Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman

I use the term bad very loosely, because like the first one, the sequel is so bad that it's good -- and that's the point! With the production values of a Cinemax skin-flick, shoddy effects and paper thin characters, 'Jack Frost 2' is one of the best bad movies I have ever laid eyes upon. This time around, we are on a tropical island where Sam & his wife Anne are trying to put the past behind them this Christmas. Sam is still troubled by what Jack did and feels a connection to him. No surprise then that when Jack shows up, Sam goes insane and Anne steps up as the Linda Hamilton/Sigourney Weaver type and takes matters into her own hands to find a way to not only destroy Jack, but his hundreds of mini-killer snowball offspring as well (that somewhat resemble the Gremlins). If you ever wanted to see a Snowman cry and get covered in bananas by a bunch of walking stereotypes, this movie is for you. If you liked the first, there's no reason not to like this one. Just curious though, what happened to Sam & Anne's son?

8/10

I had to write in and warn potential Jack Frost 2 viewers that the version that is circulating around in the video stores (the VHS version to be specific) is void of good gore content. If you want to see this movie, which I recommend since it is a good rainy Sunday night tongue-in-cheek fest, get the DVD version that hasn't been cut to shreds!! Then you get all the eye gougings, head explosions and crushed bodies you would hope to see when you picked up the ever so taunting box at the store. Simply put, the cut version is the one you will probably see, and it sucks because of what ended up on the cutting room floor.

Title: Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman; Genre: Horror; Certificate: 18; Year: 2000; Director: Michael Cooney

Starring: Christopher Allport, Eileen Seeley, Chip Heller, Ray Cooney

Once in a while, a movie comes along that redefines the way you look at celluloid entertainment, if only for a short time. When flashy directors spend millions soaking their movies with state-of-the-art special effects, it supposedly increases the entertainment value of their work. Takes flicks like "The Matrix", "The 6th Day" and "Independence Day". I can honestly say that the entertainment ascertained from all the above movies paled in comparison to dismal B-movie "Jack Frost 2".

Yes, you heard me right. "Jack Frost 2" is utterly dismal. It is a B-movie in every sense of the phrase, looks like it was made with an expensive camcorder and stars actors who could very well be your neighbours. But despite this, it still managed to make me laugh so hard I thought I'd cough my lungs up right there.

The premise of "Jack Frost 2" follows similarly to the 1997 prequel. In the original, a serial killer is killed in a car wreck, but he somehow mutates into a snowman and seeks revenge on the sheriff who caught him. The sequel sees a lab expirement go wrong, and once again Jack Frost's remains mutate and he goes on a killing spree on a tropical island where our unfortunate Sheriff Tiler (Christopher Allport) and his wife are attending their friends wedding party.

But the beauty in this movie is not the storyline (as brilliant as a killer snowman on a tropical island is), or the script (which although generally awful, has some humorous and very witty lines). It could be attributed to any of a number of things. Perhaps the memorably bad acting and performances. Maybe the laughable special-effects and settings. The complete lack of editing, direction and production also help make this movie unforgettable. And finally the injection of Jack's "children" - a blatant rip-off of Gremlins, but hilarious all the same.

Not everyone is going to view this movie the way I did. Some will probably switch it off after 15 minutes. But if you like complete and utter rubbish, this is as good as it gets.

How about "Jack Frost 3: Jack vs Worzel Gummidge".

Rating: ***

Jack Frost 2 Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman is a very dumb movie but not a boring one.

Jack Frost 2 is about that killer snowman who is trying to kill the sheriff that caught him. Jack follows him to the tropics where again Jack starts to kill. This time he has help with little mutant snowball he creates.

The look of Jack Frost and the snowballs is poor looking. Jack Frost 2 is entertaining but not a what I would call that good of a b horror movie.

If you really want to enjoy it don't take it seriously.

Any self-respecting fan of cheap flicks is bound to approach Jack Frost 2 with a certain degree of understandable caution. Sequels are always tricky ground in this genre, and when you're dealing with the sequel to possibly the most beloved "Killer-Snowman-Shags-That-Chick-From-American-Pie-To-Death-In-The-Shower" movie ever, (a hotly contested title, for sure, but I stand by my judgement), the stakes are obviously fairly high.

Being able to recapture exactly the same sense of cheesy ineptitude without overdoing it was always going to be a tricky task. Cooney succeeds in fine style, principally by following the established blueprint in an entirely new location. In this case; a tropical island. Natural stalking ground for a snowman.

Early sequences, in which Jack is represented by a puddle of water and a carrot on a piece of thread, might suggest to the casual viewer that the budget for this follow-up will not stretch to the dazzling visual spectacles presented by the original. Don't be fooled.. Cooney knows just what he's doing, and is merely lulling the casual viewer into a false sense of security. He pulls out his trump card in the latter third of the flick. He has bought a home PC animation package, and he knows how to use it.

Well, he doesn't *quite* know how to use it. But he'll have a jolly good go. Hence, inept live action effects are seamlessly blended with inept computer generated effects, and we're all set for a staggeringly poor finale.

Despite the somewhat misleading title, at no point does Jack kill any mutants. Pity. I'm sure he'd have kicked Wolverine's fuzzy backside.