The Jester 2, on Shudder

It seems like stupid horror movie characters never manage to overcome the monsters stalking them. Fifteen-year-old Max is a notable exception. She stymies her supernatural slasher within the first act. However, she faces even greater horrors as a result. That might not sound fair, but Satanic deals really aren’t known for being equitable. The titular character continues to do what he does best in director-screenwriter Colin Krawchuk’s The Jester 2, which premieres today on Shudder.

Poor Max’s mother doesn’t allow her to trick-or-treat anymore and her high school classmates belittle her for her passion for magic. They shouldn’t have scoffed, because she immediately recognizes the card trick the Jester tries to show her. It turns outs the Jester can’t kill her, because he didn’t “trick” her first. That is a big problem for him, because he must trick and kill four sacrifices everyone Halloween night or the Devil will take him back to Hell for an uncomfortably nasty eternity.

Awkwardly, this becomes a big problem for Max too, because she essentially inherits oversight responsibility for the Jester’s Faustian contract. Of course, the Jester is happy to sacrifice any old anyone, but Max insists they should be more selective. Nevertheless, she quickly realizes even her worst bullies do not deserve the Jester’s treatment.

Krawchuk’s sequel is considerably better than the Terrifier rip-off that fans might assume, based on the Jester’s clown-like makeup. Krawchuk creates some intriguing lore for his signature bogeyman. Yet, the film’s greatest asset would be Max’s resourcefulness. Having already bested the Jester once, viewers can reasonably root for her to do it again.

In fact, Kaitlyn Trentham will make horror fans feel for Max quite keenly. Michael Sheffield is never truly heard as the Jester, but his serpentine physicality well suits the strutting monster. The way Krawchuk allows him to “borrow” other voices is also quite eerily effective. The no-name supporting players vary widely in talent, but Dingani Beza has some nice moments as Max’s only friend, Willie, the proprietor of the local magic shop.

Admittedly, The Jester 2 is not the most sophisticated movie, but it is fresher and cleverer than the typical slasher. It is grungy, but it constantly strives to overachieve. Recommended for horror fans, The Jester 2 starts streaming today (12/26) on Shudder.