Fall 2: Deadpoint – A Pale Shadow of a Far Superior Original

Scott Mann’s 2022 Fall was a masterclass in minimalist terror. Its premise was gloriously simple: two best friends, Becky and Shiloh, climb a 2,000-foot decommissioned TV tower, only to find themselves stranded at the top with no way down. No monsters, no villains—just vertigo, dwindling supplies, and the crushing realisation that help isn’t coming. It worked because it respected its own logic. Every squealing bolt, every gust of wind, every desperate decision felt earned.

Fall 2: Deadpoint (directed this time by the Spierig Brothers) picks up in the aftermath. Shiloh is dead, and her grieving sister Jax (Harriet Slater) is persuaded by Shiloh’s friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) to honour her memory by tackling a treacherous plank walk on Thailand’s Mount Kwan. Cue an earthquake, a rockslide, and our heroines stranded 3,000–4,000 feet in the air on a few rotting planks of wood.

It sounds promising. It isn’t.

The sequel suffers from an acute inferiority complex. Where the original was lean and clever, this is bloated and stupid. The filmmakers have confused “bigger” with “better”—higher stakes, more elaborate set-pieces, an earthquake for good measure—but they’ve forgotten that terror requires credibility. The characters make decisions so reckless they border on the suicidal: hiring a guide from a seedy bar, pressing on despite apocalyptic weather warnings, ignoring every red flag the movie throws at them. By the time they’re clinging to splintered wood, you’re less terrified than exasperated.

Yet even that understates their sheer, jaw‑dropping stupidity. The prime example comes when the guide cum drug dealer saves their lives—only for the pair to pick a heated argument with him, then proceed to hurl his entire stash of narcotics off the cliff. That they expect a good ending after such reckless provocation is not just foolish; it’s borderline suicidal. These two behave like entitled gap‑year brats, not survivalists. I am willing to suspend disbelief, but not that far.

The screenplay also duplicates the original’s narrative beats and unexpected disclosures so slavishly that it feels like a photocopy of a photocopy. Nothing surprises. And crucially, the edge‑of‑your‑seat suspense is hollow because we know nothing will happen to the two lead actors, not until the end anyway — the sequel’s less grounded tone undercuts any genuine tension. Logic is out the window.

To be fair, the Spierig Brothers deliver some dizzying POV shots and nail‑biting thrills. If you check your brain at the door, there’s a passable 90‑minute ride to be had. But as a follow‑up to the far superior original, Fall 2 is a pale shadow—schlocky, derivative, and ultimately forgettable.

And what of Fall 3? It is already on the drawing board, with Capstone Studios green‑lighting a third instalment and Scott Mann returning to direct. Given the catastrophic missteps of this sequel, one can only hope the third time proves the charm.

Elven Ho