The Jester 2 review by Bobby Blakey
From 2016 to 2019 writer/director Colin Krawchuk brought his new supernatural horror character The Jester to fans via 3 short films. After their success with them he brought the character into a feature film aptly titled The Jester that did well enough to have now spawned the sequel. The Jester 2 stars Kaitlyn Trentham, Jessica Ambuehl, Dingani Beza and Michael Sheffield returning to the role of The Jester with Krawchuk back in the directors’ chair once again. Could this next chapter bring some new horrors to the character, or will it be magic not worth seeing?
The Jester 2 follows teen magician Max who finds herself locked in a brutal showdown with the Jester, a nightmarish and supernatural trickster with real dark magic and a killer act on Halloween night. As illusions turn lethal and every escape is a trap, Max must pull off the ultimate trick: staying alive. On this deadly night, the only escape… is to beat the devil at its own game.
The short films are fantastic and while I loved seeing the character transition to the big screen Iw as a bit let down with the original film. Mostly due to my own expectations of the gore and terror that was toned down more than I expected. I am sure budget had something to do with it, but the Jester itself is such a great character I was still eager to see if they could step it up with this next chapter.
Right out the gate this new chapter clearly has a better budget and dives right into the meat of it all. It also sports a new look to the Jester that I am not a big fan of. I like the simplistic nature of the previous versions but kind of get it when you see where the story goes. Outside of that the film is much better than the first film using a story and tone much closer to the original shorts in a good way.
As with a lot of these types of films they went deeper into the lore of the Jester which I would have preferred to just keep it a diabolical mystery, but it is what it is. It does make what he does make sense and isn’t overly complicated so doesn’t change things too much. The kills were more creative, and fun and the film gives us a lot more direct time with the Jester and it makes the whole experience all the better for it. The final act steps up things even more to bring more of the gore and wacked out visuals that I had hoped for.
I dug this chapter and hope this isn’t the last time we see this bloody fun character. It’s the kind of thing that for any short comings you might find in the shorts or either of these features are made all the better after seeing them so do yourself a favor and check it all out.
Following the film’s exclusive theatrical run in partnership with Fathom Entertainment, The Jester 2 will be available to rent or purchase on video-on-demand (VOD) on October 17.
You can also check out the original short films here and the first film currently streaming on Shudder.