By Geno McGahee
In 2000, BLOODY MURDER was released and it was heavily inspired by FRIDAY THE13th. In this follow up, BLOODY MURDER 2: CLOSING CAMP, we have a much higher production and more focused effort. They stepped up their game from top to bottom.
We begin with Tracy (Katy Woodruff). She has had a recurring dream involving her missing brother. He keeps telling her that Trevor Moorehouse won’t let him go and then, out of nowhere, a chainsaw rips right through him. It was quite neat to see that chainsaw rip right through his chest and Moorehouse is no longer sporting the hockey mask. He has his own unique mask. This was obviously an attempt to make something that follows the same formula but doesn’t downright take other ideas as they did in the first one.
This movie doesn’t have one ugly person either. They brought in attractive people and showed some T&A, a staple of any FRIDAY THE 13TH movie. The visuals are really good in this film overall and it was shot remarkably well. There actually is a creepy shot that I really enjoyed. The new mask, an emotionless pale face, like Michael Myers, but not a rip off, adds emphasis to the kill in the shower room. The lights flicker on and off as Trevor attacks a victim and the camerawork was very good.
This becomes a whodunit and there are plenty of suspects to choose from. The acting in this is remarkably better than the first and the story is far more compelling. Three counselors Tracy, Angela (Tiffany Shepis) and Sofie (Amanda Magarian) begin to unravel the mystery and are far more competent then the police, which is normal in a horror movie. It might be normal in real life too. What’s that saying: Support higher education – Send a police officer to third grade.
I have to give this production credit for a great ending. I really enjoyed the overacting of the killer and how he broke down his reasoning for the crimes to his potential victims. I found it very amusing. Added to the whodunit aspect of this, we also have the real Trevor Moorehouse on the loose, and when the two meet up…Trevor and the other killer posing as him, it was outstanding.
BLOODY MURDER 2: CLOSING CAMP is a winner. There are plenty of hot babes, a new look for Moorehouse, turning him into a unique force instead of a Jason clone, and strong acting, pushing the decent story along. It may not be a classic, but this movie was very well done and it still had the heart that the first movie had. The filmmakers involved obviously loved the genre and understood it and produced a flick that is a good contribution to the slasher in the woods style of horror. I recommend it!
Rating: 7/10 – A big improvement from the original in every way!
