PopHorror Let's Get Scared
One of the most famously asked questions among horror fans when it comes to sequels is “Do I need to see the original one first in order to understand the follow up?” When it comes to the 2016 film 2 Jennifer, the sequel of To Jennifer (2013), the answer is a simple – no, you do not! I, for one, have not seen the original, which was about a young man named Joey who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him so he makes a video diary of his attempt to catch her in the act and record his own heartbreak as he makes new discoveries about her. 2 Jennifer is about a young director who sees the first film and decides to record himself making his own sequel.With that being said, how did I feel about a movie that was a sequel to a movie I’d never even seen? Let’s discuss!
2 Jennifer follows Hunter Johnson – who wrote, directed and stars in the film – as he takes on the task of coming up with a successor to James Cullen Bressack’s 2013 film To Jennifer. This also marks the very first feature film from LAHorror.com. One of the film’s gimmicks was to shoot the entire movie on an iPhone 6. Well, color me intrigued, since that happens to be the current phone I am using. Don’t be fooled by the low numbers on IMDb – they don’t represent the quality of this story. What 2 Jennifer is to me is truly a remarkable one of a kind film that is a must-see.
Official Synopsis of 2 Jennifer:
“Two filmmakers attempt to make the perfect sequel to To Jennifer, but a dark secret threatens the lives of everyone involved. Jennifer, a beautiful actress, now has two options: become the heroine of the film, or face a brutal death.”
Going into this movie, I was a little apprehensive because I was concerned about not seeing the first film. As I stated before you don’t need to, but 2 Jennifer made me want to! This is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill, traditional sequel. Johnson completely rewrote the rules of what a sequel should be and it paid off beautifully! This is exactly the type of movie that excites me. I want to talk about it to anyone and everyone but I can’t because I hate spoiling things for people and 2 Jennifer is one that you need to see to believe. If they never mentioned or show that this was shot on an iPhone, you would never know. It’s of better quality than some of the other indie horror films I’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot.
I think what works so well with this one is that the characters seem like real people. However, the real stand-out performance would have to be Lara Jean Mummert who played Jennifer – Holy Hell, can this woman act! Keepan eye on her because she’s going places! The two main characters, Spencer (Hunter Johnson) and Mack (David Coupe), have such a dynamic relationship on screen. Their characters are vastly different from one another so they’re the perfect combination of opposites attract. I also found it cool that director James Cullen Bressack and actor Jody Barton – both from To Jennifer – are actually in this film as well.
Some of the scenes are simply kickass and leave a lasting memory. One scene in particular takes place in a parking lot and I’m not sure exactly why the actors are there because it’s not explained but it turns into something gruesome and hilariously epic. I didn’t expect it at all and loved it. I will say, without giving anything away, that the scene between the very talented Felissa Rose and Spencer was absolutely genius. Moments like this continued to happen throughout the film, making me an instant fan.
Final thoughts:
From the clever use of the title to the shocking ending to this film, 2 Jennifer is a must-see for any horror fan and I give it 9 out of 10 stars. The film was shot on an iPhone, the special effects were amazing, the cast and crew did a phenomenal job, and I loved everything about it! I honestly thought I had the whole thing predicted and it lead me to believe it was going to be that easy… up until the final minutes of the film when I was thrown a curve ball. Touché, 2 Jennifer, touché. On that note, go and watch this amazing sequel and let us know your thoughts!
