SHUDDER’S Scare Package 2 (Rad Chad’s Revenge) Bleeds Horror Nostalgia

Created by: Aaron B. Koontz & Cameron Burns

Directed by: Aaron B. Koontz

Segment Directors: Alexandra Barreto, Anthony Cousins, Jed Shepherd, Rachele Wiggins

Starring: Zoe Graham, Jeremy King, Rich Sommer, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Kelli Maroney, Graham Skipper, Maria Olsen, Steph Barkley, Barbara Bingham, Chelsea Grant, Byron Brown, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward
Distributor: Shudder

When horror guru Rad Chad Buckley’s funeral turns into an elaborate series of death traps centred around Chad’s favourite films, the guests must band together and use the rules of horror to survive the bloody game. 

By: Chris Hammond

SCARE PACKAGE 2: Rad Chad’s Revenge is a blood-soaked horror spoof film at its core. It picks up where the original Scare Package film left off. Video store owner Rad Chad (Jeremy King) is being laid to rest (after the events of the finale of the first film). Funeral attendees include Jessie Kapowski (Zoe Graham) she is of course the “final girl” from the main segment of Scare Package. Along with her is girlfriend Kimmie (Shakira Ja’nai Paye), Sam (Byron Brown), Rick (Rich Sommer), Jessie’s mother Ms. Kapowski (Kelli Maroney) Chad’s cousin Bo Buckley (Jeremy King), Dwight (Graham Skipper) and Moira (Maria Olsen) who plays Chad’s final VHS address to funeral attendees. Chad tells the group of people to “stay rad, my friends” before the room is filled with gas knocking everyone out.

When the group awakes they find themselves in a different location with one more video address from Chad asking them to “play a game” if they wish to get out alive.

The first short entitled “Welcome to the 90s” takes place on new year’s eve 1989. A killer chooses the wrong college fraternity house while looking for victims. He enters the “Final Girl’s House” instead of the happily named “Sure to Die” house and “horror”larity ensues. This segment stars Tony the Killer (Joshua Miller), Ginny (Luxy Banner), Ellen (Stef Estep-Gozlao), Nancy (Shaina Schrooten), Laurie (Allison Sugimoto), Sally (Elizabeth Trieu) and Buffy (Steph Barkley). Although funny (especially naming the group after characters from horror films), there’s an underlying seriousness in poking fun at horror stereotypes or labels. This is a solid segment and gives the viewers a good idea of what the rest of the film will entail.

It should be noted that in between these stories that are shown on the screen there are segments with the trapped funeralgoers. In these segments, the group must do tasks to survive or face bodily harm. These are fun and chuckle-worthy, especially the one that includes a very Bee-worthy spoof of Nicolas Cage in The Wickerman (2006).

Other segments include “The Night He Came Back Again! Part VI: The Night She Came Back”. This segment is a pseudo-sequel to a story that is in the first film. There’s a very heavy “supernatural serial killer” feel to this one. It does wrap up the story nicely, but it would be a good idea to watch the first film before viewing this. It will make more sense, plus who watches part two of a film without seeing part one anyway?

Scare Package 2 doesn’t just spoof movies, it also spoofs urban legends. In “Special Edition” we see Rachel (Haley Bishop), Charlie (Radina Drandova), Zoe (Jemma Moore), Jenny (Caroline Ward) and Helena (Emma Louise Webb) explore the Three men and a little baby legend. The one where there’s supposedly a child’s ghost in one scene. The group unleashes something that threatens their survival while they view the video. This segment is unlike the others, there are no playing things up for laughs and this is legit spooky. A very solid segment, but it does feel out of place considering the tone of the rest of the film.

The final story within a story is “We’re so dead”. This one spoofs so many different film troupes all in one. A group of “misfit” kids bring back a dead body they find while out walking on a path in the woods. They concoct a green serum to inject into the dead man’s body. Their laboratory for this experiment is one of the children’s basements in their home. This “good” idea turns horribly “bad” when things don’t go as planned.

Scare Package 2 (Rad Chad’s Revenge) is a very inclusive film. Hardcore horror fans and new horror fans will enjoy the bulk of the material. Catching all the pop culture homages will keep viewers busy and offers great reachability to the film. Obviously, co-director/co-creators Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns are fans of horror. They create a world within a world and also keep the film fun and creepy at the same time.

The cast of each segment is well-suited for their roles. Sure, there’s some overacting, but only when it is called for. It was a treat to see Night of the Comet‘s Kelli Maroney on screen as a sassy fun character again. Jeremy King as Rad Chad is a fun character and some of the reveals in the third act of the film are executed perfectly.

The cinematography is really good and makes the sets look larger than they are. The film looks like it was made on a big budget despite not having a huge one. The score and soundtrack also sound larger. This film feels more polished than the first entry, which is good but also causes it to lose a bit of the charm of the original Scare Package.

Scare Package 2 (Rad Chad’s revenge) is a fun one to watch and look for all the horror references from other films. It may not have the originality that the first one has, but it does feel like a bigger-budget film. The segments and stories are interesting. This is a worthwhile second entry, Hopefully, Chad will return for one more romp in the future.

Available on Shudder December 22, 2022