The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I only bought this film because the actor Michael Muhney was in it. I became a fan of his when he was on Young and the Restless. He is a very talented actor. This film is an independent and low budget picture. The script could use work though. There are plenty of unanswered questions about how this Reeker works. He is supposed to have killed people for their souls or bodies or heads. I don't know. This film is more gory and violent than needed be. I was not scared at all about it. The film doesn't work on making this Reeker believable. The cast is fine and so is the production crew in meeting them in the DVD special feature. The film just has a lot more questions to be answered and explained to the audience. I try to not to think too much about what the Reeker is all about and why Death Valley. The goriness and violence is grotesque.

If you have seen REEKER, skip this sequel (actually, a prequel). It is virtually identical in plot to the original. A small group of people find themselves stranded at a desert roadside stop. One by one, members of the group are assaulted by a bloodthirsty specter until there are only a couple left. Ah, but is this really happening? Those who saw the first movie will know that a major twist is coming at the end. Reeker himself remains sort of interesting, but he does nothing here that he did not do in the first movie. Also, his killing ground here looks pretty darned close to his killing ground in the first movie. If there is a second sequel, Reeker will need to take a vacation in Vegas or L.A. to spice things up. Some good, gory kills, and the Reeker animation is still eye-popping. Also, veteran actor Robert Pine is on hand as the local sheriff. But REEKER cognoscenti may safely give this one a pass.

The first film was your good usual twist and turn psycho killer horror thriller, and this straight to DVD sequel is just as good, if not a tiny bit better. The film opens with the origins of how the Reeker came to be, there used to be a man, or the Salesman (Michael Robert Brandon) in the 1970s known as the Death Valley Drifter, and there is a part when he gets caught and chops his own hand off. He was caught by Sheriff McAllister (David Stanbra) in his shack filled with heads, limbs and body parts (kind of like Leatherface or the real life Ed Gein), and he was put to death in the gas chamber, but his spirit managed to get out. Then it moves to present day, where Sheriff McAllister (Robert Pine) will be retiring and having his son Deputy Harris McAllister (Michael Muhney) replace him. Then three thieves show up, one is dying but Binky (Desmond Askew) is looking forward to getting his hands on the money they stole from a casino, and Alex (Stephen Martines) wants to see his ex-girlfriend, waitress Maya (Mircea Monroe). Soon they realise that they are in danger from a mysterious ripply serial killer with a hook for a hand wearing a gas mask, the Reeker, a ghost working for Death. Each victim is warned almost by a horrible smell coming from the killer, hence the name Reeker, and when each die you see their pasts flashing before you. It is apparent though that all that did die were meant to, seeing how also they are trapped by an invisible wall, you see the logical way they are killed off in the end, and there is no Reeker at all. Also starring Lyne Odums as Psychiatrist, Valerie Cruz as Allison, Lew Temple as Hitchhiker and Ben Gunther as Reeker. I can't remember there being much humour in the predecessor, but this one has some good moments of humour in amongst the good gore and rough death scenes, and a creepy killer to go with it, not bad at all. Worth watching!

Attention to all independent film makers... there should be a new genre known as the Desert Horror film and the Reeker series has gone back to the well 2 times. The background story of the Rise of the Reeker was a nice touch but should have expanded more on the subplot instead of speeding through in order to get to the 'meat' of the film involving bank robbers, disgraced cops, and lost angels from big cities (but then again this should be the character check list of this new genre). What this film does is balance between the reality/ fantasy borderline of the film and pulls it off with a nice touch and wraps it up with a possible 3-peat where we could see what is slowly becoming a new horror icon in the making, grass root style (or could it be tumbleweed?)