Frames of Fear 2

Director(s) - Nathan Hine (The Sideling Hill), Mike O'Mahony (I.B.S., Sloppy the Psychotic), Jim Roberts (Tonight You Die), Brad Twigg (Killer Campout, Milfs vs. Zombies), and John Ward
Starring - Ashley Campbell (My Mom's a Joke, Alien Domicile), James Costa (A Dark Place Inside, Deadly Detour), and Joya Dawson (Midnight Macabre)
Release Date - 2017
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Just when you thought it was safe to use the VCR"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Brad Twigg is a very versatile filmmaker.  He has taken on slashers, horror hosts, zombies, and several anthology films.  I enjoy Twigg's feature length films but he has an eye for anthologies.  The very first film of his I saw was an anthology film titled Ghoulish Tales.  The film was very rough but still did it's job.  I was really impressed by it.  Since then Twigg has worked on the horror anthologies Frames of Fear and Fiendish Fables.  Both of which were outstanding.  After finishing up Milfs vs. Zombies Twigg set his sights on another horror anthology which would serve as a follow up to his Frames of Fear.  This time it would see him partnering with Nathan Hine, Mike O'Mahony, Jim Roberts, and John Ward.  I ran into Brad, Nathan, and Jim at SteelCity Comic Con a few weeks back and was able to score a limited edition DVD from them.  It only made sense to check this one out after reviewing Twigg's Killer Campout.
     The film follows a group of girls who are getting together for a movie night where they watch horror host Festering Frank (George Stover) and he takes us through several tales of horror and the macabre.  The first tale, The Last Days of Livermore, follows a young man who visits the grave of someone near and dear to him as he tells her goodbye one last time only to regret his decision and follows her to the grave.  The second tale, What's Wrong with Mom, follows two brothers who visit their mother after receiving a phone call that she is extremely ill.  Howeve, what they find is something far worse.  The third tale, Axemas, follows a group of twenty-somethings as they visit a storage unit to party it up only to be stalked by a maniac in a Santa costume.  The fourth and final tale, Don't Try this at Home, follows a married couple who return from a date and decide to take some mild drugs before bed only to wake up covered in blood.
     I really like how Twigg approached Fiendish Fables and Frames of Fear.  They were both well polished and well put together.  When he announced a sequel I was looking forward to seeing more anthology goodness.  Frames of Fear 2 delivered on the cheesy stories, the gore, and the great wraparound segments.  The acting in this one is inconsistent and inexperienced.  Each segment varies in quality but everyone shows a lot of on camera charisma but lack experience.  A little more hands on with the direction and rehearsal would have went a long way.  The stories for this range in quality.  A few were pretty damn entertaining but one fell flat.  The wraparound segment by Brad Twigg was a solid entry to the film that tied everything nicely.  It perfectly bookend each story and held it together like the classic horror anthologies of the 80s.  The first tale in the film, The Last Days of Livermore, by Nathan Hine was not the the story I expected and started out giving the impression that it was going to be a classic zombie tale set in the cemetery.  However, I was wrong.  The story was a romantic horror tale that caught me off guard.  This one was one of the highlights of the films.  The tale What's Wrong With Mom, by Jim Roberts,  was one of my favorites in the film.  The story had great tension and build.  The only downside to the tale was that it was so short.  I would love to see this one expanded or turned into a feature length film.  The biggest let down of the film was the segment Axemas.  The tale was almost scene for scene as the Easter slasher The Night Before Easter which also followed a group of twenty-somethings partying in a storage unit while being hunted by a holiday themed slasher.  I didn't care for this segment just like I didn't care for The Night Before Easter.  The final segment, Don't Try This at Home, is one of the more unnerving tales in the film.  It starts out slow but god damn does it hit hard when it comes to an end.  Any parent should be shook after this segment.  Finally, the film has several on screen kills.  The blood is flowing and gore is there for the gorehounds out there.  Each segment, as in every aspect of the film, varies in practical effect quality but the film as a whole looks fantastic.  Most of these kills are fucking brutal and fucking gorgeous.  Overall, Frames of Fear 2 is a damn fine horror anthology.  If you grew up on Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow like me then you need this for your collection.  Check it out.