2 Jennifer is a 2016 American horror film written, directed and starring Hunter Johnson (60 Seconds to Die and sequel; Virus of the Dead; Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels). The Christian Ackerman (Deadly Reunion; Bethany) produced movie stars Hunter Johnson, David Coupe and Lara Jean Mummert.
The film is a sequel to the 2013 movie To Jennifer by co-writer James Cullen Bressack (Blood Lake; 13/13/13; Pernicious) and was apparently shot entirely on an Apple iPhone 6. It was picked up by Sector 5 for worldwide distribution.
A 2nd sequel, #FromJennifer, was released in 2017.
Two filmmakers attempt to make the perfect sequel to the shot-on-iPhone horror movie To Jennifer, however 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…
Review:
You know you’re off to a bad start when the film you’re watching begins with a mix of faux and real reviews of the movie the current film is based on; you know you’re in ankle-deep when all the reviews, both real and faked, are poor on production, insight, and credibility; and finally, you know you’re drowning when you realize the whole film is shot on an iPhone riddled with Parkinson’s disease.
The brunt of the failure of 2 Jennifer falls on both James Bressack, who makes a few surprisingly good appearances in the film, but who also produced and co-wrote the script, and Hunter Johnson, director, co-writer, and star. The script was obviously little more than a sketchy outline with brief staging, and the direction involved little more than keeping the energy level up for badly fabricated ad-libbing. Hunter as director seemingly either didn’t notice, didn’t care about or approved of David Coupe’s rather manic portrayal of Mack and the character’s preposterous, on-a-dime mood swings.
Another casualty of weak direction in the movie is lack of realistic dialog or, rather, an overabundance of unrealistic dialog; the cornucopia of “dudes”, “mans”, and “f**ks” weigh down the film, sending the artificiality quotient through the roof. Yet, despite the overacted spontaneity, the burdensome meta-referencing of the first film, the needlessly protracted scenes, the puffed up conflicts, and lack of much directorial control, there are moments of substantial, raw power and quality acting in the film.
The gloved, Spencer/POV shots bristle with high tension, nicely recalling The Bird with the Crystal Plumage; the attack on Bressack’s group in the alley bordered on gritty shockumentary; and the final scene in Jennifer’s apartment, although not entirely successful, has a well sustained, high-pressure anxiety reminiscent of scenes from The Last House on the Left.
Furthermore, Jarrett Furst, James Bressack, and Felissa Rose are acting standouts, as are Jody Barton and Lara Jean Mummert; at times, when he could get past the wall-flower-like mumbling and really dig into his character, Hunter’s portrayal of Spencer could be quite disturbing and effective, as well.
Though not a good film by any means, 2 Jennifer does have moments of skill bubbling to the surface; so, for those who can’t get enough of this sort of thing, rest assured you can safely abandon yourself to the messy entrails and not be disappointed; but for those not enamored by the genre, this is the latest in a long list of found footage movies you may want to avoid.
Ben Spurling, MOVIES & MANIA
Other reviews:
“2 Jennifer is the perfect horror sequel with massive appeal to those who follow the independent horror scene. It’s well written, chilling and frightening when you think that the scenario pictured within could happen in real life. It’s suspenseful, bloody and a justifiable sequel. You don’t even realize you’re looking at iPhone quality video.” Horror Society
” …mostly dull, with tons of waste-of-time scenes that added nothing to the plot. Later on it just got too dark and unpleasant without reason. It’s one thing to be really scary or dark in a compelling way, but this movie came off as needlessly nasty. It came off more like a weird snuff revenge film than anything resembling real horror.” Cinema Freaks
“Despite its many shortcomings, 2 Jennifer is far from a failure and it is a surprisingly entertaining, refreshing and enjoyable watch. It’s a bit of a chore to get through in the beginning, but when it picks up steam and the secrets are spilled, 2 Jennifer becomes a worthy sequel that is filled with an honest helping of bloody madness.” Scream magazine
“For a film made in such a low-tech way, it actually looks pretty terrific and professional through much of the running of the film. Of course, it has the typical problem with found-footage movies – once the action starts the filming becomes choppy and hard to follow. And some of the gore, in particular one scene where a knife cuts through flesh, looks awkward and stuck in.” Pop Entertainment
“I found myself not only getting my guts twisted by the never-ending herky-jerkiness of the view and ultimately annoyed by the thought process – will someone who’s getting his ass handed to him at a party keep the phone up and shooting footage? I’m thinking probably not … The film swiftly turns from what tries to be a black comedy/horror blend to downright disturbing…” Dread Central
Main cast:
- Hunter Johnson – Virus of the Dead; Bethany; Restoration
- David Coupe, Lara Jean Mummert – Virus of the Dead; Anomaly
- Felissa Rose – Death House; Satan’s Playground; Sleepaway Camp
- Erin Marie Hogan – Axeman; Dwelling; House of Manson
- Veronica Ricci – Vampire Club 3D; Nazi Dawn; Lizzie Borden’s Revenge
- Jody Barton,
- James Cullen Bressack
- Jarrett Furst
- Josh Brown
