A Third Outing For The Jacker

A Third Outing For The Jacker

Bruce Von Stiers

Way back, in 1993, there was an indie horror thriller film titled Jacker. It was about people getting kidnaped and killed and then having their cars stolen. Hence the title, Jacker. It was noted as being a bit uneven, but very gritty, making it a favorite among indie horror fans. Then there was a sequel, Descent to Hell, released three years later in 1996. This was mainly about the Jacker getting revenge on those who'd tried to kill him in the first film.

Now there is a third film in the Jacker saga. The title of this film is Jacker 3: Road to Hell. It takes place over thirty years past the timeline of the first film.

In the first two films, the viewer apparently didn't get the whole background on the Jacker. They knew his name, Mike Rivers, and that he was the Jacker. The viewer also learned about a relationship he had with a woman named Gloria, who he tried and failed to kill.

At the beginning of this new film, Mike is a teenager. Mike's dad does a slice and dice on his mother, before getting shot by a cop. But, as he breathes his final breath, the essence of the evil within the father passes on to Mike. So, we now know that there is pure evil lurking within Mike.

As the film moves along, there are multiple killings. And there are characters such as Gloria who are part of the storyline. Mixed in with current events, there is a bit of backstory. Two cops who were after Mike in the earlier films can now be claimed as victims. Gloria seems to have some kind of psychic connection to Mike in his persona as the Jacker. The modus operandi for the Jacker seems to be as it was before, randomly killing people and stealing their car.

There is a podcaster named Chris who interviews Gloria and later beds her. He's hot on the trail of finding out what kind of connection that Gloria really has with the Jacker. Chris recruits one of his friends, Dennis, to help his figure things out. And helping piece things together is the on-air reporting of the Jacker's activities by a local news anchor.

There is also a strange but somewhat comical bit in the film with regards to noted former child actor, Butch Patrick.

Phil Herman is Jacker. He has just about a hundred producing credits, almost seventy acting screen credits and thirty credits as a screenwriter. He also wrote the screenplay for this film.

Debbie D is Gloria. Her film credits include Return to Bloody Creek and Son of Gacy.

Kevin Duffy is Dennis. He was in The Boy From Below and a film I recently reviewed, Whispers. Christopher Kahler is Chris. He was in Return of the Corn Zombies and other horror films.

Marcus N Jackson is Mark, one of the Jacker's pursuers, and victim. He was in the second Jacker film, only as a different character. Ben Stanski is Detective Ken Crotch, a cop investigating the murders. He co-starred in The Burglar From Hell.

Butch Patrick plays himself. He's best known as Eddie Munster on the show, The Munsters, but has also appeared in horror films such as He Drives At Night and River Beauty.

Kimberly Lynn Cole plays Betty Grafton, another character in the film. A few of the films she's been in are Bloodthirst, Bermuda Island and Bigfoot Exorcist.

Yet another character in the film is Daniel Stiles, played by Alba Maria O'Neill. She has been in other horror films such as Amityville Shark House and I Slay on Christmas. John Potash is a character called The Hunter. He was in Ripper Revealed, Desert Fiends and a film I reviewed a short time ago, A Hard Place.

Other notable actors appearing in the film include Rudy Ledbetter, Deborah Dutch, Tam Taylor, Kristina Lafser, and Joe DeBartolo. Ledbetter played the news anchor, a role similar to the one he portrayed in a horror film I recently reviewed, Whispers. Dutch, Taylor, Lafser and DeBartolo have all acted in other horror films.

The director was James Panetta. He has directed films such as Hollywood Warrioress: War of the Gods and Horror Tales .666 Part 3.

The cinematographer was Derek Braasch. He's directed films such as Torture The Flesh and Ties That Bind.

Marissa Guevera was the makeup artist and Damane Harris did special effects.

There were several production companies involved with the film. They were IkuZo! Studios and Herman Productions along with Cheevies Film Productions and Devokees Productions and Lonewolf Studios Uruguay. Also involved in the production of the film were Dark Quill Films and Paul Hughbanks Entertainment,LLC.

Jacker 3: Road to Hell takes you back to the heyday of indie shot-on-video film. Sometimes jumpy camera shots, overly sunlit exterior scenes, murky indoor lighting and minimalist special effects only add to the gritty feel of the film. The gore factor seems to go hand in hand with the body count as the film progresses. In a few scenes the dialog seemed a little clunky and forced, but overall, the acting was good. And there is a bit of a twist at the end.

With the large body count, a decent amount of gore and some requisite nudity, Jacker 3: Road to Hell should be just right for fans of vintage shot-on-video horror.

Jacker 3: Road to Hell is set to be released on Tubi and other streaming services in the near future.

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