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Stab 2

2022

Stab 2 (2022) poster
Status
Released
Released
October 30, 2022
Runtime
109 minutes (1:49:07 as posted on YouTube)
Filmed in
Manchester and Bedford, New Hampshire
Studio
StabMovies.com
Distributor
YouTube

The only thing that's for sure is this is gonna hurt, more!

Directed by
Joshua Patrick Dudley
Written by
Joshua Patrick Dudley
Produced by
Joshua Patrick Dudley, Rachel Alexandria Arnold, David Vigil, Daylen Casteel
IMDbBONUS FEATURESSCRIPT

The Film

Two years after the release of the Stab reboot a controversy unfolds. The real Claire Matthews has stepped into the spotlight, alleging that Joshua Dudley stole the idea for the Stab reboot from her real life. Rachel Arnold has released a tell-all book titled "Stabbed in the Back" chronicling the ordeal, which has been turned into a Lifetime movie with the same name.

Joshua vows to stop producing the Stab movies for YouTube but someone else has other plans. One by one the cast of the Stab reboot is murdered by Ghost Face, as the rest of the cast scrambles to figure out who's behind the mask and how to survive.

Do the rules or surviving a horror movie still apply?

Did Joshua steal the idea for the Stab reboot from the real Claire Matthews?

Will the cast solve the mystery in time to save their lives?

The only thing that's for sure is this is gonna hurt, more!

Release & Reception

  • Status: Released. Channel members got it October 12, 2022, and everyone else on October 30, 2022.
  • Distributor: YouTube (StabMovies channel) and StabMovies.com

Channel members got the film on October 12, 2022, 19 days early. The site first said it would go public on Halloween. The public YouTube upload went up the night of October 30, 2022, and the site posted "Stab 2 Now Streaming!" that evening.

Nes Hergenrether made a second trailer, posted January 14, 2023, after the film was out.

By September 2026 the full movie had about 199,700 views, the kill count video about 11,600, the commentary about 9,900 and Trailer 2 about 8,700.

In the commentary Joshua calls Stab 2 probably one of his favorite Stab movies so far.

Deleted Scenes & Trivia

  • A scene where Nicole's daughter Sierra and Arianna prank call Nicole with a Ghost Face voice was cut because Sierra quit. Sierra was also supposed to help fight off the killer, so Nicole still yells to a daughter who is never seen.
  • Parts of Hannah's death were cut, including a longer struggle on the balcony, because the action didn't look real enough. Chris Jones's death was cut short because he kept smiling while being stabbed.
  • The first version of the Chris and Mackenzie scene had Mackenzie go to a different door, and a shot of Ghost Face walking in was dropped to keep it a mystery.
  • In the original script Ethan survived as an innocent victim, and the film ended with the survivors alive and headed for medical care. Joshua cut an emotional take of Ethan's speech after rewriting him as the killer.
  • A clip of Night of the Living Dead on Joshua's TV was replaced with footage from Theta after a copyright claim on its music.
  • Security camera point-of-view shots were planned for the opening and for Daylen's death but never filmed.

Trivia

Stab 2 folds the old approach back in. The cast of the 2020 reboot now play versions of themselves, and a second set of actors play their counterparts on screen: Erika Otte as Movie Claire, Daylen Casteel as Movie Joshua, Mia Gaudette as Movie Hannah and Emilee Powell as Movie Piper.

Kylie Scott, the reporter written for Stab 5 and Stab 6, comes back here played by Jessica Vigil. She is the third actress in the part.

The screenplay came out as a 151 page paperback on March 16, 2023.

  • Stab 2 brings back the old meta approach the reboot dropped. The 2020 cast play versions of themselves, and new actors play their counterparts in the movie inside the movie.
  • Joshua says each Scream film looked at something: horror, sequels, trilogies, modern horror and requels. Stab 2 looks at the rules of fan films.
  • Kylie Scott, the reporter from Stab 5 and Stab 6, comes back, played this time by Jessica Vigil.
  • Arianna Prescott played young Claire in the reboot and is Hannah Madison's real daughter. Here she is credited as Arianna Madison. Nicole's missing first line was the only thing that explained whose daughter she was, so Joshua added on-screen name titles to fix it.
  • Ghost Face returns, voiced by Michael Chaisson, who voiced The Ghost in the reboot. Joshua didn't wear the costume once, which he says is unusual.
  • Henry Columbare had never acted on camera before. He learned his long monologue over about a week of practice in his car.
  • Daylen Casteel first got in touch with Joshua through a YouTube comment about ten years earlier. He flew in from Tennessee to shoot his part.
  • Henry's shorts in one scene and black pants and boots in the next are a planted clue. The car that rams Nicole has the same blue seat covers as the Uber.
  • Sheri's firing in the parking garage is a tribute to Scream 4, including the same car alarm sound effect. Hannah going over the balcony honors Sarah Michelle Gellar's death in Scream 2. Ghost Face coming through the trunk honors Sidney in the police car in Scream. The paint cans honor Marv in Home Alone.
  • Joshua says water is a running joke: he doesn't hear Hannah scream over the sink, and Chris can't hear Mackenzie from the shower.
  • Everyone in the finale helped run the camera at some point, which Joshua says had never happened before.
  • Matthew Knee got an uncut interview in the bonus features but is not on the official cast list.
  • An old STAB 2 TRAILER went up on the channel August 16, 2012, ten years before this film. It was a bonus feature on the Scream 3 DVD. Joshua had posted and pulled it several times because the actress playing Gale is not Jennifer Jolie, so he jokes that it was cut from test footage for Stab 2.
  • The teaser trailer promised a Halloween premiere on October 31, 2022. The full movie went public a day early, on October 30.
  • The commentary version runs about 88 minutes, roughly 21 minutes shorter than the 109 minute film.
  • Behind the Mask, Part 20: Stab 2 runs about 2 hours 11 minutes, longer than the film itself.
  • The Stab 2 title card was made just for StabMovies.com, and nobody else is allowed to use it.
  • The raw footage for script pages 1 to 13 alone runs almost 4 hours and 45 minutes.
  • Twelve uncut interviews went up the same day as the film: Joshua Patrick Dudley, Emilee Powell, Matthew Knee, Erika Otte, Rachel Alexandria Arnold, Mackenzie Sweet, Mark Haggett, Corey Dudley, Ashley Swank, Henry Columbare, Ethan Rodgers and Christopher Jacques.

Connections

  • Sequel to Stab (2020). The "real" Claire Matthews plot comments on the reboot's story, and Chris and Mackenzie are watching the reboot when they die.
  • Mark Haggett finally plays a killer reveal after Stab 7 (2017) was shut down before his.
  • In the Scream films, Stabbed in the Back is Gale Weathers's book. A March 2024 StabMovies.com post says the Stabbed in the Back cover art was fan art Joshua Patrick Dudley made years earlier, and that Scream VI copied it.
  • The killer's complaints about Stab 5 and the other films point back at StabMovies.com's original run: Stab 4: Fresh Blood (2010), Stab 5 (2011), Stab 6: Ghostface Returns (2012) and the two unfinished Stab 7 films.
  • Kylie Scott links back to Stab 5 (2011), Stab 6: Ghostface Returns (2012) and Stab 7 (2017).
  • The Home Alone tribute at the end gave Joshua the idea for a Christmas movie. Followed by Stab 3: Holiday Horror (2023), where Erika Otte, Emilee Powell, Mia Gaudette, Daylen Casteel, Ashley Swank, Corey Dudley, Henry Columbare and David Afflick all return in new roles.

Sources

Cast & Production

Cast

Joshua Patrick Dudley

Joshua Dudley

Rachel Alexandria Arnold

Rachel Arnold

Erika Otte

Movie Claire / Erika Otte

Corey Dudley

Corey Dudley

a police officer in the film

Ethan Rodgers

Ethan Rodgers

Ashley Swank

Ashley Swank

Sheri Lee

Sheri Lee

Nicole Linton

Nicole Linton

Hannah Madison

Hannah Madison

Mark Haggett

Mark Haggett

Christopher Jacques

Christopher Jacques

Mackenzie Sweet

Mackenzie Sweet

Arianna Prescott

Arianna Madison

Michael Chaisson

The Voice of Ghost Face

voice

Daylen Casteel

Movie Joshua / Daylen Casteel

Mia Gaudette

Movie Hannah / Mia Gaudette

Emilee Powell

Movie Piper / Emilee Powell

Henry Columbare

Uber Driver / Fan

the killer; the character has no name in the script

Jessica Vigil

Kylie Scott

Chris Jones

Pizza Man

a friend of Corey Dudley

David Afflick

Detective

Jennifer Drummond

Jennifer Jolie, Murders in Manchester podcast host

voice; not on the official cast list. She was first cast in the on-camera role that went to Erika Otte

Matthew Knee

Ghost Face

in costume for Hannah's death; Hannah Madison's boyfriend at the time

Mark Haggett

Ghost Face

in costume for his own attack on Joshua and as a stand-in for Mackenzie and Chris's deaths

Henry Columbare

Ghost Face

in costume for most of the film, about 87 percent by Joshua's estimate

Nick

Ghost Face

a friend of Joshua's who wore the costume for Daylen's death when Henry was not available; surname not given

Crew

Joshua Patrick Dudley

Writer and director

Joshua Patrick Dudley

Executive producer

Rachel Alexandria Arnold

Producer

David Vigil

Producer

Daylen Casteel

Producer

Seth Hise

Music

Michael Chaisson

Voice of Ghost Face

David Vigil (Lambent Entertainment)

Made the documentary segment and the news segments

Anna Belmonte

Special effects makeup, including Daylen's prosthetic slit throat

Matthew Arseneault

Camera and lighting on the night of Corey's death scene

Nes Hergenrether

Made Trailer 2

Anna Belmonte (@TheAnnaBelmonte) and @nightfirefx

Credited on the prosthetic slit throat behind-the-scenes clip

Production

Behind the Mask, Part 20 says Joshua Patrick Dudley started by asking the reboot cast who wanted to come back, before he had a story. Almost everyone did, but some had little free time, so a few reboot characters are killed off screen or given a reason to be away. Mark Haggett and his brother Christopher Jacques only wanted a day or so of filming. Joshua gave Mark the killer reveal in the opening because Mark was supposed to be the killer in Stab 7, which was shut down before that scene was shot. Hannah Madison didn't want to lead again after the reboot, so she took the opening kill.

Casting opened on January 29, 2021, two months after the reboot came out. The fan wiki says an earlier casting call went up on the StabMovies.com Facebook page on October 28, 2020, before the reboot was even released. The site showed off a new knife collection for the film on December 23, 2021. The first poster and two more went up February 1, 2022. Casting was declared complete on March 3, 2022.

On April 5, 2022 the site said pre-production had begun and asked for donations to buy new camera and audio gear. Every donor would get a credit in the film, and anyone giving $100 or more would get a producer credit. The post mentioned live streams for donations and a possible Indiegogo campaign. Another poster followed April 26, 2022.

Stab 2 was the first StabMovies.com film shot in 4K, with a new camera, a new computer and a new editing program, and the commentary says there was a big learning curve. The opening was the first thing filmed. Joshua shot his solo parts alone on a tripod the first night, Hannah and Matthew Knee came the second night, and a third night covered Mark, Corey and Chris Jones. Mark's dialogue was later reshot because his first takes were blurry and too over the top.

The shoot ran through a hot summer. The hotel room never cooled below about 85 degrees on a 100 degree day, and the air conditioners had to stay on, which hurt the audio. Sheri Lee's scenes were all filmed in one 12-hour day. The parking garage scene was shot guerrilla style without permission. The group meeting at Joshua's apartment was shot in pieces because the actors' schedules never lined up. Corey showed up a day late, so each person filmed their lines separately and Joshua cut it together. Daylen Casteel flew in from Tennessee and shot all his scenes over one weekend. The finale took one long day in Joshua's apartment, which has no central air. Joshua says in his uncut interview that it ran from noon to about 10:30 at night, even though some of the cast remembered it going later.

Several cast changes came during filming. Jennifer Drummond had a bigger on-camera role but left for family reasons after one scene. Erika Otte replaced her and that scene was reshot, and Jennifer voices the podcast host instead. An actress named Sunshine was cast as Movie Hannah and backed out, so Joshua posted on Facebook and Mia Gaudette, who had never acted, took the part. Nicole Linton's daughter Sierra quit before her scenes, which cut about six minutes.

After wrapping, Joshua felt the film ran short and that too many characters lived. He brought back Emilee Powell, Mia Gaudette and Henry Columbare for new death scenes in the rain, and added the documentary, the podcast segments and Corey's search of the alley. Rachel Alexandria Arnold came up with Mia's asthma death so the actresses wouldn't ruin their clothes with blood. Two or three days before the finale was shot, Joshua sent the cast a page and a half of new script making Ethan the second killer. Until then Joshua, Rachel, Erika and Ashley were all supposed to survive.

A poster for Stabbed in the Back, the movie inside the movie, went up July 29, 2022. The teaser trailer went up on YouTube August 9 and on the site August 16, 2022, announcing a Halloween premiere. A title card made for the film was posted October 15, 2022, and the release countdown ran on Instagram from October 5.

Filming locations

  • Manchester, New Hampshire: Home base of the shoot
  • The house from the Stab (2020) opening: The Stab-A-Vision opening
  • Joshua Patrick Dudley's apartment: Joshua's apartment, the Stabbed in the Back version of it with different furniture, and the shut-down movie set for the finale
  • A hotel: Rachel's hotel room scenes, shot on a 100 degree day, and the parking lot where the Stabbed in the Back actors arrive
  • Christopher Jacques and Mackenzie Sweet's own condo: Their death scenes
  • A public parking garage in Manchester: Sheri's firing and death, filmed without permission
  • Nicole Linton's house: Nicole's house and attack; the last scheduled day of production
  • The parking lot of a public library: Outside the Stabbed in the Back production studio
  • Woods: Mia's chase and death, filmed in real rain

Effects and makeup

For Hannah's fall, Joshua built a duct tape dummy molded on Hannah's body instead of building a fake balcony. It was painted and given a foam head, rubber gloves for hands and a wig. Hannah bought two matching outfits and each stab wound was copied onto the dummy. The team forgot to put her shoes on it. The same dummy, dressed in Joshua's clothes, took the close-up stab in his back.

Anna Belmonte did Daylen's prosthetic slit throat. A digital effects artist, not named in the commentary, cleaned up tubes and seams, added blood, finished the half blade in Chris's throat, made Mark's eye pop out, added digital rain to Daylen's scene and created the fire when Sheri's car burns.

Emilee's broken neck was meant to be bloodless; the small bit of blood from her mouth is digital.

The finale used more blood than any earlier StabMovies.com film. The fake blood was kept in the fridge because of the heat. Off-camera cast members threw handfuls of blood at Rachel for the chainsaw shots, and the killer's brains were grape gelatin, thrown by Ethan Rodgers.

A behind-the-scenes clip of the prosthetic slit throat went up October 31, 2022. It credits @TheAnnaBelmonte on YouTube and @nightfirefx on Instagram.

Props and costumes

The production bought a new set of knives for the film, shown December 23, 2021.

Rachel's knife in the finale is a rubber prop swapped for a real one, a Scream 3 tribute Joshua had wanted to do for a long time.

Mark Haggett hit Joshua with a picture frame that was only cardboard. The glass was added digitally.

The Stabbed in the Back set was dressed differently from Joshua's real apartment, with a blue love seat in place of his L-shaped couch and more Ghost Face decorations.

Lanfear's coffee, in the fake commercial, is named for the original last name of Joshua's grandparents on his mother's side.

In August 2022 the site said more screen used props and costumes would go on sale after Stab 2 came out.

Production

Casting opened on January 29, 2021 and was not finished until March 3, 2022. The first poster went up on February 1, 2022, with two more the same day and another on April 26. A donation appeal specifically for this film ran on April 5, 2022. The teaser trailer came out on August 16, 2022 and an in-universe poster for Stabbed in the Back on July 29.

From Stab 2 onward the productions moved to a Sony G9 and cut in VEGAS Pro 16 and VEGAS POST, with some Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere alongside.

Killers & Deaths

The killers

Mark Haggett (Ghost Face in the opening)

Played by
Mark Haggett
Motive
The commentary says the real killers pushed him into the attacks, though he was not working with them directly. The film never fully explains it.
Death
Killed by Corey Dudley; a digital effect shows his eye popping out.

The Uber Driver, a fan (Ghost Face)

Played by
Henry Columbare
Motive
Angry about the StabMovies.com films themselves. Joshua calls the motive intentionally silly, a way to answer fan complaints about Stab 5 having no time travel, bad audio and low budgets.
Death
Beaten by the survivors, cut with a chainsaw by Rachel, then shot in the head by Ethan.

Ethan Rodgers

Played by
Ethan Rodgers
Motive
Not spelled out in the commentary. He is set up as the red herring all along and wears a bulletproof vest because he knows someone will shoot at him.
Death
Kills the last survivors and gets away.

Deaths

Hannah Madison

Played by
Hannah Madison
How
Stabbed and thrown off the balcony
Where
Joshua's apartment
By
Mark Haggett (Ghost Face)

Pizza Man

Played by
Chris Jones
How
Stabbed in the head
Where
Joshua's stairs
By
Mark Haggett (Ghost Face)

Mackenzie Sweet

Played by
Mackenzie Sweet
How
Stabbed several times, gutted and laid on the kitchen counter
Where
Her and Chris's condo
By
Ghost Face

Christopher Jacques

Played by
Christopher Jacques
How
Stabbed through the throat
Where
His condo
By
Ghost Face

Sheri Lee

Played by
Sheri Lee
How
Burned when her car is set on fire and explodes
Where
A parking garage
By
Ghost Face

Daylen Casteel

Played by
Daylen Casteel
How
Throat slit
Where
An alley in a thunderstorm
By
Ghost Face

Emilee Powell

Played by
Emilee Powell
How
Neck broken
Where
Inside the Uber
By
The Uber Driver (Ghost Face)

Mia Gaudette

Played by
Mia Gaudette
How
Dies of an asthma attack with her inhaler out of reach
Where
The woods
By
The Uber Driver (Ghost Face)

Nicole Linton

Played by
Nicole Linton
How
Her car is rammed; her death is not shown
Where
On the road as she drives away
By
The Uber Driver (Ghost Face)

Corey Dudley

Played by
Corey Dudley
How
Killed in front of Joshua and Erika
Where
Joshua's apartment
By
The Uber Driver (Ghost Face)

Rachel Arnold

Played by
Rachel Alexandria Arnold
How
Shot in the head
Where
The Stabbed in the Back set
By
Ethan Rodgers

Erika Otte

Played by
Erika Otte
How
Shot
Where
The Stabbed in the Back set
By
Ethan Rodgers

Ashley Swank

Played by
Ashley Swank
How
Shot against a door
Where
The Stabbed in the Back set
By
Ethan Rodgers

Joshua Dudley

Played by
Joshua Patrick Dudley
How
Shot
Where
The Stabbed in the Back set
By
Ethan Rodgers

Music & Home Media

Score by Seth Hise. Joe Walker had scored the reboot. Joshua singles out Seth's documentary-style music for the recap segment.

Merchandise

  • Screen used props and costumes through the StabMovies.com store (promised in August 2022 for after release).
  • Script paperback through Lulu (2023).

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