The first “Amateur Porn Star Killer” ended with a young girl murdered, a charming killer wandering the streets and a video tape that showed the crime in all its gruesome detail. The sequel has the same basic concept, but there are enough differences between the two to make this more of a continuation instead of the usual rehash we’ve come to expect from sequels.
“Amateur Porn Star Killer 2: The Snuff Version” (there is a “movie” version, as well, which will be reviewed later) starts with the killer (director and co-writer Shane Ryan) secretly taping a woman (co-writer Kai Lanette) from afar. While the victim in the first film was a naive girl, this soon-to-be-victim comes across as a little more streetwise and resourceful, and that’s where part of this film’s power lies.
If you’ve seen the first film, you know what to expect. To sum it up as simply as possible: This is a realistic-looking snuff movie that plays like something a killer would film. The sex is real, the violence is not bloody (which works in its favor), and all of that works to gives viewers a very tangible sense of uneasiness as they watch. That discomfort isn’t as overbearing as it was in the first film (which was in large part due to the fact that the first film’s victim looked so young), but that’s not to say this film won’t bother you. It will, and for all the right reasons.
Ryan has, once again, created something bound to raise eyebrows and the ire of morality police everywhere. He makes no apologies for it, and he does it so well that if you go into the film with an open mind you can’t help but be impressed by how good a job he’s done. In other hands this movie would have gone way over the top, but Ryan knows exactly how to make this succeed. Whether or not you think that is a compliment depends largely on how you view the film.
“APSK 2: The Snuff Version” will leave conservatives saying Ryan’s gone too far. Gorehounds will say he hasn’t gone far enough. The end result, however, remains the same. The film pushes buttons, and it does so very skillfully. It is perverse and haunting, while at the same time being artistically exploitative. It’s the kind of film that tests people’s limits, and that’s exactly why it is essential filmmaking and worth seeing by anyone who thinks movies should do more than entertain.
