threaten to "run the scums who made this movie out of town" - at least until he needed the money and starred in one of the sequels as well."
hahahhah....yep, Rooney probably never saw that coming.
"This means the first 35-40 minutes is footage from the first film, with a wrap-around-story starring Eric Freeman. This works better than it would."
Really?
Sounds horrible.....
"SNDNP2 is actually an extremely stupid film with some very good ideas. If you see it as it is, silly, you will enjoy it."
Well, it´s an antichristmas so sooner or later, I shall see it.
"I can find any other things to write, sorry. This is silliness extreme, with exploding eyes and flashback-nudity. I have seen better, I have seen worse... but it's still a quite logical and fun sequel to the sleazy original trasherpiece. For slasher-fans only. Or for those who's seen it all and looks for a final idiot trip before the eternal sleep."
I´m not planning on dying anytime soon, but I want to see this one, good review and thanks Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | December 21, 2013 at 14:29