We get to see the TV glow some more in the camcorder slasher sequel Hell Squad 2: Fresh Meat, written and directed by Carter Bentley and Grayce Anne Mosier. It has been a year since the cheer squad massacre, where a masked killer chopped folks up and stuffed the meat into cans. The Legend of Helga Hellman has spread like wildfire, with the murders getting nationwide attention. Inside the abandoned canning factory that was the site of the killings, the sleazy Gordon Gordo (Ben Carter) is opening an amusement attraction to cash in.
The surviving cheerleaders, Janey (Cassidy Petrykowski), Chandler (Micah Morrow), Maxxine (Camille Dunn), Logan (Emma Herlong), Amy (Naima Said), and Harper (Maya Noor), are determined to stop this from happening as it makes light of the horrendous ordeal they went through. Just ask survivor Missy (Grayce Anne Mosier), who now lives with her roommate Alice (Kailin Rojas-Echeverria). Alice was just chilling when suddenly there was a killing. Missy finds dead Alice all over the floor with someone dressed in a Helga Hellman costume closing in on her. There is a bloody attack, which results in Missy being thrown from a high-story window. Unaware the murders have restarted, the cheerleaders continue their campaign against the amusement park, with one person after another dying horribly.
“…see the TV glow some more in the camcorder slasher sequel…”
First, the good news: Hell Squad 2: Fresh Meat successfully makes the leap from the condensed short of the original to a full-length shot on video feature. Bentley and Mosier don’t pad out their short original; instead, they are exploring new avenues. The pacing is still as tight as a drum, and the kill scenes are as generous as they are numerous. This is also one of the best video shootings I have seen, and it is so much higher in production value than what was available for the most part in the 90s. The lighting remains awesome, adding that extra dose of rocket fuel to all the murdering but also benefiting from that classic VHS color bleed. The special effects are both practical and darling, with the obvious fakeness balanced out by the vigor of the gore.
The Helga Hellman outfit looks as badass as always, with its influences of Motel Hell and Tourist Trap to create what the fashionable murderer will be wearing this season. It also looks very scary when there mare any people in the same shot wearing the Helga masks at once. This, plus the retro format, will be more than enough to satisfy the core audience of slasher pictures.
"…more than enough to satisfy the core audience of slasher pictures"
