Welcome to Bits and Pieces, where we decompose out favorite horror anthologies. Previously, we checked out the 2019 movie, Scare Package and it only made sense to follow it up with the sequel, Scare Package II (2022). The pros and cons of this anthology series are fairly evident, especially for fans of the format. Scare Package II does not break new ground in horror anthologies but it carries the nonsensical spirit of its predecessor while tweaking the formula. Sometimes to its detriment but mostly to its benefit.
Frame Narrative
The most obvious difference is that this Scare Package II starts with the frame narrative where we see some familiar faces. The creative team is the same as the previous movie (Written by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns with Aaron B. Koontz directing) and that is very evident on viewing. A group of friends and acquaintances, including the Final Girl from Scare Package and Rad Chad’s identical twin, attend a funeral but are met with a terrible surprise. It’s a funny segment and sets up a Saw spoof that sometimes tries a little too hard to justify itself. We’ll get into that later.
Welcome to the 90s
The first short is “Welcome to the 90s”, written and directed by Alexandra Barreto. Two sorority houses, Final Girls House and Sure to Die House (also known as STD house. Get it?) are visited by a masked killer but the victims aren’t who you’d expect. There are many references here, chief of which are Ripley, a final girl dressed in an olive jumpsuit and bandana, and Buffy, a member of the Sure to Die house that ends up saving the day. It’s very on the nose, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to imply the problematic aspects of the slasher genre went away once the 90s came around, which is just not true.
This is a loving homage to the tropes that cemented Slashers as a genre that also claims the misogynistic elements are past their usefulness. That all could work, but there are parts of the short that seem to want to say something more and, honestly, kind of fail. There’s a monologue by Buffy that’s feminist coded, but it’s such a surface level understanding and proposed solution to a very real problem that it drags down the short as a whole. It’s funny but in a very obvious, sometimes juvenile, way and falls just short of the potential it had. It’s fine as an homage but doesn’t work as a think-piece. It would have been better if Scare Package II settled for the former.
The Night He Came Back Part VI – The Night She Came Back
The following segment is a sequel to a segment from the first film, “The Night He Came Back Part IV: The Final Kill”. It’s called “The Night He Came Back Part VI – The Night She Came Back” and it’s written/directed by Anthony Cousins as well. As the title would suggest, it’s a continuation of the franchise with returning protagonists and antagonists. It’s a better spoof which, paradoxically, makes it less enjoyable. The first (fourth) installment had better jokes and benefited from its newness. The sixth (second) just doesn’t have a lot of substance and has less surprises. It was too successful for its own good and, like the material it’s referencing, can be skipped entirely.
Back to the Frame Narrative
Returning to the Scare Package II frame narrative, the mastermind behind the traps is revealed to be Sam, another returning character, and nobody cares. It’s easy to imagine the viewer won’t either. This is where the Saw parody starts losing its charm. It never becomes grating, it just stops being interesting. The writing really suffers here too, to the point of being distracting if the viewer is at all engaged.
Special Edition
The next segment is “Special Edition”, written and directed by Jed Shepherd. A group of friends help the main character settle into a house left to her by her recently deceased family member. This segment is easily the most interesting of the batch which is why it’s so disappointing that it’s also the one with the most issues. First off, this is filled with creative ideas and interesting shots.
There’s even a solid scare. Or, there would be if it was a more experienced filmmaker. Without getting too into the weeds, there’s a shot where one of the characters spots a bug flying around her. It lands on her phone and she blows on it to get it away. She reacts to something in her phone and then there’s a jump cut to an image on her phone reacting to the puff of air. It’s really neat stuff, the only thing is that the shots aren’t arranged well so the effect is disorienting instead of scary.
“Special Edition” is very clearly inspired by The Ring, down to the color grading which does an excellent job of implying a coastal setting. While it’s inspired by The Ring, it also does something a little more meta but how aware the characters are of the meta nature is very unclear and it gets a little distracting. Overall, there are some wonderful ideas in this short, a lot of potential, and there’s only so much a team can do with a limited budget. There’s enough to praise here that the criticisms can seem shallow. It’s just a question of whether the potential it has is enough to overcome its shortcomings. That’s a question that can only be answered by the viewer.
Frame Narrative – The Return of Joe Bob Briggs
Joe Briggs is back for another cameo in the next section of the frame narrative though its one with much less substance. This set of traps is also silly and seems to only exist to make a Rec (2007) reference. It also seems to suggest the villain has telepathic powers? Honestly, it’s all over the place but the comedic elements make it worth watching.
We’re So Dead
The final short is “We’re So Dead”, written by Cameron Burns and Aaron B. Koontz, directed by Rachele Wiggins. It’s a tight script with very little excess and it’s shot well. It’s a mish-mash of inspirations that it wears on its sleeves and it’s funny to boot. In it, a man reminisces about one summer day that changed his life forever. Nostalgia drips from every pore of this short, mostly to good effect, and its sole intention seems to be reminding the viewer of how simple things used to be when all they had to worry about was where they were hanging out with friends that day. It doesn’t provide much past that, so don’t expect anything else. This is a solid short with a clear goal that it meets competently.
Scare Package II – Rad Chad’s Revenge
The Scare Package II frame narrative comes to a close with some more returning characters. The humor’s on point, the effects are fun, and the story is as ridiculous as ever. Even more so!
The plot twist is one that very few could see coming but that’s not a result of its cleverness, it’s more that the creators decided they could do whatever they wanted because nobody would take the movie seriously enough to complain about it. It completely retcons the previous movie and acts first and foremost as another reference, regardless of how silly it is. While it goes on a bit long, it serves as a good cap to the movie and series (provided they don’t make any more).
What more could anyone ask for?
Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge (2022) - Malevolentdark
Director: Aaron B. Koontz and others
Date Created: 2026-10-01 11:05
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