Paramount Scares Vol. 2 4K Review (Paramount)

The Paramount Scares Vol. 2 collection includes Friday the 13th: Part 2, Breakdown, World War Z, and Orphan: First Kill for this epic horror collection from the iconic Paramount Pictures. Friday the 13th Part 2 (aKa Friday the 13th Part II, Friday the 13th 2, and Friday the 13th II) is a 1981 slasher produced and directed by Steve Minor (Friday the 13th: Part 3, Halloween H20, House, Lake Placid, Day of the Dead, and Warlock). It was written by Ron Kurz (Eyes of a Stranger, King Frat, and Off the Wall). It was produced by Frank Mancuso Jr. (Friday the 13th franchise, Ronin, Species franchise, April Fools Day, Body Parts, Stigmata, and Hoodlum). It follows 1980’s Friday the 13th. It’s continued by 8 other sequels, a crossover film with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a remake. The budget was $1,250,000 and it grossed $21,722,776 worldwide at the box office. Camp Crystal Lake sole survivor Alice (played by: Adrienne King from Friday the 13th) is still traumatized from all the murders. Five years later, a camp counselor program lead by Paul (played by: John Furey from Island Claws) starts at the Packanack Lodge which includes Ginny (played by: Amy Steel from April Fool’s Day), Terry (played by: Kirsten Baker from Gas Pump Girls), Ted (played by: Stuart Charno from Christine), Mark (played by: Tom McBride from Remo Williams), Sandra (played by: Marta Kober from Neon Maniacs), Jeff (played by: Bill Randolph from Dressed to Kill), Scott (played by: Russell Todd from Chopping Mall), and Vickie (played by: Lauren-Marie Taylor from Girls Nite Out). The unfortunate volunteers don’t realize that this location is right by Camp Crystal Lake. As the teenagers get more comfortable, they start getting knocked off one by one in a variety of gruesome ways as Jason Voorhees (played by: Steve Dash from Alone in the Dark and Warrington Gillette from Time Walker) returns to his old stomping grounds. Will anyone survive Camp Crystal Lake this time???? Friday the 13th Part 2 is one of the better slasher sequels. It’s the first film in the Friday the 13th franchise where Jason Voorhees actually has a bigger role and he’s a full grown adult. Director Steve Minor helped produce the original movie but this time he stepped behind the camera for this Camp Crystal Lake adventure. He’s a veteran when it comes to the horror sub-genre and he’s done some great work in it over the years. The script is a little silly when you think about what Jason Voorhees looked like only 5 years ago in it’s origin feature. That’s a hell of a growth spurt but I’ll forgive it considering how this turned out. This sequel takes the same formula as the first one. It has a solid body count for Part 2. Besides the opening execution, it does take a little bit for the next one to happen. You still get to experience various teenagers and a few others getting slayed by this murder machine. There’s no mystery who’s the actual killer for this follow up, they are not shy about showing Sackhead Jason Voorhees here. The creative team didn’t have a finalized look for the iconic horror villain when they made this in 1981 so they went with the sack as his mask. I’ll always prefer the classic hockey mask but I don’t hate it and it’s still unique to this day besides The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Both Adrienne King as Alice and Walt Gorney as Crazy Ralph returned to this horror series. I really enjoyed what they did with each of these characters early on in Friday the 13th Part 2. Amy Steel as Ginny Field was amazing as the unexpected lead in this.

When she was introduced, you honestly didn’t expect that she would have this much of an impact in this. She’s very feisty and she’s a fighter at toughest possible moments. I loved her personality, she was extremely cute, and I think I’d say that she’s my personal favorite final girl from all these Friday the 13th movies. There’s always been lots of controversy on what actor or stuntmen actually portrayed Jason Voorhees the most in this 80’s slasher. Steve Dash gets the credit as the man behind the mask and Warrington Gillette was obviously the one that’s unmasked towards the end. Regardless, it’s one of the best versions of the horror icon. The rest of the supporting cast includes John Furey, Kirsten Baker, Stuart Charno, Tom McBride, Marta Kober, Bill Randolph, Russell Todd, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Cliff Cudney (The Nesting), Betsy Palmer (Friday the 13th), and Jack Marks (Ryan’s Hope). It’s a real shame that the MPAA forced them to remove around 50 seconds of gore from the original director’s cut. Friday the 13th Part 2 still had some creative deaths but they were edited to keep it’s R rating rather than an X. Unfortunately, they didn’t take care of those deleted moments from these kills so we will probably never experience a legit unrated version like that first feature had. Tom Savini decided to do The Burning instead of this sequel so special fx artist Carl Fullerton (The Silence of the Lambs, Wolfen, The Hunger, Ghost Story, Spasms, Goodfellas, Golden Years, and The Return of Swamp Thing) took over. Friday the 13th Part 2 has a steady pace and a nice consistent flow to it. It’s very fun and always entertaining with strong replay value to it. I’ve watched this sequel almost every year for most of my life, RECOMMENDED!!!! Breakdown is a 1997 suspense thriller co-written and directed by Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Surrogates, U-571, Fright Show, and Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers). It was co-written by Sam Montgomery (24, Unforgettable, U-571, and Sawbones). It was produced by Dino De Laurentiis (Hannibal franchise, Army of Darkness, Blue Velvet, Maximum Overdrive, Silver Bullet, Cat’s Eye, Serpico, The Dead Zone, Firestarter, Halloween franchise, Dune, and Year of the Dragon). The budget was $36,000,000 and it grossed $50,159,144 worldwide at the box office. Jeff (played by: Kurt Russell from Escape from New York/L.A., The Thing, The Hateful Eight, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Tombstone, and Big Trouble in Little China) and Amy Taylor (played by: Kathleen Quinlan from Apollo 13, The Doors, The Hills have Eyes, and Event Horizon) are making a huge change in their lives and they are moving to California. They have to drive across the country to get to their new home. They end up stranded in the middle of a desert with car problems. Amy takes a ride from a trucker Red Barr (played by: J.T. Walsh from Sling Blade, Needful Things, A Few Good Men, Red Rock West, Backdraft, and Executive Decision) that offers to help out the struggling couple. Jeff starts to get worried after his wife isn’t at their destinated meeting place. He does his own investigation to track her down but something doesn’t seem right. This new journey has became a total nightmare. Will Jeff be able to find his missing love????

Breakdown is one of the best suspense thrillers in the 90’s and it’s always been extremely underrated. It’s intense atmosphere is loaded with an adrenaline rush flow during all the chaos. This was director Jonathan Mostow’s most impressive work so far and I really wish that he would do more projects like this in the same sub-genre. A married couple decides to take a road trip on their big move. Their vehicle completely shuts down on them which causes this disastrous scenario. It just proves that you shouldn’t trust anyone. Kurt Russell as Jeff Taylor is just your typical normal guy in Breakdown. He’s not a bad ass or some kind of hero like some of his other roles. He’s top notch as a man that’s willing to do anything to save his wife. Kathleen Quinlan as Amy Taylor was solid in this. She is the fiesty companion at first then she’s basically the innocent victim for the rest of it. J.T. Walsh as Red Barr steals the show as the mysterious villain. He is the reason to watch Breakdown. It’s a real shame that he passed away soon after this. Character actor J.T. Walsh was always a high quality bad guy but this was his best one in his entire career. He acts like the Jeff character is delusional and you even start to question it. This wild mystery has all kinds of surprises and twists to it. The rest of the supporting cast includes M.C. Gainey (Con Air), Jack Noseworthy (Event Horizon), Rex Linn (Cliffhanger), Thomas Kopache (Stigmata), Moira Sinise (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), and Jack McGee (The Fighter). Breakdown is one of those features that gets better on each revisit, the replay value is excellent. Once it all falls apart, it’s nothing but thrills. It’s very entertaining and it always keeps your attention. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! World War Z is a 2013 zombie film produced and directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace, Machine Gun Preacher, and Stranger Than Fiction). It was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (21 Bridges and Dark Waters), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield, and Daredevil), and Damon Lindelof (The Hunt, The Leftovers, and Watchmen). It’s based on the novel from author Max Brooks (The Great Wall and Saturday Night Live). The budget was $190,000,000 and $540,455,876. Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (played by: Brad Pitt from True Romance, Se7en, Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Once upon a time in Hollywood, Snatch, and Interview with the Vampire) is enjoying his civilian life with his family until something unexpected happens. The world is plagued by a dangerous infection that are quickly turning normal humans into blood thirsty zombies. He barely avoids chaos for himself when all hell breaks loose on earth. Lane is sent on a mission to investigate this mysterious disease. He must rush to find a cure or some way to stop it before it spreads everywhere to destroy the entire universe. Can he save them all before it’s too late????

World War Z gives you a faster look at the undead. It’s one of the biggest zombie features ever made. It takes zombies to the mainstream with a huge movie star as the lead. It’s backed by a major studio with a big name director behind the camera for World War Z. They pushed this horror film to the public and it performed great in theaters worldwide. Let’s be real, the script is basically an action feature disguised as a horror production to be honest. It takes the virus theme that has been done before and it just puts it into a darker atmosphere. Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane is a quality action hero in this like he’s played many times before. It’s a easy role for the popular leading actor but he always makes a typical tough guy better with his presence. It’s cool to see someone like that in this sub-genre. The rest of the supporting cast includes Mireille Enos (Hanna), Daniella Kertesz (AfterDeath), James Badge Dale (The Departed), Matthew Fox (Lost), David Morse (The Green Mile), Fana Mokoena (Hotel Rwanda), Elyes Gabel (A Most Violent Year), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), and Ruth Negga (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). World War Z is action packed with lots of thrills and suspense. It has some impressive visual and special fx. World War Z has so much potential considering it’s original source material but it does feel watered down at times with it’s PG-13 rating. Yes, there’s technically a “unrated” version that’s a little better that’s around 7 minutes longer. It’s just mainly additional action plus some alternate and re-edited scenes. It would have even better with some more violence and gore. I will say that the awesome zombie wall is the wild scene that you will always remember from this. World War Z stays entertaining and it’s fun for the most part. It’s an interesting experiment to see what a bigger studio can do with this sub-genre!!!! Orphan: First Kill is a 2022 horror film directed by William Brent Bell (Stay Alive, The Boy franchise, Wer, Separation, Lord of Misrule, and The Devil Inside). It was written and produced by David Coggeshall (The Deliverance, The Family Plan, Prey, Scream: The TV Series, and The Haunting in Connecticut 2). It’s a prequel to 2009’s Orphan. It premiered on Paramount Plus The same day it was released in theaters. The budget was $8,000,000 and it grossed $37,083,743. After Leena (played by: Isabelle Fuhrman from Orphan, The Novice, The Hunger Games, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, Horizon: An American Saga, and Cell) escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility, She goes to America. She ends up impersonating the missing daughter Esther from a very wealthy Albright family that includes Tricia (played by: Julia Stiles from the Bourne franchise, Save the Last Dance, 10 Things I hate about You, Silver Linings Playbook, Dexter, and The Omen), Allen (played by: Rossif Sutherland from The Handmaid’s Tale, Three Pines, Murder in a Small Town, Trench 11, and Possessor), and Gunnar (played by: Matthew Finlan from EZRA, Brazen, and The Terror). Esther tries to adjust to her new life but she is forced to eliminate others that can’t her in lie. After time goes on and secrets are revealed, the mother protects her family from this imposter no matter what it takes!!!!

Orphan: First Kill kinda pulled off the impossible here for this. The original Orphan film was made in 2009 and they somehow managed to do this prequel 13 years later with the same lead actress. It’s a rarity when someone can play themselves even younger 13 years after the original role. They used a few tricks like makeup and made the rest of the cast look taller around her. Orphan: First Kill started off with a gruesome bang with some nasty kills and violence. This really upped everything on this production for Orphan when it came to First Kill. The script shows you how to evil Leena became Esther. It’s an interesting origin story, she takes advantage of a family that’s been searching for their lost daughter and sister. Isabelle Fuhrman is fantastic as Esther. She returns to the role with ease. She is way more brutal in this compared to the first movie. Esther is not exactly a child but she definitely looks like it so it kinda fits the classic horror sub-genre. Orphan has so much potential for more to be a possible legit horror franchise. Julia Stiles makes her real cinematic comeback as Tricia Albright. She’s amazing in Orphan: First Kill. She basically plays two different sides of this mother here. She has her own dark past and Esther meets her match this time. The rest of the supporting cast includes Rossif Sutherland, Matthew Finlan, Hiro Kanagawa (iZombie), Samantha Walkes (The Kings of Napa), David Lawrence Brown (The Grudge), Lauren Cochrane (Hunter Hunter), Gwendolyn Collins (Channel Zero), Alicia Johnston (Incident in a Ghostland), Kristen Sawatzky (Joy Ride 3), and Andrea del Campo (The Hitman Never Dies). Orphan: First Kill keeps consistent suspense and intense thrilling moments especially towards the 2nd act. It’s one of the most impressive horror prequels and it’s actually better than the original Orphan. It’s very entertaining and fun experience with some strong replay value to it, RECOMMENDED!!!! Click Friday the 13th: Part 2, Breakdown, World War Z, and Orphan: First Kill to view the individual technical and special features coverage for each 4K disc. This set has incredible packaging. It comes in a full size collector’s edition box with exclusive artwork that houses everything safely inside. The other cool bonus additions includes an exclusive full size Fangoria issue featuring allot of the films listed above. It has four unique iron on patches that represent all of the horror movies from this set. Paramount Scares logo sticker and Paramount Scares glow in the dark enamel pin. It has a huge limited edition poster from artist Orlando “Mexifunk” Arocena. This is one of the coolest home video releases of the year!!!!