Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust (2008) – Review

Where to watch Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust

3 Stars

Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust is a self-deprecating Full Moon picture. Kelvin Cheatum has inherited his father’s film studio, Cheatum Studios. Once upon a time Cheatum Studios was doing well, but lately the studio has faltered and Kelvin is forced to continue to sequelize his father’s past films, namely Tiny Terrors in its ninth installment. Craft services delivers some old pastries, among them is the Gingerdead Man. Kelvin shows Tommy, a kid in a wheelchair who won a Make a Wish type deal to see the studio, and Heather, the girl in charge of him, around the studio. Meanwhile the Gingerdead Man has found a magic book that tells him how to switch from his cookie body to a real one. He goes on a killing spree of the crew, and by the time Kelvin realizes what’s happening it’s too late. Will the Gingerdead Man succeed in his dastardly plans? Will Kelvin and Heather fall in love? Just who is Tommy really? All these questions and more are answered in Gingerdead Man 2.

If you love low budget horror films, and better yet Full Moon flicks, then this is right up your alley. There’s an obvious parallel to Full Moon itself here, with Charles Band being the son of famed schlock director producer Albert Band. The Tiny Terrors puppet based horror and the real Puppet Master series. Not to mention all the crap that Full Moon and Charles Band have been through, from the highlights of Empire to the lows of Shadow Entertainment and the constant that has been Full Moon. It’s literally one of the few “studios” out there that has survived. Along with Troma, Roger Corman’s many companies and The Asylum, Full Moon keeps on kicking in a Hollywood world.

Gingerdead Man 2 is filmed very cheaply, in a mock documentary behind the scenes style. That does detract from the story, but I get the idea and choice of it. Plus it’s kind of amusing that the movie making fun of the cheapness is made extremely cheaply. Either way this is a fun horror flick. The kills aren’t as good as the other Gingerdead Man movies, but there’s plenty of blood. K-von (what? I know weird name) as Kelvin is clearly channeling Johnny Depp’s performance as Ed Wood Jr. in Ed Wood. His smile and always on demeanor is a must for any producer who’s film studio is headed towards bankruptcy.

There are a lot of pokes at Full Moon here, including an appearance by famed low-budget Full Moon director David DeCoteau. The best thing about this flick is no one is afraid of making fun of themselves. DeCoteau plays a director more involved in reading the newspaper than directing the scene, something I might concur isn’t too far from the truth. The fun part comes when they poke at the homosexual undertones in his flicks, which at this point in time are anything but undertones.

I’d recommend this to lovers of true low-budget horror, and especially to any Full Moon fans. I laughed out loud several times, this is the fun that I expect from the horror genre. I’m a little amazed that the director didn’t want their name on this, as Silvia St. Croix turns out to be an Alan Smithee type moniker.

Director: Silvia St. Croix
Stars: John Vulich, K-von, Kelsey Sanders, Joseph Porter