Shadyside, 1978. School’s out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.

I was not convinced by the first movie in Netflix’s adaptation of the R L Stine young adult series of books, but am pleased to say that things are much better in the second part, set in 1978. Again co-written and directed by Leigh Janiak, it picks up from the end of the 1994 movie, with Deena (Kiana Madeira) and brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr) successfully tracking down the sole survivor of the survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre, Constance Berman. This segment is then essentially one long flashback to that night of terror.

The summer camp was such fertile territory for late 70s and early 80s slashers, and we meet the archetypal Friday the 13th series characters like the horny teens, the mean kids and the virgins. Ziggy Berman (Sadie Sink, Stranger Things) is in danger of getting expelled, which would be bad news for her older sister Cindy (Emily Rudd) who is the camp counsellor. Things kick off when the camp’s nurse (whose own daughter went on a killing spree) attacks Cindy’s boyfriend, warns him he’s going to die tonight.

It’s not long before there’s a maniac running round with an axe, dispatching the happy campers in showers of blood. But what’s neat is the occasional subversion of a trope, or some misdirection to catch you unguarded. The acting is better in this second movie, and while it spends time in developing the show’s mythology in readiness for the final movie (set in 1666) it doesn’t feel weighed down by it – a lot of that heavy lifting and exposition was carried out in part one.

It’s not perfect by any stretch, but it delivers the goods, teasing you to the very end as to which sister is telling the tale. The Stephen King influence is apparent this week, with frequent name checks, and a sense that Shadyside’s horror heritage would make it the ideal twin town to Maine’s Derry. Things are nicely set up for the 17th Century-set conclusion.

Verdict: A much stronger second part – who says horror sequels are never as good as the originals? 8/10

Nick Joy