Blind actress Faye (Sarah French) finds out that her nightmare encounter with Pretty Boy (Jed Rowen) is far from over in this horror sequel from director Marcel Walz. At the end of 2019’s ‘Blind’, Faye realised that the man standing over her wasn’t her boyfriend, but the twisted and silent Pretty Boy. Now in Pretty Boy’s clutches, Faye is abducted from her home and taken to a nearby Valentine’s Day party where a group of youngsters are enjoying high jinks and unaware that they are about to have to fight for their lives.
‘Pretty Boy’ does a ‘Halloween II’ and continues the story of the first film from the exact point it left off. The opening credits provides a handy rundown of the main elements from the first film to act as a refresher, or as a crash course for those that didn’t see it. Director Walz collaborates once again with writer Joe Knetter, but this sequel is a very different beast to the first film.
You could say that ‘Pretty Boy’ is a film of two halves – the first half is a stalk and slash joyride where Pretty Boy picks off countless, unmemorable youngsters, while the second half is more of a grittier psychological horror that takes its cues from the exploitation films of the 70s and presents an origin story for the titular character. For me, the first half was a little jarring as it puts Faye’s story to one side (while she’s held captive in the home of strangers) so Pretty Boy can kill off a load of people we’ve just met. That’s not to say it’s not entertaining but it holds up the continuation of the first film a little too much.
Once the action moves to the midway point and Faye’s bid for freedom winds her up in worse danger, the film picks up. It’s also fair to say it’s not easy viewing from that point on. While Walz’s directorial flair is still evident (those Argento lighting techniques look fantastic), the story takes a sharp turn down a one-way road of nastiness. Faye’s predicament goes downhill rapidly and you can see shades of a number of classic horrors such as ‘Last House on the Left’ and ‘The Hills Have Eyes’. That makes the second half a much tenser watch than the first, and it’s a little difficult to keep your eyes on the screen as the horrors unfold relentlessly.
Sarah French impresses once again. She doesn’t get a whole lot to do for the first half of the film but once she gets meatier material, she pulls you on side. It’s unnerving watching a blind character being tormented while she has no idea what’s really going on. French commits to the material and as with the first film, she puts in a fine performance. Jed Rowen as Pretty Boy is suitably creepy, using his body to do the talking given that his character doesn’t utter a single word from behind his mask.
Uneven it might be but ‘Pretty Boy’ is an improvement on ‘Blind’. A little more work to smooth the sharp turn between the two halves may have benefitted the film, but once it finds its feet in the second half, it’s a really gripping watch. Walz’s direction and eye for visuals keeps you engaged throughout, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we see of Pretty Boy.
Cast: Sarah French, Jed Rowen, Devanny Pinn, Heather Grace Hancock, Jake Red, Andre Rohrbach Director: Marcel Walz Writer: Joe Knetter Certificate: 18 Duration: 88 mins Released by: Hollywood Media Bridge
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