Film4 Frightfest the 13th - Day 2

#7 - ³ Genesis

rating: 2

After 2 was that rare horror sequel that lived up to the original's promise, there was the hope that Paco Plaza - who co-directed the last two films - might pull off a hat-trick with the third entry into the series. However, those expecting to hear what happened to Angela Vidal after she revealed herself to be possessed at the climax of the last film will be disappointed; this is instead an analogous sequel, taking place concurrently with Angela's story, as a couple, Clara and Kolda, hold their wedding reception as the "virus" breaks out. Well, there's plenty new in this sequel. Plaza has not only decided to dispense with the found footage gimicry of the previous films - even cracking a few meta gags about it - but Genesis is also, believe it or not, a comedy, jarringly shifting the tone of the series, fully aware that his co-director Jaume Balaguero will likely be course-correcting it for the fourth film, Apocalypse. The attempts at comedy, however, don't even prove particularly fruitful; they largely consist of a man dressed up in a ridiculous Spongebob-esque outfit, while rattling through the convention of a zombie apocalypse scenario with little subversion or suspense. A few good gory moments aside once Clara gets a hold of the chainsaw seen in the poster, there's just nothing memorable here at all. It's a brave move by Plaza to change his baby so dramatically, but it's also incredibly foolish; you cannot get viewers invested in a serious mythology, which has plenty of unanswered questions, and then switch gears to something entirely different and expect fans to stick around. As well as ditching the handheld gimmick and serious tone, Genesis has also jettisoned the spirit that made the first two films so riotously entertaining. Check back tomorrow when we'll have reviews for a selection of films from day three, including Outpost 2, make-up effects documentary Nightmare Factory, and Wrong Turn 4.