[Rest Stop:Don't Look Back]
Plot:Returning Iraqi War veteran Tom Hilts heads off with his girlfriend, Marilyn Culver, and his best friend, Jared Schnauz, to discover what happened to his brother Jesse and his girlfriend Nicole, who disappeared a year ago. The terrible truth of what happened to Jesse and Nicole is about to repeat itself, as Tom, Marilyn and Jared run into the same bloodthirsty ghostly creatures--the driver, father, and mother--who have been plaguing luckless "sinners" on the Old Highway for decades.

Cast:Julie Mond, Richard Tillman, Jessie Ward, Graham Norris, Steve Railsback, Joey Mendocino.

My Thoughts:Beats "Rest Stop".

Review:"Rest Stop:Don't Look Back" is the followup entry to the 2006 horror pic "Rest Stop". A film which gained some popularity among hardcore horror fans. For what reason....I'm not sure. I thought it was a good film overall, but I guess when they release a sequel....there were more people who felt it was an excellent film. Then again, any movie with Joey "Whoa" Lawrence in it has to lose atleast a few points....atleast in my estimation. Anyhow, part two picks up with Jessie's brother, a corporal in the military of the U.S., returning home for a brief R&R stay.

He's got 10 days of leave time, so he plans to use it by visiting the old highway where his brother Jessie and his brothers girlfriend Nicole, disappeared awhile ago. He hopes to find out what happened to his brother...but the mysterious truck driver still lurks the highway. And while Jessie's brother Tom, who sets out with his girlfriend and a male friend of his...sees this as an opportunity to answer some unanswered questions...the driver sees it as an opportunity to gather up more victims. "Rest Stop 2" has one thing you can take solace in above all else....which is it answers all of the first films lingering questions. Thereby following the A-typical sequel rules.

Which is something many sequels these days stray away from doing. Instead of following the rules f answering left-open questions, they seem to pile on more questions on top of those already unanswered questions. Totally ripping the foundation of the series story to shreds. But "Rest Stop 2" answers all of those nagging questions such as the drivers origins...which is a question that's answered at the very start of the movie, and shares connections with a few characters from the first film.

How he can seemingly be somewhere and then vanish into thin air so easily, the freaky religious family origins, and of course the big one....what the fuck is up with the ghosts in the Rest Stop bathroom? All of those questions are answered, and in very creative and clever fashion if I do say so myself. The characters in this film are alot stronger than they were in part one as well. Unlike Jessie and Nicole, who were basically just victims of the crazy truck driver...in this film the male lead is more apt to fighting back, even though he's still weighed down by one male character who doesn't show as much courage, Tom's girlfriend holds up her end of the deal as a strong female lead who can be compared in some ways to Jamie Alexander's character from the first film.

Steve Railsback also makes a cameo in the film, getting a decent amount of screentime...and even being made an important part of the story, as he knows more about the driver than any of the other characters, including how to stop him. Thus making his character, a local store clerk...very useful to the films protagonists late in the game. The acting is a bit stronger in "Rest Stop 2", but where it really improves is the action. We don't spend the whole time with one character trapped in the bathroom, but instead the film takes us to various locations, and makes the most out of each action scene, creating alot if intensity and suspense moments that will excite the viewer.

Blood and gore are at standard levels in this picture, not being overdone...but not being kept too far out of the equation either. It's certainly a much gorier film than the first movie, but not a total bloodbath. There's also not a high body count in this picture either, seeing as how there's only three main characters on the good guys side, with no other lesser characters brought into things in the middle of the film, i.e. Lawrence's cop character from part one.

But despite it's low body count, "Rest Stop 2" succeeds at being the likeable horror sequel. It makes up for the low body count with major suspense and well-played-out terror moments, building on it's villains mythology, and answering everything left unanswered from it's predecessor. On top of all of that, it brings alot of excitement into the fold whereas in part one, there was very little...and the ending follows in the footsteps of the first film, using a little bit of "twist" magic...but at the same time avoiding being too predictable. "Rest Stop 2" is a sequel that fans of this series, and horror fans in general should enjoy. It gets everything right that a sequel should...and sets up another chapter in the saga perfectly.

Positives:Strong story, good characters, lots of suspense, excitement, and intrigue...answered questions left unanswered, and a great ending.

Negatives:Nothing Major.

Overall:Four stars.





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