Forgotten Frights is back! To celebrate the second anniversary of our annual horror movie roundup, every weekday for the next month we're going to sound off on a scary good sequel (or, if we want some cheese with our corn syrup, a schlocky second), ruminating on the returns of our favorite monsters, murderers, heroes (or heroines), creepies, crawlies, chills and thrills.
FINAL DESTINATION 2
What came before it: A very original movie about a young guy who sees a plane crash that leaves no survivors. Acting on his premonition, he saves his friends and a few other passengers, not realizing that they've altered their fate, or messed with "death's design." In the days that follow, death comes hunting.
What remains: Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), but otherwise, new director, new writers, new cast, same premise. If not for an entirely new slew of creative, gory and more-than-coincidental death scenes, it would have been a write-off. When A.J. Cook's character foresees a massive highway pileup, we know what's to come. (Though four sequels is a bit much.)
Why it deserves a second (or third, or fourth) chance:
- When Kimberly (Cook) hears "Highway to Hell" on the radio before the pileup. It's just too perfect.
- The Candyman, er, Tony Todd is back! Any good (b-list) horror movie is not complete without a Tony Todd (or Robert Englund) cameo. Unless Kane Hodder is the villain.
- The return of Clear Rivers (Larter), although "short-lived."
- Trivia: The news reporters in this movie are real-life Vancouver news reporters. Woop, woop for our journos!
- All the clues leading up a death (the one-eyed doll, the man with the hooks, an upside-down horseshoe...) make for a great (drinking) game.
- Although you know what's coming, with building anticipation and false-calls, you never really know when.
- It's kind of, sort of, maybe, a little bit funny sometimes. I feel guilty snickering at brutal murders, but they're just so improbable, ridiculously coincidental and seemingly preventable that I can't help it!
