The Pact 2 – Movie Review

by | Aug 11, 2015 | Movie Reviews, Reviews | 0 comments

the-pact-2The Pact 2
Directed by Dallas Richard Hallam & Patrick Horvath
July 7, 2015
Reviewed by Matthew Scott Baker

I saw The Pact just a couple of months ago, even though the film was released in 2012, and I loved it. It is an edgy horror flick that kept me riveted to my seat. I was surprised to discover a sequel had been made, which was released on July 7, 2015. For some reason, the plot didn’t strike me as one that would garner a sequel, and after watching The Pact 2, I was correct: the writers should have left the original as a stand-alone. Granted, The Pact 2 is not a horrible movie…but it doesn’t offer anything new, just a sort of rehashing of the original plot.

If you are not familiar with The Pact 2, here is the plot synopsis courtesy of IFC Midnight:

Picking up only a few weeks after the events in the new horror classic The Pact left off, this stunning sequel finds June Abbott (Camilla Luddington, “Grey’s Anatomy”) plagued by nightmares of murder so awful that they disturb her waking life. Meanwhile, a copycat of the Judas Killer has been terrorizing her neighborhood, and when the FBI agent assigned to the case informs her of the danger, June is horrified to discover that the actions of this new killer mirror the bloody visions she’s been having in her sleep. Determined to pursue her own investigation even while her grip on reality weakens, June sets off on a quest that may lead her to the horrifying truth of the Judas Killer’s master plan.

I will admit I did enjoy The Pact 2 overall. It is technically more of a thriller though, rather than a horror movie. The scenes that do try to terrify the viewer end up coming across as lame. You can watch the first film and see the same thing.

The acting in the film is decent, which is another reason the film earns a plus from me; bad acting kills more decent films than I can count. Camilla Luddington gives a great performance, and I hope to see from her in the future. I also enjoyed seeing Caity Lotz onscreen again, reprising her role from the original film.

The story in The Pact 2 is okay, however the big twist can be seen coming from a mile away. I’m not exactly sure how I picked up on it, but the reveal was evident to me from early on in the film. Still, certain viewers might actually be surprised by it when it comes. Aside from the twist, the plot is not overly clever or even that original; I could swear I’ve seen similar story lines before.

The Pact 2 is not terrible, but I can’t see it winning any awards either. The pacing is a bit slow, the scares are non-existent, and the story is weak…but the film can still be an effective thriller to the right audience. Fans of the first might want to check it out, just to see how it is different, but I would steer clear of it unless you have seen the first one; due to certain plot points, you will have no clue as to what is going on if you haven’t.

About Matthew Scott Baker

Matthew Scott Baker is a horror writer from Greenland, AR. His fiction has appeared in Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as a couple of anthology collections, including FIFTY SHADES OF DECAY, a zombie anthology published in 2013 by Angelic Knight Press. In addition to writing fiction, Matthew runs Shattered Ravings, a blog devoted to reviewing movies and books in the horror, science-fiction, and fantasy genres.

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