Sequel: Cruel Summer II (2022)

Picking up where the first movie left off, I already have questions. Why didn’t their parents go to the house rather than the police station? Even if there is bad cell and phone reception, shouldn’t the cops be concerned the officers they sent to investigate haven’t been heard from? Also don’t they use radios rather than cell towers? Why did the survivors go through the woods when the road is straight down the driveway? And more importantly why didn’t the girls take their car rather than walk off into the woods? But enough of his nonsense.

Cut to two years later.  Heather is working at an auction house.  Felissa just got out of an institution. Doug is still alive but blind and super bitter about it, and no one has heard from Barb.

As if on cue,Barb wants to meet up and says she’s written a play about the night of the murders. Her therapist says they should all confront their trauma in a controlled environment.  I would counter that doing a play in a theater is in no way a controlled environment.  But the kids don’t put this together, so they agree to play themselves in the production. 

At one point Heather and Felissa promise each other that if bad memories start coming back, they’ll pull out of the play.  Yet that is literally why Barb asked them to do the production, to manifest their trauma. 

Again we have a movie where characters have no self preservation and do nothing to stop the oncoming loss of their lives.  No one tries to escape or fight off the killer. Characters that don’t matter to the plot are introduced just increase the body count. 

The characters are not good at putting things together. The police reports about the murders don’t mention finding a body.  Heather thinks it is an oversight… in every report. The police aren’t concerned since they figure the body will show up at some point, which is just plain odd. At the theater, the other actors are not told Heather and Felissa are playing themselves.  When the actor playing the killer says boo to the women, they get offended. If they can’t handle something so benign, how are they going to handle reliving their attempted murders?

Ridiculous dialogue

Heather: I’m really glad we could meet in person. Felisssa and I really wanted to see you.

Doug: [sigh] Yeah well um the feelings mutual. [sigh] Too bad I can’t.

You know she just got out of the mental hospital.

Blind Doug and his books

The theater is full of pretentiousness