Der Henker 2 (2004)

Der Henker 2 (2004) - Germany

Directed by: Patrick Woikowski and Karsten Thomas

ABOUT THE FILM:

It's often expected that a sequel doesn't live up to the standards of the original movie. In the case of Der Henker 2 this is especially dubious, with the film's prequel in mind. The original may have been bad, and this film certainly isn't a step-up in terms of quality, but this film is actually vastly gorier and more entertaining than its predecessor!

This film proceeds where the last film left off, as our titular villain continues to embark on his gratuitously bloody rampage, slaughtering everyone from punks, to random bystanders, to the members of the band Cuntgrinder, all the while two people set out to try and stop him.

REVIEW:

As previously stated, this film is vastly more entertaining to watch than the previous outing in the series. The acting is still bad, but in that charming and entertaining manner. Despite having poor technical elements such as bad editing and sound design, the camera work is still good and even inventive at times. The special effects are still laughable at best, but at the very least, this film sports a whopping body count of 70 (?) people, with gallons of cheap "blood" spurting everywhere. Heads are lopped off and stabbed with scythes and axes, guts are ripped and torn out, bodies are sawed in two down the middle; Der Henker even utilizes a flail made with fucking baby heads for spike balls. If that isn't badass, then I don't know what is. And once again, this film does not take itself seriously in the slightest. If it did, it would've made itself a real chore to watch.

There isn't anything outstanding here in terms of story, but you'll be so busy laughing your ass off at the terrible special effects that you won't care. Overall, if you can look past all of its flaws and faults and just accept it for being the grandiose piece of trash it is, Der Henker 2 makes for a thoroughly entertaining 59 minutes.

Even more exciting, a third (and final?) installment in the series is slated to be released later this year! 

RELEASES:

 -Similar to the original, this film was also self-released on Video-CD by Henker Productions in 2004, with a cheap, photocopied black and white cover.

-The film was later re-released in 2014 by Henker Productions and Cyberpunk Kaiju Experimentalworld as a double-bill with its prequel and a scant few extras. Extras include optional English subtitles, deleted scenes, a music video for Kadaverficker's Putrefied Stench and Gore, and the original DVD Trailer.