Released in 2005, The Gingerdead Man was a surprise hit for the struggling Full Moon Features. Charles Band was so impressed that he gave William Butler, who wrote the original, the chance to direct the sequel. Previously, Butler made 2004’s Madhouse and 2007’s Furnace, both low-budget movies that ended up being very successful. Seeing an opportunity, Butler agreed to do the sequel but only if given complete creative control. After telling Charles that he wanted to crucify the Gingerdead Man, Charles was entirely on board. Butler brought on Muffy Bolding and Aaron Strongoni, who he worked with on his previous features, to help write the script. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get Gary Busey to return, so they hired the late John Vulich to voice the titular character. On the 4th of July, 2008, Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust made its way onto video store shelves.
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Synopsis
Times are tough at Cheatum Studios, a once prolific moviehouse known for making low-budget genre films. Kevin Cheatum (K-von Moezzi) has taken to try to keep the studio alive to honor his late father. The studio is currently in production of the 9th entry in their Tiny Terrors series, but things are going downhill. Meanwhile, Heather Crocker (Kelsey Sanders) brings the terminally-ill Tommy Hines (Joseph Porter) to visit the studio as his last wish. During the tour, former scream queen Polly Bonderhoof (Michelle Bauer) bring a box of baked good to the studio. Inside the box is the Gingerdead Man (John Vulich), who wanders the studio searching for victims for a transmigration spell. As the body count rises, Kevin orders everyone to evacuate the studio as he and Heather try to find Tommy. While fending off the Gingerdead Man, Tommy reveals himself as Kevin’s worst fear: an online movie critic!
Review
While it was no cinematic masterpiece, I thought The Gingerdead Man had its moments and made for decent entertainment. The sequel, on the other hand, was a chore to get through between the lousy acting and dated stereotypes. As much as the absence of Gary Busey hurts, John Vulich does a decent job doing a Busey-like voice. Also, genre fans will enjoy the cameos from people like John Carl Buechler, David DeCoteau, and Greg Nicotero. Speaking of genre veterans, Michelle Bauer has fun delivering corny sexual innuendos and acting like a sexpot. K-von Moezzi is fine as the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed producer trying to maintain his father’s legacy. Though pretty, Kelsey Sanders is bland as the obvious love interest, and Joseph Porter comes off a bit annoying. The cast seems to be having fun in an otherwise ridiculous movie, but it’s too bad the audience isn’t.
In many ways, the film is similar to Troma’s Terror Firmer, about a movie shoot interrupted by a deranged killer. Both movies take potshots at the studios who made them, but Lloyd Kaufman’s film was much more intelligent and subtle. It also helps that Troma’s movie had more interesting characters, memorable kills, and a rebellious spirit only they could deliver. Here, the filmmakers try taking jabs at Full Moon Features, but it comes off as juvenile and a little mean-spirited. They even take jabs at people who criticize them, but they go for all the stereotypes you can think of. Also, for a movie called Gingerdead Man 2, the actual Gingerdead Man doesn’t factor much into the plot. At 82 minutes, the film feels padded as it struggles to reach feature length with its half-baked ideas. Overall, Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust isn’t very good. Go figure!
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