SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE Poster | ©2022 Shudder

Rating: Not rated
Stars: Jeremy King, Zoe Graham, Byron Brown, Rich Sommer, Kelli Maroney, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Graham Skipper, Maria Olsen, Dustin Rhodes, Joe Bob Briggs
Writers: Alexandra Barreto (“Welcome to the 90s”), John Karsko (“The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI”), Jed Shepherd (“Special Edition”), Aaron B. Koontz & Cameron Burns (“We’re So Dead”), Aaron B. Koontz & Cameron Burns (“Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge”), franchise created by Aaron B. Koontz & Cameron Burns
Directors: Alexandra Barreto (“Welcome to the 90s”), Anthony Cousins (“The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI”), Jed Shepherd (“Special Edition”), Rachelle Wiggins (“We’re So Dead”), Aaron B. Koontz (“Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge”)
Distributor: Shudder
Release Date: December 22, 2022 (Shudder)

Usually, when watching an entry in a horror anthology franchise – say, V/H/S – it’s not necessary to have seen previous installments. However, while SCARE PACKAGE II: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE technically qualifies as an anthology, it’s got enough sequel material in its wraparound to make watching 2019’s SCARE PACKAGE advisable. Otherwise, this is liable to be extremely confusing.

Taking several slices from SAW, a franchise that gets explicit shoutouts here, SCARE PACKAGE II: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE, directed by franchise co-creator Aaron Koontz and written by Koontz & fellow creator Cameron Burns, plays the game of revising what we think we saw in the previous film.

We’re at the funeral of Chad (Jeremy King), proprietor of a video store and lover of horror movies. The guests include survivors of the massacre by the Devil’s Lake Impaler (Dustin Rhodes), and actors who played characters in mini-films screened in SCARE PACKAGE I (this franchise is ultra-meta). Chad was a major film know-it-all back in the first film, and he’s arranged for videos of him speaking on the subject to be played at the service.

Soon enough, everybody is fighting for their lives, while not watching a selection of films made for inclusion in SCARE PACKAGE II.

These include “Welcome to the 90s,” written and directed by Alexandra Barreto, which is a commentary on final girls and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (minus vampires); “The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI”, written by John Karsko and directed by Anthony Cousins, which continues the HALLOWEEN/FRIDAY THE 13th riff started in SCARE PACKAGE I; “Special Edition,” written and directed by HOST (the Zoom horror film, not the Bong Joon-ho feature) co-writer Jed Shepherd, which has something sure to delight HOST fans; and Koontz & Burns wrote “We’re So Dead,” directed by Rachelle Wiggins, which compiles homages to three specific past films (there is literally a quiz).

There is no doubting the love of horror here, with not just nods to genres and subgenres and individual movies, but extended riffs based on signature moments from earlier features.

Everyone is game, the plentiful gore and melt effects are good, and having the individual sections made by a variety of writers and directors mean that we get lively shifts in tone and style.

King is on point as Chad, and Zoe Graham, a fellow SCARE PACKAGE I veteran, pivots expertly as things go from absurd to serious and back.

Koontz & Burns have set up one challenge for themselves that they don’t know how to overcome. There are lots of villains in SCARE PACKAGE II, but the primary one we deal with is yet another returning character. This in itself is not a problem, and he’s a plausible antagonist under the circumstances. However, this is someone who was tagged in the first film as being annoying by Chad himself, and it’s a case where a little goes a long way.

Otherwise, SCARE PACKAGE II: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE dishes out worship, spoof, and blood in about equal measure. It showcases some promising talent on both sides of the camera. As it ties its current story to the previous film’s plot, it’s wholly possible that any bewilderment that ensues is intentional. After all, plenty of horror movie sequels create a “wait, what?” reflex; SCARE PACKAGE II is faithful on this front as well.

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Article: Movie Review: SCARE PACKAGE II: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE

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