Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge

Director(s) - Alexandra Barreto (Cut and Run, Lady Hater), Anthony Cousins (Scare Package, When Susurrus Stirs), Arron B. Koontz (The Pale Door, The El Chupugcabra), Jed Shepherd (Ghosts, Multiplex), and Rachele Wiggins (Deadhouse Dark, Ciere)

Starring - Steph Barkley (Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween, Transylvania Shore),  Chelsey Grant (Whiskey and Wine, Dead Cell), and Luc Barrett (Thor: Love and Thunder, Barons)

Release Date - 2022

Genre - Horror/Comedy

Tagline - "The call is coming from inside the movie"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Back at the end of 2020 I reviewed the horror anthology Scare Package. I loved the idea behind the film and a lot of the segments found their mark, but it was missing something that made it stand out from other genre anthologies. With that being said, the artwork for this film is one of the best posters I’ve seen on an indie horror production which would add to the film’s success. Many that I know that actually took the time to see it stated that it was mediocre and often ribbed me about my review saying I was paid off among other things. This would be the consensus for the film with it currently holding a 5 out of 10 on imdb out of 4k votes. Honestly, it was fun, but I can see why some genre fans didn’t like it as much as I did which is why I was shocked when I received word that a sequel was soon hitting Shudder. A few days after I received the press release, I was sent an email that the film was uploaded to Shudder’s viewing room for reviewers to check out. I wasn’t able to get to it right away but as soon as I found the time, I was quick to check it out. 

      The film picks up after the death of Rad Chad and as people gather to mourn his loss they find themselves playing a morbid game set up by the late Rad Chad and a horror fan that frequented his video store. 

      Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge is the type of film that starts out with a good idea before quickly spiraling into something that doesn’t hold a candle to the original concept. I liked a few of the segments, along with a huge part of the cast, but the overall film was very underwhelming. I was pretty fucking pumped to check it out, but the overall film left me feeling disappointed and cheated. The acting in this one is the highlight of the film. I really enjoyed the cast of characters in this film and how generic they were. The film is a parody of the genre, especially sequels, and the characters are no different. We have so many different character tropes portrayed here, and the cast does one hell of a job at bringing them to life. Hell, I don’t think the film would be nearly as enjoyable if the characters was not as fun as they are. The stories for this one is hit or miss with me. The wrap around segment that slowly becomes a half-assed parody of Saw that doesn’t really work. It’s not as clever as they expected and the deeper into the parody, we go the less and less it works. There was a few other tributes, or parody depending on where you are standing, was fun but having the entire wraparound segment parody Saw was a huge waste of time. However, a few of the segments were pretty fun. I liked Welcome to the 90s which follows a slasher that skips the typical party girls of a college and attack the smart and independent women that are your typical final girls. I also liked We’re So Dead which was a mix of Re-Animator and horror tales centered around children like Stranger Things. It was a fun story that could easily be morphed into a feature length film. Now, with that being said, I was not a fan of Special Edition, The Night He Came Back Again Part VI, and the wraparound. They just felt rushed and lacked anything for the viewer to latch onto. Finally, this film has some seriously impressive effects. We get a ton of blood and gore with some of the gooiest effects I’ve seen in a minute. If you want some messy scenes full of guts and other bodily fluids then this one is for you. Overall, Scare Package II feels like a sequel that is trying to cash in on what little success the first film had. With a middle of the road score on imdb I can only imagine that this one was greenlit due to numbers from Shudder. However, it lacks heart and imagination resulting in one of the dullest, yet bloodiest, sequels I’ve seen in recent years. Skip it.