JACK FROST 2:
REVENGE OF THE MUTANT KILLER SNOWMAN (2000)
Corrected R-Rated Version
Label: MVD Rewind Collection
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 93 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080i HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Michael Cooney
Cast: Christopher Allport, Eileen Seeley, Chip Heller
In Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Killer Mutant Snowman (2000), the sequel to Jack Frost (1996), director Michael Cooney returned for this cornball/snowball sequel that also sees the return of Scott MacDonald as the voice the frosty killer snowman, as well as Christopher Allport as the traumatized small town Sherriff and several other of the original cast members. The opening sets-up the ridiculous resurrection of Jack Frost in an FBI lab and his equally stupid escape from said lab after a coffee spill. Somehow he ends up on the same balmy Caribbean island where Sherriff Sam and his wife are attending the wedding of his deputy Joe Foster (Chip Heller, Munchies) and his secretary Marla (Marsha Clark). The couples are also joined by Sam's shitty therapist (Ian Abercrombie, Army of Darkness), whom he has been seeing for PTSD ever since the events of the first film.
In his watery form Jack washes up on the shore of the island and immediately sets about killing swaths of guest at the resort, all the while the hotel manager Colonel Hickering (Ray Cooney, the director's father, who is actually a lot of fun) tries to cover up the murders as accidents so as not to spook the guests. Sherriff Sam suspects something is up when people start disappearing, though everyone tries to dissuade him of his fears, but things quickly frost-up when he encounters former FBI agent Manners (David Allan Brooks, The Kindred) from the first film as the resort's security officer and Jack Frost makes his appearance proper and snows in the whole island before launching into a full-on frosty kill-spree things get corny REAL fast.
As where the first film had a nice balance of slasher tropes and campy hijinks this one is flat out stupid-silly in a lame sort of way. This time around Jack Frost spawns baby snowmen via snowballs he spits up, very Gremlins like, and we even gets a nod to the Gremlins blender scene. It appears that Jack's time at the FBI lab has made him invulnerable to anti-freeze, but because he has absorbed some of the Sherriff's DNA, don't ask, he has a certain food allergy, resulting in the tourists and resort staff fighting for their lives using smoothies as weapons.
This is the corrected R-rated version of the film which restores some much appreciated nudity and gore, it doesn't improve the film so much as make it more entertaining, and while this is not a good film, I thought it was a pretty entertaining z-grade supernatural slasher sequel.
Audio/Video: The corrected R-rated version of Jack Frost 2 arrives on region-free Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection, still presented in interlaced 1080i HD (though advertised as 1080p) framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, and with the same letterboxed opening credits sequence before opening up to 1.78:1. This is the R-rated cut with nudity and some bits of low-budget gore, both of which are appreciated. but neither really put a shine on this as far as image quality. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English LPCM 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is clean and free of hiss and distortion, and the score and effects are well-balanced and sound fine, it's not remarkable by any mean but it does the job.
The corrected disc offers the exact same artwork on the wrap and slipcover with the exception of corrected R-Rating, a longer run time, and and catalog numbers. Inside the disc is tinted blue instead of white and also has the R-rating on it. The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring the same original VHS and newly commissioned artwork by Alí Hdz/Brutal Child, featuring a fun illustration of the killer snowman surfing in a tropical setting. It's branded with the MVD Rewind Collection and the spine is numbered. The new artwork is also featured on the limited edition slipcover., as well as on the also limited edition mini fold-out poster inside. These slipcase editions from MVD look great on the shelf with spines that have some nice shelf appeal.
The sequel also gets a mix of archival and new value-added special features. New to the R-rated edition is the option to watch either the "filtered" or "unfiltered" version. As explained by the distributor the film was shot in HD digital video, director Michael Cooney's preferred version, while the other is a more "film-like" version that the original studio had apparently applied some type of "filter" giving the movie a more "shot-on-film" look. It's a cheap, low-budget production, and I didn't think one looked better than the other to be honest, but there are two versions.
The remaining extras are the same as they appeared on the 'abridged' version, with an Audio Commentary with Tony Piluso, Newt Wallen and Crystal Quin of ‘Hack the Movies’, which is a fun and lively listen, not super informative, but more jokey. Then onto the Full Empire Promotions’ Dominic Mancini Interview with Scott MacDonald: Part 2, which runs 31-minutes. We also get an Audio Commentary with Director Michael Cooney, a 5-min Interview with Director Michael Cooney, a 9-min Behind the Scenes Featurette, the 2-min Music Video Spoof, and 2-min Trailers for Jack Frost and this sequel, in addition to MVD trailers.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director Michael Cooney
- Audio Commentary with Tony Piluso, Newt Wallen and Crystal Quin of ‘Hack the Movies’
- Full Empire Promotions’ Dominic Mancini Interview with Scott MacDonald: Part 2 (31 min)
- Interview with Director Michael Cooney (5 min)
- Behind the Scenes Featurettes (12 min)
- Music Video Spoof (2 min)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Jack Frost Trailer (2 min)
- Reversible Cover Art Featuring Original and Newly Commissioned artwork by Alí Hdz/Brutal Child
- Collectible Mini Fold-Out Poster
Screenshots from the corrected R-Rated MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray:
