The Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust

(2008) *1/2

Believe it or not, this sequel is actually a much more palatable piece of crap than its predecessor, even without Gary Busey. I can't help but wonder if Busey turned the role down or if he wasn’t offered it to begin with. Perhaps he was in rehab at the time? In any case I was prepared to rank this a little higher but a couple of stink missiles dragged it down a peg.

This time the foul mouthed deadly cookie focuses his killing spree on the set of a low budget horror film studio. How? Why? I'm not sure and it really doesn't matter but the premise sets up heaps of referential jokes and self deprecating humor that you might (but probably won't) find funny. Picture 90’s Troma Studios attempting to make Scream and you'll get a sense of how this one plays out. Scream pointed out generic B-movie horror cliches. GDM2 does the same for the D-movies and it earns an occasional chuckle along the way. On the set of one sci-fi softcore porn shoot the dialog speaks for itself. “The only way to get this gestating alien out of you is through deliberate and vigorous paddling!” It's not brilliant but it pokes fun at the way sleazy movies attempt to justify their steamy narrative. 

Unlike the original Gingerdead Man, this movie knows precisely how terrible it is and it makes no apologies. Director Silvia St. Croix (a woman!) makes a concerted effort to create the most outrageously tasteless and juvenile shit pie imaginable. If the first movie lowered the bar then GDM2 melts the bar with toxic vomit and then pees on it while picking its butt. But don't take my word for it, check out the expression on the Gingerdead Man's face while smoking a cigarette, after masturbating in front of a fornicating couple: 

Yes, this movie is stupid & crass but you must give the artists kudos
 for perfectly capturing the expression of a dirtbag in cookie form. 

The irreverent grand finale featuring the crucifixion of the cookie did indeed put a smile on my face but more often than not the mean spirited humor permeating this film falls flat. In one of the most offensive scenes I’ve ever seen in my life the Gingerdead Man quips “nothing like a little sliced fruit cake!” before sodomizing a flamboyantly gay actor to death with a curling iron. It's a shameless attempt to attract negative attention but thankfully no one (aside from myself, JPX and Catfreeek) pays any attention to harebrained movies like this.