A group of kidnapped people awake to find themselves tied to chairs in a windowless room and sedated to prevent their movement. After it’s revealed that one of them is the maniac-for-hire Trick and another is a detective who once hunted him their selection seems less than random, and after realising they’ve been targeted by the infamous Deathstalker Killer, they know time is swiftly running out if they want to survive.
Like its forerunner, the plot of Coffin 2 is reminiscent of any of the Saw movies, although with a far greater psychological leaning than the assortment of gory death traps that came to characterise the latter saga. It’s an interesting spin on the first movie to see its manipulative villain Trick on the receiving end of a killer’s machinations, and the setup of a roomful of strangers with no apparent link sets the scene for what could be a decent thriller.
Although produced on a limited budget, the film acquits itself well. The single setting in which much of the story takes place creates a tense atmosphere of claustrophobia, especially after it becomes established that the captives have each been marked for execution. However, we aren’t given enough reason to properly care about their plight or lament any deaths, while some early accusations of why each of them might actually deserve to be trapped in the dire situation receive no subsequent elaboration.
Despite the plot being a relatively straightforward one, its development is hindered by the presence of a few too many supporting characters, using up time that would have been better spent developing the core players into something resembling complete personalities. Even more frustrating is that many of them make so little an impact they may as well have not been there, with the notable exception of a fantastic sassy tech queen who really needs her own spin off.
The mind games that characterised the first movie still make an appearance, but to a lesser extent that robs the film of true suspense, and as the film approaches its climax twist after twist compound upon each other until it becomes unclear who, if anyone, had the slightest idea what was actually going on.
Coffin 2 is a decent enough follow-up to its predecessor, but is bogged down by too many characters and is overall just a little too clever for its own good.
COFFIN 2 / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KIPP TRIBBLE / STARRING: ROBERT ALLEN MUKES, JOHNNY ALONSO, LAURA JAMES, MICHELE MARTIN, SCOTT HAMM, DERIK WINGO, KIPP TRIBBLE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (US), TBA (UK)
