John’s Horror Corner: Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011), a grisly sequel deserving of a part 3!

MY CALL: Not as good as part 1, but still a gory, gooey, sticky, gross slasher delight that remains mean to the bone. MORE MOVIES LIKE Laid to Rest 2: For more ultra-mean and ultra-gory slasher fare, be sure you saw the original Laid to Rest (2009), The Hills Run Red (2009), Hatchet I-IV (2006-2017) and Terrifier 1-2 (2016, 2022).

Director and writer Robert Hall (Fear Clinic, Laid to Rest) picks this sequel up with the very scene that ended Laid to Rest (2009), as our nameless final girl is driven from the gas station with Tommy (Thomas Dekker; A Nightmare on Elm Street, Village of the Damned, Laid to Rest). Our amnesiac final girl from part 1 (Bobbi Sue Luther) is replaced with a new actress (Allison Kyler; Maneater, Toolbox Murders 2, Prom Night).

Preston (Brian Austin Green), a detective investigating the crime scene, discovers Chromeskull’s camera and… Chromeskull (Nick Principe; Xenophobia, Laid to Rest) is not dead! Preston then tracks down our final girl and reveals his sinister motives when he slices her up on camera.

The cadaverous gore remains pleasurably graphic and intense. The first victim boasts some seriously macabre imagery, and the surgery scene (saving Chromeskull) is really grotesque, with a post-op face that is quite the spectacle!

Apparently Preston is involved in “something” that affords him access to a Swiss bank account, a really swanky office decorated in “Chromeskull” masks, and an assistant Spann (Danielle Harris; Hatchet II-IV, Halloween I-II, The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond). They work for Chromeskull.

Some disagreements in the chain of command create insurrection in this apparent “Chromeskull LLC.” This may add some complexity to the story (compared to part 1), but not in any manner that garners my favor. Frankly, I’d rather have some of my yet unanswered questions from part 1 addressed. But instead, I just have more questions. But you know what? As long as all the death scenes and gore effects remain flaming red hot, I’m not going to complain! I don’t mind that this steers away from the mysterious slasher and instead steers in the direction of Saw IV-VI (2009).

These movies really feature some truly inspired death scenes. The creativity behind these knife lacerations makes slashers exciting again. Knives get jammed and caught in some unexpected places, and their dislodging often entails the unfurling of large flaps of flesh revealing huge, gaping, sticky wounds. My favorite death scene may have been the one when a guy’s head is sheered vertically until the two halves flop in either direction. It was also a splendor when a victim’s throat (or entire neck) was minced to roast beef until the weight of its body beneath yanked itself decapitated.

This sequel was definitely not as wow-tastic as the original. But I really enjoyed it still! The gore is persists turned up to an “11” with incredibly creative implementation of that gore and the death scenes themselves.

We end the film with the knowledge that Chromeskull and his organization still function. Unfortunately, there never came about a part 3. With the recent success of the ultra-mean, ultra-gory Terrifier (2016, 2022) movies, I can only hope Chromeskull may likewise find his due resurrection.