VOD of the Dead - SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD'S REVENGE (2022)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Horror Anthologies are the mystery box of the horror genre; you never know what you’re going to get and you have at least half of what you do is decent. The bar by which we judge anthologies has historically always been lower. I attribute this mainly to the fact that anthologies put their eggs in many baskets, which means that some stories can be great and some can be not so great rather than sticking to one single story/plot line. I mostly enjoy anthologies because of this, and the best of the bunch not only deliver more good stories than bad, but they also find a unique way to tie the stories together with a through-line plot. This is not to say that the through-line is a requirement, more of a nice to have, and when there is one it can be as helpful as it can be harmful to the overall film. This sets us up perfectly for SHUDDER’s newest anthology on December 22nd, SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE. Is this anthology a hodge-podge of horror’s best and brightest, or is it just another amalgamation of ideas with very little to care about?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When horror guru Rad Chad Buckley’s funeral turns into an elaborate series of death traps centered around Chad's favorite films, the guests must band together and use the rules of horror to survive the bloody game.
HOW IS IT?
Like any self-respecting horror fan, I’m a total hypocrite. It’s one of the many reasons I like to rewatch movies I’ve seen before, even if I don’t like them so that I can see if time has changed my reading and sentiment about something. I’d say about half of the time my opinion on something changes, and the other half things remain about the same. There is no real logic as to when I revisit something, although that would be the more research-based way of doing things, it usually is when I barely remember anything about the movie. Why am I sharing all of this? Because SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE (referred to as SP2 for brevity) is the kind of movie that I think I may feel differently about given some time.
I’d be lying if I said I remembered details from the first film, however, I do recall watching it and being pretty lukewarm about it. Which is kind of how I feel about SP2, except I can’t tell if it’s just because I wasn’t sure what I was going to get. Without going into any spoilers, this feels as if it takes place shortly or right after the first film. There is no need to go back and watch that to pick this one up, as the majority of the story is a wrap-around where Chad tortures his ‘friends” at his own wake while they encounter various rooms where we get different directors giving their best 10-15 minutes of terror. Like any anthology, there is un-evenness abound, but I found myself warming up to it the further along I got with it. The one thing that really makes or breaks SP2 is the humor. If you can’t get past how on the nose it can be, there is a very real chance you will hate this movie. Like any art, it’s an acquired taste and one that I found myself enjoying later but certainly less at the start. The first story is certainly the biggest offender of winking at the audience, and yet, the more I think about the core idea the more I like it.
The references do fly in fast and furiously, which can be groan-inducing because of just how out of place it feels, and that is truly the Achilles heel of SP2. As I said before, it will divide viewers right away, but if you stick with it and can get past it there are some interesting stories being told in bloody fun ways. It’s far from perfect, as are the majority of anthology films, but it certainly is confident of the kind of movie it wants to be and succeeds at that. There will be those that adore this kind of movie, and they wouldn’t be wrong for doing so. It has a charm to it that is authentic even if it constantly nudges you to react to the line/quote/gag that spoofs your favorite horror movie. In some ways, it’s almost a really gory SCARY MOVIE, if there was an anthology nestled throughout. I’ve heard others say that good satire is both a good example of the thing being satirized as much as it is a lampooning. SCREAM is both a great slasher and satirized meta-commentary on the slasher film. SP2 does an admirable job of trying to do both, even if it isn’t very subtle about it.
LAST RITES
SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE is a film you’re either going to love to hate or just hate, but for those who give it a chance will be rewarded with some fun, interesting, and bloody ideas that are worth the 96-minutes of your time.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Alexandra Barreto (segment "Welcome to the 90s")
Anthony Cousins (segment "The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI: The Night She Came Back")
Jed Shepherd (segment "Special Edition")
Rachele Wiggins (segment "We're So Dead")
Written By
Alexandra Barreto (segment) (segment "Welcome to the 90s")
Cameron Burns (segment "We're So Dead")
John Karsko segment "The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI: The Night She Came Back")
Jed Shepherd (segment "Special Edition")
Starring
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