Taglines: It’s starting again.
Only a few weeks after Annie Barlow exterminated the plague that was the Judas Killer, we meet June Abbott, a woman whose carefully constructed life in Los Angeles is beginning to unravel due to lucid nightmares so awful they disturb her waking life.
When Special Agent Terrence Ballard, the FBI agent assigned to wrap up the case of the newly deceased Judas Killer, shows up at June’s door, he brings with him some terrifying news – there is a Judas copycat killer on the loose in her neighborhood! In the course of his investigation, Ballard shows June a picture of the copycat killer’s victim, and she is stunned to see that it’s the same woman she saw brutally murdered in her nightmares.
A series of hauntings begin to torment June, growing in frequency and ferocity over time. Now, not only does she see murder victims, but her dreams put herself in the role of the murderer. June fears that the spirit of the
Judas Killer is the architect of some greater plan in which she must now play a part. June struggles to maintain her grip on sanity as she plunges into her own investigation of these events. No matter the result, the truth will be horrifying; either there is true evil inside of her, or someone, or something, is determined to destroy her.
The Pact 2 is an American horror film written and directed by Nicholas McCarthy and starring Caity Lotz and Casper Van Dien. The film was made following the success of McCarthy’s short film of the same name which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It had its nationwide theatrical release on September 5 and received positive reviews from critics.
The Pact 2 Review
FBI agent Ballard (Patrick Fischler), who’s recently wrapped up the case of the prolific “Judas Killer,” reveals that June’s mother was one of his original victims and now Ballard believes that the copycat murderer who decapitated Ford is targeting June. As her terrifying visions of Ford’s death intensify, strange noises and ghostly late-night visitations indicate that June’s LA home may be infested with an evil presence.
The reappearance of Annie Barlow (Lotz), the young woman who previously dispatched the Judas Killer in self-defense, contributes to June’s growing suspicion that Ballard’s theory may actually be correct, as she senses a threatening presence closing in on her that neither the FBI agent nor Daniel can protect her from.
Connecting the two films with the premise that the malevolent spirit of the Judas Killer is now inspiring and informing the murder spree of his imitator represents a fairly weak link that grows even more tentative as the action progresses. Co-scripters and directors Dallas Hallam and Patrick Horvath never seem quite sure which horror subgenre the film should favor, as the supernatural elements demonstrate little synergy with the serial-killer procedural plotting.
While the filmmakers adequately manage the production’s undemanding technical requirements, the constantly shifting tone emerges as an insurmountable contradiction. Saddled with this stylistic inconsistency, the castmembers fail to distinguish themselves in almost any regard. Luddington sulks her way through most of the movie, rarely demonstrating a level of terror equal to the horrors thrust upon her.
Although Lotz’s arrival midway through initially raises the interest level somewhat, she doesn’t stick around long enough to maintain it, while both Foster’s and Fischler’s plodding performances only create more drag on the increasingly conflicted plot. The film’s lower-budget production styling doesn’t compare well with the quality of similar recent releases, leaving the distinct impression of counterproductive cost-cutting.
The Pact 2
Directed by: Dallas Richard Hallam, Patrick Horvath
Starring: Caity Lotz, Scott Michael Foster, Camilla Luddington, Amy Pietz, Patrick Fischler, Alexandra Ryan
Screenplay by: Dallas Richard Hallam, Patrick Horvath
Production Design by: Helen Harwell
Cinematography by: Carmen Cabana
Film Editing by: Saul Herckis
Costume Design by: Molly Grundman
Music by: Carl Sondrol
MPAA Rating: None.
Studio: IFC Films
Release Date: September 5, 2014
Visits: 57
