Review of Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (2008) by Nathan C — 12 Oct 2011

Time to revisit that dreaded rest stop... Only this sequel improves upon the awful original, but that's not saying much, considering it's just as misguided and pathetic.

After the events of the first film, the brother and friends of the victim go out looking for them. Naturally, a guy at the gas station warns them, and they don't heed word as they head for the rest stop. Of course, someone gets abducted, the killer and that strange family return, and the good guys must try to destroy the killer.

Thanks to the opening, not only does this series make no sense in continuity, but also in time. Thanks, fools. Also, there's still the one-dimensional characters that may be a little-more fleshed out and somewhat smarter, but they serve only as over-the-top cardboard cutouts. Things take a turn for the supernatural (playing the ghoul card on the villains), but half the time our heroes seem like they're hallucinating. It's still nasty, bloody, obnoxious, messy, shoddily done, and ineffective. As a forewarning, that ending sucked, not only because it was rushed but also since it lacked coherence. How it succumbs to the lowest in horror is its uneven mix of torture, psychological, and supernatural terror (and its neglect to balance the three categories).

What saves this from being dead-on-arrival is that the story is actually straightforward this time. Oh yes, and the original victim appear in spiritual form, just to add interest. It's a bit more disturbing and thrilling, a nice change of pace compared to the lifelessness in the previous film. Better acting, same style, moar scenery (not a bathroom 75% of the time anymore), and less annoying banjo are also some subtle improvements to make this actually bearable to sit through.

Nonetheless, this is a very sub-par film in what has been a terrible series to begin with. And if a third one is in the works, God help us all. Or maybe not, considering that the family has a messed-up literal understanding of His word.