The Horror Show
Hayride 2
by Terron R. Parsons
I believe it was Plato, possibly Aristotle, who once said “If a concept exists, there's a horror film centered on it.” This is true, kind of like a blood-splattered rule 34 of sorts. There have been horror films about theme parks, boat rides, airplanes, paintball, lawnmowers, fishing, etc etc. Hayride honors this tradition by continuing the story set forth in the first installment. It's a direct continuation, starting up pretty much right after the first one. The first Hayride wasn't terrible, but easily forgotten. The characters and relationships in the first film didn't really stick out or stay with me but it really doesn't matter. Even though Hayride 2 directly follows the first film, as long as you know the basics, it stands as its own film in an odd way.
The first Hayride involved a young man reconnecting with his family, just in time for an annual Hayride/Horror themed event. A local legend known only as “Pitchfork” pops up and starts cutting people up. That's really it. Hayride 2 starts off with the time-tested slasher film concept of having the killer wake up en route to the hospital and wreaking havoc upon those who think him no longer a threat. It isn't really any more than that.
Before going into too much analysis, I want to make it clear that I enjoyed Hayride 2 more than the first one. I'm not saying this one was a revaluation. It isn't like the case of the Wrong Turn series in which I thought the first one was pretty good and the second was awesome. In the case of Hayride it's more the case of thinking the first one was uninspired and feeling the second one was easier to get through. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that this one at least kept moving and didn't seem to test the patience of the viewer as much.
The film is shot a bit better than the first and the acting is good. I'm not saying that the acting was a huge issue with the first installment, but maybe because everything else was a step up; I found this aspect especially competent. The relationships between the carried-over characters doesn't seem quite as forced and it seems that more work was put into this area.
The blood and such was taken up a slight notch. There's no real gore to speak of and the level of violence is still Mickey Mouse Club stuff when compared to my tastes, but it doesn't look as cheap, nor does it let you see a bit more of the red stuff.
The character of Pitchfork doesn't have much more purpose than giving the film a moving force. Whereas a Jason or Freddy have personalities and clear reasoning, evident in their actions, this guy is merely the designated slasher. They could have evolved the character a bit more in this respect, make the killer at large a more entertaining entity outside of just popping up and stabbing folks.
There is some backstory and family talk thrown in, presumably to add more substance. I would never criticize this attempt, but it doesn't serve to make the film more interesting. It almost gets in the way of the progression, making the viewer think about things that maybe they're not all that invested in. Things pretty much play out in standard form and I was left feeling neither enthralled nor embarrassed for the filmmakers. It's not bad, it's just not anything special.
Hayride 2 is definitely more professional-looking and more fun to watch than the first, but not necessarily entertaining in its own right. It definitely polished itself up and improved aspects of the original and I find that commendable. But the story and characters themselves just aren't anything fresh or fun. Just a basic story that plays out more or less the way you'd expect. I can't even call it predictable in an accusatory way because it isn't even something you're expected to figure out.
If you weren't impressed with the first Hayride I'm not going to tell you to trust in me and give the second trip a chance because at the end of the day, it's not an especially engaging film. But I will say that it's worth watching more-so this time around and who knows? Maybe if they make Hayride 3, it'll be even better and border on something great. Whether this happens, or whether it will go by the title Hayride 3: Even Hayride-ier is yet to be seen.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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